Bible Verses About Free Will
Bible verses related to Free Will from the King James Version by Relevance
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What Does The Bible Say About Predestination And Election
What Does the Bible Say About Predestination and Election?
Has your ultimate destiny already been set?
Did God, before the foundation of the world was laid, unconditionally predetermine who would be saved and who would not? Has your ultimate destiny already been set? Is it true, as Calvinists claim, that the elect were not appointed on the basis of their faith, good works, character, or anything else God could see within them? What about the famous “Five Points of Calvinism”?
Free Will Vs Predestination
God in His sovereignty uses our choices to bring out His will. Thats because He has predestined everything to happen according to His will. How does this work, exactly? We cant really know. Our minds are limited by our scope of time.
Unless God, through His mercy and grace, changes someones heart, they cannot choose to repent of their sins and accept Christ as his Lord and Savior.
1)God could have chosen for no one to go to Heaven. After all, He is totally Just. A Just God is not required to have Mercy.
2)God could have chosen for everyone to go to heaven, thats Universalism and is a heresy. God does love His creation, but He is also Just.
3)God could have chosen to make His mercy available to everyone if they make the right choice
4)God could have chosen those to whom He would have mercy on.
Now, the first two options are not usually debated on. It is very clear through scripture that the firs two are not Gods plan. But the last two options are a highly debated subject. Is Gods salvation available to everyone or just a few?
23. Acts 4:27-28 For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.
24. Ephesians 1:4 Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love.
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Free Will In Theology
Free will in theology is an important part of the debate on free will in general. Religions vary greatly in their response to the standard argument against free will and thus might appeal to any number of responses to the paradox of free will, the claim that omniscience and free will are incompatible.
People Have Been Searching For It For Thousands Of Years
The quest for freedom is a theme found throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Just three chapters into the story of Gods creation, humanity gave up its freedom by choosing to rebel against God. From that time forward, the perfect freedom God created in the Garden of Eden was gone, and the long-term effects were both physical and spiritual.
The Old Testament of the Bible records how Gods people lost their physical freedom time and again as various empires overtook them .
The loss of physical freedom was often tied to spiritual disobedience like worshiping false gods. But time and again, the one true God forgave His people and rescued them. When God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He was foreshadowing the arrival of Jesus Christ, who came to free humanity from sinthe spiritual slavery that leads to death.
Today, many people are living in spiritual slavery without realizing it. They chase false gods of money, success, personal comfort and romantic loveonly to realize they still have an emptiness that cant be filled by any of those things.
> > Everyone worships something. Read Billy Grahams short answer about the definition of an idol.
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What Is Gods Sovereignty
Sovereignty is God’s absolute and exclusive right to exercise authority in the universe . He holds this prerogative because of the perfections of His character and because of His position as creator and governor of the universe. As creator, His dominion is perfect and His decrees are final. Because of his authority as governor, He is to be obeyed.
Should I Wear A Mask Should I Be Vaccinated
Yes! and Yes!
Even young and healthy people can be infected with COVID-19. There may be minimal or no symptoms. But they can still infect other people nearby, including people in high-risk categories. Wearing a mask in public and getting vaccinated helps to protect you, and also helps to protect other people who might get very sick or die from COVID-19.1,2
Jesus taught that one of the most important of all commandments is, “Love your neighbor as yourself” ” rel=”nofollow”> Matthew 22:34-40, , , ). Christian love requires that we do whatever we can to care for and protect other people. What could be more loving than wearing a mask and getting vaccinated to prevent accidentally infecting other people with a disease that could make them very sick or even kill them? ” rel=”nofollow”> Romans 13:10)
Pranksters, mischief-makers, and attention-seekers have made up many untrue and even silly scare stories about the COVID-19 vaccines. Those untrue stories have been widely circulated on social media. Some have been repeated by large media outlets. But, in reality, there is nothing sinister about the COVID-19 vaccines. They are similar to the vaccines most of us had as children or have taken as adults without any controversy .3
The COVID-19 vaccines are recommended by all major health organizations. All major Christian denominations also recommend vaccination.
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The Separation Of God And Mankind
Sin is the cause of separation between God and mankind. When sin is put off, we are unified with God. The spirit of Antichrist allows the sins that separate us from God to live by covering them with tolerance, “love”, and freedom. Gods word clearly states what is right and wrong, what is sinful and what is pure. But when enough people live in sin, for instance adultery, it is no longer considered sin. Gods laws are rejected, and the laws of society, and eventually even the laws of the nations, change to accommodate this adjusted view of what is right and wrong.
So impurity and sin are allowed to live, and mankind grows farther and farther away from God which is exactly Satans intention. The majority of the world has given over to this spirit, because it allows them to live comfortably, without a guilty conscience. This has been done under the covering of religion, and forgiveness of sin without ceasing from sin, in the past. However, in the times we live in now, humanism is more and more taking over the role that religion used to play. Mankind is more and more reliant on itself and being governed by itself, rather than being led by any higher power.
Also read: What is sin?
What Does The Bible Say About Generational Curses
You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.Christians cannot be demon possessedRelated Truth:
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Serving And Blessing Voluntarily
This respect for one anothers free will is also fundamental when it comes to serving and giving in the church. Then wisdom can teach us the fine and delicate laws concerning our relationship with each other. On the one hand, we must never dominate one another, scold one another, or be demanding toward one another. At the same time, we must bear one another on our hearts, pray for one another, encourage and exhort one another.
Our aim must be that as many people as possible willingly, according to the desire of their own heart, enter into God’s will. Then our love for Christ will lead us into the perfect law of liberty. Then we will want to serve and bless our fellow manvoluntarily, from our heart and with joy.
