I wrote a Letter to my Free Will

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2ndTimothyGroup

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Just wrapping up my studies for the day and it happens to conclude with the following:

2 Corinthians 13:11 NLT - 11 Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you."

To all who have helped stay on this course . . . thank you.
 

PaulThomson

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Can you imagine what it's going to be like to be caught up in the sky with our Resurrected Brothers and Sisters?! It will be a flood of people in the sky, rushing toward Christ, and we will be like all the stars in the sky. Just imagine looking around at all of us people rushing toward Jesus . . . and looking back toward Earth, as it becomes smaller, and smaller. I cannot wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
I don't like heights. I don't want to imagine it.
 

2ndTimothyGroup

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This is what the Bible is about. This is what the Promises and Blessings of Abraham are about. These things point to why Abraham is our Father of Faith. For, it was Promised that God's Children would receive the same Blessings that Abraham had received. This Blessing would be a new heart, pre-wired with the desire to Love, Seek, obey, and Worship Him forever.

That is what is so beautiful about our Powerful Faith! What the Lord Promises, the Lord fulfills.

[edit] - To be clear, there are more Blessings than the new heart.
 

PaulThomson

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This isn't my opinion. The Bible, however, reports that people have a limited sense of free will. In other words, humans can make micro choices and decisions, but their thoughts and behaviors are assigned. Our thoughts and decisions have a hedge of understanding placed around each of us. Some are more wise than others. Some will never possess the intellect to obtain a drivers license. And then we have Einstein. We all know that the Bible says that God distributes these things as He sees fit. The hedge of intellect that surrounds some is greater than the other.

Restricted ability to think, rationalize, and make decisions. Humans are pre-wired with our thought patterns, just as the birds who fly south for the winter. We don't think that way and we never would; yet those thoughts are pre-wired within the hedge of their minds; thus they think and behave as those birds are created to think and behave.

Before Christ, humans belong to the Devil and held by him to do his evil will. 2nd Tim 2:25-26

After Christ Redeems a soul, that person belongs to Him. They are then held captive by God with the Purpose of spreading His Holy Message of Christ. 2 Cor 2:14.

Either way, people will think and behave according to who their Spiritual Father is. This is what the Bible is about.

Let me know what your favorite translation is and I'll begin to post only in that translation from here on out. They all great, except The Message. That is firestarter. And, you can give me just about any story of the Bible and I'll show you the controlling Power of God. Easy peasy, lemon squeasy. :)
"People have a limited sense of free will. In other words, humans can make micro choices and decisions, but their thoughts and behaviors are assigned. Our thoughts and decisions have a hedge of understanding placed around each of us. Some are more wise than others. Some will never possess the intellect to obtain a drivers license. And then we have Einstein. We all know that the Bible says that God distributes these things as He sees fit. The hedge of intellect that surrounds some is greater than the other.

Restricted ability to think, rationalize, and make decisions. Humans are pre-wired with our thought patterns, just as the birds who fly south for the winter. We don't think that way and we never would; yet those thoughts are pre-wired within the hedge of their minds; thus they think and behave as those birds are created to think and behave." - is your opinion.

Now you need to explain how your opinion logically derives from 2 Tim. 2:25-26.
 

2ndTimothyGroup

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I don't like heights. I don't want to imagine it.
The Overwhelming Power will be so shocking; so stunning, you will know with full certainty that nothing could possibly ever happen to you when you are under that level of Power. To be frank, a nuclear bomb could go off next to you, and you will be unphased. The Power and protection of God has not been shown to too many people, thus it is not spoken of often, but make no mistake, the God of the Old Testament is the God of today. He hasn't changed a bit.
 

2ndTimothyGroup

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"People have a limited sense of free will. In other words, humans can make micro choices and decisions, but their thoughts and behaviors are assigned. Our thoughts and decisions have a hedge of understanding placed around each of us. Some are more wise than others. Some will never possess the intellect to obtain a drivers license. And then we have Einstein. We all know that the Bible says that God distributes these things as He sees fit. The hedge of intellect that surrounds some is greater than the other.

Restricted ability to think, rationalize, and make decisions. Humans are pre-wired with our thought patterns, just as the birds who fly south for the winter. We don't think that way and we never would; yet those thoughts are pre-wired within the hedge of their minds; thus they think and behave as those birds are created to think and behave." - is your opinion.

Now you need to explain how your opinion logically derives from 2 Tim. 2:25-26.
2 Tim 2:25-26 is pretty straightforward.
2 Timothy 2:25-26 NLT - "Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants."

Five points:
1) God changes hearts
2) The way they think will change, they will come to their senses
3) They will be removed from the Devil's trap
4) They have been held captive by the Devil
5) Being held captive by the Devil means obedience to his Sinful Way and Nature.

I mean . . . isn't it obvious? :)
 

PaulThomson

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Oct 29, 2023
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"People have a limited sense of free will. In other words, humans can make micro choices and decisions, but their thoughts and behaviors are assigned. Our thoughts and decisions have a hedge of understanding placed around each of us. Some are more wise than others. Some will never possess the intellect to obtain a drivers license. And then we have Einstein. We all know that the Bible says that God distributes these things as He sees fit. The hedge of intellect that surrounds some is greater than the other.

Restricted ability to think, rationalize, and make decisions. Humans are pre-wired with our thought patterns, just as the birds who fly south for the winter. We don't think that way and we never would; yet those thoughts are pre-wired within the hedge of their minds; thus they think and behave as those birds are created to think and behave." - is your opinion.

