Gods will vs mans free will
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There are two ways to become begotten of God.
One is by reproduction and the other is by regeneration.
Jesus is God's begotten son by means of reproduction: in point of fact Jesus
is the only child that God every produced by multiplying Himself.
Jesus is oft described as God's "only begotten" which is translated from the
Greek word monogenes which basically pertains to biological children as
opposed to foster children and/or adopted children.
Born-again Christians are no such thing as monogenes. They are neither
God's biological children nor the result of God multiplying Himself, instead,
they are the result of His handiwork, viz: born-again Christians are regenerated
creatures rather than divine beings.
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You draw the line for the involvement of God whenever you find yourself in a circumstance whereby you can ask the question: Is this situation I'm in God's purpose for my life? Vocational issues are life issues and are subject to that kind of question. Whereas the color of the socks I should wear today are not.
Or take a situation I'm in: My wife wants to move so that she can be closer to her best friend who lives about 75 miles from us; and we're closing on our new home in less than a month I, on the other hand, do not want to move for several reasons. I prayed often about this situation because I take my stewardship responsibilities seriously, as well as my marriage vows. But I even considered staying in my house and letting my wife move, since we could afford to support two residences. But God works in mysterious ways. Shortly after having a long heart-to-heart conversation with my financial advisor, God put it into my heart to move with my wife; and He even graciously gave me a sense of peace about his will for my life in this situation in which I find myself. But this doesn't mean I now want to move but only that God wants me to, so I'm at peace with what He wants.
Or take a situation I'm in: My wife wants to move so that she can be closer to her best friend who lives about 75 miles from us; and we're closing on our new home in less than a month I, on the other hand, do not want to move for several reasons. I prayed often about this situation because I take my stewardship responsibilities seriously, as well as my marriage vows. But I even considered staying in my house and letting my wife move, since we could afford to support two residences. But God works in mysterious ways. Shortly after having a long heart-to-heart conversation with my financial advisor, God put it into my heart to move with my wife; and He even graciously gave me a sense of peace about his will for my life in this situation in which I find myself. But this doesn't mean I now want to move but only that God wants me to, so I'm at peace with what He wants.
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No-one said they were monogenes but the word used in 1Jn.3:9 is the same word used of believers in the other passages I quoted and is not monogenes.
The verse begins with "everyone" who is born (begotten) of God. The verse clearly is speaking of believers. Jesus Christ is not everyone, He is unique.
As a comparison, John 1:14 where it clearly speaks of Christ is monogenous but in 1Jn.3:9 it is gegennēmenos.
John is speaking of regenerate believers. If you are walking by means of the Spirit you cannot sin because it is the Spirit who is controlling you. This is what it means. It is the only good form of DUI (driving under the influence).
The verse begins with "everyone" who is born (begotten) of God. The verse clearly is speaking of believers. Jesus Christ is not everyone, He is unique.
As a comparison, John 1:14 where it clearly speaks of Christ is monogenous but in 1Jn.3:9 it is gegennēmenos.
John is speaking of regenerate believers. If you are walking by means of the Spirit you cannot sin because it is the Spirit who is controlling you. This is what it means. It is the only good form of DUI (driving under the influence).
That is true but only if you leave grace out of the picture. However, grace has never been out of the picture as the Lord makes His sun to shine and his rain to fall on the good and bad alike.
The heart is not inherently evil, indeed nothing in all creation is inherently evil, for if it was it would mean God created evil in His creation. He can no more do that than He can create something inherently good for only He is good inherently.
Good and evil are learned attributes. Our problem stems from the inherent corruption in our flesh, genetically formed and inherited from Adam which, means God cannot generate a human spirit, hence we are cut off from having any capacity to know God. (spiritually dead)
As the sinful nature in our flesh is against the Spirit of God, it works to deceive our minds along with the world system (which is based on Satan's way of thinking) as well as spiritual entities. So we have three things working against our mind (heart) so, is it any wonder the heart learns evil and is corrupted? If it were not for the grace of God at work from the moment each of us were born, we all would be doomed to being eternally lost and without hope and worst yet, never understanding why.
But grace does work which is why we are enabled to see the light and make our choice freely according to what we prefer, light or darkness. Those who prefer darkness shun the light but those who prefer the light are enabled to respond to God's call but the preference is ours and ours alone. God does not cause us to prefer one over the other. Therein is a mystery for each will never be able to relate to the other and why one chooses darkness and one chooses light? It simply is who they are. For those of us who prefer the light, we can only acknowledge the existence of those who prefer darkness but we will never understand (relate) them and vice versa.
