Does God give us free will after regeneration

[HatGuy]

I'm not particularly looking to push forward a view, since I'm still researching, but interested in seeing what people think. It's all fair and well saying our will is bound to our sinful nature before we're saved, but how about afterwards? What if regeneration includes getting our will back, as it were?

In 2 Timothy 2:25 it says the God grants repentance. If repentance means "to change your mind" then this implies that God gives the ability to "change your mind", which is something very akin to saying he gives us free will, or, gives us our will 'back' as it were, so we're very much like Adam and Eve again.

I'm just speculating and am putting this 'out there' to see what people think.

 

[Best friend]

I'm not particularly looking to push forward a view, since I'm still researching, but interested in seeing what people think. It's all fair and well saying our will is bound to our sinful nature before we're saved, but how about afterwards? What if regeneration includes getting our will back, as it were?

In 2 Timothy 2:25 it says the God grants repentance. If repentance means "to change your mind" then this implies that God gives the ability to "change your mind", which is something very akin to saying he gives us free will, or, gives us our will 'back' as it were, so we're very much like Adam and Eve again.

I'm just speculating and am putting this 'out there' to see what people think.

I am not sure about what, you
don't to decide for your self,
are you a baby? Are you deprive from mendal ability
To manage your own life,
Do you want somebody else
To take the blame, and you
Getting all the good points, this life is yours, our decisions
are influence by many
Variances, make careful
Decisions, the holy spirit will
Help us, sometime before,
sometime after, will help us
Study our selfs, to learn how
We react, or how we need
To be careful, and enlighten
Our minds, and so on, every
One is deferent, every has
Deferent maturity, deferent
Way of reasoning, and so on.
You are confusing things,
You talk about regeneration.
About Adam and Eva, and the
Garden, what is that? Forget
about those things. They were
Not happy their, they were in
a harry to come out from
There, and you want to go
In a place, that can be easily
Deceived, not only from the
Devil, but by every one around
You. you belong to God the
Moment you believed, whether
You know it or not, Jesus is your peace, learn to leave
In this world, avoid doing
Wrong as much as you can,
Don't judge yourself too
Hursly , take it easy, and you
Will slowly change, in the
Mean time, you belong to God.

 

[Greg J.]

We were born with a free will. We need it to receive credit for choosing to yield to God's Lordship. Perhaps you are interested in the nature of being slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness? A slave can always choose to run away. The problem is when the slave doesn't realize he is a slave or doesn't believe he can run away. That problem exists because of the influence of others.

 

[bcbsr]

I'm not particularly looking to push forward a view, since I'm still researching, but interested in seeing what people think. It's all fair and well saying our will is bound to our sinful nature before we're saved, but how about afterwards? What if regeneration includes getting our will back, as it were?

In 2 Timothy 2:25 it says the God grants repentance. If repentance means "to change your mind" then this implies that God gives the ability to "change your mind", which is something very akin to saying he gives us free will, or, gives us our will 'back' as it were, so we're very much like Adam and Eve again.

I'm just speculating and am putting this 'out there' to see what people think.

"Free will" with respect to what? If we just consider free will with respect to repentance

From what I've found
Lutherans: generally hold no free will prior to regeneration, but free will after regeneration
Calvinists: no free will in either case
Arminians: free will in both cases
The rest of us: free will before, but not after.

You have verses like:
Jer 32:40 "I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me."
1John 3:9 "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God."
Joh 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."

These imply a lack of free will due to the regenerate nature.

 

[bsd058]

Depends on what you mean by free will.

Unregenerate man is free to choose whatever he desires. Problem is, he only desires evil all the time. As far as God is concerned, unregenerate man cannot choose to do good.

God's grace in granting repentance and faith (which are gifts from the Holy Spirit) comes prior to being able to choose righteousness. Once regenerated (being made a new creature in Christ), man then has the ability to please God (do righteousness). But not in his own strength.

Regeneration, then, is a monergistic work completed by God. Sanctification and obedience then becomes synergistic (because we are finally new creatures after regeneration).

 

[Geralt]

its not free will that is given in regeneration, but a new nature.

consider a fish in a big aquarium, totally free to swim around.
it does not have any concept of what it means to walk nor does it care.
that is the case before regeneration, and yes, totally free.

what happens in regeneration is not an issue of will, but an issue of a new nature. once was dead, now alive.

