Balaam showed No Free Will

[Sai]

Reading through the book of Numbers we come across the story of Balaam, who was paid to go place a curse on Israel. Yet, everytime he tried, God stopped him and would not let him curse Israel.

While humans do have the capacity to make choices, their will is never capable of freely defeating God's ordained will. Humans are not free. They are slaves to sin or slaves to Christ.

Numbers 24:12-13
And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the Lord speaks, that will I speak’?

Of course not. He was dead in sins and had no ability to come to God. He’s in hell


Blessings

 

[Sai]

I can top this.
Adam had no free will so he hid himself


Blessings

 

[Dave G]

What is your view of Acts 17:26-31?

That Paul's spirit was stirred in him because he saw the city given over over to idolatry...
That men should seek the Lord ( even though Paul tells us later on in Romans 3:10-18 that we don't, as a rule ), and He be not far from us.
Also, that men, who are the offspring of God, ought not to think of the Godhead ( Father, Son and Holy Spirit ) as something of an object like gold and silver, etc...
And in the light of that, God has commanded us to repent because He has appointed Christ as Judge.

After all of this, very few believed ( Acts of the Apostles 17:34 ), while most of the ones who did not either mocked him or only wanted to hear about his new doctrine of the resurrection of the dead...but not about repentance and and about the One that was raised from the dead to judge the world in righteousness.


I also approach the entire book of Acts with what is given at the beginning and is referred to sporadically throughout...
God's grace through "calling", as found in Acts of the Apostles 2:37, ..."pricked in their heart..", plus:

" Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call." ( Acts of the Apostles 2:38-39 )

Here I clearly see that the promise of remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Ghost is defined by the people Peter is preaching to, their children, and all that are afar off...
and is even further defined by the statement, "as many as the Lord our God shall call".

"Call" = "Summon".


In addition, I see in Acts of the Apostles 13:48, a very significant statement...
"...as many as were ordained to eternal life believed."

This further defines who believes and who does not, and everywhere I look past that, I view everyone who believed on Christ to have done so because they were ordained to it.
Those who did not were not ordained to it.

In other words, the events of Acts 2, Acts 13, Acts 16 ( God opening Lydia's heart so that she listens intently to the words that Paul speaks ) and significant statements about the Lord being selective in who He saves, defines where Paul goes and who believes the Gospel.

Another example of God leading Paul and his company to where God's elect were at, is when the Spirit forbids Paul from going into Bithynia and Asia ( even though we know people there were dying every day ) and instead sends him to Macedonia by means of a vision.

Yet another example of God being selective, is when He tells Paul in a vision to stay and preach at Corinth ( and Paul did so for a year and six months ), because He had "much people in this city"...many elect.


Acts 17 is no different, as God works salvation according to His plan,
and per Romans 8:29-30 only those who are foreknown and predestinated conformed to the image of His Son will be called by the Gospel and justified and glorified by God.

 

[Wesley Briggman]

[Jos 13:22 KJV] 22 Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them.

The way I read this verse, Boer is the soothsayer, not Balaam.

Note: English sentence structure was not my strong point.

If it read: Balaam the soothsayer, also the son of Beor... would be clear.

Just my two-cents worth!

 

[poor-in-spirit]

The "will" is in the hearts of men. Balaam's "will" was not changed nor altered by God, merely his actions. He condemned himself just as the mammon loving harlots today condemn themselves.

Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

Our Lord's interventions never made believers out of reprobates nor blocked those truly seeking Him.

In those days God wanted His Glory through the physical and visible. He created a physical nation on earth for Himself and used that nation for His Glory, to spread His Name through fear in His Name among the dogs. According to Scripture that alone was the reason for His interventions including national interventions, the raising and lower of kings, etc.

 

[Tsalagi]

Where does God offer us a choice of a sunny day or far worse than cloudy one?
Where is that "Let's Make A Deal" offer displayed?

John 3:14-21 makes the choice abundantly clear, cf. Numbers 21:8-9; the serpent is lifted up and as many as choose to look, live. "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me" John 12:32. All are drawn, not all accept what God offers.

You don't describe people receiving Jesus' compassionate acts of healing in terms of "making a deal." Why do it here?

 

[AustinC]

John 3:14-21 makes the choice abundantly clear, cf. Numbers 21:8-9; the serpent is lifted up and as many as choose to look, live. "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me" John 12:32. All are drawn, not all accept what God offers.

