- Aug 4, 2013
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Okay, so here we are.
First of all, I apologize. "Full of it" is really too strong. Perhaps I should have said something like "If you believe we have a 100% free-will, I must strongly disagree with you because of the four above points."
Mea culpa. Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me, a sinner!
I still fail to see how one can be considered to be truly free if one is impeded by the four points which I mentioned in my post. It would be like tying a 5 pound weight to each shoe of a track star and then asking him to go out and will a 100-yard dash. Not even remotely possible.
St. Paul speaks about the "old man," who is within us, and urges us to put him away. I must think that he (the old man) is that sin-nature within that longs for sin and eagerly turns to it, the man we must "put off" and instead "put on" the new man in Christ.
But before we are saved, we cannot even do that, for no help from the Holy Spirit is available to those who are not baptized into Christ. Thus, the natural man is at a great disadvantage from the start. His sin nature does not want to hear the Gospel, he will, except by the grace of God, reject it outright, and even the baptized Christian must fight this inner enemy all the days of his life.
Jesus said that our enemies are the world, the flesh, and the devil. With such a formidable array stacked against us, deceiving us in the many decisions we have to make - how can one possibly be said to be 100% free?
Free-will, yes! 100% free. Don't see it.
Your turn!
First of all, I apologize. "Full of it" is really too strong. Perhaps I should have said something like "If you believe we have a 100% free-will, I must strongly disagree with you because of the four above points."
Mea culpa. Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me, a sinner!
I still fail to see how one can be considered to be truly free if one is impeded by the four points which I mentioned in my post. It would be like tying a 5 pound weight to each shoe of a track star and then asking him to go out and will a 100-yard dash. Not even remotely possible.
St. Paul speaks about the "old man," who is within us, and urges us to put him away. I must think that he (the old man) is that sin-nature within that longs for sin and eagerly turns to it, the man we must "put off" and instead "put on" the new man in Christ.
But before we are saved, we cannot even do that, for no help from the Holy Spirit is available to those who are not baptized into Christ. Thus, the natural man is at a great disadvantage from the start. His sin nature does not want to hear the Gospel, he will, except by the grace of God, reject it outright, and even the baptized Christian must fight this inner enemy all the days of his life.
Jesus said that our enemies are the world, the flesh, and the devil. With such a formidable array stacked against us, deceiving us in the many decisions we have to make - how can one possibly be said to be 100% free?
Free-will, yes! 100% free. Don't see it.
Your turn!