Did Those Who Were Never of The Elect Ever Have Free-Will?

  • 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.
Jun 18, 2024
71
8
8
When His Spirit comes to dwell within us...yes we can know Him...The Holy Spirit working along with the Word of God enabled us to know the Lord intimately.

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

Quick - See G2198 (Strongs, Mounce, and Thayer)

Alive
and without the Holy spirit can we still know Him? the answer maybe NOT..

thanks friend
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
60,174
29,475
113

From Romans 6:16-18 ~ Do you not know that you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you once were slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were committed. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
 

Everlasting-Grace

Well-known member
Dec 18, 2021
5,945
1,872
113
The Israelites were promised freedom until they get to the promise land Not the Sinai desert...
"Once anyone knows the Truth, then the Truth will set them free"... Anyone who reject this, it's because they have not known the Truth..1Theso 2:10
They still wanted to go back to Egypt (slavery)

Which proves your point no slave would so no to be in error
 

Hakawaka

Active member
Jul 1, 2021
308
158
43
Hi, thanks for the response, so what separate the "unbelief" and those who "believe"? Is it because of themselves or God..
See 1Corins 1:30
Thats an excellent point. I can't think of a good rebuttal to it right now. But I promise if I do i'll get back to you. What is preventing me from accepting the explanation though is that IF it truly is the case that these Corinthians were chosen by God, before they had done good or evil before the foundation of the world, then WHY are there so many warning passages all over the Bible about falling away from the faith? Take for example in the book you quoted: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. Why does Paul warn the Corinthians who were chosen and are guaranteed salvation to be careful to not live this way or they will NOT inherit the kingdom?

If you could explain to me the warning passages, you have peaked my interest for sure
 

Jimbone

Senior Member
Aug 22, 2014
2,977
972
113
44
Hello MerSee, I suppose the first thing that needs to be considered is what the definition of "free will" is (so that we can all be on the same page).

It seems to me that our wills should be considered free whenever we are able to choose what we want most at a given moment in time.

So, unless it can be shown that an unsaved person is somehow being ~forced~ to continue to walk the "broad way" ~against~ his/her will, then it seems to me that their "free will" must be intact, even when the choice that they make is a horrible one.

God bless you!!

~Deuteronomy (David)
Matthew 7
13 Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Seems to me this contradicts His word in John 8 where Jesus tells us that when we are in sin we are slaves to sin, then in Romans 6 Paul draws that out to we are slaves of sin or slaves of obedience, this idea that we EVER have this kind of "neutral" free will isn't found in scripture. We have choice obviously, I have always believe this and He tells us to choose. The fact of the matter is that choice is ALWAYS guided and governed by whatever our nature is, be it sin or Him. I do honestly understand what you're saying here, and the way you mean it I do agree with, I just have this problem with calling something free that He clearly tells us is not free. We have a will, we have a choice, but that choice is ALWAYS going to coincide with our nature, of the flesh or of the Spirit. It's never "free".
 

JohnRH

Junior Member
Mar 5, 2018
676
324
63
...So if God chose not to reveal it us then we will never know and we will never believe in Him...
That's hypothetical (if, then).
Stick with reality - God HAS shown to everyone what's needed.
 
N

Niki7

Guest
Hi, if you don't want to answer the questions then its fine.

i didn't say i was saved by "water" Baptism.
do you speak another language?

I quoted the scripture YOU posted

yes you did say you were saved by baptism on your profile

whatever :rolleyes:
 
N

Niki7

Guest
church is not about a building, denominations etc.. That how i see it.
the Bible says we should not avoid other beleivers....the church is the body of believers....we can usually find those in a building somewhere

listen...you are so dodgy in your responses I don't think you really know what it is you think you are trying to believe
 

Pilgrimshope

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2020
14,148
5,722
113
so the law of sin and death held us in bondage ... what part of bondage spells freewill?

's no such thing as freewill. In order to prove freewill you have to cease entirely from sin and then refuse to die.

And those good folks who hear the Saviour's voice and spring forth out of their graves will not do so by any freewill choice or decision of their own.

