Predestination or free will?

Am I? As you wish.
Blessings.

Not an answer to the question.

God says in Rom 1:18-20 that those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness and who deny the eternal power of God are without excuse.

According to you, God formed some to suppress the truth in unrighteousness and deny the eternal power of God.

Therefore, they have an excuse.




God allows mankind to reject Him.

God wants all to come unto the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:3-4 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth).

I heared following picture to explaine it. - A man heared the gospel and believed it and ask the Lord to forgive him and came into his life. When he then passed away he walked through the heavensgate. While he looked back he saw written on the top of the gate following words: predistinatet before the world was createt. -
I believe we have to give an response to the gospel. And I believe we predistinate before the world was createt. Be honest, for what we need to know this?
Preach the Gospel and see how the people react. Sonetimes, somebody react not positivly when he heares the Gospel the first time. Our duty is mot to deceide who is saved and who not. Our duty is to spread the gospel and teach them what Jesus taught the apostles. Everything else is Gods duty.

God has mercy upon whom he will have mercy and he hardens whom he chooses to harden. Romans 9 is a great teaching chapter as to God and his predetermining all things according to his will and for his glory.


Proverbs 21:1

What better manner of teaching the truth of redemption through Christ than as indwelt vessels who are to live the example. Is that not preaching everywhere we go?And upon every forum where we speak to other sisters and brothers in Christ?

Hey Preston...
I didn't post anything about becoming free of sin, because we are not. The underlined commit that seems to be included as a part of my post was not from me. There are a lot of sins committed by the faithful of the NT, as seen in several verses. For example in; Rom 14:3 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatever is not of faith is sin. And in James 4:17 "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." We are also told in Jam 3:2 "For we all stumble in many ways,..." Here we see that even apostles themselves, stumble in many ways. A slave can, in fact, walk away, unless chained, if he so chooses; its just that it behooves him not to do so! If kept chained, the slave will be of limited use and not all slaves are chained.

I believe in election and predestination, so I believe those verses just point out the facts but as you can see they say nothing about why the unbeliever holds to his view. "All men to be saved" may be referring to all the elect.

We can't draw out of those verses the first cause of why, they suppress the truth in unrighteousness and deny the eternal power of God. One could easily conclude that God created them that way, since He is sovereign over all things, including the election of the saved.

As I noted in the other thread, Calvinism makes it impossible to read the Bible at face value.

Then 1 Tim 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9; Eze 33:11 and several other verses are not true, or must be twisted to accommodate Calvinism.

If God predetermined some people to die, then there is no such thing as evil, and God is not loving and just.

D.....,

You can believe in it but, that belief is not supported by scriptures.

Yes, predestinated to be perfected and glorified. That's really what it means. Not predestinated for salvation (or damnation).

This doctrine has been seriously distorted and misrepresented because of Reformed Theology and Calvin. It is IMPOSSIBLE that God would predestine anyone for salvation or damnation since all have sinned, Christ died for all, and all are invited to come and receive the gift of eternal life. "Whosoever" means anyone and everyone without exception and without discrimination.

The true liberty is to be free in the flesh, soul and spirit and not only in spirit.

That is an entirely different subject. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:36).

He created them with a free will, while the elect don't have a free will.

Lucifer had a free will and he chose to sin against God, just as all the others with a free will do. The only free thing they have is the choice to reject God's grace, but apart from that they are in bondage to their sin, and God has chosen to leave them in it.

God didn't have to save any of us, we all deserved judgement and hell. The fact that He chose to save some, shows that he is a loving and forgiving God who demonstrates His mercy by saving His elect.

if he created them with a free will, then they have the ability to say yes to god..

He did not have to save any of us Amen? But it was his will, that all who see and believe will have eternal life. it is his will, and his love that desires we want his gift, as a parent desires their children to want their gifts (ever had a child reject a christmas gift, it does not feel very good) but if I child never had the ability to hate the gift, or recieve it by free will. . there would be no feeling at all, it woudl all be a play already written and predetermined. based on fathers will, not the fathers love.

All people have free will. It's the ones that use that free will to believe on Jesus Christ who become the elect.

Your logic is faulty. If they have the choice to reject God's grace, then they have the ability to accept it.

If He only chose to save some, but He had the ability to save all, then He is not loving, nor just, nor fair.

D...,

That makes no common sense.
Maybe you could explain a little.

God is too great and His ways are infinitely higher than ours, it's futile to try to understand an unlimited God with a tiny limited mind. We have been commanded to trust and obey Him, we should never question His motive. I believe it's actually sinful to question His motives.

The elect are slaves of Christ, we don't have a free will. The reprobate are free to sin to their hearts content