Miguel
Advanced Member
Member # 47
|
posted
Most of us agree that man has free will.
… Yes, on things that pertain for this body.
However, what about God?
… Perfection is His will.
Does God have free will?
… Yes, a righteous perfect will.
Alternatively, does Gods free will depend on what man chooses?
… No
Alternatively, will Gods will be done?
… Yes!
Any thoughts?
Current Controversial Material
FREE WILL IS LAWLESSNESS
INTRODUCTION
By James Michael Grippe and Rand Winburn
Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man, being altogether averse to that good, and dead in sin, is not able by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.
Westminster Confession, 1643
Chapter IX, section III
If anyone shall affirm, that man's free will, moved and excited by God, does not, by consenting, co-operate with God, the mover and exciter, so as to prepare and dispose itself for the attainment of justification; if moreover anyone shall say, that the human will cannot refuse complying if it pleases; but that it is inactive, and merely passive; let such a one be accursed.
If anyone shall affirm, that since the fall of Adam, man's free will is lost and extinguished; or that it is a thing titular, yea a name, without a thing, and a fiction introduced by Satan into the Church; let such a one be accursed.
Council of Trent, 1563
Session 6, Ch.16, Canons 4-5
In faith, the human intellect and will cooperate with divine grace; “Believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1995
Sec. 155
We have, as set forth in these declarations, two vastly different theologies.
The first, Protestant, denies the ability of the will to choose holiness or to follow Christ. The second, Roman Catholic, admits the ability of the will to consent and cooperate with the will of God in salvation. According to centuries of Catholic teaching, man has the will to choose to follow Christ, as well as the will to choose to leave Christ. So different are these teachings that they lie as opposites on the theological spectrum. Like Cain and Abel or Jacob and Esau, they war with one another in a polemic that has gone on since the days of Augustine and Pelagius.
But which view is correct? The importance of determining the answer is not to be underestimated, for we seek to know the revealed mind of God in this matter. Above and beyond this, the glory of God in our salvation is at stake in the hearts and minds of Christians. The correct view exalts God to His rightful place as our alone Savior, while the incorrect view debases Him, subverting His work in our salvation. The one view shouts His sovereign grace in election, while the other gives nothing but lip service to it. In the former, man is humbled. In the latter, he is unduly exalted.
The Protestant Reformers clearly saw the bondage of man’s will as taught in the Scriptures and evinced by their creeds. Catholics, Evangelical Arminians, and cults of today, on the other hand, champion the alleged freedom of man’s will. As one who formerly held the Arminian position for over 20 years, co-author, James, can testify that the Scriptures, which teach the bondage of man’s will, are rarely, if ever, addressed by church leaders, let alone seriously studied by Christians. Furthermore, it is the contention of these present authors, if put to the test, few in the visible church could even offer a definition of the 'will.' The challenge goes out to all Arminians to please locate the verses in Scripture establishing man's free will in salvation. We then challenge these same men to reconcile any verses found which allegedly teach their position with the whole counsel of God.
In this treatise our purpose is to: (1) define terms; (2) cite the scriptural authorities proving the doctrine of the bondage of the will and its attendant enslavement to the heart; and (3) unmask the errant doctrine of free will for what it really is
DEFINING THE WILL
In Jonathan Edwards' classic work on the will, he gives us a concise and worthy definition: [1]
Will: That by which the mind chooses anything .
In order to rightly understand our will, one must rightly understand the biblical principle which teaches that the will, (that which does the choosing), is the effect of something greater. It is not the cause. The cause, (the agent), is rooted elsewhere. The word used in Scripture to express this deep truth is heart. In the Greek it is kardia, from which we derive the English word, cardiac. Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words defines heart in this way:
Heart: (Kardia; Gr.) Man's entire mental and moral activity, both the rational and emotional elements.
Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament expands this definition:
Kardia: …denotes the seat and center of all physical and spiritual life. Regarding the latter it states, the soul or mind, as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, and endeavors.
