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This came up in a thread a day or two ago and was surprised by how many people were arguing for free will.
If you ever take this argument into a... 'collage level' discussion with someone without an ear for all things religious, they would quickly point out or just ask how can free will be a point discussed in the bible when it wasn't even a topic of contention till 600 years after Christ? In fact the bible never mentions this term. Rather the oppsite is true. in that the bible/Jesus and paul identifies us as slaves.
Furthermore the topic of Free will was the primary weapon used to disprove a omni-max God. In that we people can not have free will if God is Omni-max. (Omni-max meaning all-powerful loving strong, all knowing ect..) this argument is one of many, it is known as the epicurean paradox. Many of you have heard this before: Epicurus’s old questions are yet unanswered. Is he willing to prevent evil, but not able? then is he impotent. Is he able, but not willing? then is he malevolent. Is he both able and willing? whence then is evil?
The idea being if free will is choice then evil is the ultimate expression of free will, meaning if we had no choices other than what God has provided then everything we choose to do is God's will/without sin, if God is opposed to evil, then evil can not be God's will. However if God has given us free will then the evil i this world is also apart of God's will. hence free will is proved by the ability for us to commit evil acts yet God punishes us for working with in His will.
Now roll idea this into the what the paradox says.. These opposing ideas are what make the paradox of 'free will' impossible to the 6th century mind. in that on one hand God is powerless to stop evil, or as the paradox put's it melovent to evil, or He grants us the right to be evil no matter how you look at it the paradox has God breaking one of his omni-max attributes.
So according to this paradox, either God is not all powerful, can't stop evil.
Melovent won't stop evil.
or unjust/unrighteous, given us over to evil and then punishes us for being what he has created.
So how does a christian mind refute these ideas?
well one. we must recognise that Epurius' work was originally meant to describe his gods.. Not God/Christ. This paradox was written 300 years before Christ, and was a challenge to the greek God who do indeed claim to be omni max... Our God does not use those titles to describe himself. "we" attribute those titles to Him. He only ever called himself the alpha and omega and the beginning and the end. or "I am." More over, no where in the bible does God claim to be onmi-benolovent.
Yes God's love is endless, but it is not for everyone. Onmibenolvent God loves everyone to the max. John 3:16-18 explains this.. God so loved the world that he gave his only son that WHO SO EVER BELIEVES IN HIM... Shall not perish but have ever lasting life..17 God sent his Son into the world. He did not send him to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him. 18 People who believe in God’s Son are not judged guilty. But people who do not believe are already judged, because they have not believed in God’s only Son.
There is a condition to God's boundless love. Which means His love is not extended to everyone. Just to those who 'believe.' That in of itself breaks the epicurean paradox. In that the God of the bible never claims to be 'all loving.' He only being the alpha and omega (meaning he can do whatever he wants) offers endless love to His people/Those who want freedom from sin. Which bring us to verse 18 People who believe in God’s Son are not judged guilty. But people who do not believe are already judged, because they have not believed in God’s only Son.
In essence Jesus died to BUY those who believe from sin and evil. Why do i say buy? because the bible again never says we have free will, rather over and over and over again the bible even Christ describes us as slaves. We are slaves to sin or we elect to be slaves of God. and that is the only true choice we can 'freely' make.
"Oh but drich I choose what color car I have I choose where to eat lunch I choose who I married.. ect.. ect.." That is not free will. Those are examples of choices. true free will described 600 years ago is or was a thought experiment. it is not possible with or without God. for example let start by defining it now.
free will
ˌfrē ˈwil/
noun
So it is not about choosing what is available to you but the ability to obtain or act without restraint. eaning you can obtain what you will without obstruction.. Example:
Let's say you did choose what color car you got, but did you choose out of all the cars that ever was or ever will be? is the car you got the One car you always ever wanted? or was it the color you wanted in your price range? Did you even get all the options you wanted? did they make you get the undercoating you didn't want? did you choose THE car or A car that fit your life style/budget?
Did you eat lunch somewhere you could afford locally? or did you hope on a jet and flew to nyc because you wanted 2 slices of real pizza? Did you marry that rock start or movie star that you really really like?or did you marry some guy from the singles group over someone else in the singles group?
Life is a series of choices a or b all of which are determined by your lot/station in life. Like a slave even a chattel slave in colonial america they had choices they were given. some were even given a small salary that they could spend on whatever they wanted.. Some even saved up to buy their own wives.. but even from our collective perspective now we would not say those slaves where free just because they had a few choices they could make. So too are we to God. We are not free. We are all slaves to sin which is why John 3:18 says he need not judge us, as we are prejudged when we do not accept Christ. because atonement buys us from sin. If we don't elect to be bought then we are already on the path to destruction.
Christ himself tells us we are slaves to sin and for those who can not except this are disavowing the words of HIS FATHER, in favor for the words of their own father.. We must accept the words of Christ because the doctrine of 'free will' is poison and will keep us from ever knowing or even understanding God's truth.
