Evidence The Fathers Taught Free Will

[Lukaris]

Of man did God say that men's heart were evil.
I you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, will not then the Father give the Holy Spirit to them which ask Him?

The heart is desperately wicked and beyond comprehension, who can understand it?

Of men did God say, His thoughts are only of evil continually from his youth
men by their evil nature mostly choose wrongly and do it often.
so then while we were yet sinners, He loved us.

No one can come to him unless the Father draws him.

and Jesus boldly proclaims this,
37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.

really a wonderful testimony to the goodness of God towards His elect.
God reaches out to men first, If God did not then no one would come to him. So by your evil nature, you will shrink back from God. And you will never find him by yourself.

After Adam sinned, Adam hid himself in the garden of God. God called out to Adam and God found Adam.
Adam would have rather fled away from the presence of God.

Paul wrote Romans 7
For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.

This is your free will in action, choosing wrongly.

So then Paul goes on and says

This thread is veering toward a debate & we are open to debate in TAW but not in this part of the forum. If you want to start a thread to discuss the will of God and the will of man in our St. Justin's subforum please do it is here: http://www.christianforums.com/f827/ I get the impression that when you read Romans 1, 2, & 3 for ex. you do not see the shift from sinning humanity (chapter 1) to individual wil among Jews & Gentilesl (chapter 2) & then back to St. Paul's warning to us that we all have sinned & fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

 

[GregConstantine]

Please do not turn my tread into a debate. Please read the title of this tread and you'll see that I'm asking for quotes and resources on a topic that the teachings of the Church is abundantly clear on: we have free will, that's all there is to it. Its not complicated.

Thank you