You don't describe people receiving Jesus' compassionate acts of healing in terms of "making a deal." Why do it here?

Who were in the wilderness, pagans and Canaanites or God's chosen people? Numbers 21 is a non example.

John 3 is a wonderful passage about God's Sovereign work in bringing humans to belief.
Tell us how you caused your own human conception. Now realize that being born again is not of your own doing, just as your first birth was not of your own doing.

 

[Tsalagi]

Firstly, I no longer look at salvation as an offer, though I once did.
As I see it, it never was, nor will it ever be.

Rather, it's a promise and a declaration made to only those who believe on Christ.

I concur. God is not "offering" to save us. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and the only escape from inevitable judgment is through faith in Christ. Acts 16:31: salvation is conditioned on faith.

One can either look at it as based on a set of requirements that a man can meet ( with or without God's help ), thereby satisfying and pleasing God in favor of a desirable outcome...

According to Hebrews 11:6, "Without faith it is impossible to please Him," so God's pleasure in our faith does not appear to be the problem you make it out to be. God requires confession of His Son as the risen Savior by faith alone, or there is no salvation (Romans 10:8-13). There is joy (which I would think equates to pleasure) in heaven over the sinner who repents (Luke 15:7). I'm not sure why you see this as a problem.

or it is based on God's completely independent work in a person who was formerly dead towards Him in their desires and affections.

Do you see a reference to God doing this completely independent work without any stated basis other than His inscrutable will? I am not aware of any such passage.

Regarding examples like Pharoah and Balaam, I see them serving primarily to reinforce the fact that God does as He pleases in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, so I would agree with the underlined, at least in principle...

He over-rules our will if and when He so pleases.

For sure, but again I see no conflict in these examples with God pleasing to save those who choose to accept the work of His Son on their behalf, and dispensing wrath and eternal judgment on those who don't.

 

[Tsalagi]

Who were in the wilderness, pagans and Canaanites or God's chosen people? Numbers 21 is a non example.

God's chosen people were suffering the judgment of death for sin. They had the option of being delivered from death by the choice to look and live. Apparently you think God should have sent snakes among the Canaanites and have Moses raise the bronze serpent in their midst to make the point. It's not a non-example if Jesus makes it an example in John 3:14.

John 3 is a wonderful passage about God's Sovereign work in bringing humans to belief.

John 3 refers to God's sovereign work in bringing humans to belief exactly zero times.

Tell us how you caused your own human conception. Now realize that being born again is not of your own doing, just as your first birth was not of your own doing.

Jesus is the "firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29). Did Jesus by an act of His own will choose to be born into this world and accomplish the Father's will? Hebrews 10:7-9 says yes. He did not choose to please the Father by works of the law, but by personal faith and obedience to the Father's will. It is the same with those who follow Christ's example and choose to become sons of God through faith (John 1:12).

 

[Sai]

I thought we already topped this with the Adam quote?

Why would Adam hide from God? Was that the first sin? Because eating the fruit was the breaking of a commandment right?

So after the sin nature enveloped Adam why would he have fear for God who loved him so very much?

If Adam had the ability to choose he failed miserably. Why does Adam get a second chance? So Adam could blame Eve I guess.
Maybe that was Adam’s second sin.

What a mess

 

[Quantrill]

[Jos 13:22 KJV] 22 Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them.

The way I read this verse, Boer is the soothsayer, not Balaam.

Note: English sentence structure was not my strong point.

If it read: Balaam the soothsayer, also the son of Beor... would be clear.

Just my two-cents worth!

And that is a good point.

Quantrill

 

[AustinC]

God's chosen people were suffering the judgment of death for sin. They had the option of being delivered from death by the choice to look and live. Apparently you think God should have sent snakes among the Canaanites and have Moses raise the bronze serpent in their midst to make the point. It's not a non-example if Jesus makes it an example in John 3:14.


John 3 refers to God's sovereign work in bringing humans to belief exactly zero times.



Jesus is the "firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29). Did Jesus by an act of His own will choose to be born into this world and accomplish the Father's will? Hebrews 10:7-9 says yes. He did not choose to please the Father by works of the law, but by personal faith and obedience to the Father's will. It is the same with those who follow Christ's example and choose to become sons of God through faith (John 1:12).

Everyone deserves the snakes without a Redeemer.
Numbers shows repentance of those who believe, not those who don't believe.

