Can anyone else define these terms as they are used in the Bible?

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
24,749
13,120
113
#61
Can anyone give biblically sound definitions of these terms with biblical texts to back up those definitions?
Why do you need "anyone" to give you these definitions? All you have to do is see what the concordances and lexicons have to say. Everything has already been defined. In the end it is the Holy Spirit who must show you the truth (if indeed you want the truth and nothing else).
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
24,749
13,120
113
#62
I honestly don't like the term "freewill", and do not believe that it even exist.
Yes it does exist. It is always in conjunction with "offerings" in the KJB, and means offerings offered freely and spontaneously. But instead of the term "freewill" in connection with the ability to choose right and wrong freely, the Bible has the word "choose". To able to choose is the same as having free will.
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: (Deut 30:19) And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Josh 24:15)
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
2,544
305
83
#63
Look at the prepositions included in the boule/thelema of YHVH-and Thesaurus is showing you that.


WILL, n. [See the Verb.]
1. That faculty of the mind by which we determine either to do or forbear an action; the faculty which is exercised in deciding, among two or more objects, which we shall embrace or pursue. The will is directed or influenced by the judgment. The understanding or reason compares different objects, which operate as motives; the judgment determines which is preferable, and the will decides which to pursue. In other words, we reason with respect to the value or importance of things; we then judge which is to be preferred; and we will to take the most valuable. These are but different operations of the mind, soul, or intellectual part of man. Great disputes have existed respecting the freedom of the will. Will is often quite a different thing from desire.
A power over a mans subsistence, amounts to a power over his will.
2. Choice; determination. It is my will to prosecute the trespasser.
3. Choice; discretion; pleasure.
Go, then, the guilty at thy will chastise.
4. Command; direction.
Our prayers should be according to the will of God.
5. Disposition; inclination; desire. What is your will, Sir? In this phrase, the word may also signify determination, especially when addressed to a superior.
6. Power; arbitrary disposal.
Deliver me not over to the will of my enemies. Psa 27.
7. Divine determination; moral purpose or counsel.
Thy will be done. Lords Prayer.
8. Testament; the disposition of a mans estate, to take effect after his death. Wills are written, or nuncupative, that is, verbal.
Good will,
1. Favor; kindness.
2. Right intention. Phil 1.
Ill will, enmity; unfriendliness. It expresses less than malice.
To have ones will, to obtain what is desired.
At will. To hold an estate at the will of another, is to enjoy the possession at his pleasure, and be liable to be ousted at any time by the lessor or proprietor.
Will with a wisp, Jack with a lantern; ignis fatuus; a luminous appearance sometimes seen in the air over moist ground, supposed to proceed from hydrogen gas.
WILL, v.t. [G., L., Gr. The sense is to set, or to set forward, to stretch forward. The sense is well expressed by the L.]
1. To determine; to decide int he mind that something shall be done or forborne; implying power to carry the purpose into effect. In this manner God wills whatever comes to pass. So in the style of princes; we will that execution be done.
A man that sits still is said to be at liberty, because he can walk if he will it.
2. To command; to direct.
Tis yours, O queen! To will the work which duty bids me to fulfill.
3. To be inclined or resolved to have.
There, there, Hortensio, will you any wife?
4. To wish; to desire. What will you?
5. To dispose of estate and effects by testament.
6. It is sometimes equivalent to may be. Let the circumstances be what they will; that is, any circumstances, of whatever nature.
7. Will is used as an auxiliary verb, and a sign of the future tense. It has different signification in different persons.
1. I will go, is a present promise to go; and with an emphasis on will, it expresses determination.
2. Thou wilt go, you will go, express foretelling; simply stating an event that is to come.
3. He will go, is also a foretelling. The use of will in the plural, is the same. We will, promises; ye will, they will, foretell.

You really should zero in on the Imperatives, all of them-as recorded in Scriptures-and you want to do it in a two text paragraph.

I read somewhere-"Our WILL is swallowed up IN the sweet WILL of Christ" Meaning our will should NOT be independent from the will of YHVH.

Heb_10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Heb_10:9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.


Rom_6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

1Co_2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

Gal_2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Gal_5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Gal_6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

The Greek and Hebrew give you so much more information-grammar-Syntax and Morphologies. Sadly-many don't study in this manner.
J.
Do you have any of your own thoughts to share, or even your own paraphrase of someone else's thoughts?
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
2,544
305
83
#65
I really get the impression you just want to pontificate or philosophize as the boule and thelema is already explained to you.
J.
Interpersonal communication is me telling you what I think and you telling me what you think. Interpersonal communication over theology is me me telling you what I think the Bible is saying, and you telling me what you think the Bible is saying. You telling me what someone else says the Bible is saying is not interpersonal communication. That's just behaving as a relay station, not as a thinking understanding person.

