Freewill & Boasting

FREEWILL & BOASTING

Suppose a man, of his own freewill, swims out very far into the ocean. He was just wanting to have fun. But now realizes it was a dangerous move, because it's very far away.

So now, of his own freewill, he tries to swim back. But it's no use. It's too far. Sure his will was free, and got him out there. And his will is still free, and "wills" to get back. But it's just too far.

Then a boat comes along, and the man cries out for help of his own freewill. The boat then, under order of their Sovereign Captain, throws out a life preserver, and a rope lader to climb the side of the ship.

The foolish man, who swam all that way of his own freewill, then uses his freewill to put on the preserver, swim towards the ladder, and climb on up to safety.

How absurd would it be for the man to BOAST how great and awesome he is, that he just saved himself? There is nothing to boast of. In fact, he should be humbled because it was his own stupid and foolish decision that got him in the mess. He should be grateful to the Sovereign Captain who heard his cries, answered his cries, and made his deliverance to safety possible.

Thus it is with sinners and salvation. Sinners sin of their own freewill. And even if they "will" with their freewill to save themselves, they cannot, because it's just too far to swim. The only thing they can do is cry out to the God who hears and answers our prayers, who made salvation possible to all those who reach out and grab it.

Sinners have nothing to boast of. It was their own stupidity and foolishness that put them in danger. They should rather be grateful to the Sovereign God who has heard our cries and answered our cries by making salvation possible to all through Jesus Christ.

The man was dead in the water, though he was still alive with freewill. The man was hopeless, and could "will" to be saved, but couldn't save himself.

Just like sinners are dead in sin, though they are still alive with freewill. Sinners are hopeless and can only cry out for help because they cannot save themselves.

They are "dead even while" they "live" (1Tim 5:6)

Hey Jesse, did you just find these verses or something ?

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

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Are you ready for these ?

Heb 5:11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
Heb 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskillfull in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3 And this will we do, if God permit.
Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Heb 6:7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
Heb 6:8 But that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

God doesn't save us BECAUSE of our freewill. But no man is saved AGAINST his freewill.

We are saved because God's grace, not because ourselves.

It's mans own freewill that keeps him back from coming to God to recieve the salvation that God offers to all men. We cannot boast of saving ourselves. But we must yeild our freewill to God in order to be saved.

The final decision respecting salvation is our own freewill. God is already willing to recieve us, and Christ died for us, but God will not force anyone to heaven. The final decision is ours:

Re 22:17 - And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

And so God offers eternal life, but we must come unto Him to get it.

Does not God give ability to everyone?

Of coarse, because God wants everyone to be saved, not willing that any should perish, but that all should voluntarily turn from their sinning.

Clement of Alexandria said, “We…have believed and are saved by voluntary choice.” (c.195, A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs by David Bercot, p. 287, published by Hendrickson Publishers)

by Lazarus1719 on 2007/7/13 0:29:29

God doesn't save us BECAUSE of our freewill. But no man is saved AGAINST his freewill.

We are saved because God's grace, not because ourselves.

It's mans own freewill that keeps him back from coming to God to recieve the salvation that God offers to all men. We cannot boast of saving ourselves. But we must yeild our freewill to God in order to be saved.

The final decision respecting salvation is our own freewill. God is already willing to recieve us, and Christ died for us, but God will not force anyone to heaven. The final decision is ours:

Re 22:17 - And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

And so God offers eternal life, but we must come unto Him to get it.

Quote:
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Does not God give ability to everyone?
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Of coarse, because God wants everyone to be saved, not willing that any should perish, but that all should voluntarily turn from their sinning.

Clement of Alexandria said, “We…have believed and are saved by voluntary choice.” (c.195, A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs by David Bercot, p. 287, published by Hendrickson Publishers)

Jesse, doesn't this post seem to contradict itself and your first one ?

Why does this look like a freewill verse ?

Act 26:20 But showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, [u]that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.[/u]

Freewill is simply the ability to will. It does not necessarily mean the ability to perform.

I may want to walk on water. I can want that because I have freewill. But I do not have the ability to actually do it. I only have the ability to will it.

Freewill is limited to willing. It has nothing to do with what your physical body can perform.

Freewill is not the gift of being super man, being able to do and perform everything that's possible. Freewill is simply the ability to voluntarily want one thing and not want the other, and vise versa.

Thus a sinner may want to be pardoned, and want to have salvation. But that comes only by God's grace, who graciously pardons our sin and saves us.

I see free will as the "choice" one is given to whom he follows...God or Satan.

I could not agree more! We are not robots, machines, or puppets. We are free moral agents with the ability of choice.

In the realm of morality, both God and Satan opperate with man through influence and response, as opposed to cause and effect.

God influences towards righteousness with truth.

The devil influences towards unrighteousness with deception.

That is why our moral condition is truly our own, because the realm of morality is not cause and effect, so we cannot say "the devil made me do it".

Sin could not exist in a world without voluntary free volition.

Rapists are sinners because they don't have to sin but choose to do it anyways. They are not rapists by birth or circumstance, but by choice.

Likewise with murderers, molesters, adulterers, liars, sodomites, thieves, etc etc. They have nothing but their own freewill to blame for their sin. They cannot blame Adam, nature, circumstances, the devil, or God. But only their own freewill.

A world without freewill would be a world without sin. Moral character, or the quality of a moral action, and morality itself, can only be predicated to voluntary volition, it can only be derived from freewill. A man without freewill would be a man without sin, without moral character, who's actions have no moral quality, a man who is not subjected to moral accountability.