Charles Hodge, in his Systematic Theology, [2] defines heart as, the man itself, the soul, the seat and source of life…It is that out of which good or evil thoughts, desires, and purposes proceed…It is that which is abiding, which determines character. Hodge goes on to explain that "it bears the same relation to acts that the soil does in its production. As a good soil brings forth herbs suited for man and beast, and an evil soil brings forth briars and thorns, so we are told that the human heart (human nature in its present [unregenerate] state) is proved to be evil by the prolific crop of sins which it everywhere and always produces."
CHOICES OF THE WILL REFLECT THE NATURE OF THE HEART
Evil choices manifest an evil heart
Good choices manifest a pure heart
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Matt. 5:8).
In Matthew 15:18, the Lord teaches that which proceeds out of one's mouth (that which we will to speak), proceeds forth from the heart. He reiterates in v.19, for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies. The cause is in the heart, which speaks to the seat and center of one's soul, one's innate nature, one's essence, one's character, one's desires. It is the heart which moves the will to choose. It is the heart which rules the will. The will must always obey its master. The choice one makes is the effect of one's will, which is caused to move in the manner that it does by its master, the heart. The heart never desires contrary to its nature. The will never overrides the heart, but always chooses accordingly.
"For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." (Luke 6:43).
A pure heart will always bring forth the fruit of the Spirit. An unclean heart will always bring forth the carnal works of the flesh.
“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt. For the tree [including its root] is known by its fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things. And an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” (Matt. 12:33-35)
If the heart is polluted and evil, its desires will be evil, causing the will to make wicked choices.
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." (John 8:44).
Jesus declared the religious Pharisees the Seed of the Serpent, the Sons of Satan, inheriting their father's disposition, nature and desires. They would only do that which comes naturally - murder, steal and lie. But, on the other hand, if the heart is pure and good, its desires will be holy, causing the will to make godly choices.
"….I speak to the world those things which I have heard of [the Father]…..I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things….for I do always those things which please him." (John 8:26-29).
Jesus clearly demonstrated His pure, good and holy heart by His words and actions. His heart was not of Mary, an impure, fallen sinner, but of God the Father.
The choices professing Christians make are the visible fruit by which they may be judged by other Christians, using the rules of conduct as given in Scripture. [3]
SCRIPTURE TEACHES MAN'S HEART IS NATURALLY EVIL
A new heart is mandatory Jesus knows man's will is not the root cause of man's sin problem. It goes deeper……to his heart. For man to choose Christ, love Christ and follow Christ requires a new heart. This new heart is the miraculous creation and free gift of God to His people.
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." (Ezek.36:26-27).
"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." (Matt. 1:21).
"Except a man be born from above [i.e., given a spiritual heart by God because He wills it], he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3).
Out of this divinely created new heart can now flow the genuine desire to love and follow Christ, where once flowed the desire to hate and rebel against Him. Once regenerated, born from above, we can truly say, ‘Yes, Lord.’
MAN IS BORN WITH A CARNAL HEART AT ENMITY WITH GOD
Scripture teaches original sin inherited from guilty Adam the initial cause
Hatred, unbelief and rebellion against God the effect
"And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image, and called his name Seth." (Gen. 5:3).
"….Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him." (Gen. 4:8).
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned…by one man's offence death reigned by one……by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation….for by one man's disobedience many were made sinners…." (Romans 5:12-19).
"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."
(Psalm 51:5).
"Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one." (Job 14:4).
"For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved." (John 3:20).
"There is none that doeth good, no, not one." (Romans 3:12).
"…the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." (Romans 8:7).
"….[ye] were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." (Eph. 2:3).
"And that [Christ] might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby." (Eph. 2:16).
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR AN EVIL HEART TO LOVE THAT WHICH IT HATES
The heart never desires contrary to its nature
"That [heart] which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that [heart] which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:6).
"The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God…neither can he know them…" (I Cor. 2:14).
"The first man is of the earth, earthy. The second man is the Lord from heaven." (I Cor. 15:47).
