Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

[BillyBob]

SECOND THOUGHT !

If there is no Free Will, how can You post here ? ?

When you consider free will, you must also consider man's ability.
Adam had the ability to obey or to not obey. We basically lost this ability in the fall.
After the fall God tells us:

Gen 6:5
Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Now there is no way possible to please God unless the HS restores the ability that was lost. If you think that man has this ability then you do not understand just how depraved man actually is.

So yes, you can freely choose to post on this site, but you cannot put your trust in God without the HS doing a work in you.

 

[Blain]

Jesus had no will of his own in his ministry only the fathers and we are to imitate Christ so likewise we must surrender our own will and abide in the fathers. this is what it means to surrender yourself to the king

 

[LifelongLearner]

Can see there have been some replies i will attend too but just wondering if others are finding it a nightmare loading and staying connected to CC at times too?

When loading i get a site error msg near 50% of the time, which often happens on a different forum/thread load too. I clear the cache before reloading the site, so it isn't old page problems etc. Stability is reduced on quite a few sites over the past few months, including major ones like Amazon and Asda UK. It suggests to me there's a systemic issue, interested in finding out how widespread it is.

Edit: When i say systemic i mean network issue, don't think it's CC.

 

[LifelongLearner]

Im perfectly fine with length

“Not perfect but i'd describe will as wanting to create an outcome we think would be useful or beneficial.”

Ok so how do we determine if this is free and we control it or if someone else is controlling it apart from us ?

Do enjoy our chats Pilgrimshope, i'm one of those who thinks if we genuinely had free will, humanity would have snuffed it during its infancy. We're created to be sociable collaborationists, who are individuals with plenty of differences to make us interesting and useful to each other but we actually need each other to lead high quality, happy lives.

It's so hard for many to understand that the notion we have free will is based on lies, which have a dark purpose. We certainly have will and choice, which are huge components of our lives but it's rare for us to be able to take successful, unilateral action, unless what we want to do is inconsequential to others. Think my saying we're scratch-each-others-backists is accurate and it's a good thing to be, it's built in to our design and i do wonder how awesome life would be, if Adam and Eve hadn't blown the opportunity for us.

The angels don't have free will either, Satan and the third which ganged up with him chose to be independent of God but found they had the will and made the choice, however, they didn't have the free will to impose it. That's the prerogative of the Big Guy upstairs.

Hope that makes some sense friend.

 

[LifelongLearner]

Yep, the error loading page issue again, will try to answer another comment before it strikes again

 

[LifelongLearner]

Thank you dear... and that is a little odd that I have been able to closely replicate both you and your daughter with the female figures in my panels! food for thought LOL... I am just out having coffee now ... I've been staying at my daughter's for the past week looking after her cats while she is away with her aunt, holidaying with their two dogs as they have done for quite a few years, now... I have another week to go and then I get to go home, hurray hurrah! this house is too big for me LOL And it is the first time I've stayed here for any length of time because it is a new house for them, having just moved into it late last year ... so it's a new space for my little cat also... Heh she loves the big cat tree in the family room ... she gets to curl up in the little cubby or sit on the platform and look out the window at the backyard...

I hope you are having a wonderful Sunday also! It's nice to have you back with us...

Blessings and hugs sister, don't think it's anything weird, we're both analytical and process information surprisingly accurately without a lot of effort. Think you just developed an accurate impression, happens to me a lot too. Also think you might be an Intp, i'm an Entp, it makes sense to me for sure.

Oh bless, well your daughter couldn't have a better housesitter than you and i'm assuming your daughter has at least one cat too, since there's a cat tree in the sitting room. Sounds like your li'l Princess is enjoying herself, so the cats get along ok. Dreamer has a tree in the sitting room and the bedroom we share, she's an indoor cat, which is quite handy as she's so beautiful, like your cat, she'd likely be catnapped if she was a roamer.

Going to read your other comment again, might be a while if the page issue strikes ..........

 

[LifelongLearner]

I wonder why people conflate being able to make choices with having a will that is free. Scripture specifically articulates the fact that the whole world is under the power and influence of the evil one... and that the devil has taken some captive to do his will... so I really don't see any freedom in that. And that is even aside from the fact that Scripture also explicitly articulates the fact that anyone who sins is a slave to sin. I wonder what part of "slaves are not free" they do not understand. But really it just becomes obvious that so many reject, contradict, and outright deny what Scripture explicitly says, and replace it with their vain philosophies and traditions of men, and they are not in any way willing to let those false doctrines go.

