Is Freewill In The Bible?

The Real Truth About Freewill

Actually, there is not a specific verse or passage about freewill in the bible. If you want to be quite honest, the bible is full of scripture which specifically denounces any idea of mortal man's freewill.

But you say, how can this be? I make choices everyday. I choose what to eat, what to wear, where to go, who I like and dislike etc etc. Well of course you do. But aren't all those decisions influenced by something?

You see, for your will to be totally free, particularly concerning your repentance and conversion, you must not be influenced or coerced into making your decision. I don't care if you are influenced by something as simple as some minor carnal pleasure, or if someone is holding a gun to your head, it's the same thing. You have been influenced to make your decision and the decision therefore was not made freely.

Let's turn the coin around for a minute. For those who want to defend freewill, what you are really saying is those that make the decision to repent and be converted are inherently "better" than those that don't. Isn't that true? They must have some inherent quality about them that causes them to make the right decision, right?

Wrong again! All mankind is born with the same carnal nature. That's why Jer. 13:23 states: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin? Can the leopard change his spots? then may Ye also do GOOD who are accustom to do EVIL."

Romans 2:3 But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God ? 4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance ?

But then you say, if it was up to God then everyone would be saved, since that is what God's will is...right? Now we are getting somewhere. That's why the leaders of orthodox Christianity defend the doctrine of freewill so vehemently. 

The most common response to this truth that God will eventually bring all to repentance is if that is true I don't have anything to worry about anyway. I'll just keep believing and promoting the common position that the majority of mankind is going to end up in hell if they don't utilize their freewill and repent just to be on the safe side.

Oh, but don't you see by that very statement all those who take that position are exposing their true motives? They would rather be safe for themselves even if the evidence shows they are distorting the very Character of God!

It is very similar to the women brought before King Solomon both claiming to be the mother of the child in question. When King Solomon decreed to have the child cut in two and given to both the REAL mother gave up her right to the child to save the child.

It is the same with those who claim they will hold to their doctrine of freewill "just to be on the safe side". When the REAL followers of Christ wouldn't think of misrepresenting the very Character of God even if it was to risk all. Can you see that? It's profound.

OK, let's take a quick look at a video a friend of mine made regarding freewill. His name is L. Ray Smith. This is #7 of a 9 part short video series you can view the entire video series here: Freewill Video Series

 

Excerpt From Freewill Exposed
By L. Ray Smith
www.bibletruths.com

ONLY THE SPIRIT CAN CAUSE THE CARNAL MIND TO REPENT

The carnal mind is a mind debarred of spiritual understanding. Not only does it not understand spiritual things; it is an impossibility to do so. The carnal mind cannot spiritually repent. Therefore it is not "free." It is in fact, enslaved to sin. No "slave" is "free." Let’s learn a few very basic Truths:

1. "God [is] SPIRIT" (John 4:24).
2. "…the Words that I speak unto you are SPIRIT…" (John 6:63).
3. "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the SPIRIT which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
   
   Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy SPIRIT teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
   
   But the natural man [still being carnal-minded] receives not the things of the SPIRIT of God: neither CAN HE know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (I Cor. 2:12-14).

Clearly, the natural mind of man unaided by the Spirit of God, is not "free" to receive "the things of the Spirit of God, neither CAN HE KNOW THEM…"

God is SPIRIT and the words of Christ are SPIRIT. To understand these words we must have the Spirit, which is of God. We can then "compare" or (Greek: "match") spiritual with spiritual, and understand.

If we have the Spirit of God we can do this. But if we are carnal-minded and have not the Spirit of God, we cannot do this. Here is why:

"Because the carnal mind is enmity [hatred] against God: for it is NOT subject to the [spiritual] law of God, neither indeed CAN BE" (Rom. 8:7).

Now follow me closely...... Read More Freewill Exposed From BibleTruths.com

What Is Free Will?

WHY ALL THE FUSS
OVER FREE WILL?

Free will is at the core of all orthodox Christian doctrine. So what exactly is it anyway?

In a nutshell it is free moral agency to choose whether or not you are going to accept God's free gift of salvation or not. (so we are told by most Christian theologians)

The problem with this doctrine is if we are to believe our will to choose is totally free, it puts man in a position above God and his plan for our lives. You see, you can't have it both ways. Either man chooses God freely without any outside influences to coerce him, or God in His sovereignty will bring about the circumstances when and how He wants to bring all men unto himself.

Whoa! Did I say all men? (mankind, male & female) Yes, that's exactly what I said, and that my friends is the main reason orthodox Christianity holds onto the doctrine of free will so fiercely. (yes I said fiercely LOL)

You see, God plainly states over and over again that it is His will that all come to repentance, that all be saved, that none perish, that Christ died for all, for the sins of the whole world etc.

So, if in fact God's will is ultimately realized instead of man's carnal will, then all must ultimately be saved. Which by the way makes sense, since "every knee will bow, and tongue confess, that Jesus is Lord, unto the glory of the Father" Isaiah 45:23 and Philippians 2:9-11

But will they confess Christ against their will? Will God force them as some claim? Hardly, remember what God did to bring one of the greatest sinners by his own admission of all time to repentance?

