Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

Proverbs 28:26~ “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool.” Ecclesiastes 7:20~ “For there is not a just man upon the earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” Matthew 7:18~ “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” Philippians 2:13~ “For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”

Romans 8:7a, Galatians 5:17, John 1:5, John 14:17 ~ The mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. The flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. Darkness does not comprehend the Light. The world cannot receive the Spirit of Truth, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.

Romans 16:16, Titus 3:3, John 8:34 ~ Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness? For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures. Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son belongs to it forever.”

I understand your point, but that's not the verses lol. Again you've cited the chapter they are found in multiple times, but you did not cite the verses because of you are aiming at the wrong target. If you're fishing for hints, I'll give you one more hint, don't focus on the sinners, but rather focus on those that do believe God and his will. I'll give it some time to see if any are destined to cite the verses before I post them myself as when I do post them then I will take my leave of the topic since it will be thoroughly exhausted.

There's a verse in Proverbs 16:9.

The way I see it is,we are all living within and as creations of God. He tells us he is sovereign and has dominion over his creation.

We can make our choices of course. However,the faculities we use to do that and the elements within our choice are all also of God and his creation. So, really, there is not anything we can do that is not within God's domain of controls.

Because everything is first of God. So while we can choose,everything chosen is there because God made it so.

Daniel 4:35~ All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ Isaiah 14:24~ The LORD of Hosts has sworn: “Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; as I have purposed, so will it stand.” Psalm 139:16~ Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Proverbs 16:9~ In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. Proverbs 19:21~ Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.

You make those choices every hour of every day of your Christian life.

I wish it was just one choice at the beginning of the Christian journey.

I rarely find just two voices speaking but a plethora of choices every day, intermingled between the spirit
and the flesh.

I wish our Christian lives were pre-determined so I didn't have to battle to obey Jesus.

If your raised in a strong Christian family it is much easier to believe in Jesus and walk as Jesus walked.

If your not raised in a Christian family the Christian life is far more difficult.

Far too many choices to make.

Do you pray continually?

I take issue with the verses that according to Calvin support divine determinism.

And for good reasons:

First, the plain sense of many verses of Scripture including those listed in the preceding parentheses suggests that it is possible for a believer to commit apostasy, and saying that this understanding is false seems to make God tricky.

Second, God’s plan of salvation from the miserable consequences of choosing to reject Him makes sense only if people are morally accountable or free, and free will is meaningful only if a person can choose between essentially opposite options, as in Deuteronomy 30:19: “I set before you today life and death, blessings and curses.” This is the same choice that was set before Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (GN 2:16-17) and before that to Satan in heaven (LK 10:18). I see no reason to think that this choice is not eternal, because it is this choice which creates: free will (faith in Christ or antichrist), moral responsibility (love the Lord or hate Him) and meaningful life (taste of heaven now and hope for eternal joy rather than misery now and ultimately hell). And 1 Corinthians 13:13 says “these three remain”.

Third, Jesus said “The truth will set you free” (JN 8:32), and “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (JN 8:36) As a disciple of Christ I feel free, and I find every day fraught with significance as I fight on God’s side against evil in a war that has ultimate consequences for the destiny of my soul. Spiritual freedom is in Christ.

Sinful humanity retains the image of God or moral free will, so every normal adult soul is able by faith to choose between these two options (cf. DT 30:19). That is why Paul went “every Sabbath to the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks” (ACTS 18:4)! “He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus.” (ACTS 28:23b) “Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. (ACTS 28:24) They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul made this final statement: The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving, for this people’s heart has become calloused.” (ACTS 28:25-27a, cf. 2TM 3:7)

If Christians retain the same freedom they had as non-Christians to accept or reject Christ’s Lordship, then the second most important truth to learn in life after the Gospel/kerygma is the “necessity” of persevering faith for learning God’s Word (LGW) until we die in order to achieve our God-given purpose in life: the fullness of Christ or spiritual maturity. There is no qualitative difference between faith that accepts God’s saving grace at conversion and faith that accepts God’s working grace while walking/living (EPH 2:8-10, 2CR 5:7), but only a quantitative difference as each additional moment passes–and of course faith remains non-meritorious during the saint’s entire lifetime.

Well I couldn't tell you if the verses are according to Calvin or not since I am not a Calvinist. Come to think of it, I've never even seen a Calvinist in real life. I do know that Calvin didn't write them though. For a further hint, Paul wrote them. I'll post the verses later when I get back tonight, let's see if any are destined to get to it before me.

Obviously, Jesus' will was not always God's will, because at one time He surrendered a desire of His own will to obey the Father's will which opposed His will.
"Father, if it is possible take this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not my will but Yours be done."

It will be nice for some to have you take your leave, because your MO is exhausting.

So, once you have shone the laser torch randomly over the Bible whose leaves are flipping by in the wind, and enough cats have tried to pin it down, you will post your supposed proof-texts and then run from having to defend them, because you are exhausted from waving your laser torch randomly.