Our Rulers Must Be Just Fearing God
Lets follow this up by turning to the Book of Samuel which provides the qualifier for Romans 13.
2 Samuel 23:3The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
Now that right there, that is exactly what I was talking about in Romans 13.
Those who rule over us must be just.
That means, our rulers must be righteous men, ruling with fear and love of God.
If our rulers are not doing that, they are not Gods rulers.
God may have appointed them, but they are not ministers of God to thee for good, and God does not approve of their actions.
This is why we must always remember, the Bible does not contradict itself.
Romans 13:1-4 is talking about adhering to righteous rulers, those are Gods ministers. Not unrighteous men and women, they certainly would not be Gods ministers.
God does good, not evil.
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Joshua Preached Free Will In The Old Testament
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Respect The Others’ Free Will
Just as God respects our free will, we also must respect the free will of others. Does that mean that we have no responsibility for anyone else? Of course not. Just think of children. If a child is very young, his parents cannot simply think, Well, children have a free will too, so they should only do what they want to do.
Parents are responsible for the upbringing of their children. However, as their children grow older, they must find a healthy balance between the childs free will and the parents’ responsibility to bring that child up. We have a great deal to learn in this area. For example, as parents, we should not dominate or provoke our children neither should we attempt to turn them into copies of ourselves. Instead, we should be examples for them, bear them on our hearts, and pray for them! We should maintain contact with them, and help them understand things clearly, instead of burdening them with a lot of rules.
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Gods Predestining Your Life
How can freewill fit into the framework of Gods sovereignty and Gods predetermination to save us? Just look what God planned for you before the earth even existed:
- God had planned you even before you were born or before you were in our mothers womb .
- He planned things for you in the future before the earth or time existed .
- He had made plans for your life to give you His grace before you were born .
- He chose you and called you to redemption to be saved and be made holy .
- He chose you before your birth to bless you and save you through Christ .
- He planned your adoption prior to your birth .
- And according to His good pleasure, revealed the secrets things of God to you .
It’s Wrong Not To Repay Your Debts
“The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously.”
I remember when we were paying off debt on a low combined income, struggling to pay our rent and water bills each month, that I considered bankruptcy. I am not here to judge and can undoubtedly understand times when bankruptcy is the only option for people, but as a Christian, I felt that I had a moral obligation to pay my debts.
Why? Because the debt was mine and mine alone.
Our debt was a choice. I chose to open a business on credit cards.
No one forced me to spend money I did not have to build a business I had not yet proved could sustain itself. So when I lost my 9-5 job, and so did my husband, we had a load of debt and no income to pay it off.
I knew I was a capable, young woman and would need to figure out a way to make it work. So I sold off the inventory, found a new job, and worked a few side hustles to make sure we could pay our debts.
Now, at one point, we were behind on paying one of the credit cards, so it went to collections. At that point, I was able to negotiate the debt with the collection agency for the balance I had accrued minus fees and interest.
It would have been better for me to pay all that was owed, including interest and fees, but I still paid the balance that I had actually charged on the card. I want to dive deeper into this concept on another episode,but the main point is:
Repaying our debts honors God and is the morally right thing to do.
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Why Must We Forgive
The best reason to forgive is simple: Jesus commanded us to forgive. We learn from scripture in context to forgiveness that if we don’t forgive, neither will we be forgiven:
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
We also forgive so that our prayers will not be hindered:
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.
In summary, we forgive out of obedience to the Lord. It is a choice, a decision we make. However, as we do our part “forgiving,” we discover the command to forgive is in place for our own good, and we receive the reward of our forgiveness, which is spiritual freedom.
Is The Coronavirus Pandemic A Sign Of The End
7Teacher, they asked, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to take place?8 He replied, Dont let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, I am the Messiah, and saying, The time has come! But dont believe them.9And when you hear of wars and insurrections, dont panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end wont follow immediately.10 Then he added, Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.11There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven.
However, Jesus made it clear that we cannot know when the end will come ” rel=”nofollow”> Matthew 24:27, , ).
Since Jesus spoke those words 2000 years ago, there have been many plagues that killed large numbers of people. The bubonic plague in the 1300’s A.D. killed about a quarter of the world’s population. Also since Jesus spoke those words, thousands of people have compared current events to Bible prophecies and predicted the end was near. They have all been wrong. So, as Jesus said, there is no good reason to believe anyone who predicts the end is near.
There is a summary of Bible teachings on the end-times, with references, in this article on our website: What Does the Bible Say About the Second Coming of Jesus?
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How Do You Get To Heaven
This is the most important question anyone can ask. The answer has already been given: It is free. “Let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price” . We only need to accept the offer. While some people think this is too good to be true, it really does make sense. God is full of love and wants to bless each of His children. He wants us to accept this gift. The Lord sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to cleanse us of our sins. God wants us each to worry about our own salvation, and strive to enter heaven .
Christ is the only way we can get into heaven, through accepting Him as our Savior . The entrance to heaven is not automatic for people who have simply tried to be good. The Bible says, “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lambs Book of Life” . The qualifying factor for those who enter will be whether or not their names are written in Gods book.
Heaven is a place that all Christians should be excited to look forward to. We will get to spend the rest of our lives living in perfect bliss and happiness, surrounded by our Father. The Bible is full of information about any question that we might have about heaven, simply take a look.
Megan Bailey is the Social Media Specialist and Content Producer for Beliefnet. She attended James Madison University where she received a degree in psychology.