Christian Fellowship Community Group
A safe place for Christians who Love Jesus Christ to meet and ask for prayer and share scriptures from the bible. We value the posting of Christian music, poems, stories and also personal testimonies. Please let us know your needs, concerns and have some fun getting to know each other. We treat each other with respect.
DO WE HAVE FREE WILL ?
Through his Fall the first Adam lost his free will and became through his fear of death a slave of him who holds the power of death, the devil. (Heb.2.14,15) All humankind has inherited from Adam the sinful nature and by being born in sin, spiritual separation from God and death of the body; a life independently lived from God.
However God did not give up on mankind. Just following the Fall, He intervened by promising the Saviour who is to crush the serpents head. With this promise He gave the fallen man a new chance, the choice to accept in faith the promised Messiah or to reject Him. Even then it was possible for Adam to be made righteous by faith in the promised Saviour. This is confirmed by the Scripture, numbering Abel among the heroes of faith. (Heb.11)
So, although we lost our free will, we still have the free choice - when God confronts us and tries to win us over for His kingdom in various ways - to allow Him to draw us to His Son or to harden our hearts against the knowledge of God. Roman 1.18-24 shows us that mankind is without excuse for the wrath of God being revealed against them, because "they supress the truth by their wickedness"...God reveals Himself and His eternal power and divine nature through creation in manifold ways and especially through His elected people of Israel - also described as His firstborn Son.
God teaches people by many means and draws them to His Son, for "He wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (Tim. 2.4) And as is written: "They will all be taught by God".
Here comes the freedom of choice in, that everybody has - even the most depraved sinner. If he accepts Jesus, not only as Saviour, but also as undisputed Lord of his life and surrenders his will completely to Him, he will escape his slave master, Satan, and will become a slave of Christ instead. In His service he is then delivered from sin - his whole old nature - and has become "partaker of the divine nature". He has "crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" and by doing so, has given up his freedom of choice, for he has chosen, once and for all, to be a slave of Christ and His love.
Now he is not only free from sinning, but also free to obey the truth and the will of God, by allowing Him to work in his heart to work "to will and to act according to His good pleasure." But God does not deal in half-measures, although it may seem so, looking at the teaching and life of the lukewarm Church of Laodicea of today. The Lord expressly asserts: "Everyone who sins is a slave to sin...so if the Son set you free, you will be free indeed."
The full Gospel brings us the power for salvation by the faith of Christ and the power to purify us of ALL sin by the indwelling blood of Christ. The blood of Christ is not only for external application for our atonement, but also for us to drink, in faith, to give us the pure and holy life of Jesus, dwelling in us.
To have glorious freedom of the children of God means, that we are a whole new creation in Christ Jesus, created in the likeness of God and being transformed in ever increasing glory into His image by the knowledge of the all surpassing love of Christ. "Therefore, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourself burdened again by a yoke of slavery...but do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh, rather, serve one another in love." (Gal.5)
Through his Fall the first Adam lost his free will and became through his fear of death a slave of him who holds the power of death, the devil. (Heb.2.14,15) All humankind has inherited from Adam the sinful nature and by being born in sin, spiritual separation from God and death of the body; a life independently lived from God.
However God did not give up on mankind. Just following the Fall, He intervened by promising the Saviour who is to crush the serpents head. With this promise He gave the fallen man a new chance, the choice to accept in faith the promised Messiah or to reject Him. Even then it was possible for Adam to be made righteous by faith in the promised Saviour. This is confirmed by the Scripture, numbering Abel among the heroes of faith. (Heb.11)
So, although we lost our free will, we still have the free choice - when God confronts us and tries to win us over for His kingdom in various ways - to allow Him to draw us to His Son or to harden our hearts against the knowledge of God. Roman 1.18-24 shows us that mankind is without excuse for the wrath of God being revealed against them, because "they supress the truth by their wickedness"...God reveals Himself and His eternal power and divine nature through creation in manifold ways and especially through His elected people of Israel - also described as His firstborn Son.
God teaches people by many means and draws them to His Son, for "He wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (Tim. 2.4) And as is written: "They will all be taught by God".
Here comes the freedom of choice in, that everybody has - even the most depraved sinner. If he accepts Jesus, not only as Saviour, but also as undisputed Lord of his life and surrenders his will completely to Him, he will escape his slave master, Satan, and will become a slave of Christ instead. In His service he is then delivered from sin - his whole old nature - and has become "partaker of the divine nature". He has "crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" and by doing so, has given up his freedom of choice, for he has chosen, once and for all, to be a slave of Christ and His love.
Now he is not only free from sinning, but also free to obey the truth and the will of God, by allowing Him to work in his heart to work "to will and to act according to His good pleasure." But God does not deal in half-measures, although it may seem so, looking at the teaching and life of the lukewarm Church of Laodicea of today. The Lord expressly asserts: "Everyone who sins is a slave to sin...so if the Son set you free, you will be free indeed."
The full Gospel brings us the power for salvation by the faith of Christ and the power to purify us of ALL sin by the indwelling blood of Christ. The blood of Christ is not only for external application for our atonement, but also for us to drink, in faith, to give us the pure and holy life of Jesus, dwelling in us.
To have glorious freedom of the children of God means, that we are a whole new creation in Christ Jesus, created in the likeness of God and being transformed in ever increasing glory into His image by the knowledge of the all surpassing love of Christ. "Therefore, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourself burdened again by a yoke of slavery...but do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh, rather, serve one another in love." (Gal.5)
It may be helpful for to some of us to think of free will as only belonging to God and free choice as ours to follow His will or not.
Personally, during times of struggle to stay on the path, I feel bogged down by my weaknesses- whether those weaknesses are a failure of proper will or choice doesn't matter as much as does keeping my eye on the Lord.
Then again, it could be that I am overthinking this due to too many philosophy courses in my youth. LOL
The Lord gives two assurances regarding evil. First His purpose is not for us to sin (James 1:13). he desires that we live with righteous intent so that evil finds no room in our hearts. Second, when we are touched by evil, He will make the situation work for our good (Romans 8:28). A win -win situation don't you agree?! From In Touch Ministry May 2014