God gives them what they want

[childeye 2]

God created man in his image, and one of the traits is free will, and man knows the difference between good and evil and it is up for him to choose to do good or evil.

Any reasoning based upon falsehood ends in a contradiction, which is why I find the above statement problematic. I must point out that Godliness is attributed to that which is like unto God, and ungodliness is attributable to that which is unlike God. Subsequently, this dichotomy which is found in scripture, should prohibit us from assuming that God could ever choose to be ungodly as a character trait denoting a free will.

Furthermore, scripture indicates that the carnal mind has it's own definitions of what is good and evil that are at odds with what the spiritual mind would define as good and evil. Hence the carnal mind reasons differently than the spiritual mind and is subject to vanity.

I think people on some basic level can distinguish right from wrong, but it is actually Love within us that informs and performs what is right. And unlike God we are corruptible because we are weak through the flesh. So God probably uses this circumstance to teach us the value of His Spirit, rather than allow us to take Him for granted in vanity.

​

 

[childeye 2]

Um yeah I guess. I have a dog, but I’m lazy & don’t properly care for anything, including myself.

Having a hard time moving your flesh? I'm not criticizing by the way.

 

[Roidecoeur78]

I want Jesus more than anything I ever wanted in my whole life. He is the only one who can make me whole. I didn’t know my own heart. I didn’t honor God as God & feel as if He turned me over 13 years ago. I had no real concept of who God was. After that I feel into wrong teaching (prosperity/name it & claim it) using God. Said and done some terrible things. Completely delusional.

If the veil has been lifted, and He has shown you these things now, it is for a reason. Those that fall away irrecoverably would be blind and without understanding of their trespasses and failings until their departure.

"Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will]. 20 Behold, I stand at the door [of the church] and continually knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him (restore him), and he with Me." Revelation 3:19 (Amplified Bible)

 

[Strong in Him]

I want Jesus more than anything I ever wanted in my whole life.

Sounds like you DO have emotions; the best emotion of all - a passion, and deep desire, for Jesus.
Don't you think that, just maybe, God is pleased about that and will honour it?

 

[com7fy8]

I'm sorry if I misunderstood but it sounded like a different Gospel was being presented.

"Test all things; hold fast what is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

People do question if I am about faith only saving. I believe that what God does in us is what saves us. But He includes different actions which happen during the process. I think this should be reasonable for anyone, since the preaching of the cross is necessary, isn't it, among other things? But what God actually does in us is what really saves.

How does this sound to you? Maybe you don't agree with me, after all, or you feel this is an accurate clarification.

 

[AvgJoe]

"Test all things; hold fast what is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

People do question if I am about faith only saving. I believe that what God does in us is what saves us. But He includes different actions which happen during the process. I think this should be reasonable for anyone, since the preaching of the cross is necessary, isn't it, among other things? But what God actually does in us is what really saves.

How does this sound to you? Maybe you don't agree with me, after all, or you feel this is an accurate clarification.

I agree that God does all the saving, but that, a person does not receive that salvation unless they choose to believe. Here's where I am:

God does all of the heavy lifting. He draws us to Jesus (John 12:32). He gives each one of us a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). He gave us forgiveness through Jesus' sacrificial death (Romans 3:24-25). The Holy Spirit works in us, forever pointing us toward Jesus and the Cross (John 16:8, 13-14). God does all the work and paves the way for us to become a Christian. The only part we have, in the whole process, is making the choice to believe, or not. (John 6:29) Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” That's it, God does the rest.

 

[com7fy8]

The only part we have, in the whole process, is making the choice to believe, or not. That's it, God does the rest.

The ones that don't want to be changed and born again made their decision.

I guess there are three basic ways people believe the choosing happens.

(1) God has made the choice before ones were even created, and humans never make any choice but they just discover that they are the chosen.

(2) God has made the choice, and then He in a person changes the person so he or she chooses to trust in Christ.

(3) God has chosen to save any person who gets one's own self to choose Jesus.

So, we have the scriptures which people go by >

"choose life" > said by Moses, in Deuteronomy 30:19. Ones say this means we must make our own choice, or God would not tell us to choose. So, this scripture is used to favor choice (3), above.