 

[bsd058]

its not free will that is given in regeneration, but a new nature.

consider a fish in a big aquarium, totally free to swim around.
it does not have any concept of what it means to walk nor does it care.
that is the case before regeneration, and yes, totally free.

what happens in regeneration is not an issue of will, but an issue of a new nature. once was dead, now alive.

What he said.

 

[Uber Genius]

I'm not particularly looking to push forward a view, since I'm still researching, but interested in seeing what people think. It's all fair and well saying our will is bound to our sinful nature before we're saved, but how about afterwards? What if regeneration includes getting our will back, as it were?

In 2 Timothy 2:25 it says the God grants repentance. If repentance means "to change your mind" then this implies that God gives the ability to "change your mind", which is something very akin to saying he gives us free will, or, gives us our will 'back' as it were, so we're very much like Adam and Eve again.

I'm just speculating and am putting this 'out there' to see what people think.

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/freewill/

Calvinist - hard or soft determinism
Arminian - soft or libertarian free will
Molinist - libertarian

On Calvinsim election and God is doing All the work in salvation. And even after so free will is not significantly changed (there is a range of views with Calvin picturing people as marionettes).

But if one is talking about freewill in able to understand and REPOND to any and all spiritual truths, then clearly we gain more freedom to repsond to the spirit when we are saved.

 

[LaSorcia]

We always have free will, but things interfere with it and influence it. As the OP stated, sin influences our free will before we are saved. After we are saved, we become more free of the influences of sin on our free will, and the Holy Spirit advises us instead. But, just as it was stupid to listen to sin's advice, it's more stupid to NOT listen to the Holy Spirit's advice.

I guess you could say I believe in limited free will. Our wills were meant to be free by God, but our will became broken just like our health, emotions, relationships, etc. when sin entered the world.

 

[GoldenKingGaze]

We have free will before regeneration, but it is enslaved. We enter the course of being in Christ by being apprehended and in turn choosing to apprehend God. It is a struggle, and even those who mature in holiness can return to much sin. But salvation when complete is encompassing, because Satan's sin was extreme and complete missing nothing. And Jesus victory over sin is also complete and bigger. Because Christ died and lives, in Christ we will live, and like the angels of light, never fall.

We can be likened to men and women, Kings and Queens over estates, judging even holy angels, and overseeing sin and it's consequence and folly as if from little boys trying to steal the deeds to our houses. We will never give them over or as Satan, try to kill God... Perfect salvation and wisdom. The angels of light over view the dark angels and I think they are no longer tempted.

 

[sdowney717]

When you are freed from sin, you become a slave of righteousness.

Before your regeneration, you were a slave to sin, afterwards, you are God's slave.

Is a slave free?

 

[sdowney717]

Romans 6:15-23New King James Version (NKJV)
From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 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? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 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. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

[shakewell]

I'm not particularly looking to push forward a view, since I'm still researching, but interested in seeing what people think. It's all fair and well saying our will is bound to our sinful nature before we're saved, but how about afterwards? What if regeneration includes getting our will back, as it were?

In 2 Timothy 2:25 it says the God grants repentance. If repentance means "to change your mind" then this implies that God gives the ability to "change your mind", which is something very akin to saying he gives us free will, or, gives us our will 'back' as it were, so we're very much like Adam and Eve again.

I'm just speculating and am putting this 'out there' to see what people think.

The will is the same before and after regeneration. The will is just the will. Prior to regeneration God submits the salvation offer to the free will. After regeneration God no longer offers the salvation choice to the unchanged free will because the unrevocable choice of where to spend eternity has already been made by the person.

 

[Ron Gurley]

OP: Q1"...sinful nature before we're saved..."

A1: For sure!
For an attempted definition, SEE:

"SIN"...DEFINED??

Q2: "..What if regeneration includes getting our
"(free) will" back...

A2: False premise: The spiritual gift of "free will" exists before / during? / after the SALVATION EVENT. It continues throughout the SANCTIFICATION PROCESS.

https://www.christianforums.com/thr...the-all-everything-attributes-of-god.8011130/

The true doctrine of "FREE WILL"??: Biblical examples??

Gods Grace vs Free Will