Now you need to explain how your opinion logically derives from 2 Tim. 2:25-26.
2 Tim 2:25-26 is pretty straightforward.
2 Timothy 2:25-26 NLT - "Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants."

Five points:
1) God changes hearts
2) The way they think will change, they will come to their senses
3) They will be removed from the Devil's trap
4) They have been held captive by the Devil
5) Being held captive by the Devil means obedience to his Sinful Way and Nature.

I mean . . . isn't it obvious? :)
I can change peoples minds and hearts and desires. How do I do that? Do I have control over their wills and make them change. Or do I provide them with better options, so that they are persuaded to what I am offering?

We are slaves to the one we choose to obey. If we obey satan we are trapped by him. If we change our allegiance to obey God, we are no longer trapped/slaves. That's how WE ESCAPE the devil's trap. It doesn't say God will unilaterally release us from the devil's trap. God persuades us of His truth. We choose to believe and obey that truth and we escape from the devil's trap.

How does 2 Tim 2:25-26 prove your opinion?
 

2ndTimothyGroup

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I can change peoples minds and hearts and desires. How do I do that? Do I have control over their wills and make them change.
Yes. This happened all throughout the Old Testament.

As for escaping the Devil's trap, what do you think this means? What happens when a person is released from his captivity? What happens? Is there a change of some kind in the person having been released?
 

PaulThomson

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Oct 29, 2023
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Yes. This happened all throughout the Old Testament.

As for escaping the Devil's trap, what do you think this means? What happens when a person is released from his captivity? What happens? Is there a change of some kind in the person having been released?
Usually, they see the truth that they were not believing before, when they had been deceived into a trap. The person is a little wiser.
 
Dec 3, 2023
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It is the spirit that can be evil, and body is just a vessel(?).
This problem is difficult to explain clearly.
The Bible says that sin entered into flesh through Adam.From this point of view.We can't say that spirit that can be evil.
And the Bible also says the satan is a evil spirit,so we also couldn't say that spirit that can not be evil.

But the foundation of the redeem is based on baptism.when our flesh baptism by water and Holy spirit, our spirit that can not be evil that is for sure.
 

PaulThomson

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This problem is difficult to explain clearly.
The Bible says that sin entered into flesh through Adam.From this point of view.We can't say that spirit that can be evil.
And the Bible also says the satan is a evil spirit,so we also couldn't say that spirit that can not be evil.

But the foundation of the redeem is based on baptism.when our flesh baptism by water and Holy spirit, our spirit that can not be evil that is for sure.
When we believe in Jesus Christ, we are given a new clean spirit, to rrplace our tainted distorted spirit, into which the Trinity can come and abide. But our mind needs to be renewed to use God's word as its truth and our flesh needs to be brought into subjection to our renewing mind, especially our tongue. Our carnal survival instinct of fight and flight, our fear of death,
pressures us into behaviour contrary to the Sermon on the Mount. But we canboverrile our carnal nature if we combine the forces of our renewed spirit and our renewing mind and the Holy spirit.
 
Dec 3, 2023
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Actually it doesn't say that at all.
I'm sorry, I may be mistaken.I may have understood these two verses together
Romans 3:20
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Romans 5:12
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
 
Apr 27, 2023
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Romans 3:20
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
You misunderstand deeds of law. Deeds of the law are what others do to enforce a law. And the verse has nothing to do with original sin, or whatever you want to call it.
Romans 5:12
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
And this says nothing about the flesh being infected with sin. It isn't surprising the gnostic dualism of matter bad and spirit good is not in scripture.
 
Dec 3, 2023
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You misunderstand deeds of law. Deeds of the law are what others do to enforce a law. And the verse has nothing to do with original sin, or whatever you want to call it.
And this says nothing about the flesh being infected with sin. It isn't surprising the gnostic dualism of matter bad and spirit good is not in scripture.
Or should I say it's because of my understanding,sin entered into flesh through Adam and Eve because they eat the The fruit of the tree of good and evil.

Sin cannot be brought directly into the world, it must have a carrier which is our flesh.

Because I can't understand that God created us as evil spirits.
 
Apr 27, 2023
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Or should I say it's because of my understanding, sin entered into flesh through Adam and Eve because they eat the The fruit of the tree of good and evil.

Because I can't understand that God created us as evil spirits.
He didn't, but Mankind has free will and the inclination to take the easiest path.
 
Dec 3, 2023
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He didn't, but Mankind has free will and the inclination to take the easiest path.
Or should I say it's because of my understanding,sin entered into flesh through Adam and Eve because they eat the The fruit of the tree of good and evil.

Sin cannot be brought directly into the world, it must have a carrier which is our flesh.

Because I can't understand that God created us as evil spirits.

Sorry, I edited it again before.You may not have seen it all.
 
Apr 27, 2023
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Or should I say it's because of my understanding,sin entered into flesh through Adam and Eve because they eat the The fruit of the tree of good and evil.

Sin cannot be brought directly into the world, it must have a carrier which is our flesh.

Because I can't understand that God created us as evil spirits.

Sorry, I edited it again before.You may not have seen it all.
I think I know what you say. You don't believe original infected the spirit, which it didn't. I merely removed some of God's grace. You say the flesh can cause sin, but the sinner has free will, and free choice. He can resist sin, if he knows what sin is.

Just because Adam and Eve's eyes were opened, doesn't mean God abandoned Mankind. They were already sinning without having had eaten the fruit per my sources. The bible and some people who interpret it.
 

selahsays

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May 31, 2023
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We have a posting history and I know what you present in many of your viewpoints.
You ain't fooling nobody.
He certainly isn’t fooling me, either. Oh well … I guess it’s to be expected in these latter days.