The Fight Against Free-Will Works Religion

[JesusFan]

The calvinist actually, by their own philosophy, can not make that choice as that would require a free will which they keep telling us man does not have.

Only God has a full free will, as we who are all sinners by nature are ,limitedn free wills, as there are things that we would never desire nor want to do left to ourselves

 

[JesusFan]

1) Having a closed mind is not the same has having been hardened!

2) You said we cannot agree on anything, that means you have closed your mind to anything I say. That does not mean someone else might not enlighten you.

3) The Lost are not free to believe if their heart has been hardened.

4) What does the phrase"mixed with faith in them" mean? You did not say. The idea is simply to place faith in the gospel, and so if you hear, understand and do not trust or fully trust in the gospel, it does not benefit you. This is like someone who is not open or fully open to embracing the Good News. But they were not like Soil #1 of Matthew 13, for they heard the gospel. Similarly, it is like those to hear but do not learn from the Father (John 6:45).

5) Limited Spiritual Ability refers to the correct and accurate biblical doctrine concerning "natural people," non-indwelt people.

Until and unless the Holy Spirit enables/quickens one to receive the gospel, to them its nonsense

 

[Van]

1) The Lost are not free to believe if their heart has been hardened.

2) What does the phrase"mixed with faith in them"in Hebrews 4:2 mean? The idea is simply to place faith in the gospel, and so if you hear, understand and do not trust or fully trust in the gospel, it does not benefit you. This is like someone who is not open or fully open to embracing the Good News. But they were not like Soil #1 of Matthew 13, for they heard the gospel. Similarly, it is like those to hear but do not learn from the Father (John 6:45).

3) Limited Spiritual Ability refers to the correct and accurate biblical doctrine concerning "natural people," non-indwelt people.

4) Natural people cannot understand spiritual solid food, but can understand and learn from spiritual milk, the fundamentals of the gospel.

The Good News provides the opportunity for many but not all to obtain salvation through faith in the truth.

We must not only hear and embrace the gospel, but God alone must credit our faith as righteousness, thus salvation depends on God's grace and not on our works. Total Spiritual Inability is a fiction, peddled by those who deny Luke 13:24.

 

[kyredneck]

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

You know this is LOGOS, right? As in:

John Chapter 1

1​	In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

14​	And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.

The written word is just letters on paper, it's inanimate, it can do nothing apart from LOGOS.

 

[Silverhair]

Only God has a full free will, as we who are all sinners by nature are ,limitedn free wills, as there are things that we would never desire nor want to do left to ourselves

Do you not understand what free will is?

Free will is the capacity for agents to choose between different possible courses of action (aka choosing “otherwise”). This does not require the person to be able to choose anything, nor does it require the absence of other influencing factors such as creation, conviction of sin, the gospel message, etc. It only requires the ability for a person confronted with a decision to be able to choose from among one or more possible options.
Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, guilt, sin, and other judgements which apply only to actions that are freely chosen.

“God does not will which choice you'll make but that you'll be free to make it” a paraphrase of A.W. Tozer's quote

Our free will does not mean that we can do anything we want but it does mean that we can make real choices.

I agree there are things that we will not want to do but turning to God for ones salvation is something that man can both desire to do and can actually do and as we know from history many have done.

 

[Charlie24]

You know this is LOGOS, right? As in:

John Chapter 1

1​	In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

14​	And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.

The written word is just letters on paper, it's inanimate, it can do nothing apart from LOGOS.

No, afraid not! There are 2 Word of God's in the Scripture.

The Logos, the Living Word, Jesus Christ and the Written Word, the Bible.

Here's one of the many examples of the Living Word/Christ pointing to the Written Word/Scriptures.

Luke 11:28

"But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it."

Hebrews 4:12 is definitely speaking of the Written Word. Vs 11 is speaking of the unbelief in the Word they had heard, the Gospel.

 

[Charlie24]

No, afraid not! There are 2 Word of God's in the Scripture.

The Logos, the Living Word, Jesus Christ and the Written Word, the Bible.

Here's one of the many examples of the Living Word/Christ pointing to the Written Word/Scriptures.

Luke 11:28

"But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it."

Hebrews 4:12 is definitely speaking of the Written Word. Vs 11 is speaking of the unbelief in the Word they had heard, the Gospel.

Let me see if I can explain this to where you can better understand.

The entire Bible is authored by the Holy Spirit, He gave all the words to the authors. Each author in their own character and personality wrote what they were given by the Holy Spirit. You can see the difference in the authors writing but it all came from the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 4:12 is a reflection of what the Holy Spirit can do with His words. He cuts to the soul and spirit of man with the Truth. Cutting through the total depravity of man. This is the only way man can be saved, when the Holy Spirit convicts with the truth.

The response to this penetration of man by the Holy Spirit determines if the faith will given to that man when accepts that conviction, or rejects it.

I wish I could explain it better, but I'm limited in my knowledge, not from God, but from myself.

 

[kyredneck]

The Logos, the Living Word, Jesus Christ and the Written Word, the Bible.

It's just ink on paper without the Spirit being present, Charlie.

 

[Charlie24]

It's just ink on paper without the Spirit being present, Charlie.

I totally agree!