toldailytopic: Theology. What's your favorite theological topic to discuss?
- Thread starter Nathon Detroit
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Bl. John Duns Scotus says that free will is the capacity, while having chosen A, to have chosen not A, or to have chosen not A, though having actually chosen A.
That is, it is the power to do other than as one does. Free will is the so called "principle of alternate possibilities."
Aimiel
Well-known member
Our free will is overcome, out of love and consecration to The One Who takes up residence in our hearts, creating a clean heart in us, and renewing us by giving us a right spirit. It isn't that we aren't free to sin, at will, but that we're new creatures, who no longer give sin or selfishness first place in our hearts. It isn't our will that causes this, it is The Will of God, resident in us, Who frees us from the law of sin and death with His Very Presence.
rainee
New member
Hi Young Mr Traditio,
Free Will definitions from the world would not be able to answer
why Christ had to die for us, would they?
If they can't then they also wouldn't be able to participate in a Christian theological discussion.
However, I will admit there are certain verses and principles in Scriptures that do totally support the idea that God can be affected by us. A living working relationship where each side has benefited from Christ should be acknowledged. Therefore, it would be wrong to overdo any tearing down of free will that I might do simply for catgirl smiley.
To do that study (that would show our minds playing a major part) one would have to go over many verses and relationships,imho.
:rotfl:
rainee
New member
Aimiel
Well-known member
Someone who is born again wouldn't laugh at that statement, but reiterate it. It is what happens to Christians when we become born again. I can testify of this to you because it happened to me. I'll pray it happens to you.
Aimiel
Well-known member
May God richly bless you, and keep you in His stead.
"Man is condemned-to-be-free" (Sartre).
Aimiel
Well-known member
:nono:
We aren't condemned to be free, we are set free, and it is a freedom the world cannot understand or take part in. It's a complete freedom. We're set free from all the power of the enemy. We have perfect liberty.
Romans 8:2
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
This is a classic debate. I wonder whether we should say determinism vs free will or Calvinistic predestination vs free will (these are opposites and free will theists believe in predestination, just not exhaustive predestination of everything). We probably have to qualify free will as libertarian or compatibilistic (which is not really free will, just a loop hole to try to make things compatible with deterministic predestination).
Open Theism is the most biblical, coherent way to reconcile this supposed problem (two biblical motifs: some things are predestined/determined by God/settled, while other things are indeterminate, unsettled, open, by God's sovereign choice).
rainee
New member
Sigh.
sigh.
sigh sigh sigh.
Ok, now that I've hyperventilated, let's go over what has just happened on this thread, ok? Please?
I wrote something about free will because a cute little guillotine smiley (well, that does sound like a contradiction in terms now that I think about it) turned out to not be such a cute little smiley because it is the specific execution of catgirl smiley. I have been dumbly using it while being here. And that just goes ALL OVER ME, Ladies and Gentlemen. I share in the guilt now of something I can't approve of..
And the rest of - you old timers - what have you done?? WHAT were you thinking?? Feeling a little pathological were you? Well, I will tell you what I think you were doing. I think you were playing with fire.
I think you were being harmful to yourselves.
Now let's talk about free will, ladies and gentlemen.
But please understand this is what I consider as your punishment, ok?
p u n i s h m e n t
Please forget the people of earlier Christianity, this is all about you now..
YOU
You know the Israel was a chosen people in a covenant relationship with God.
You know they got in trouble repeatedly.
They were promised a new covenant, right?
And didn't He promise them He would remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh?
Ezekiel 36:24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
24 " 'For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.
26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
28 You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God.
29 I will save you from all your uncleanness.
And we also as Gentiles have been brought in to join in this covenant, right?
Ok, so are you executors of catgirl examples of the heart of flesh?
Please let me ask you:
Could you quit sinning if you wanted to?
Is YOUR will free - even now - as believers? From depravity?
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