It seems to me that some people on this thread are glorifying "freedom" 'free will" and "choice" over God.
I am not American, so, like I could not truly understand the ending of Braveheart with his "FREEDOM" I do not understand why our will even matters?
Salvation is not about me! It is about Christ! He is the one who sacrificed himself for me, and each person. He is the one who has predestined us for adoption! That is what the Bible says.
Instead of some people getting deeper into that truth, they are slavishly devoted to some non-Biblical idea that free choice or free will is the ultimate good. In fact, so important, we have been discussing it for 20 pages.
Poeple need to come back to their senses, and think about the fact that the gospel, or good news, is that Jesus died on the cross as the final sacrifice for sin. God calls us, he changes us, and he moves us to share his good news with others!
We are just lost in a fallen world, until God calls us. I actively fought God for many years as he moved people to share the good news with me. But then, he just swooped down, and saved me in spite of myself.
I wonder how many people here truly believe that it was their personal choice that saved them? And if that is what they believe, are they truly saved? (Not addressing anyone in particular, just thinking out loud!)
Of course, some people might believe they made the choice, when in fact, it is just social conditioning and bad preaching that makes them think that the solemn moment when God touched their hearts and lives, that they initiated it. Must be nice to have God at the beck and call of every sinner!