That is just so true sweet sister, free will isn't needed, what's important is our loving Father blessing us with the will to learn, plan and achieve. We're part of the big human family, free will is actually an impossibility for us, what matters is us having our opportunities too.

 

[Blain]

Can see there have been some replies i will attend too but just wondering if others are finding it a nightmare loading and staying connected to CC at times too?

When loading i get a site error msg near 50% of the time, which often happens on a different forum/thread load too. I clear the cache before reloading the site, so it isn't old page problems etc. Stability is reduced on quite a few sites over the past few months, including major ones like Amazon and Asda UK. It suggests to me there's a systemic issue, interested in finding out how widespread it is.

Edit: When i say systemic i mean network issue, don't think it's CC.

yeah I am having the same issue it is really starting to get on my nerves

 

[Blain]

That is just so true sweet sister, free will isn't needed, what's important is our loving Father blessing us with the will to learn, plan and achieve. We're part of the big human family, free will is actually an impossibility for us, what matters is us having our opportunities too.

even if free will did exist I would give it up to have the will of our loving father, and also we have to daily choose to follow his will so while we have the will to choose if we are truly his disciples then we do not have the ability to freely choose or else it would be our will not his

I am glad to see you and magenta getting along so well you two seem to be a lot alike she is a treasure of a friend

 

[LifelongLearner]

yeah I am having the same issue it is really starting to get on my nerves

Real cheers for letting me know Blain, are you in the UK too? Wondering if it's our infrastructure or widespread. Thought for a while a big webcrash in the near future, what i'm seeing are problems i'd expect if that is in the offing.

Hang in there friend, you post so much spiritually upbuilding stuff, just back from the page crash after my last comment, praying posting this one won't trigger another....

 

[LifelongLearner]

even if free will did exist I would give it up to have the will of our loving father, and also we have to daily choose to follow his will so while we have the will to choose if we are truly his disciples then we do not have the ability to freely choose or else it would be our will not his

I am glad to see you and magenta getting along so well you two seem to be a lot alike she is a treasure of a friend

You Magenta and i talk pretty much the same language spiritually, so glad posting my first comment to you didn't lead to a crash this time. Won't start hoping things will be plain sailing now, just grateful

 

[Blain]

Real cheers for letting me know Blain, are you in the UK too? Wondering if it's our infrastructure or widespread. Thought for a while a big webcrash in the near future, what i'm seeing are problems i'd expect if that is in the offing.

Hang in there friend, you post so much spiritually upbuilding stuff, just back from the page crash after my last comment, praying posting this one won't trigger another....

No I am in the united states it seems to be widespread
and thank you for your sweet comment on my postings that made me smile

 

[LifelongLearner]

No I am in the united states it seems to be widespread
and thank you for your sweet comment on my postings that made me smile

Cheers for that info Blain, thought it was probably the global network infrastructure, noticed much creaking in other stuff too now. So happy i made you smile too sweet friend, that made my day for sure

 

[Blain]

You Magenta and i talk pretty much the same language spiritually, so glad posting my first comment to you didn't lead to a crash this time. Won't start hoping things will be plain sailing now, just grateful

It is the holy spirit in us that makes us speak so similar spiritually we are one in spirit just as it is supposed to be. the site seems to be doing ok for now at least a little better it crashed on me for a few seconds but then came back up

 

[Rosemaryx]

Real cheers for letting me know Blain, are you in the UK too? Wondering if it's our infrastructure or widespread. Thought for a while a big webcrash in the near future, what i'm seeing are problems i'd expect if that is in the offing.

Hang in there friend, you post so much spiritually upbuilding stuff, just back from the page crash after my last comment, praying posting this one won't trigger another....

@LifelongLearner ...I am in the UK...Just popping in to say hello ...And yes these site crashes are so annoying...xox...