I noticed that you did not state the Calvinist interpretation of RM 8, but here is one that harmonizes with Scripture teaching that God is omniloving/justness and souls are accountable for their sins:

v.28 - God calls/purposes/plans/wills all to be saved (1TM 2:3-4, JN 3:16a), and all who by faith accept God's grace reflect His love (GL 5:22-23, EPH 2:8-10) and will be saved to heaven (JN 3:16b, 1CR 15:23&54-58).

v.29 - God knew/planned from the beginning who would be saved, namely those who repent/are justified by faith in Jesus, and He predetermined for them to become righteous like Jesus and fellowship by reflecting the love and unity of His Holy Spirit.

v.30 - Again, God's predestinated plan of salvation included calling sinners to be justified, and those who cooperated with His will He also glorified in heaven.

v.31 - What should be our response? Faith that if God is for us, it does not matter that mere men may be against us.

v.32 - God loved sinners so much that His incarnation died so that they may be saved and richly blessed in heaven.

v.33 - No mere mortal can condemn God's elect/saints/saved sinners, because only God is Judge and justifies them in Christ.

v.34 - No one can condemn souls, because Christ died, arose, reigns in heaven and intercedes for saints with God the Judge.

v.35 - No one and nothing can separate saints from the love of Christ/God, including all earthly threats to life.

v.36 - This is the meaning of "For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."

v.37 - Despite all such threats, saints are more than conquerors because of God loves and salvation.

v.38-39 - Saints believe that nothing and no power can separate believers from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus didn't surrender what He fully knew before that moment.

Matthew 20:22
Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink? ” “We are able,” they said to him.

Jesus was fully human and thus tempted to sin and not desiring to suffer,
but he chose not to sin and willed to die for humanity's sins because it was necessary to accomplish salvation.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Either the founding Fathers of your nation were correct and God enables men to be free so that they may choose of the own free will or your nation is founded on a farce.

John 1:17
For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:6
that has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.

Our Lord Jesus Christ confronts every man with grace and truth to ensure they are able to choose for Him or against Him of their own free will. His grace ensures freedom and that His truth is made known.

“I wish it was just one choice at the beginning of the Christian journey.”

we have to hear the gospel in order to make the one choice to believe in and follow after the Lord Jesus . And then after that we have to learn from him . We fail at times it’s just the truth it’s human to be less than perfect and we are yet human beings.

every day we make choices about our lives what we’re going to do , how we are going to treat others ect but also the condition of our hearts is what those actions are going to come from . A heart in bad condition is going to mane poor choices .

In other , more important words

“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭7:21-23‬ ‭KJV‬‬

That heart is going to choose the wrong things but a heart can be cleansed and healed by the lord and his word can reach us discernment between good and evil so that our hearts are singing after the lord and making the right choices easily rether than being a struggle constantly with the wrong heart and mind corrupted by the world

rather than healed formed here

“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 ‭KJV‬‬

tbat corrupt heart can be changed by the gospel of we abide in his doctrine and really change the problem of a heart that’s corrupt and desiring the wrong things bekieving the gospel is Jesus turning our minds and hearts to God and his kingdom rather than the world

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭2:15-17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭5:19-20‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The choice is to choose Jesus but then it’s a journey that we learn to walk with him as we go we still struggle and fail sometimes even some do a lot but he’s there always to help us up and carry us on his shoulders then later we tend to keep running off into the shadows is when things becomes dangerous there’s alot of wolves

abut Falling dwn as we learn to walk is just part of bieng a child , a thirty year old rebel doesn’t really have the same excuse as a baby learning to walk it becomes about maturing learning the right things and applying them eventually bears fruit and is what the phrase walking by faith means . Hear what God said and act upon it and then reap the Harvest he promised

We do make choices daily brother but there’s a si for choice we have to make before anything else would ever matter and it’s regarding belief is the core of the gospel of Jesus life death for our sins and resurrection for our justification

it’s much as the Israelites had to trust in the day of atonement for thier sins atonement and then thier obedience and choices begin to matter alot because tbier sins have been removed and they can come near to God and hear his word now

instead of this with our sinfulness covering us

“Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭5:25‬ ‭KJV‬‬

were dead for sure if that’s our thinking we need to know about the gospel so we can do this

“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 ‭

It’s not about a sinful person all the sudden becoming righteous and doing everything right but through the process of hearing and believing the gospel we are changed at our core where we desire and think and believe and then our actions change from the sincerity of our change of heart as we keeen and grow we get better and stronger like babies growing up into teens and young adults then later adults and elderly folk ect

we learn what to choose by hearing and believing the lords word in the gospel and faith can change us

Have you ever really contemplated what the Lord was thinking at this time? Just curious.

I Believe He was sweating blood because He was going to have to judge unbelievers.Not what He was going through or had to go through but what unbelievers will have to go through......Totally selfless.