"The heart is deceitful above all things,
.And desperately wicked" (in Jeremiah 17:9)

Ones use this scripture to say a sinner's heart is so wicked, that he or she is not of the character to get one's own self to choose Jesus. And therefore they favor choice (2), saying God changes the person first so the person chooses Jesus.

And I guess there are people who believe predestination means God does all the choosing and the person just discovers the result > choice (1).

In any case, a person needs to trust in Christ, according to what I see in Ephesians 1:12. And we who have trusted in Jesus are destined to be changed into the image of Jesus > Romans 8:29.

Plus > each human will reap whatsoever he or she really has been sowing > Galatians 6:7-8 < and what we reap will be so much more than those tiny seeds we have been sowing, in our attitudes and thinking and reacting and how we relate with people. So, here is some scripture about how we need to be choosing our seeds and investing them >

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)

"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." (Ephesians 5:2)

So, among other things, God wants our sacrificing to be for Him and we are sweet-smelling about it. Plus, any scripture can help us to love like this. So it is wise to feed on God's word, so we can invest in this right.

I would say this is the choice to make sure we have made, and then keep on investing.

 

[AvgJoe]

I guess there are three basic ways people believe the choosing happens.

(1) God has made the choice before ones were even created, and humans never make any choice but they just discover that they are the chosen.

(2) God has made the choice, and then He in a person changes the person so he or she chooses to trust in Christ.

(3) God has chosen to save any person who gets one's own self to choose Jesus.

So, we have the scriptures which people go by >

"choose life" > said by Moses, in Deuteronomy 30:19. Ones say this means we must make our own choice, or God would not tell us to choose. So, this scripture is used to favor choice (3), above.

"The heart is deceitful above all things,
.And desperately wicked" (in Jeremiah 17:9)

Ones use this scripture to say a sinner's heart is so wicked, that he or she is not of the character to get one's own self to choose Jesus. And therefore they favor choice (2), saying God changes the person first so the person chooses Jesus.

And I guess there are people who believe predestination means God does all the choosing and the person just discovers the result > choice (1).

In any case, a person needs to trust in Christ, according to what I see in Ephesians 1:12. And we who have trusted in Jesus are destined to be changed into the image of Jesus > Romans 8:29.

Plus > each human will reap whatsoever he or she really has been sowing > Galatians 6:7-8 < and what we reap will be so much more than those tiny seeds we have been sowing, in our attitudes and thinking and reacting and how we relate with people. So, here is some scripture about how we need to be choosing our seeds and investing them >

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)

"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." (Ephesians 5:2)

So, among other things, God wants our sacrificing to be for Him and we are sweet-smelling about it. Plus, any scripture can help us to love like this. So it is wise to feed on God's word, so we can invest in this right.

I would say this is the choice to make sure we have made, and then keep on investing.

And there's #4, God does everything within an unbeliever that is needed for them to be able to make a decision, then leaves that decision up to them.

For more detail~~~> https://d3uet6ae1sqvww.cloudfront.n...ds-choice-or-ours-predestination-election.pdf

 

[CaspianSails]

I want Jesus more than anything I ever wanted in my whole life. He is the only one who can make me whole. I didn’t know my own heart. I didn’t honor God as God & feel as if He turned me over 13 years ago. I had no real concept of who God was. After that I feel into wrong teaching (prosperity/name it & claim it) using God. Said and done some terrible things. Completely delusional.

Leave the false teaching aside and re-commit yourself to Christ. It is quite obvious from the teachings of Christ and the apostles that Christ did not set aside his self to become a person to make any of us rich or to be the tooth fairy or a genie. He came and sacrificed His life that we could have abundant life. Not in riches or fame but the abundant life God purposed for our lives. A full and complete life in Christ is one that demonstrates the fruits of the Spirit and one that dies daily to self and the supposed needs of self, more likely wants not needs. Jesus promised our needs would be met. Let this same mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Phillipians 2:5-8 KJV. God came to serve in humility and without regret. We need to do the same. The message is quite simple and plain, subject ourselves to the will of God, die daily to self, love God, love others, produce the fruits of the spirit in our daily life, spread the message.