 

[LifelongLearner]

It is the holy spirit in us that makes us speak so similar spiritually we are one in spirit just as it is supposed to be. the site seems to be doing ok for now at least a little better it crashed on me for a few seconds but then came back up

Wow! Pretty gobsmacking but think you've hit the nail on the head there precious friend. However, we all retain our individuality too, we're siblings in Christ, not clones!

Loved sharing thoughts with you, won't push my luck now, just grateful i've been able to share some thoughts.

 

[LifelongLearner]

@LifelongLearner ...I am in the UK...Just popping in to say hello ...And yes these site crashes are so annoying...xox...

Great meeting you Rosemary and cheers for letting me know, hope i'm not being selfish saying glad i'm not the only one! Will play with my little Princess for a while, she's caliing.... well demanding some attention now. Blessings and all that's good to everyone for now and thanks for the lovely chat

 

[Magenta]

When you consider free will, you must also consider man's ability.
Adam had the ability to obey or to not obey. We basically lost this ability in the fall.
After the fall God tells us:

Gen 6:5
Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Now there is no way possible to please God unless the HS restores the ability that was lost. If you think that man has this ability then you do not understand just how depraved man actually is.

So yes, you can freely choose to post on this site, but you cannot put your trust in God without the HS doing a work in you.

Man's inability is clearly laid out in Scripture. As is the Lord's ability to subject all things to Himself.

It's become quite clear that one of the things the haters hate is God's sovereignty. Pity...

Jesus’ words in John 6 verse 65 I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them. Plus Colossians 1 verse 21 and 2 verse 13; Ephesians 2 verse 1a and 3b; Philippians 1 verse 6 and 2 verse 13

 

[Pilgrimshope]

Do enjoy our chats Pilgrimshope, i'm one of those who thinks if we genuinely had free will, humanity would have snuffed it during its infancy. We're created to be sociable collaborationists, who are individuals with plenty of differences to make us interesting and useful to each other but we actually need each other to lead high quality, happy lives.

It's so hard for many to understand that the notion we have free will is based on lies, which have a dark purpose. We certainly have will and choice, which are huge components of our lives but it's rare for us to be able to take successful, unilateral action, unless what we want to do is inconsequential to others. Think my saying we're scratch-each-others-backists is accurate and it's a good thing to be, it's built in to our design and i do wonder how awesome life would be, if Adam and Eve hadn't blown the opportunity for us.

The angels don't have free will either, Satan and the third which ganged up with him chose to be independent of God but found they had the will and made the choice, however, they didn't have the free will to impose it. That's the prerogative of the Big Guy upstairs.

Hope that makes some sense friend.

“Do enjoy our chats Pilgrimshope, i'm one of those who thinks if we genuinely had free will, humanity would have snuffed it during its infancy.”

After just the tenth generation of mankind’s existance

“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭6:5-7 ‭KJV‬‬

You believe if they had free Will , something like that would have happened probably once they were exposed to good and evil ?

 

[Pilgrimshope]

Do enjoy our chats Pilgrimshope, i'm one of those who thinks if we genuinely had free will, humanity would have snuffed it during its infancy. We're created to be sociable collaborationists, who are individuals with plenty of differences to make us interesting and useful to each other but we actually need each other to lead high quality, happy lives.

It's so hard for many to understand that the notion we have free will is based on lies, which have a dark purpose. We certainly have will and choice, which are huge components of our lives but it's rare for us to be able to take successful, unilateral action, unless what we want to do is inconsequential to others. Think my saying we're scratch-each-others-backists is accurate and it's a good thing to be, it's built in to our design and i do wonder how awesome life would be, if Adam and Eve hadn't blown the opportunity for us.

The angels don't have free will either, Satan and the third which ganged up with him chose to be independent of God but found they had the will and made the choice, however, they didn't have the free will to impose it. That's the prerogative of the Big Guy upstairs.

Hope that makes some sense friend.

always a pleasure you seem to have a good spirit in the lord and very pleasant to discuss with I appreciate the time

“It's so hard for many to understand that the notion we have free will is based on lies, which have a dark purpose. We certainly have will and choice, which are huge components of our lives but it's rare for us to be able to take successful, unilateral action, unless what we want to do is inconsequential to others.”

“We certainly have will and choice,”

ok. Is someone else controlling our Will and choices or are we ?

thats sort of what I’m wanting to get at “ how “ is our Will not free ?