-Cp
05-31-2010, 01:32 PM
Interesting:
Many today, in modern Christianity, put a lot of emphasis on “free will” and assume that the natural man can manipulate his will to freely accept Jesus into his heart in spite of what scripture teaches about the nature of man. This is problematic in more ways than one.
First of all, the human heart is not to be trusted: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). Why would a heart that is desperately sick and wicked be inclined to someone who is Holy and Just?
It begs the question to suggest that the natural man is capable of the impossible; namely, accepting Jesus into his heart by his own limited will that is in bondage to sin along with the rest of being. Man is dead to sin (Eph. 2:1). It is foolish to believe that a mere man can bring himself back from the dead. Only the impossible can become a reality with God (Matt. 19:26).
There are many ways to tackle the false assumption that man can accept Jesus into his heart by his own “free will.” However, I am going to stick to John 1:12-13 for the sake of space:
"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13).
How is it that man freely chooses to accept Jesus into his heart when God says that man is not born again by his own will? God makes us born again not by our will ("free will") but by His will (John 1:12-13). Notice that God applies the verb, “gave” in verse 12. Believing is completely a work of God. It's not our will that saves us (verse 13). This means we can never will to repent and come to a saving relationship with our LORD Jesus Christ. Divine intervention is absolutely necessary in order for salvation to occur in any individual -- God must will to come live inside those He chooses, which enables the sinner (now indwelled by the Holy Spirit) to freely love God in return.
And, fortunately, the sinner always loves God in return:
"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day” (John 6:37-39).
Other scriptures to study:
Man is deceitful and desperately sick (Jer. 17:9), is full of evil (Mark 7:21-23), loves darkness rather than light (John 3:19), is unrighteous, does not understand, does not seek for God (Rom. 3:10-12), is helpless and ungodly (Rom. 5:6), is dead in his trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1), is by nature a child of wrath (Eph. 2:3), cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14), is a slave of sin (Rom. 6:16-20).
God draws people to Himself (John 6:44,65), creates a clean heart (Psalm 51:10), appoints people to believe (Acts 13:48), works faith in the believer (John 6:28-29), chooses who is to be holy and blameless (Eph. 1:4), chooses us for salvation (2 Thess. 2:13-14), grants the act of believing (Phil. 1:29), grants repentance (2 Tim. 2:24-26), calls according to His purpose (2 Tim. 1:9), causes us to be born again (1 Pet. 1:3), predestines us to salvation (Rom. 8:29-30), predestines us to adoption (Eph. 1:5), predestines us according to His purpose (Eph. 1:11), makes us born again not by our will but by His will (John 1:12-13).
http://truthdefense.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20:can-free-will-choose-jesus&catid=2:calvinism&Itemid=42
Many today, in modern Christianity, put a lot of emphasis on “free will” and assume that the natural man can manipulate his will to freely accept Jesus into his heart in spite of what scripture teaches about the nature of man. This is problematic in more ways than one.
First of all, the human heart is not to be trusted: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). Why would a heart that is desperately sick and wicked be inclined to someone who is Holy and Just?
It begs the question to suggest that the natural man is capable of the impossible; namely, accepting Jesus into his heart by his own limited will that is in bondage to sin along with the rest of being. Man is dead to sin (Eph. 2:1). It is foolish to believe that a mere man can bring himself back from the dead. Only the impossible can become a reality with God (Matt. 19:26).
There are many ways to tackle the false assumption that man can accept Jesus into his heart by his own “free will.” However, I am going to stick to John 1:12-13 for the sake of space:
"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13).
How is it that man freely chooses to accept Jesus into his heart when God says that man is not born again by his own will? God makes us born again not by our will ("free will") but by His will (John 1:12-13). Notice that God applies the verb, “gave” in verse 12. Believing is completely a work of God. It's not our will that saves us (verse 13). This means we can never will to repent and come to a saving relationship with our LORD Jesus Christ. Divine intervention is absolutely necessary in order for salvation to occur in any individual -- God must will to come live inside those He chooses, which enables the sinner (now indwelled by the Holy Spirit) to freely love God in return.
And, fortunately, the sinner always loves God in return:
"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day” (John 6:37-39).
Other scriptures to study:
Man is deceitful and desperately sick (Jer. 17:9), is full of evil (Mark 7:21-23), loves darkness rather than light (John 3:19), is unrighteous, does not understand, does not seek for God (Rom. 3:10-12), is helpless and ungodly (Rom. 5:6), is dead in his trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1), is by nature a child of wrath (Eph. 2:3), cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14), is a slave of sin (Rom. 6:16-20).
God draws people to Himself (John 6:44,65), creates a clean heart (Psalm 51:10), appoints people to believe (Acts 13:48), works faith in the believer (John 6:28-29), chooses who is to be holy and blameless (Eph. 1:4), chooses us for salvation (2 Thess. 2:13-14), grants the act of believing (Phil. 1:29), grants repentance (2 Tim. 2:24-26), calls according to His purpose (2 Tim. 1:9), causes us to be born again (1 Pet. 1:3), predestines us to salvation (Rom. 8:29-30), predestines us to adoption (Eph. 1:5), predestines us according to His purpose (Eph. 1:11), makes us born again not by our will but by His will (John 1:12-13).
http://truthdefense.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20:can-free-will-choose-jesus&catid=2:calvinism&Itemid=42