I would like to get beyond merely duelling cut and pasted plagiarised propositions, and have my mind engage another person and their mind.
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
2,544
305
83
#67
You don't have any lexicons?
You can't show you understand the meaning of a biblical text by merely grabbing a lexicon, cutting and pasting the lexical definitions for each word, and claiming that the ability to do this proves you understand the text.

You haven't yet shown how your cut and pasted lexicon out-takes fit any particular biblical text.
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
2,544
305
83
#68
Yes it does exist. It is always in conjunction with "offerings" in the KJB, and means offerings offered freely and spontaneously. But instead of the term "freewill" in connection with the ability to choose right and wrong freely, the Bible has the word "choose". To able to choose is the same as having free will.
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: (Deut 30:19) And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Josh 24:15)
Choosing follows willing/wanting. Paul found in Romans 7 that he wanted/willed to do good for certain reason but also wanted/willed to do other than the good for other reasons. AFTER desiring/willing (thelein) , he chose (eklegomai) to prioritise his desire/will (thelEma) to do (poiein) the good above his desire/will (thelEma) to do (poiein) the opposing evil, but found he ended up doing (poiein) the evil he had decided/chosen (eklegomai) against.

So ,there is a chain of components: competing desires/wills are submitted to reason and instinct to generate a chosen/preferred desire and this produces an action. So, will does not include reason, choice and action, but preceeds these. So whether one is free to reason, choose or act in accord with what one's preferred desires/wills has nothing to do with whether the will itself is free or not.
 

Inquisitor

Well-known member
Mar 17, 2022
2,460
745
113
#69
Where do you find this definition of free will in scripture -

"Free will is the philosophical and theological concept that individuals have the ability to make choices and decisions voluntarily, independent of external influences or determinism. It implies that individuals have the power to act according to their own preferences, desires, and intentions.".

I don't see "It implies that individuals have the power to act according to their own preferences, desires, and intentions," anywhere in scripture. In fact Romans 7 says the opposite. It says you can will but yet still be unable to do what is desired/willed.
That is a two-way street. The Christian world is overflowing with Christians, who do not do what they are told to do.

1 Thessalonians 5:17
pray without ceasing

I include all Christians in that category of people, who do not exercise the will of God in their lives.

Surely, there is at least one Christian out there, who prays without ceasing?
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
2,544
305
83
#70
Why do you need "anyone" to give you these definitions? All you have to do is see what the concordances and lexicons have to say. Everything has already been defined. In the end it is the Holy Spirit who must show you the truth (if indeed you want the truth and nothing else).
These terms need to be defined by those discussing them because the fact is that different people are using different dictionaries and different meanings for the same words and it is not possible to have a rational discussion seeking truth when participants are using the same words with different ideas of what they mean, and one or more participants are unwilling to clarify what they really mean by the terms when they are using them.
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
2,544
305
83
#71
That is a two-way street. The Christian world is overflowing with Christians, who do not do what they are told to do.

1 Thessalonians 5:17
pray without ceasing

I include all Christians in that category of people, who do not exercise the will of God in their lives.

Surely, there is at least one Christian out there, who prays without ceasing?
What does "praying without ceasing" look like in your life? And where are you getting your meaning of "praying" from?

BTW you are sinning grammatically with your commas. :)
 

notmyown

Senior Member
May 26, 2016
4,809
1,192
113
#72
Jesus said "A good tree cannot keep on making (poiein: present active infinitive) bad fruit, nor can a bad tree keep on making (poiein: prsent active infinitive) good fruit." In other words, a diseased tree that is producing good fruit, unless healed, will eventually stop producing good fruit.

This does not mean that a bad tree cannot produce any good fruit at any time. And as the article I cited points out, in the real world, diseased trees can nevertheless produce some good edible fruit.
i thank you for the discussion. :)
 

Jimbone

Senior Member
Aug 22, 2014
2,773
852
113
44
#73
Yes it does exist. It is always in conjunction with "offerings" in the KJB, and means offerings offered freely and spontaneously. But instead of the term "freewill" in connection with the ability to choose right and wrong freely, the Bible has the word "choose". To able to choose is the same as having free will.
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: (Deut 30:19) And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Josh 24:15)
So please explain one simple thing, how do we have "free" will when we are told very clearly our will is a slave of one thing or the other? You know slaves aren't free right? So we have enslaved free will?