John 3 shows that God enables belief in those whom he wills. The entire world will not believe. (You ignored the question of how a human self-concieves in physical birth as well as spiritual birth.)

Romans 8 is a blessed passage on God's elective work.

Faith is authored and finished by Jesus (not by humans), Hebrews 12:1-3.

 

[AustinC]

For sure, but again I see no conflict in these examples with God pleasing to save those who choose to accept the work of His Son on their behalf, and dispensing wrath and eternal judgment on those who don't.

All praise to those who choose to accept what's behind curtain #1 so that God becomes pleased with their choice and saves them. [emoji849] "Let's Make A Deal"

 

[Dave G]

I concur. God is not "offering" to save us. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and the only escape from inevitable judgment is through faith in Christ. Acts 16:31: salvation is conditioned on faith.

I see the underlined word as "reprove" in the AV, which does not mean "personally convicts, internally", but rather means that the Spirit uses the word of God to reprimand sinners...
Sinners who automatically reject His words and that very same reprimanding.
Again, but for the grace of God in the work of the new birth, I don't see anyone repenting.

As for faith, I've a question:

Are we talking about a faith that is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen ( Hebrews 11:1 )?
A faith that is authored ( created ) and finished ( perfected ) by Jesus Christ ( Hebrews 12:2 )?
A faith that Scripture tells us that not all men have ( 2 Thessalonians 3:2 )?
A faith that ( depending upon how one reads the passage ) is a gift according to Ephesians 2:8?
A faith that is very pointedly said to be "of" Christ in places like Romans 3:22 and Galatians 2:16-20?


If so, then how can God condition salvation on something that He has provided to His children?

 

[Dave G]

According to Hebrews 11:6, "Without faith it is impossible to please Him," so God's pleasure in our faith does not appear to be the problem you make it out to be.

From my perspective, it is a problem if someone doesn't have it.
How does one get what they do not inherently possess?

Romans 10:17?

Ok...If they get it by hearing the word of God, then our next step is to determine who hears the word of God, IMO.
Those that are "of God", ( as John 8:43-47 says ) and those who have ears to hear ( as Matthew 11:15 and many others state )...or everyone within earshot of the preaching of God's word?

I believe the former, my friend.

God requires confession of His Son as the risen Savior by faith alone, or there is no salvation (Romans 10:8-13).

To me, God quite often requires things that men are either unable to give, or unwilling to give.
In addition, if salvation were based on meeting a set of requirements, how does that not constitute works on the part of men who are seeking a way to escape God's wrath?

There is joy (which I would think equates to pleasure) in heaven over the sinner who repents (Luke 15:7).

I agree.

I'm not sure why you see this as a problem.

I see it as a problem because ( to me ) it's not as cut and dried as many are making it out to be.
The terms of Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4 will come into play because the Lord has said that every word is important, and all doctrines and teachings must be formed around everything that the Lord has to say about a given subject...

Not just a few "verses" here and there.

 

[Covenanter]

When Balaam spoke - of his own free will and intent to curse - God made the words into words of blessings. God made sure Balaam's will did not prevail in the cursing, but that does not mean that Balaam had no will of his own.

It was STILL Balaam's will to harm Israel and he did - just not with his own words directly but with his words to Balak.

The Bible says in two places that Balaam was the one who made sure that the men of Israel met the sexual immoral women of Moab and sinned with them - having sex with them and worshipping Moab with them. Even to the point of one Israelite bringing one home. They both died by the one spear being sent through them both together. And God sent a great plague to Israel.

[1] Numbers 31:15-16 = "And Moses said to them, “Have you allowed all the women to live? Look, these people, through the counsel of Balaam, caused the Israelites to act treacherously against the LORD in the matter of Peor—and there was the plague among the community of the LORD.

[2] Revelation 2:14 = "But I have a few things against you: you have some people there who follow the teaching of Balaam, who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality."

Balaam most indeed had a will of his own - free to chose and do and say - God overrode Balaam's will to curse and caused blessings. God did not override the will of Balaam in his teaching Balak how to bring the Israelites down with sexual immorality.

Why? That's God's business. But God's sovereignty does not mean that Balaam did not have a will - a free will - to desire that Israel fall.

Thanks Scarlett for pointing that out. I was reading through the thread hoping someone would.

While he was a man with sufficient (human or Satanic) wisdom to function as a prophet, he sinned by being a paid prophet as Peter & Jude point out, but it was not specifically for that he was condemned in Scripture.

