Free Will? No thanks.

[brightlights]

I might post this elsewhere, but I thought you all would like to hear it and comment. I have work in 10 minutes so I won't get too in depth with the OP, but tell me what you guys think.

The concept of free will as pertaining to salvation and sanctification is no so important to me as much as the reformed view that my salvation and sanctification is in the hands of God and largely independant of my desires is. It's much more comforting for me to believe that I cannot escape from the redeeming work of God no matter what. This makes decision making seem a lot easier. If it were up to me, I would not be saved and I would not be sanctified. I choose many times a day to stray from Christ. Imagine if he were to honor any of these decisions. Is my thinking off? What do you guys think?

 

[heymikey80]

I might post this elsewhere, but I thought you all would like to hear it and comment. I have work in 10 minutes so I won't get too in depth with the OP, but tell me what you guys think.

The concept of free will as pertaining to salvation and sanctification is no so important to me as much as the reformed view that my salvation and sanctification is in the hands of God and largely independant of my desires is. It's much more comforting for me to believe that I cannot escape from the redeeming work of God no matter what. This makes decision making seem a lot easier. If it were up to me, I would not be saved and I would not be sanctified. I choose many times a day to stray from Christ. Imagine if he were to honor any of these decisions. Is my thinking off? What do you guys think?

I don't think it's off, but it'll be met with some opposition.

As a culture we aren't very aware of our position before God. I think the modern reaction to Jonathan Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is evidence that people don't think of God as just any more. They just think of Him as loving. In the world's eyes justice has become relative and subjective, so it's become irrelevant to the constant of God.

 

[seekingpurity047]

I might post this elsewhere, but I thought you all would like to hear it and comment. I have work in 10 minutes so I won't get too in depth with the OP, but tell me what you guys think.

The concept of free will as pertaining to salvation and sanctification is no so important to me as much as the reformed view that my salvation and sanctification is in the hands of God and largely independant of my desires is. It's much more comforting for me to believe that I cannot escape from the redeeming work of God no matter what. This makes decision making seem a lot easier. If it were up to me, I would not be saved and I would not be sanctified. I choose many times a day to stray from Christ. Imagine if he were to honor any of these decisions. Is my thinking off? What do you guys think?

You have a point. I mean, we do sin all the time, everyday. How? We sin by not glorifying God in everything that we do. We should always strive for that; the glory of God. Praise His name.

Indeed, Calvinism, once you realize its truth, is a lot more comforting than arminianism. Heh... total depravity says it all.

To the glory of God,

Randy

 

[JimfromOhio]

"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." (Hebrews 4:7c). Many have been putting off salvation because the sinful life is hardening a sinner's will and making it more and more difficult for a sinner to repent. The sinner's heart, for selfish reasons deliberately hardens against the Holy Spirit's conviction. If they continue reject the conviction of the Holy Spirit, they are to embrace error of the consequence which really is very heart-hardening. To be saved a sinner must submit to the Holy Spirit's conviction to repent and be changed. To enter the kingdom of God, our Lord explained, a sinner must be born again (John 3:3-7). Later in John 6:65, Jesus went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."

Its not really about freewill but rather a person's sin. Sin is the basic problem because sin has to do with a person's soul. It comes to every human being: "What am I going to do about sin?" Sin is more than a disease. If a person resist the Holy Spirit, God's plan of salvation, and Christ's death and resurrection as the basis for atonement, there is no remaining ground for redemption. Reconciliation is an impossibility. Without the Holy Spirit, we will not REPENT and we will not have faith. We cannot repent on our own. We cannot have faith on our own. We are to repent with the help from the Holy Spirit who will help us TRANSFORM us to the image of God. With Holy Spirit, we have faith in God. James 2:26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

People can either acknowledge the conviction of the Holy Spirit to repent and come to Christ in faith. OR Acts 7:51 "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Since sin often ignores the Holy Spirit... not many will acknowledge. People will (as 2 Timothy 3:7 says) always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.

Anyway.. that's my thought on this

 

[Rick Otto]

the way you think.