Carnal man is born at enmity with God, hating Him. Except a man be given the free gift of the new birth which includes a new heart, he will always hate the Lord. To prove this point, unregenerate man's heart is deliberately denounced in the Bible as making no contribution whatsoever toward man's salvation. And how can it? His heart is only evil, as must also be the ungodly choices of his will.
"Every imagination of the thought of his heart is only evil continually." (Gen. 6:5).
"..the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth." (Gen. 8:21).
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jer.17:7).
The Word of God, we are told, judges men's hearts - not their wills:
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two- edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12; NASB).
Furthermore, John 1:13 discounts the errant notion that man's will plays any part in his salvation. For the children of God are ‘not born of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of [the will of] God.’ John 3:8 confirms this teaching, as Jesus teaches the similitude of the operation of the wind with man's regeneration by means of the Spirit. Both are effected by the good pleasure of God, at His discretion. It is the will of God which chooses and regenerates God's Elect, not the will of man.
We reiterate: MAN'S WILL THE SLAVE OF HIS HEART
Man can choose nothing but what his heart dictates
"And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee." (Acts 8:18-21).
We reiterate emphatically: man's will, in and of itself, can determine nothing. The will is subject to the motives brought to bear upon it, and these motives originate in the heart.
Motive: (root: to move) - some inner drive, impulse, intention, etc. that causes a person to do something or act in a certain way… (Webster)
Desire: to wish or long for; crave; covet. (Webster)
Whichever desires of the heart are the strongest are those which move the will to make those choices which most readily achieve those desires. If the heart is deceitful, it will tend toward deceitful desires, making deceitful choices. Though the one making the deceitful choices may sincerely believe they are good, ethical choices, he is, nonetheless, still deceived. If the heart is spiritually reborn, it will tend toward godly desires, making godly choices, agreeing with God's Word, glorifying God. In either case, the heart must sort out the desires, prioritize them, and then command the will to make the proper choice in order to fulfill the desire of the heart. That which one desires, covets and strives for is his treasure. This treasure reflects the condition of the heart.
"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matt. 6:21).
The treasure of the Christian is to be spiritual and heavenly, not carnal and earthly. Unregenerate man always chooses that which glorifies man, not that which glorifies God. Regenerate man prays, 'Not my will, Lord, but thy will be done.'
"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth that which is good: and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil. For of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." (Luke 6:45).
Though the unregenerate man may do relatively good and kind deeds, the motives of his heart are not pure, nor are they done in the Spirit, to the glory of the true God. The carnal man is ruled by his fleshly and selfish motives. Thus, his good works cannot save him from judgment. (Cf. Rev. 20:11-15).
Understanding these truths, (1) that the will determines nothing of itself, but is a slave fulfilling the desires of the heart; and (2) that the desires of the heart of the unregenerate man are not toward God - for all we like sheep have gone astray - are vital to understanding that man is so utterly lost that he cannot and will not make a spiritual decision for Christ, lose his life, pick up his cross, following Him through suffering trials and tribulations, enduring unto the end. We do not deny that man can and often does make a fleshly decision for Christ, but his endurance is temporary. (Cf. The Parable of the Soils.)
[1] URL- http://www.ccel.org/e/edwards/will/
[2] Part 2, chap. 8, sec. 13, sub-sec. B, par. 4.
[3] Although never fully eradicated in this carnal body, the true Christian is expected to make more mature, spiritual, biblical choices as he grows in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. We have sound reason to disbelieve the regeneration of one whose lifestyle and outward faith consists of evil choices made time and time again.
DIVIDING THE WILL
WHAT PART IS FREE?
· Free to make everyday mundane temporal decisions?
· Free to make eternal godly spiritual decisions?
· Free to countermand the will of one's master, the strongman?
· Free to love that which it hates?
· Free to sin?