Yep, that's right, I'm talking about Saul before God renamed him Paul the Apostle. Christ appeared to him with such a bright display of holiness that it blinded Paul for three days. Do you really think Paul was going to turn God down at that time? Do you, really?

Let's be honest, God could bring about any circumstances in anyone's life anytime He chose which would bring that person to repentance I don't care who they are. Did you doubt that statement? Don't think God could do it? Of course you don't.

Ok, let's cut to the case here. I want you to watch a bit of the video below from a friend of mine, L Ray Smith of BibleTruths.com. It is the second in a series about free will.

To view the first of the 9 part video series, Click To View Free Will Video 1

Excerpt From Free Will Myth Exposed

By L. Ray Smith

www.bibletruths.com

Why does it matter one way or the other whether man possesses free will or not? Would the future of the human race be changed somehow if man did or did not possess free will? Here’s how much it matters: If the basic free will doctrine and the eternal torture in hell doctrine taught by Christendom are both true, then man himself, and not God, is ultimately responsible for where he will spend eternity. 

If man possessed a will that is free from internal or external causality, then it would be possible for all humanity to decide to choose God and be saved. Or all humanity could decide to not choose God and all would be lost. Or part of humanity could choose one way and part the other. It is the latter that is believed and taught by Christendom.

I receive emails on a regular basis stating that: "God doesn’t send anyone to hell. Man himself chooses to go to hell." Oh really? And do we have a chapter and verse on such heresy? I think not.

Statistically speaking, there has been relatively few of the world’s population that have ever heard of the name of Jesus Christ (which name is admittedly the only name under heaven by which men "must be saved," Acts 4:12). 

So what happens to all of the billions upon billions upon billions of boys and girls, men and women, who have never heard the name of Jesus? Read More Free Will Exposed By L Ray Smith

Does Man Really Have A Free Will?

Free Will Of Man
VS.
The Sovereignty Of God

After many years of being taught that man must have free will or free moral agency other wise God would have simply created a world full of robots I was forced to rethink this core doctrine to all of orthodox Christianity.

Does man in his carnal state really have the ability to choose God, to choose to repent? Anyone with a minimal amount of knowledge of the scriptures knows it is God who leads us to repentance. It is God who convicts us. It is God who brings about circumstances in our lives that make us contemplate God and his ways.

So, if the free will of man to choose God is really true, doesn't that mean some people are inherently or intrinsically (by their very natures) better than others?

But how can this be? Aren't we all born with the same carnal nature which is in direct opposition to God? Is it possible that anyone's carnal nature free from any outside influence choose to obey and worship God? After all that is essentially what true free will is, isn't it?

Watch this short video from a friend of mine, L. Ray Smith of BibleTruths.com. If you're unsure of this issue I think you will find it extremely enlightening.

Excerpt From The Myth Of Free Will Exposed

By L. Ray Smith

There was a time when I too was hoodwinked into believing that man has a "free will." I believed free will to be man’s ability to make choices, change his mind, learn from experiences, etc. And since it is a fact that man can indeed do these things, it seemed evident to me that man has free will. But then I learned that these are not the definition of free will at all.

Free will does not actually and literally mean that one can make choices, create, change his mind, or reformulate ideas and data, etc., but that those choices and thought processes must themselves be free thoughts and free choices. "Free will" is only true if our choices are also free. But free from what? Why, free from being forced upon us against our will, or free from being caused by anyone or anything except our OWN will. And so, yes, man can think, process data, make choices, change his choices, etc. But none of these activities are free from internal or external CAUSES.

That man has a will, there is no debate. It is the teaching that man himself determines his own will, FREELY, without anything causing his will or his choices to be what they are. The idea of free will or free moral agency is that man can by himself unaided by anything else, originate his own choices of his will.

But does man actually possess such a power? And if he does, where is the proof? Now for all who have no confidence in the Scriptures, let me say that there is absolutely no scientific proof that man has a "free will" or the ability to make "uncaused choices." If such a freedom of the will existed, it should be possible to demonstrate it. But there is no such scientific demonstration that man can formulate thoughts and actions to which absolutely no cause whatsoever can be attributed.

And for all who do have confidence in the Scriptures, let me say equally dogmatically that there is absolutely no Scriptural proof for man having a "free will" or the ability to make "uncaused choices." In every case Scripture shows that it is God Who is behind the scene of all circumstances that influence and cause a man to make the one and only choice possible under any given circumstance. This law of "cause and effect" is stated and demonstrated time and again in Scripture. Ignorance of these behind the scenes causes does not disprove the fact that they are the actual and literal cause of our choices

There are laws of science that men do not wish to carry over into his private and spiritual life. Why? Well, because he doesn’t like the ramifications of these laws. He does not want to admit that he is bound and controlled by laws. He wants to be "free"—free to be his own god, free to determine his own destiny, free to override the rule and dominance of God, free to rebel or free to obey, but freedom of the will at all cost. Read More Free Will Exposed At BibleTruths.com