He used his wisdom to see that, as Israel was a people under God's protection, if he could cause them to turn away from God, that protection would cease. Balak wanted to fight them, but Balaam showed that by making friends, joining with them in corrupt worship God would turn against Israel.

There is an enduring lesson there for us. Dare we join with other faiths or Christian sects that do not hold the true Gospel that calls for repentance & faith in Christ alone? Can we faithfully witness by joining with them or will we be in danger of being condemned with them?

 

[Tsalagi]

Everyone deserves the snakes without a Redeemer.
Numbers shows repentance of those who believe, not those who don't believe.

John 3 shows that God enables belief in those whom he wills. The entire world will not believe. (You ignored the question of how a human self-concieves in physical birth as well as spiritual birth.)

Jesus didn't make an example out of "everyone" in John 3:14, He cited the israelites being led by Moses in the wilderness who were suffering the judgment of death for sin. Like the bronze serpent, Jesus being lifted up creates a decision point.

I did not ignore your assertion about self-conception. I answered it with three passages of Scripture that deal with the choice to be sons of God in this world by Christ and by the brethren among whom He is firstborn. The Bible does not talk about spiritual self-conception, it talks about receiving Him to become a son (John 1:12).

Romans 8 is a blessed passage on God's elective work.

Faith is authored and finished by Jesus (not by humans), Hebrews 12:1-3.[/QUOTE]

Everyone deserves the snakes without a Redeemer.
Numbers shows repentance of those who believe, not those who don't believe.

John 3 shows that God enables belief in those whom he wills. The entire world will not believe. (You ignored the question of how a human self-concieves in physical birth as well as spiritual birth.)

Romans 8 is a blessed passage on God's elective work.

Romans 8 mentions God's elect, it does not elaborate on God's "elective work" which .

Faith is authored and finished by Jesus (not by humans), Hebrews 12:1-3.

Jesus is our example of enduring faith and obedience as believers; this passage is not talking about saving faith, unless you think running with endurance is required for salvation.

 

[Tsalagi]

From my perspective, it is a problem if someone doesn't have it.
How does one get what they do not inherently possess?

Romans 10:17?

Ok...If they get it by hearing the word of God, then our next step is to determine who hears the word of God, IMO.
Those that are "of God", ( as John 8:43-47 says ) and those who have ears to hear ( as Matthew 11:15 and many others state )...or everyone within earshot of the preaching of God's word?

I believe the former, my friend.

Faith is not a quantitative commodity, it is a decision to believe. Hearing creates the decision point; everyone has ears to hear and eyes to see, but not everyone hears and sees (Matthew 13:14). Jesus explains why in the next verse - they have closed their eyes. If inability were the issue Jesus could easily have said they were born blind and deaf, but instead He emphasizes that their ears and hearts have grown dull and heavy, and they have closed their own eyes.

To me, God quite often requires things that men are either unable to give, or unwilling to give.

In addition, if salvation were based on meeting a set of requirements, how does that not constitute works on the part of men who are seeking a way to escape God's wrath?

Because the Bible clearly states that to express saving faith is not a work.

I see it as a problem because ( to me ) it's not as cut and dried as many are making it out to be.
The terms of Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4 will come into play because the Lord has said that every word is important, and all doctrines and teachings must be formed around everything that the Lord has to say about a given subject...

Not just a few "verses" here and there.

Verses here and there should not stand out in conflict with our understanding of what other passages teach; when our understanding is correct every passage should be in harmony, like properly assembling something from a high-quality kit. If you end up with a side lacking dowel or screw holes in the right places, or a panel two inches too long to go where you're trying to put it, there has been an error somewhere in the previous assembly steps.

 

[Revmitchell]

Reading through the book of Numbers we come across the story of Balaam, who was paid to go place a curse on Israel. Yet, everytime he tried, God stopped him and would not let him curse Israel.

While humans do have the capacity to make choices, their will is never capable of freely defeating God's ordained will. Humans are not free. They are slaves to sin or slaves to Christ.

Numbers 24:12-13
And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the Lord speaks, that will I speak’?

Good grief

 

[kyredneck]

Actually, one of the verses you give attests to Balaam being a prophet of God. (2 Peter 2:16) "forbad the madness of the prophet"

Note that it doesn't say "madness of the prophet of God".

Also, what distinction do you make between a mad prophet and a false prophet?