Featured Balaam showed No Free Will

I agree.
But it's also, according to Scripture, something that all men do not have with respect towards Jesus Christ.

Respectfully, I disagree, sir.
Scripture clearly is addressed, in some places, to those that "have ears to hear" and some people are even told that they are blessed because they have such.
For example:

" And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15 for this people’s heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16 But blessed [are] your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous [men] have desired to see [those things] which ye see, and have not seen [them]; and to hear [those things] which ye hear, and have not heard [them]." ( Matthew 13:10-17 ).

I'm also reminded of John 8:47.

 

I agree with the underlined.
In fact, I see both "inability" and willful ignorance in this passage, not one or the other.

Men are blind and it takes the power of God to make them "see"... and Israel, during it's long history as the chosen nation of God, decided to close their eyes to Him and His words.
From my perspective, a clear example of human nature in all its deadness, except for a few here and there that had experienced God's grace and mercy.

I agree.
It also says that to believe on Christ is a work of God ( John 6:29), not a work of men and that is it given to believers both to believe and to suffer for his sake ( Philippians 1:29 ).

 

I agree, and to this I would add, "most wholeheartedly".

However, it seems that between the two of us, how we put together the pieces and harmonize them, is entirely different.
When you assemble the pieces, it appears that you're coming up with a co-operative effort on the part of men to acquire something that Scriptures tells us is strictly a gift ( Romans 6:23 );
When I put them together, I end up with an operative effort begun and finished by the Lord alone, have nothing to stand on except His mercy and grace, and I didn't just come to His table with empty hands... I was brought to His table completely bankrupt, blind, deaf, poor and naked;
A destitute and willfully rebellious sinner in desperate need of His grace, which was a gift dropped into my lap when I wasn't even looking for it.


That said, I wish you well, sir...
and I hope I have not offended you in this exchange as it was never my intention to do so.

May God bless you with much wisdom, knowledge, grace and many good and perfect gifts...
For the Bible tells us that such things come down from the Lord ( James 1:17 ) and a man can have nothing except it be given to him from Heaven ( John 3:27 ).

 

Thank you for your kind wishes, I appreciate your carefully considered thoughts. Had you thought about the statement that the hearts and ears of the people had "grown" heavy and dull, indicating that (like their eyes) they didn't start out that way? Just curious.

 

I believe I mentioned that distinction in post #(27).

We are not told that Balaam gave any false prophecies and claimed they were from God. And all prophecies he gave were from God.

His original error was in seeking gain in the world through his use of his gift from God as a prophet. Thus he was a hireling prophet. Wanting to make a profit for being a prophet.

Because he desired the favor and gain of the world, this led him to his next and worse error. (Num. 31:15-17) He counseled Balak and the Moabites that by mixing Israel with the women of Moab he could defeat Israel. This was terrible advice, of course. But it was not a prophecy Balaam was claiming from God.

In other words, it is my opinion that Balaam was a hireling prophet. He was a true prophet gone bad. And because he desired the approval and advancement of the world, and counseled the enemies of God against Israel, so he died with the enemies of God by the hand of the people of God. (Josh 13:22)

Quantrill

 

Were they somehow saved for by worshiping the serpent on Moses’ staff?
You’re way off on this.


Blessings

 

Yes!:

8 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a standard: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live. Nu 21

They were saved from death!

 

So, according to you, Balaam's in heaven?

 

Was the death physical or the second death as in spiritual ?


Blessings

 

Many of the actions you include in your view of "free will" have dire consequences. You can not defy God's revealed will and be in fellowship with Him - therefore you/we pay a price for exercising our will - which is not free.

[Jas 4:13-16 ESV] 13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"-- 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

Martin Luther:
Full text of "Full text of "Martin Luther on the bondage of the will : to the venerable mister Erasmus of Rotterdam, 1525""

Excerpts from the above document

"An evident proof this, that Freewill is a downright lie"

"The truth, however, is, that God has never given Freewill (if by Freewill is meant an uncontrolled will) to any creature."

"Freewill is not a matter of the Spirit, or of Christ, but a mere human affair"

"Freewill, by its own strength, cannot but fall ; and has no power, save to commit sin"

"Freewill is nothing but Satan s captive packhorse, which cannot have freedom, unless the devil be first of all cast out by the finger of God."

"Freewill is nothing but the chiefest enemy of righteousness and of man s salvation ; because it cannot be, but that some amongst these Jews and Gentiles have acted and endeavoured with the uttermost power of Freewill; and yet with this very Freewill have done nothing but wage war against grace."

"If the just man lives by faith, he that hath not faith is not just; and, if not just, he is a sinner. If whatsoever be not of faith is sin, whatever is done by mere Freewill is sin ; because Freewill has nothing to do with faith, but is by the supposition perfectly distinct from it : neither has faith any thing to do with Freewill, but has another origin. Whatsoever it doth therefore, not being of faith, is sin. So that Freewill is only sin."

The Spurgeon Library | Free-Will – A Slave

Free-Will - A Slave

By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Dec 2, 1855
Scripture: John 5:40

The first created being to impose his will (free or not) was Lucifer, Satan, the Devil. For professing Christians to credit this lie of Satan to God is appalling..[/QUOTE]

 

You made nine separate declarations in your post, none of which I find in Scripture; hence the request for references.

I have studied and taught all forty-two chapters of Job. It is not about God ordaining salvation.

 

There is no such thing as a deal when one side has nothing to offer. Man is confronted with a simple choice between God's grace and God's judgment. It's not a game show.

 

Scripture does not teach that saving faith is a gift. Jesus is (literally translated) the "founder and perfecter of faith." The word "our" is not in the text.

On the contrary, John 3:11 refers to receiving God's witness and testimony; John 3:12 and 15 refer to believing that witness. Your concept of "the ones whom God chooses to be born again" is nowhere to be found in that context.

 

Why would a born-again child of God want to exercise their ability to disobey their Father? My spiritual struggle is to continually be obedient to the will of God and subdue my will.

[Phl 2:5 KJV] 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

God chastises His children. I recommend avoiding His chastisement by confessing our sins.

[Heb 12:8 KJV] 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

 

[Eph 2:8 KJV] 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: