John 15:2 The Father cuts off every branch in Christ that doesn’t bear fruit. John 15:6 Anyone who does not abide (remain, stay, continue) in Christ is cast away to wither and cast into the fire to be burned. As you stated we only do what is in our nature to do so how can these who are cut off by The Father and these who fail to abide in Christ even be in Christ to begin with if they are not elected by God? If they have not the capacity to believe how were they ever in Christ to begin with?
Great observation and while there is a lot to unpack there (naturally a part of the vine versus being grafted in being analogous to Jews vs Gentiles), the question is what are they doing there in the first place. I believe all of humanity has some relationship with God, realized or not, via a few things: Being created in His Image, being lead in a particular direction (Proverbs 16:9, 20:24, and the rhetorical [but is it really?] question presented in Romans 9:19), and ultimately judgement.
Again, the narrative fails to ask the "why" necessary to really get into the meat and potatoes of this, so I will ask it. Why did the branch not bear fruit? A branch disconnected from the roots cannot bear fruit at all, but a branch connected to the roots that still does not bear fruit has a problem. Does a branch choose whether it bears fruit or not? Of course it doesn't. A branch isn't cognitive, but neither is sinful unrepentant man cognitive of spiritual things. In the same way, a branch failing to bear fruit does so because it doesn't have the ability to do so, and it is the same with man.
It’s hard to say why exactly they were not permitted to understand. Most likely they were not godly men.
We are all ungodly at certain times. So is it by man's own will that he becomes righteous, or God's? You will say man must choose, but I say that man doesn't have the ability to even begin to choose unless God moves his heart to such ability (Ezekiel 36 and Jeremiah 31).
“Opening his mouth, Peter said: "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome (accepted or approved) to Him.”
Acts 10:34-35 NASB
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right (power, authority) to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
John 1:12-13 NASB
These verses simply, IMO, bolster my argument: God
gives it, man does not self-manifest it; including the fear of the Lord.
Yes as a result of his repeated disobedience not as a result of God making a decree that would restrict Pharaoh from obeying because then it would be God who is responsible for pharaoh’s disobedience and not Pharaoh himself.
And why did they disobey?
Because God created everyone with their own free will. Why do you think we’re here in this world? What is our purpose for being here?
Free will is an illusion, and potentially blasphemy, where man attempts to drive a theological narrative that results in man rejecting God's sovereignty to place himself equal if not above God. I would be very careful with that. We can only do that which is our nature to do. If you have free will there is no need for Christ, for you can simply will yourself into sinlessness (James 3:2).
To answer your question: We are ALL (the saved and the damned) created for a purpose. That purpose is outlined explicitly in Romans 9.
If God wanted to choose who would be obedient then He could’ve just made us to be obedient in heaven without ever having lived in this world. But this world serves a purpose and so does our free will. God desires our love. Love is a gift given freely. God wants us to choose to love Him of our own free will.
That choice is eternally apparent to Him though, so how can you say that it's what He wants. Unless the premise of your narrative is simply that God rarely gets what He wants. Is that the truth?
That’s the only way love can truly be genuine and valuable.
Says who? I don't find that in 1 Corinthians 13. Somewhere in the timeline of history, man's understanding of love changed. Look at the world now: We have traded real love for notions of tolerance and acceptance; forcing truth to take a backseat, yet Scripture tells us that love abides in the truth and does not rejoice in evil. How far we have fallen, brother...too far.
Sure He could’ve just created us to love Him against our will but without free will how is love of any value?
Because of the fruit it produces.
This doesn’t reject God’s omniscience, His omnipotence, or His sovereignty in any way if that’s the way He deemed it to be. But honestly the way your saying that God creates people and doesn’t allow them the capacity to believe and obey then judges and punishes them in the lake of fire for all eternity is a pretty terrible way to view God who IS LOVE.
As with most of contemporary Christianity, we have falsely conflated "God is love" with "God loves everyone." I cannot repeat myself enough. If God loves everyone then universalism is true because "love keeps no record of wrongs." If God loves you then your sins are forgiven.
The God your describing would be unjust because He never gave those He judges and punishes the capability of obeying.
On the contrary, your description paints God as a monster. Does a mother not, potentially on a daily basis, intervene on a child's "free will" to keep that child safe; yet you tell me God is unwilling to do so with those you claim He loves? Monstrous I tell you....and suggests a human mother has more love for her human child than God has love for our souls. I reject such sentiments. The God of the Bible protects His Children, even from, and especially from, their very selves: 1 John 5:18