If you ever take this argument into a... 'collage level' discussion with someone without an ear for all things religious, they would quickly point out or just ask how can free will be a point discussed in the bible when it wasn't even a topic of contention till 600 years after Christ? In fact the bible never mentions this term. Rather the oppsite is true. in that the bible/Jesus and paul identifies us as slaves.
Furthermore the topic of Free will was the primary weapon used to disprove a omni-max God. In that we people can not have free will if God is Omni-max. (Omni-max meaning all-powerful loving strong, all knowing ect..) this argument is one of many, it is known as the epicurean paradox. Many of you have heard this before: Epicurus’s old questions are yet unanswered. Is he willing to prevent evil, but not able? then is he impotent. Is he able, but not willing? then is he malevolent. Is he both able and willing? whence then is evil?
The idea being if free will is choice then evil is the ultimate expression of free will, meaning if we had no choices other than what God has provided then everything we choose to do is God's will/without sin, if God is opposed to evil, then evil can not be God's will. However if God has given us free will then the evil i this world is also apart of God's will. hence free will is proved by the ability for us to commit evil acts yet God punishes us for working with in His will.
Now roll idea this into the what the paradox says.. These opposing ideas are what make the paradox of 'free will' impossible to the 6th century mind. in that on one hand God is powerless to stop evil, or as the paradox put's it melovent to evil, or He grants us the right to be evil no matter how you look at it the paradox has God breaking one of his omni-max attributes.
So according to this paradox, either God is not all powerful, can't stop evil.
Melovent won't stop evil.
or unjust/unrighteous, given us over to evil and then punishes us for being what he has created.
So how does a christian mind refute these ideas?
well one. we must recognise that Epurius' work was originally meant to describe his gods.. Not God/Christ. This paradox was written 300 years before Christ, and was a challenge to the greek God who do indeed claim to be omni max... Our God does not use those titles to describe himself. "we" attribute those titles to Him. He only ever called himself the alpha and omega and the beginning and the end. or "I am." More over, no where in the bible does God claim to be onmi-benolovent.
Yes God's love is endless, but it is not for everyone. Onmibenolvent God loves everyone to the max. John 3:16-18 explains this.. God so loved the world that he gave his only son that WHO SO EVER BELIEVES IN HIM... Shall not perish but have ever lasting life..17 God sent his Son into the world. He did not send him to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him. 18 People who believe in God’s Son are not judged guilty. But people who do not believe are already judged, because they have not believed in God’s only Son.
There is a condition to God's boundless love. Which means His love is not extended to everyone. Just to those who 'believe.' That in of itself breaks the epicurean paradox. In that the God of the bible never claims to be 'all loving.' He only being the alpha and omega (meaning he can do whatever he wants) offers endless love to His people/Those who want freedom from sin. Which bring us to verse 18 People who believe in God’s Son are not judged guilty. But people who do not believe are already judged, because they have not believed in God’s only Son.
In essence Jesus died to BUY those who believe from sin and evil. Why do i say buy? because the bible again never says we have free will, rather over and over and over again the bible even Christ describes us as slaves. We are slaves to sin or we elect to be slaves of God. and that is the only true choice we can 'freely' make.
"Oh but drich I choose what color car I have I choose where to eat lunch I choose who I married.. ect.. ect.." That is not free will. Those are examples of choices. true free will described 600 years ago is or was a thought experiment. it is not possible with or without God. for example let start by defining it now.
free will
ˌfrē ˈwil/
noun
- 1.
the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one's own discretion.
So it is not about choosing what is available to you but the ability to obtain or act without restraint. eaning you can obtain what you will without obstruction.. Example:
Let's say you did choose what color car you got, but did you choose out of all the cars that ever was or ever will be? is the car you got the One car you always ever wanted? or was it the color you wanted in your price range? Did you even get all the options you wanted? did they make you get the undercoating you didn't want? did you choose THE car or A car that fit your life style/budget?
Did you eat lunch somewhere you could afford locally? or did you hope on a jet and flew to nyc because you wanted 2 slices of real pizza? Did you marry that rock start or movie star that you really really like?or did you marry some guy from the singles group over someone else in the singles group?
Life is a series of choices a or b all of which are determined by your lot/station in life. Like a slave even a chattel slave in colonial america they had choices they were given. some were even given a small salary that they could spend on whatever they wanted.. Some even saved up to buy their own wives.. but even from our collective perspective now we would not say those slaves where free just because they had a few choices they could make. So too are we to God. We are not free. We are all slaves to sin which is why John 3:18 says he need not judge us, as we are prejudged when we do not accept Christ. because atonement buys us from sin. If we don't elect to be bought then we are already on the path to destruction.
Christ himself tells us we are slaves to sin and for those who can not except this are disavowing the words of HIS FATHER, in favor for the words of their own father.. We must accept the words of Christ because the doctrine of 'free will' is poison and will keep us from ever knowing or even understanding God's truth.