Do Calvinists believe in free will?
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Some people, lost people, have good hearts and want to do good things for their fellow man. Does that come from God?
E
eternally-gratefull
Guest
Free will is the ability to chose. When given different options
the mere fact we are told those who believe are not condemned and those who do not believe are condemned already by defenition proves there are two,choices. Hence there must be free will
the question is where does faith come from
well the Bible and Jesus himself tells us the hs convicts the world of sin righteousness and judgment, paul in Romans 1 shows us no man at any time has any excuse, they not only KNOW they are rightly judged by sin, they KNOW who God is, and they hide this truth, it’s not that they can not know it.
so faith is the work of God like Jesus said. Because it is agod which brings us to the consciousness of our fate and his being and his truth
what we do with this is on us.
those who believe are not condemned, those who do not believe are condemned already
free will
the mere fact we are told those who believe are not condemned and those who do not believe are condemned already by defenition proves there are two,choices. Hence there must be free will
the question is where does faith come from
well the Bible and Jesus himself tells us the hs convicts the world of sin righteousness and judgment, paul in Romans 1 shows us no man at any time has any excuse, they not only KNOW they are rightly judged by sin, they KNOW who God is, and they hide this truth, it’s not that they can not know it.
so faith is the work of God like Jesus said. Because it is agod which brings us to the consciousness of our fate and his being and his truth
what we do with this is on us.
those who believe are not condemned, those who do not believe are condemned already
free will
i know these two things are true:
no one is good but Him, and every good gift comes from Him
((Mark 10:18, James 1:17))
Although men/women can do good things it is never from a heart that is pleasing to God..the works will be done to please themselves, please others or to soothe the conscience. Don't we always say good works cannot save? God says mans (unregenerate) good works are like filthy rags. Not that the works themselves are not beneficial to others but that it is from a vain, prideful heart.
Once one is regenerate faith produces good works prepared by God beforehand, and these good works are done with a right heart , a heart directed at and to God, without pride or vanity but thanksgiving to God the creator of all things (not perfectly I know).
Regarding goodness, another way to look at it is Holiness. Goodness means the quality of being moral (Holy). The unregenerate man can never be morally (Holy) upright.. that's a work of God in man and that takes us into a different topic viz, sanctification lol.
These topics are good, as it gets the ole grey matter ticking along lol.
P
Poinsetta
Guest
No one is good
We do good things by God in us
We will be judged by our good works and bad works ie why we did the things we did
not yet, at the least
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
(Romans 8:20-25)
(Romans 8:20-25)
not yet, at the least
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. (Romans 8:20-25)
amen indeed
Calvinists do not deny that men have a will, nor do they believe that men are mere puppets on a string which God causes to sin. Calvinism adheres that every part of man, including his will, mind, and emotions are corrupted by sin (John 3:19, John 8:34), and unless man is first drawn by the Father (John 6:65), and regenerated by the Spirit (1 John 5:1), then no man can come to Christ. While God proactively works in the hearts of those who are His, He passes over those who are not, leaving them wholly to their own self-determination in sin; thus, God is good, and men are responsible.
I hope that makes sense.
I hope that makes sense.
I disagree God passes over no one the call is to all, yet not all will be saved. MAN ( Calvinist) is not to focus on WHO God has saved and Who HE has not. The church's mission and Command came from the Lord Jesus, not John Calvin. WE are to go to ALL and let God worry about who is and who is not.
we are to fulfill the Great Commission and make disciples Christ has even provided HIS gifts to the church to achieve this objective as Eph 4:11-13 says:
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
both Calvinist and the Arminians are arguing from foolishness and prideful position there will be many of both I imagine who will go to hell thinking they too were saved. This is the great sin of each, PRIDE!
There is, undoubtedly, quite a bit of emotion tied up in this post, but I'm not so sure what all the hub-bub is about. Calvinists (the normal kind anyway) -- not to be confused with "hyper-Calvinists" -- would agree that we are to fulfill the Great Commission. In fact, some of histories greatest evangelists were Calvinists. Calvinists (again, the normal kind) do not go about worrying "who is," and "who is not." They live and die by the Great Commission. But they understand that there are those who will not "respond" (or will "respond" negatively) to the gospel message. And it is those who hear the gospel message and still live a life of defiance til the day they die that the Cavlinist understands are not chosen (or elected) by God. To the Calvinist, election is something that was foreordained by God before time began. Nothing they do or say can change that course, but we still have a duty to Christ: to go forth into all the world as emissaries of our Lord.
I think the definition of will is the ability to choose in Genesis God put Adam and Eve in the garden He also placed a tree and commanded them not to eat of they did not have a fallen nature at this time but had an ability to obey God or not obey God and they chose not to obey God hyper calvinists tend to believe God makes all the choices wich means you have no free will or the ability to choose God wants us to love Him and love is a choice it cannot be forced
Christ died for All, we know this because Scripture explains this.
We also know everyone is invited to become a part of God by God Himself because Scripture explains this.
Free Will definitely exists in that Moment of Invitation by God because not everyone invited accepted that invitation.
No emotion, fact. and an opinion of my experience dealing with such for over 25 years in ministry. You can disagree but you cannot dismiss what was said on a false narrative of what was said only out of " emotion". IF you are not sure what the "hub-bub is about then we have no topic on
Do Calvinists believe in free will?
it is not true the greatest evangelist was Calvinist. John Calvin was not known for his evangelism lol. And the Message of Evangelism
is not Calvinism.
if one says gospel message and not once say The Lord Jesus Christ that is very much an issue with the lack of gospel message.
The term election or not chosen by God is not the gospel message. You have elevated a doctrinal position that focuses on something God does through the Gospel message. YOU focus on foreordained but forgetting the power of the Gospel as Paul said was the Power of God for Salvation.
I think we can all agree that evangelism is - "The proclamation of the gospel to all men". To take the good news to all the world and make disciples.
There have been great evangelists on both sides of the debate. The main thing is that we don't make the message man centered. The gospel is always God centered.
There have been great evangelists on both sides of the debate. The main thing is that we don't make the message man centered. The gospel is always God centered.
Amen, but what is the Gospel message? Election? Chosen? Or the death burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ which saving grace through faith will give one eternal life.
Yes.
Calvinists believe in free will, technically. Its just that because of our fallen nature, we dont choose God