We have proven the biblical principle that the will is subject to its master, the heart. The heart, in turn, is subject to reflect the wants, desires and lusts of its father. If, as the Bible teaches, all men are born under the rule of Satan, the god and ruler of this world, who deceives the whole world, then men are born with hearts akin to that of Satan, their carnal father. Their hearts are at enmity with God, enslaved to sin and Satan. (John 8:34-38). These things being so, how is it then that the Romanists and Arminians teach the doctrine of free will?
They allege it to be free by proclaiming their favorite non-biblical proverb, 'God did not make men puppets' to perform His every whim. Chuck Smith, founder of the Calvary Chapel empire, is a prime example of one with much power and authority who preaches this perverted doctrine. Hank Hanegraaff, another Arminian of equal influence, teaches "God is not a Cosmic Rapist" who would force men to love him. We ask the reader to take note that the authors of this present treatise do not deny men have the free will to make non-spiritual, non-salvific choices, e.g., what to eat, where to eat, when to eat, etc., etc. In this the Arminians are correct. As long as sin is not involved in these choices, it is of little or no consequence to our discussion. But their arguments are ill-founded. The Westminster divines have brilliantly shown Christians the two areas in which we are to focus this debate. In rereading the opening statement of this article, you will find contained therein the words, ‘spiritual’ and ‘salvation.’ Christians endeavoring to sort out this issue must stay within the spiritual realm because it is a spiritual issue. We must also distinguish between the unregenerate and regenerate man. The unregenerate man is free to sin, whereas the regenerate man is free not to sin.
The State of Unregenerate Man
Further proofs he is free to sin & opposed to God
The Lord states the natural, carnal man’s condition in no uncertain terms. Arminians, however, view themselves otherwise. Those who champion freedom of the will have no biblical basis, as we shall now prove.
· We are slaves to sin, Romans 6:16,17; John 8:34.
· We are blind, unable to perceive the kingdom of God, John 3:3.
· We are deaf, unable to hear the Word of God, Mark 8:18.
· We are without strength, Romans 5:6.
· We are deceived by Satan, Rev.12:9.
· We are held captive at Satan’s will, 2 Timothy 2:26.
Moreover, prior to regeneration, we were enemies of God, (Romans 5:10).
We did not work the works of God, but of Satan, (Gal.5:19-21; Eph.2:2). Nor had we the power to bind the strongman, Satan, who was our master from birth, (Matt.12:29).
LET US NOT FORGET - Man is Spiritually Dead
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Gen. 2:17).
"And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins."
(Eph. 2:1).
The fanciful picture often painted by Arminians is one of a man drowning in the sea of sin. He is floundering helplessly in this sea. Unless he comes to Christ, he will surely die. Christ, by His death and resurrection, has thrown out a life preserver to the sinner, they claim, - indeed, to all mankind. Now you must grab it! Take hold of Jesus now and be saved!
There are many problems with this scenario, not the least of which is the false premise that mankind is floating in the sea of sin. Scripture proclaims that unregenerate man is not floating, but rather is lying dead at the bottom of this great sea. He is completely dead, unable to move, see, hear, or think rightly, while in a state of total darkness. He is both unable and unwilling to do anything to improve his miserable state, (Matt. 23:37). Had Christ not died for His elect, by His own will, (Eph.1:5), reaching down to us in love, mercy and compassion, causing us to live by His resurrecting, quickening Spirit, we would have surely perished, (Romans 8:11; Phil. 3:10; Col. 2:13). For none understand, nor do they seek the true God, (Romans 3:11).
THE GOOD NEWS:
Christ is our Deliverer, giving us true freedom by becoming our new Master
The Scriptures proclaim Christ as the deliverer of His people, Luke 4:18-21. Strong's Concordance defines the term 'deliver' as, to rescue or release. If Christ then has rescued and released us, it stands to reason that as unregenerate souls we were in grave danger from something, while at the same time enslaved to something. Consider this truth: natural man is enslaved to that which he is in great danger. It can't get worse than that!