Seems you just want to argue though, and haven't added anything to rebuke or disprove anything I said. If you red carefully you will see I said clearly we have choice, yet you come here will scripture that says we have choice to argue against a point I never made? I was very carful how I worded everything and tried my best not to trigger snowflakes who only want to "teach people" yet always seem to come with no understanding of what the comment they're replying actually said. They build straw men of things that were never said then refute them, never actually engaging with what was truly said. This scripture and my comment agree in every way, why don't you use any of the scripture that says EXACTLY what I said about being enslaved to sin or to Him?

I'm honestly growing tried of tiring to have any kind of real conversation or debate on here because of this "never listen always teach" mentality that too many here seem to have. The passion for their beliefs I commend, and even expect from anyone that truly know our King, but the cultish mentality that surrounds some topics on here and the complete unwillingness to actually engage with what's said instead of telling the other what they believe before dismantling THIER OWN arguments, time after time, after time, just gets so tired.
We are clearly told that our will is a slave to our nature, I believe that a slave is not "Free", therefore if we are a slave either way then this idea of "Free Will" is not possible. That's it, that was all I was sharing and wasn't really trying to convince or convert anyone with the comment. So I say that then go on to emphasize that I absolutely believe in choice and that our decisions matter, basically I believe exactly like everyone else I just have a problem with the term "free will". Yet you jump in like a hero to correct me by giving scripture that agrees with everything I said. It's just irritating.
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
2,544
305
83
#74
So please explain one simple thing, how do we have "free" will when we are told very clearly our will is a slave of one thing or the other? You know slaves aren't free right? So we have enslaved free will?
Where were you told very clearly that our will is a slave of one thing or the other? And who told you that?
 

CS1

Well-known member
May 23, 2012
12,508
4,121
113
#76
Come, let us reason calmly together.

There are a lot of words thrown at our screens making claims about the following terms. It would seem wise to first of all settle on some biblical definitions of those terms before making bold unfounded assertions about them. Can anyone give biblically sound definitions of these terms with biblical texts to back up those definitions?

1. the will.
2. to will
3. a free will
4. a bound will
5. to be sovereign
6. to predetermine
7. elect

If anyone cannot offer a biblical definition of these, should that person be confidently spouting doctrine about them?
could you meet us half way for example :

1. " The will" provide a Biblical text where it is used and Bold it " The Will." the words have a systematic range of meaning
and they are different in the Hebrew and Greek for example:

"The will" means thelēma in Greek = what one wishes or has determined shall be done
found in Matthew 7:21
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
2,544
305
83
#77
could you meet us half way for example :

1. " The will" provide a Biblical text where it is used and Bold it " The Will." the words have a systematic range of meaning
and they are different in the Hebrew and Greek for example:

"The will" means thelēma in Greek = what one wishes or has determined shall be done
found in Matthew 7:21
Based on your post -
A. Matt. 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

B. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the desire of my Father which is in heaven.

C. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the wish of my Father which is in heaven.

D. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth what my Father which is in heaven determines shall be done.

Which of these A, B, C and/or D do you think are possibilities?
 

CS1

Well-known member
May 23, 2012
12,508
4,121
113
#78
Based on your post -
A. Matt. 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

B. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the desire of my Father which is in heaven.

C. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the wish of my Father which is in heaven.

D. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth what my Father which is in heaven determines shall be done.

Which of these A, B, C and/or D do you think are possibilities?
Thank you
 

CS1

Well-known member
May 23, 2012
12,508
4,121
113
#79
Based on your post -


A. Matt. 7:21 Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.


Answer: " The will of " = thelēma meaning
  1. of the purpose of God to bless mankind through Christ
You will have fruit to show that you are doing the will of the Father. The works of Christ are self-evident. If Jesus' words abide in you. The action will always lead to doing The Will of the Father.




B. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the desire of my Father which is in heaven.



Answer: Each of these from B, C, and D are saying the same thing but using different words from translations or versions of One text. Also, you must take all things that are said in relationship to this Verse and measure it to them all. This will provide more clarity. The Concern is Your own heart that God is fully aware if it is in the Will of HIM. We can fool man but not God.



C. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the wish of my Father which is in heaven.

D. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth what my Father which is in heaven determines shall be done.

Which of these A, B, C and/or D do you think are possibilities?
 

FollowerofShiloh

Well-known member
Jan 24, 2024
3,819
621
113
#80
So please explain one simple thing, how do we have "free" will when we are told very clearly our will is a slave of one thing or the other? You know slaves aren't free right? So we have enslaved free will?
Slaves, in the definition of your intent do not have a say in the matter. Those who follow God do so because they want to. Someone who wants to be a slave for the will of God is very "free."