Of course once one responds to the light and is showered in it, the question remains ... "how much light can one stand?"
The heart is not inherently evil, indeed nothing in all creation is inherently evil, for if it was it would mean God created evil in His creation. He can no more do that than He can create something inherently good for only He is good inherently.
Good and evil are learned attributes. Our problem stems from the inherent corruption in our flesh, genetically formed and inherited from Adam which, means God cannot generate a human spirit, hence we are cut off from having any capacity to know God. (spiritually dead)
As the sinful nature in our flesh is against the Spirit of God, it works to deceive our minds along with the world system (which is based on Satan's way of thinking) as well as spiritual entities. So we have three things working against our mind (heart) so, is it any wonder the heart learns evil and is corrupted? If it were not for the grace of God at work from the moment each of us were born, we all would be doomed to being eternally lost and without hope and worst yet, never understanding why.
But grace does work which is why we are enabled to see the light and make our choice freely according to what we prefer, light or darkness. Those who prefer darkness shun the light but those who prefer the light are enabled to respond to God's call but the preference is ours and ours alone. God does not cause us to prefer one over the other. Therein is a mystery for each will never be able to relate to the other and why one chooses darkness and one chooses light? It simply is who they are. For those of us who prefer the light, we can only acknowledge the existence of those who prefer darkness but we will never understand (relate) them and vice versa.
Of course once one responds to the light and is showered in it, the question remains ... "how much light can one stand?"
P.S. This sinful nature is the "flesh". They're synonymous. For the "flesh" is often contrasted with the Spirit.
PPS: And, yes, God does cause to make the right choices. That's what regeneration is all about. It's about God raising the dead who cannot help themselves. You should read the terms to the New Covenant someday (Jer 31-32; Ezek 36, etc.). You'd learn that that covenant is unconditional and unilateral in nature whereby God himself fulfills the terms.
No-one said they were monogenes but the word used in 1Jn.3:9 is the same word used of believers in the other passages I quoted and is not monogenes.
The verse begins with "everyone" who is born (begotten) of God. The verse clearly is speaking of believers. Jesus Christ is not everyone, He is unique.
As a comparison, John 1:14 where it clearly speaks of Christ is monogenous but in 1Jn.3:9 it is gegennēmenos.
John is speaking of regenerate believers. If you are walking by means of the Spirit you cannot sin because it is the Spirit who is controlling you. This is what it means. It is the only good form of DUI (driving under the influence).
The verse begins with "everyone" who is born (begotten) of God. The verse clearly is speaking of believers. Jesus Christ is not everyone, He is unique.
As a comparison, John 1:14 where it clearly speaks of Christ is monogenous but in 1Jn.3:9 it is gegennēmenos.
John is speaking of regenerate believers. If you are walking by means of the Spirit you cannot sin because it is the Spirit who is controlling you. This is what it means. It is the only good form of DUI (driving under the influence).
Moreover, the incorrect interpretation would contradict a few other Johanine passages (Jn 1:14, 18; 3:18).
Every choice is a moral choice. Every decision is a moral decision. If it matters how eating and drinking...very mundane facets of life...are done, it probably matters not only the color of your socks, but which pair you choose. Not because the choices in themselves matter, but because the choices reflect an affection for, and a dependency upon God, and a primacy for His glory.
Have you ever considered what it would look like to drink a glass of orange juice to the glory of God?
Have you ever considered what it would look like to drink a glass of orange juice to the glory of God?
Yes inherited sin nature, not evil nature. Adam was not created evil nor did he become evil when sinned.
You understand what inherent means, yes? It means to be born with something. We are not born evil, we are born sinners. The sin nature is a genetically formed corruption in the body, not in the mind. If the mind (soul/heart) were inherently evil we could never be saved and Paul could never have written Romans 7.
You understand what inherent means, yes? It means to be born with something. We are not born evil, we are born sinners. The sin nature is a genetically formed corruption in the body, not in the mind. If the mind (soul/heart) were inherently evil we could never be saved and Paul could never have written Romans 7.
The Greek word translated "everyone" in your version is pás, which is a mite
ambiguous. Pás can range anywhere from one alone to many together.
Ambiguous words are a pain in the neck for translators and Bible readers
alike. They are one of the primary reasons why there are so many versions
to choose from out there. To begin with, it is virtually impossible to move
thoughts from one language into another without losing something; and
ambiguous words only make matters worse. Caveat Lector.
