“Real” Ability of all God’s Creatures to Respond to the Influence of Him/Seek Truth

I have no argument against that salvation is all of God, but would like to hear what others believe regarding whether man (all men) truly has/have the (real) ability to freely seek and grow in faith, granted within the condition that God is the influencing agent.

I will start by presenting scripture that commands men to seek the Lord, then the argument which brought up the above question, finally my argument that men must freely respond to God’s influences to receive His promise of grace to all on the condition of “real” faith which necessarily relies on “real” creaturely volition.

(Deu 4:29) But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

(1Ch 16:11) Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.

(1Ch 16:12) Remember his marvelous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

(1Ch 22:19) Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD.

(1Ch 28:9) And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off forever.

(2Ch 11:16) And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers.

(2Ch 12:14) And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD.


(2Ch 15:2) And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

(2Ch 15:12) And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

(2Ch 15:13) That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

(2Ch 30:18) For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one

(2Ch 30:19) That prepareth his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.

(Ezr 7:10) For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.

(Psa 14:2) The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

(Psa 22:26) The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live forever.

(Psa 27:4) One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.

(Psa 27:8) When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

(Psa 34:10) The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

(Psa 40:16) Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.

(Psa 69:6) Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.

(Psa 83:16) Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.

(Psa 105:3) Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.

(Psa 105:4) Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.

(Pro 28:5) Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.


(Isa 55:6) Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

(Hos 10:12) Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

(Amo 5:4) For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:

(Amo 5:6) Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.

(Amo 5:14) Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.


(Zep 2:3) Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD's anger.


(Act 15:17) That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

(Act 17:27) That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

 

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You say it “seems” that I “brag” of creature ability/volition but I will suggest that is because of the dogmatic Determinist’ view in which you hold that necessarily must attempt to outright deny the volition of God’s creatures. Your point seems to oppose any “reality” (truth) to man’s ability to respond to the (real) influences of God.

No, I do not attempt to limit man’s ability which would only serve to dispute God’s ability; His truths that He is an Omnibenevolent God of judgment and His righteous ways of offering true grace through real faith (a real promise) to all His creatures reveals how Loving He is. How can a creature respond in faith, for love of this Truth if he does not have the real/true ability to do so? How can there be true/real Divine judgment without true/real ability of those being judged to respond to God’s calling/influences.

Scripture reveals that God’s work is perfect, He is Truth, without moral evil and all His ways are judgment,(Deut 32:4) He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.


I contend it is the Determinism view which limits God’s ability to be sovereign apart from their interpretations of Him predestinating the election of certain individuals which inevitably abandons the attributes of God as laid out in Deut 32:4, including His just and righteous ways of judgment and through a view of predetermination places “all responsibility”, including evil and sin, on the Creator of this World (Who is without moral evil/inequity, Deut 32:4). The Calvinist view often results in a blatant and offensive assault on the character and nature of God through its attempt to discount the volition of His creatures in order to hold to a traditional, must fit, systematic determinist’ view. A purely fatalistic doctrine.

The Word reveals the “truth” that faith is near; with the heart (faith) a person believes and whosoever believes in Him will not be disappointed (Rom 10:8-11). Those are the words we are to preach to the world!

Rom 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

“Choose you this day”; it is up to the individual to believe/have faith:

(Eph 1:13) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,

God truly gave Himself as a ransom for all (1Tim 2:3-6).

(1Ti 2:3) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
(1Ti 2:4) Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
(1Ti 2:5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
(1Ti 2:6) Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

He is a God of Truth and a Rewarder of those who seek Him. (Heb 11:6).

(Heb 11:6) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

The command to do what is right and seek the Lord in faith is not an empty statement nor void of truth (Isaiah 1:18-20;

(Isa 1:18) Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

(Isa 1:19) If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

(Isa 1:20) But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Jeremiah 29:13;
(Jer 29:13) And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Acts 17:24-27;

(Act 17:24) God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

(Act 17:25) Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

(Act 17:26) And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

(Act 17:27) That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

Malachi 3:1;

(Mal 3:1) Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

Zephaniah 2:3;

(Zep 2:3) Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.

Hosea 10:12;

(Hos 10:12) Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.


Psalm 83:14-16;

(Psa 83:14) As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

(Psa 83:15) So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.

(Psa 83:16) Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.

 

Faith has not been predetermined for man, but a promise has been put in place for all His creatures before the foundation of the world and he who hears the truth in these words should be declaring that God is not willing that any should perish and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely :

2Peter 3:9;

(2Pe 3:9) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Rev 22:17-19;

(Rev 22:17) And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

(Rev 22:18) For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

(Rev 22:19) And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Through the promises of God all men will be drawn (John 12:32)

(Joh 12:32) And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

…and all men (In His perfect work of creation) are commanded to seek and not without purpose, (a genuine offer of grace through faith for all His creatures) again, for all God ways are judgment (Deut 32:4) and that is not possible without the true condition of creaturely volition to respond to the truth of the promise, or not.

(Deu 32:4) He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

The invitation of grace through faith is real and extends to all (1Jn 2:2).

(1Jn 2:2) And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

God’s nature does not change. God’s creatures were made with God-given free will and that has not changed. God’s creatures do change, they are converted, and only by the influence of the Holy Spirit can they do so by the free gift of grace enlightening the heart which calls for a response of faith.” Without God we cannot, without us God will not.”