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Post #28: Ever notice how the Arminians never complain that there will be no "free will," as they construct it, in heaven? Do they conclude God is therefore cruel to so constrain people for eternity? No. Why not?

Take a look at this post, and others of mine, on the Mixed Swimming thread.

Again and again I see Calvinists presuming, in various ways, that with the unregenerate, then the regenerate, then with the righteous in heaven, there cannot be any real free will.

But true free will, properly understood, is of the essence of our being. It is God-given, and God does not take it away. That is why the righteous are righteous, because they choose to be faithful and obedient to the commandments of God. Apart from that, they are not righteous.

That is why Lucifer rebelled, and became Satan, because he chose to devote his energies to try to destroy the work of God, destroy the Truth, put his falsehoods in its place. That is why God allows evil to occur here in mortality, because people have God-given free will, and God does not prevent them from choosing evil, nor does He prevent the just consequences of their evil from coming upon the unrepentant.

Neither will He allow the evil ones to spoil heaven for the righteous. The wicked will have to be elsewhere, to enjoy what they are willing to receive, since they rejected what they might have received.

There will be no attacking or accusing, no condemnation or cutting off, among those who inherit the kingdom of heaven. Those who love to do that here (and thus they freely choose to do it) will be elsewhere, unless they repent.

Those who are in heaven are those who freely choose to forsake all evil, and become firmer and firmer in righteous ways by consistent, righteous choices, until they become stedfast, unshakeable, and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and thus make their calling and election sure, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, for no unclean thing can enter heaven.

They become more and more righteous by consistent application of their God-given free will in righteous ways. And vice versa for the wicked.

Helaman 3:35
35 Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.

D&C 93:30
30 All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence.

36 posted on 07/30/2003 9:59:45 AM PDT by White Mountain (By their fruits ye shall know them.)
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To: White Mountain; drstevej; RnMomof7; Calvinist_Dark_Lord
Those who are in heaven are those who freely choose to forsake all evil, and become firmer and firmer in righteous ways by consistent, righteous choices, until they become stedfast, unshakeable, and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and thus make their calling and election sure, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, for no unclean thing can enter heaven.

Sounds like works based theology to me. But then I thought sanctification comes from God, not from ourselves....

37 posted on 07/30/2003 10:41:43 AM PDT by Gamecock (Calvinism, it's not just a good idea, but Scripturaly correct!)
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To: White Mountain
Well, at least you didn't lie about us Calvinists in that post.

Woody.
47 posted on 07/30/2003 12:28:08 PM PDT by CCWoody
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