Not only does it make debate a lot less frustrating, but if terms can be defined before the argument begins, I've noticed, the debate doesn't usually continue as long.
Free Will, as usually addressed in old Reformed circles, had to do with the bondage of the will of the unregenerate --not what usually gets fought over nowadays: the ability of persons to make undirected spontaneous decisions.
First off do you agree with the following:
Unbelieving sinful man cannot of his own free will do anything noble, honorable, worthy, righteous or holy, but he/she can do stuff for selfish reasons?
If sinful man did make an autonomous free will choice to follow Christ that would be an honorable, righteous, and worthy of something choice, so sinful man cannot make such a choice?
Just because we know somethings are predestined does not mean everything is predestined?
Just because one can show man does not make free will choices sometimes does not mean man does not have free will in other areas?
God has in human terms “foreknowledge” of everything?
God is outside of time and not limited by human time?
From God’s perspective there is no before or after in the human universe, but God expressing himself anthropomorphically to humans using our understanding of time in communicating with us?
God’s omnipresent ability would include God existing throughout time?
God in His existence with perfect knowledge at the end of human time would know “historically” every thought and decision of humans throughout human existence?
Since God at the end of time is outside of time, He could send all historical information back to Himself at the beginning of time?
History cannot be changed: if it happened it happened even if God was the only one to know about some happening it cannot be changed, but God could do it over another way if he wanted?
Just the fact God (or anyone else for that matter) at the end of time knows historically all the choices a person made, does not keep, some of those choices, when they were made, from being autonomous free will choices?
God has the power to provide humans with at least some limited autonomous free will choices if He desired?
If man needed to have some very limited autonomous free will in order to fulfill man’s earthly object, God’s Love for humans would be great enough to provide humans with this very limited free will, virtual miraculous, ability?
God could certainly predestine to save all humans who fulfilled their earthly objective, if God wanted to without changing anything in scripture?
Here is what we might not agree with:
The one autonomous free will choice mature adults need to be able to make in order to complete their earthly objective is to humbly accept or reject God’s help (charity/mercy/grace/Love/forgiveness) as pure charity. In other words: sinful humans can choose to hang in there, be macho, pay the piper and take the punishment they fully deserve or they can wimp out, give up and surrender to their hated enemy, while they still hate their enemy (God) they are just willing to humbly accept their enemy’s undeserved pure charity. They still might feel they deserve from their enemy to be severely tortured to death, for their previous war crimes, yet they are willing to take undeserved charity. They are not being righteous, holy, glorious, honorable, worthy and noble in what they are doing, since it is for selfish reasons, they are willing to accept their enemy’s charity.
God is not forcing his charity on the sinner like some kind of shotgun wedding with God holding the shotgun, since that would not be Loving on God’s part nor would the sinner obtain Godly type Love in that manner. By accepting this Love in the form of forgiveness Jesus has taught us “…he who is forgiven much Loves much…” so humbly accept pure undeserved forgiveness of an unbelievable huge debt automatically results in the former sinner receiving an unbelievable huge Love (Godly type Love) and thus fulfill the first part of sinners earthly objective.
So, when does God know who in man’s future will accept His Love, since God at the end of time would know historically who all accepted His Love throughout time? The God at the end of time is also God at the beginning of time, so God at the beginning of time knows who of their own autonomous free will ability accepted His Love as charity.