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Okay, so here would be my follow up. Since Paul didn't constantly sin, there were times when he was obedient. So at the moment of sin, could he have chosen to do other? Or at the moment of obedience, could he have chosen to sin?
That is a philosophical question , my mind upon short analysis says sometimes yes , and sometimes no.
The event in question could only be answered after the incident was over .... Then the answer would be clear and certainly display that variant mentioned above.
Right.
Destruction which can only be avoided if the Empathizer allows belief?cygnusx1 said,
Sounds like empathy for coming destruction !
So the people of Nineveh didn't repent simply because they had the ability to believe Jonah?griff said,
The way I would articulate it is that we can choose whatever we want. But that statement itself contains a qualifier that is an inherent limitation, namely, "whatever we want." We are free to follow the desires of our heart. If we want Christ, we're free to choose Christ. If we hate Christ and want to pursue ungodliness, we're free to choose that path as well.
What we're not free to do is determine our own desires. Our desires are determined by our nature. We can't make ourselves love something we naturally hate. The Bible is clear that by nature we are hostile toward God and love sin. If a person hates God and loves sin, they don't have the ability to love God. Why would they? They're perfectly content not loving God. They would never desire to desire anything else because they're slaves to sin. They love sin. Unregenerate man takes to sin like a duck takes to water. The Bible says over and over that the human heart is the ultimate problem, not the will of man. The will is subservient to the heart. The heart must be changed. The only way the sinful, dead, stony heart of man in its natural configuration can all of a sudden have holy desires and love God is if God first replaces that heart with a heart of flesh. In our natural state we are like pigs who love eating garbage. A pig will always love eating the trash pigs love to eat as long as it is a pig. A pig's nature must be changed before it will hate eating what it once loved. Obviously this is an analogy and it breaks down, but I hope you get the point I'm making. The heart must be changed, and that only happens by sovereign regenerating grace whereby a person is spiritually awakened to love the things God loves and hate the things God hates.
So yes, we have free will to do whatever we desire. It's our desires that are the limitation because by nature they come from a dead, stony, calloused heart that hates God. And yes, while there are many unregenerate people who would never say they hate God, the fact that they remain in rebellion to him not bowing the knee to Christ in repentance and faith means they are hostile toward him, even if they don't acknowledge it.
Destruction which can only be avoided if the Empathizer allows belief?
God ordained the means to bring the Elect to salvation. That means is preaching:Would not matter if they did not hear as they were already elect.
Commanding those who can only disobey? Back to insane Jesus then.cygnusx1 said,
Sure , but , and it must be said , mans accountability cannot be measured by Gods generosity .
If God calls 100 men to repent but grants only one person the gift of repentance , the command for the other 99 still stands , and is not changed or diminished one iota , in fact it is increased !
Commanding those who can only disobey? Back to insane Jesus then.
But the reason for the command to keep the whole law was...what...according to Paul?skala said,
Does God command you to keep the whole law?
Are you able to?
Not according to Paul.
Does God command you to keep the whole law?
Are you able to?
Not according to Paul.
Funny how even among the rigidly hostile sinners, many of them chose grace.cygnusx1 said,
No , we are back to the unflinching just requirement of Gods command , and the rigid hostility of sinners in the face of saving grace .
Rather, realize he cannot pay.cygnus said,
So you say God is reduced to commanding only that which the wretched sinner should reasonably be expected to pay ?
When I realized only One can meet that standard it drove me to Jesus, so it's going well.cygnus said,
Ought doesn't imply can.
You are commanded to be perfect , so how's it going ?
Commanding those who can only disobey? Back to insane Jesus then.
Philippians 3:5-7
5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Funny how even among the rigidly hostile sinners, many of them chose grace.
Rather, realize he cannot pay.
When I realized only One can meet that standard it drove me to Jesus, so it's going well.
So the people of Nineveh didn't repent simply because they had the ability to believe Jonah?
Commanding those who can only disobey? Back to insane Jesus then.
Re.20:15 & 22:19 refute the idea that Christ and David were simply referring to physical life. Regardless, the act of blotting is most certainly future, which means the idea that people are already damned or damned from birth isn't true.
Yeah. That's where I was coming from. Paul still ultimately did what he wanted.
You missed verse 8 where Paul said, "I count these things but dung...."Philippians 3:5-7
5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
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