Moses typifies Christ as the deliverer who led God's people out of bondage. Had not God intervened, the Israelites would have remained in that hopeless condition. This Old Testament picture of the once born man is a type or shadow of the hard reality facing unregenerate man as presented in the New Testament. The Israelites were bound physically as slaves. They knew not how to more perfectly worship the living God, nor could they in their enslaved condition. But the NT picture of man is far worse than the physical plight of the Israelites. Man's slavery is total, complete. When speaking of salvation, which is obviously a spiritual issue, Scripture does not allow for any freedom in man's will, as we have proven above. Instead, it teaches the freedom of God's will.
GOD'S FREE WILL DOES THE CHOOSING IN MATTERS OF SALVATION
"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you [for salvation]…."
(John 15:16).
"Many be called, but few chosen." (Matt.20:16).
"I know whom I have chosen." (John 13:18).
"For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." (Romans 9:15).
"Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace." (Romans 11:5).
"Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Christ Jesus to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." (Eph. 1:5).
"For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." (Eph. 2:8).
"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
(Rev. 4:11)
When Christ regenerates our hearts through the Holy Spirit, He says, ‘You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.’ He does not exclude the bondage of our will in our new found emancipation.
DENYING FREE WILL
Believing in free will is a symptom of man's sin nature
That free will is found in the Bible as the Papists and Arminians propound: we deny. Firstly, the words free will are not found in the Bible, though they are preached and shouted amongst the people today as if it were Gospel truth. "No matter," say the pundits, "neither is the word Trinity found in the Bible." While that statement may be true, it proves nothing because the doctrine of the Trinity is found in the Bible. All true Christians attest this truth. They agree that God is revealed in three persons. He is the Triune God. In other words, there is abundant scriptural evidence that God is three distinct persons in one divine essence. But where in the Scriptures does God teach the doctrine that our unregenerate wills are truly free to love and serve Him? Does not Scripture teach that man's freedom to choose ended in the Garden? Is not man now 'free' to sin?
Secondly, unregenerate man has no small difficulty approaching God on His terms. Man refuses to see his own depraved condition or his disdain for holiness as taught in Scripture. This is the root of the Arminian heresy. "God would never make us puppets or automatons," they say. This analogy they deduce from their own imaginations. God never states we are His puppets. Instead, He declares His sovereignty. He is the Potter, not the Puppeteer. We are the clay, not His puppets. Puppets are not made into the likeness and image of God, as are human beings. Puppets have an excuse for their unbelief. They have neither a heart, a will, a mind, an intellect, or a sinful disposition. Neither will they be judged on the Day of the Lord. Human beings, however, are without excuse for their unbelief. They will be judged as fully responsible for their words, thoughts and actions on that Great Day.
Thirdly, Arminians twist Scripture to suit their theology, inserting their own ideas as they attempt to exegete the Word. They erect the idol of free will in their sacred sanctuary apart from the commandment of God. The 'Puppet Theory' is one such example. To further insure the credibility of their twisted theology, some Arminians go so far as to misquote Scripture to prove their errant doctrines. On May 28th 1999, Chuck Smith was fielding questions on ‘The To Every Man an Answer’ radio show. Chuck taught, among other lies, that ‘God’s irresistible grace was an extreme position that eliminates choice and free will.’ He then misquoted John 3:16 by inserting the word will:
‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever will believe on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’ [1]
Please check any Bible, as well as the original Greek, to confirm this error which is publicly and proudly taught by one of today's leading pastor/teachers. [2] How, exactly, an unbeliever comes to believe on Christ is not discussed in John 3:16. Fourthly, the false doctrine of free will denies the regenerating work of the Spirit beforehand. Arminians credit themselves with cooperating with the Spirit of grace. They refuse to believe the testimony of Scripture to the contrary.