Another ambiguous word in 1John 3:9 is "seed" which is translated from the
Greek word sperma. It can not only refer to agriculture, but also to the
genetic material that people's bodies secrete for making babies. Now some
folks prefer that the seed in 1John 3:9 is a figure of speech pertaining to the
word of God, whereas others prefer that the seed pertains to heredity.
_
And therein is the great Calvinist paradox to man's will. As a moral agent, Calvinists say, we can voluntarily (freely) make choices. On the other hand, Calvinists claim, because our hearts (the seat of all our faculties) are full of evil and corruptness our choices are inherently biased toward sin and evil; therefore, Calvinists assert, in this sense the unregenerate man's will is in bondage to the world, the flesh, the devil and and even the Law since the law arouses sinful passions.
Yes. It's certainly a paradox for Calvinists, but not for those unfettered from Calvinism.
Yes. It's certainly a paradox for Calvinists, but not for those unfettered from Calvinism.
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Oh...but we are born with evil natures. Can anyone born of a woman be pure (Job 15:14; 25:4)? That is why man sins. Man is a sinner precisely because his heart is filled with sin. Even Jesus told his audience in his Sermon on the Mount: "If you being evil know how to give good gifts..." Jesus made a crystal clear statement about the essence of man. It is from the HEART (not the physical body, as you appear to believe) that all manner of evil proceeds. And the heart is the center of man -- it is where our mind, will, emotions and conscience reside.
Jer 17:9
9 "The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?
NASB
Why do you think God gives his chosen covenant people a new heart under the new covenant instead of new bodies?
Jer 17:9
9 "The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?
NASB
Why do you think God gives his chosen covenant people a new heart under the new covenant instead of new bodies?
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I chose to emphasize the reality that 1John 3:9 could never in a million years
apply to born-again Christians unless they were the progeny of a divine being.
Around 1980 or so I raised my hand in class and asked a Sunday school
teacher this question: If born-again Christians are God's offspring, wouldn't
that make them divine beings? (Yes it would because like multiplies like, i.e.
more of itself, viz: if God were to reproduce, His progeny would be just as
much deity as Himself.)
And that's when I was introduced to the fact that born-again Christians are
not God's progeny. They are regenerated creatures brought into His family
circle by means of adoption, whereas Christ Jesus is God's direct descendant,
i.e. His biological child; so to speak.
Jehovah's Witnesses choke on such a thought because it implies there are
two true Gods out there instead of only the one true God per John 17:3.
However, that difficulty is very easily resolved when it's taken into account
that John 1:1-3 and John 1:14 tell us that Christ Jesus is a theophany --a
pretty amazing one at that. All other theophanies in the Bible are pop-ups
whereas Christ Jesus is introduced with a genealogy certifying his descent
from David; meaning of course that Christ Jesus is not only divine, but also
quite human.
Jehovah's Witnesses choke on that thought too because it has been drilled
into their heads that it is impossible for someone to exist as a spirit being
and a material being simultaneously. No doubt we can all appreciate how
extremely important it is for them to hang on to that drilling because if it
turns out to be true that Christ Jesus is a binary being, then their curious
doctrine relative to Michael the archangel will be easily proven a fantasy.
_
Well then he is right, our will is not free no matter what state we are in. So I do understand what you're saying and what you mean, and don't even disagree with it, but if this is the case then we should just leave the "free" out of it. Don't call being enslaved to your nature "freewill", and we can avoid this argument all together. Just to be clear though, when most people say freewill they're not talking about what we are defining here, they actually mean FREE will. That's why so many redefine it in these conversations, to make sure we're talking about the same thing. Freewill doesn't actually exist.
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What some mean is that man is good enough as he is and needs no help from God to believe in and love Him
Whom he despises and is hostile toward. Quite a ridiculous proposition if you ask me but they claim it is so
despite every indication and explicit verse to the contrary that the Bible presents of the natural man.
One even went on and on about how those who were not chosen by God could use their free will to
choose to believe and then they became elect retroactively. iow they elected themselves.
Whom he despises and is hostile toward. Quite a ridiculous proposition if you ask me but they claim it is so
despite every indication and explicit verse to the contrary that the Bible presents of the natural man.
One even went on and on about how those who were not chosen by God could use their free will to
choose to believe and then they became elect retroactively. iow they elected themselves.