Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

[Pilgrimshope]

We have to will to have Him have his will done through us.

That requires learning and gaining lots of sound doctrine.
Why?
Because we will not know when His will is being desired, owing to the fact that His ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)


Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only,
but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:12-13

One reason for our fear and trembling is because God does not fear what we fear!
We are to be learning His ways as to walk as He walks!

I was trying yesterday to reply to this part

“We have to will to have Him have his will done through us.

“That requires learning and gaining lots of sound doctrine. Why?

it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

That’s really well said . So many people read a scripture like this

“it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."


And they don’t connect the rest of what Paul was saying there about doctrine and obedience constantly more and more as we grow they don’t realize that is how God is working in us to change us .

instead they imagine he magically does this in secret if and only if you are a chosen one …

“ it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

rather than just reading the context of what he’s saying about working out our salvation through hearing and considering and believing and acting upon the doctrine in o edoence as we learn it . Not before we learn and come to know his word but as and after we come to that point of listening to him and believing because he’s the lord speaking the truth to us for our good and salvation

i really liked what you said there think it was well put . God works in us because we accept Jesus and the gospel doctrine that changes our minds and hearts

 

[Mouse_Cheeks]

Libertarian free choice is ours. What to have for dinner,which car to buy,etc....

The course of our lives is in God's power,as he tells us.

And I find it a bit odd that many a Christian say they believe the Bible is God's word, but they don't believe God meant what he tells us in those parts the individual christian finds disagreeable with what they prefer to think on God's behalf.

 

[GWH]

“Have explained in several comments i don't think our will is controlled at all, we certainly have both choice and will and can exercise both. “

yeah I agree with what’s above here .^^

“i don't think our will is controlled at all, “

the problem is I’m not understanding how it’s not free if it’s under our own control . Speaking as a Christian of course

other people have thier own will that they also control correct ?

If someone chooses to do something that affects me are they doing it of themselves and thier own will ?

“Free will is the ability to exercise/execute our will and choices unilaterally,”

“Have explained in several comments i don't think our will is controlled at all, we certainly have both choice and will and can exercise both. “

ok so ?

You believe we have a Will and the ability to choose , and can exercise both our Will and choices …… yeah I think we agree much more than I had thought before

God bless thanks for being patient

Human volition is limited, and regarding salvation it is limited to cooperating with God's moral will--or not,
which in the NT is revealed as accepting Christ and cooperating with His HS.

“cooperating with God's moral will--or not,”

yeah that’s always been the situation since they partook of good and evil knowledge.

Even since cain the first born man “ if you do good you will be accepted but I’d you do not do good sin is waiting to have you , but you must overcome it “

In that comment you replied to is sort of the latter point of something I was trying to work through in conversation and thought to understand another persons view of “ free Will “.

man was made free but we become bond servants to either good or evil based on what we partake of in this world . If we live sinful lives lord and more we’re going to reap that if we turn from those things and walk the other way with and towards the good in our heart then we’ll be made free again.

I was really just trying to find out what tbier definition of “ Will “ was , and how it was free or not .

man definetely become servants to sin in our lives and need to be set free . I was really just trying to get to that part of how and why man became corrupted in the area of our Will and motivations .

How we became like this inside which is the source of our bondage outwardly in our actions

I believe the condition of our Will is based on the condition of our hearts and minds which the gospel can heal taking us from this place

“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭7:21-23‬ ‭KJV‬‬


to this place which the gospel accomplishes if we’re willing to listen to the lords word within it

“But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: ( John 8:31-32) that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; (that’s what Jesus was saying )

and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; ( this is why we need to listen to Jesus word )

and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:20-24‬ ‭KJV‬‬

This new man is not the same as the old man he’s no longer in n a snare and trap of the devil by his Will, but accepting the truth has brought his mind to repentance

“in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:25-26‬ ‭KJV‬‬

that last part there shows us that sinners are captives of satans will, and need to acknowledge the gospel in order to recover themselves out of his deadly trap tbat all began with a lie and then more lies and more lies and so the truth becomes the way we are redeemed and then more truth and more truth ….

and so from one glory to the next and from faith upon faith we are constantly being renewed more and more in our minds and hearts through belief that wickedness can’t abide there anymore in our minds and hearts where our Will and choices are determined

I think discussion of volition revolves around the mystery of how humans can exercise it free of deterministic causation
without implying that the person who does so by deciding to cooperate with God merits salvation. I think this is related to something I ponder in Lesson 1 of our website:

The atheist opinion indicates that the existence of a supernatural Deity is not proven, although it is not disproved either, which means that the evidence needs to be evaluated honestly. Atheists assert that one cannot prove a negative, so the burden is on theists to prove God exists. However, this assertion assumes God is not the positive “I AM” (see axiomatic belief #1).

A neutral statement about ultimate reality is the following: “It is logical to remain open to believing all credible possibilities (those which present sufficient evidence) and to hope the most desirable rational possibility is true.” Alternatively, the Bible indicates that the purpose of this life is rather for humans to prove to God they are worthy of—or qualify for—heaven (cf. Deut. 6:16 & Matt. 4:7).

This discussion shows that everyone lives by faith regarding God or ultimate reality (2Cor. 5:7), and the structure of earthly reality forces souls to choose between various contradictory beliefs and to make (albeit sometimes rather subconsciously) the two watershed choices described: between nihilism and moralism, and between the various atheistic beliefs and the highest type of theism, NT Christianity. (For reasons explained in the next parts, I believe the last is best: Let there be God!)

 

[Genez]

Those who keep saying we do not have free will are mouthing the thinking of Satan...
He wanted to be God! They want to have free will like God alone possesses free will.

Of course, God is the only one who has absolute free will!
Free will does not mean we think it, we have it.

Free will means what has been determined for us by God as far as how we can choose.

WOKE people defy God's order, and demand that we see a female as a man.
That is feigning possessing free will on the level God has denied us.