I feel so sad when I hear christians denounce these mass killers and damn them to hell "they have made their bed and now they must lie in it, what they did they did of their own freewill"

What hope then is there for such ones?

If we told them the truth that they were not acting out of a free will but that the will and the power they were acting by was that of Satan the arch enemy of God and mankind to whom they are slaves.
They just might cry for mercy.
“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2:16-17‬ ‭

“I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭7:21-23‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey;

whether of sin unto death,

or of obedience unto righteousness?

But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:12, 15-18‬ ‭KJV‬‬

We can take the position I’m just a servant of sin I have no choice or we can take the position Jesus offers in the gospel and be set free

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free….. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
‭‭John‬ ‭8:31-32, 36‬ ‭

if a Christian thinks they have no choice in doing what’s right or wrong there’s a misunderstanding

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:1-2, 12-13‬ ‭KJV‬‬

to walk after the spirit of life promising no condemnation is this

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
‭‭John‬ ‭6:63‬ ‭

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
‭‭John‬ ‭5:24‬ ‭

to walk after the flesh and die is this

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:16-17, 19-21‬ ‭KJV‬‬

adam was free made the wrong choice brought corruption to our nature through improper knowledge not meant for mankind . Jesus sets us free through the gospel the correct knowledge of God meant for mankind that gives life and washes away the improper knowledge of God

“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:”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭30:19‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The person who responds “ I don’t have a choice I’m gonna choose death “ need to hear the gospel so God can change thier will from slave to freeman

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty;

only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh,

but by love serve one another.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:13‬ ‭

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We can’t be Christian’s and children of God yet still say the devil rules our lives as an excuse not to repent and change our ways

“For ye, brethren, were called for freedom; only use not your freedom for an occasion to the flesh, but through love be servants one to another.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:13‬ ‭ASV‬‬

Jesus sets sinners free from sins dominion and rule over them but they have to come to him his way by hearing his word and believing what he’s teaching as well as his death and resurrection that’s what changes our Will from sin to righteousness and life
 

Deuteronomy

Well-known member
Jun 11, 2018
3,334
3,704
113
68
Seems to me this contradicts His word in John 8 where Jesus tells us that when we are in sin we are slaves to sin, then in Romans 6 Paul draws that out to we are slaves of sin or slaves of obedience, this idea that we EVER have this kind of "neutral" free will isn't found in scripture. We have choice obviously, I have always believe this and He tells us to choose. The fact of the matter is that choice is ALWAYS guided and governed by whatever our nature is, be it sin or Him. I do honestly understand what you're saying here, and the way you mean it I do agree with, I just have this problem with calling something free that He clearly tells us is not free. We have a will, we have a choice, but that choice is ALWAYS going to coincide with our nature, of the flesh or of the Spirit. It's never "free".
Hi Jimbone, actually, I agree with you (I think that I must be looking at all of this from a different POV than you are).

For instance, I don't believe that any of us, save our progenitors, have ever had a "neutral", free will. We choose what we want, according to that which we desire most. Unfortunately, all of us are by nature, as children of wrath, so our desires lead us towards that which is fallen/worldly/sinful, never towards Him, just like the Bible tells us .. e.g. Romans 3:10-12; Ephesians 2:1-3 (unless He does a MIGHTY work in us to change us/change what we desire, that is .. e.g. Ezekiel 36:26-27; Ephesians 2:4-5, 10; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

I think that I'd like to take some time to think through all of this again, and I'll get back to you after I do (Dv).

God bless you!!

--David
 

Everlasting-Grace

Well-known member
Dec 18, 2021
5,945
1,872
113
I am not reading where he stated he was against gathering in fellowship.
It says in his profile he is not going to church. That is what he was questioned about and when he gave me that answer, which I responded back to. And you evidently did not like my response.

Next time you disagree with someone you may want to get your facts straight
 

HeIsHere

Well-known member
May 21, 2022
5,900
2,288
113
@Everlasting-Grace

Not going to church does not mean forsaking fellowship.
People meet in homes and other places, plus it does not state I refuse to go to church, maybe he is the process of finding a new church.

Who are you to make these judgements really? sigh.