What we have here is a question asked by someone who has no biblical answers. Even the name itself is indicative of a wrong process i.e. isfreewilltrue. The question isn't "is free will true" the question should be "How does the Bible portray man?" Now of course as soon as that discussion opens the calvie creates a drive-by shooting with many verses that are topically connected but are not substantively connected. You see, the calvie thinks that because it's IN the Bible that he can then commence connecting it with any OTHER verse in the Bible and when context gets too rough he can then take the liberty of redefining words and bringing in the "weight" of philosophical questions that have no Biblical ground. This is all done to divert one's attention to the true deficit of spiritual wisdom and knowledge on the part of the one asking the questions.
The classic response is "if you don't choose between being an Jacob Armenius or John Calvin you have no place, if you are not given to foreknowledge determining man's action i.e. the "Sovereignty of God" (as they define it of course) then you are an open theist. All of these labels are thrown out to confuse and muddle the minds of the audience spoke to. All these things are false dilemmas i.e. logical fallacies the calvies and their erstwhile counterparts (the roman catholics, whose church they were/are trying to reform) have had hundreds of years to perfect.
Let me exemplify what the calvies are doing. Hypocritically they will answer this argument with the very same method that they will reject if it is applied to THEIR argument. Just watch.
Gen 9:3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
This is a great verse that tells us among other things that anything that moves, is alive or grows anywhere on earth is allowed to be eaten by us. No qualifiers. This is a biblical principle, no arguing that and if you don't believe it, go look it up, it's in the bible.
Now to carry on with that thought I want to post the second verse in "our biblical, chronologically correct bible study" (plants tongue firmly in cheek)
Lev_26:29 And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.
Here we have a command from God telling us we should eat our children. Such a pleasant thought. Do you disagree with me? How DARE YOU go against God's word. Did he not tells us that we could eat anything? Is there anything telling us we CANT eat each other in these verses? You rebel. What makes you think your conscience is more powerful than God?? Doesn't IJohn tell us that God is greater than our heart? Do you seek to defy and twist the very scriptures themselves. Doesn't Roman's command you when sitting at meat not to question where it came from? and that all things are lawful? Well DOESN'T iT?
Now... let us compare notes with the calvie...
Joh_15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Here is a verse that tells us that we cannot choose God, he chooses us, get over it... (generic calvie quote)
And because two is the number of witness I will now produce another verse that PROVES this is true...
Rom_9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
God hates some people and loves others, this proves that he chooses some and not others, I'm elect (just don't ask me how I know) and you're not, nanny nanny boo boo. (a close approximation of any Calvinist lecture on this topic).
Anyone catch what the missing element is in this and every other calvinist argument?
THE CONTEXT!!!
The Calvinist has discovered that as long as he can bend you to his will by abusing scriptural quotes to CREATE doctrine as opposed to studying the scriptures in context as they were written and spoken, he has fooled you into thinking that his pseudo-contexts are the "real way" to view scripture. Don't be fooled. After all, if you use THEIR method, we can all be cannibals! Eat, drink and be merry!