The Living Sacrifice Must Be Willingly Offered To Receive The Full Reward

Minister Monardo said:

Isaiah 28:13 But the word of the LORD was to them,
“Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line,
Here a little, there a little,”
That they might go and fall backward, and be broken
And snared and caught.

The context of a citation proves and removes the errors formed
by “here a little, there a little” theology with a noble and good heart.

Ephesians 4:
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called
in one hope of your calling;
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ;
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer
walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which
grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God,
in true righteousness and holiness.

Putting on the New Man is a process:
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

After the spiritual rebirth and receiving the Holy Spirit, nothing prevents
someone from continuing in “dead works”.
Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through
the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The part about becoming a servant is a stumbling block for most,
which is why “many are called, and few are chosen” to be numbered
among the Elect.
Romans 6:
11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin,
but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey,
you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death,
or of obedience leading to righteousness?
22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God,
you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.\

Time and time again, I have witnessed people who are willing to skip Romans
chapter 6 and go straight to Romans 8 and claim the finished work, in spite of
the many ifs that are found there.
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through
His Spirit who dwells in you.

You cannot bypass discipleship, abiding and overcoming to receive the full reward.
2 Timothy 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour,
sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

The Saints retain their free will to offer themselves unto the Master.
Romans 12:
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

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Minister Monardo said:

AI Overview



The expression "of their own free will" originates from Middle English philosophical and religious texts dating to the 13th century, translating the Latin term liberum arbitrium. It was popularized in Western thought to describe the capacity to make unconstrained choices, exempt from divine predestination or external coercion.
The origins of the concept and phrase trace back through several key historical stages:

• • Ancient Philosophy: The concept itself predates the exact phrase. Ancient Greek philosophers like the Stoics and Epicureans hotly debated human agency, and Aristotle famously explored the concept of voluntary, uncoerced actions.
  • Christian Theology: In the 4th century CE, early Christian philosophers adapted the Latin phrase liberum arbitrium to resolve how an omniscient God could grant humans the ability to choose between good and bad without forcing their destinies.
  • Early English Texts: The earliest recorded use of the noun phrase "free will" appears in the 13th century English religious text Ancrene Riwle. Over the next few centuries, legal and everyday language adopted "of their own free will" to signify that an individual's action was voluntary and unimpeded.

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