Protestant Reformation Publications believes it is inherent in man’s fallen nature to believe in and defend vigorously his so-called free will. We do not restrict this treatise to Roman Catholics, as well as professing Arminian Evangelicals of all denominations, but include the cults, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, 7th Day Adventists, etc., etc., who all preach and teach this heresy. Additionally, it is a common doctrine of pagans to believe their wills are free, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that this errant teaching is universal, and indeed, proof of every man’s fallen nature. We ask, Is there a false doctrine that more appropriately fits Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way which seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death"?
The Free Willers will not worship God unless they pass through the sanctuary in which they have erected their idol of free will. Satisfied that it stands, then, and only then, will they worship Him. But dare to tear down that false idol…. they will not have it! They will not have the sovereign God who made them. In debating many Arminians over this question, the authors of this paper have discovered their uniform response to the biblical doctrine of God's sovereignty in salvation: they could not and would not believe in a God who does not give man the free will to either choose Him or reject Him. Nor could they worship One who predestines His people to Heaven, while passing by those others whose just end is Hell. The scriptural authorities substantiating our assertions fall on their deaf ears. They insist on worshipping a god of their own creation, not the God depicted in the Bible. They do not discern that their god is no God.
<![endif]>
[1] To hear this on Real Audio, go to http://calvarychapel.com/tema/audio/19990528.ram
……17 minutes into the program.
[2] A side note: Chuck is a true Arminian. He publicly states that one can lose his salvation by falling from grace.
DISPLAYING FREE WILL
· Free will is really self will
· Self will seeks the will of self, not the will of God
· Self will is the sin of Satan, the Antichrist and his disciples
· Satan is lawless, opposed to God, as is his Vicar and seed
· Self will is lawlessness
· Therefore, FREE WILL IS LAWLESSNESS
"How thou art fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!…For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation……I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the most High." (Isaiah 14:12-14).
"And the king shall do according to his will: and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods…." (Daniel 11:36).
"….and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." (II Thess. 2:3-4).
"Therefore take no thought, saying, What [will] we eat? Or, What [will] we drink? Or, Wherewithal [will] we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles [will to] seek.)….But [will to] seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness [which is the mind and will of God] …."
(Matt. 6:31-33).
"For all seek their own [will], not the things which are Jesus Christ's.
(Phil. 2:21).
We now prove free will to be self will. Self will is lawlessness. Therefore, free will is lawlessness. Using Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, let us further define important terms. Lawlessness is most frequently translated iniquity, which literally means unrighteousness. The Bible defines sin as all unrighteousness, (1 John 5:17). Christians have never disagreed that they are called out of sin, not into sin. Lawlessness, iniquity, unrighteousness are all evidence of sin, and thus, not the fruit of a true Christian. Vine continues,
"This definition of sin sets forth its essential character as the rejection of the law, or will, of God, and the substitution of the will of self."
In contradistinction to the false doctrine of free will, Scripture teaches subservience to the sovereign free will of God as the mark of a true Christian:
"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done……." (Matt. 6:9).
"Love seeketh not her own [will]….(I Cor. 13:5).
"And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever." (I John 2:17).
"Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. Be ye followers of me, even as I am of Christ." (I Cor. 10:33 ff.)
The Arminian clearly substitutes his will for the will of God. He worships a God who cannot and will not violate man's will, otherwise man would be no less than a mere puppet, whose will is not free to pull his own strings. By so doing, Free Willers exalt their wills above the sovereign free will of God. God can do nothing, they allege, but what man wills Him to do. Yet Christ declares the opposite:
"Without me [and my will for you] ye can do nothing." (John 15:5).
"Except a man be born from above, he cannot see [by the strength of his own will] the kingdom of God." (John 3:3).
"A man can receive nothing [even by the strength of his own will], except it be given him from heaven." (John 3:27).
One can only conclude that the Papacy, the Mother of all Harlots, and her daughters, those outside the Roman church, (who nevertheless propagate her false doctrines), all teach free will, which is self will. This is nothing less than lawlessness. They are far from the Lord, who cannot fail to teach the truth of salvation to His children, (John 16:13).
"If any man will do [God's] will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory……" (John 7:17-18).
Having reached this inevitable conclusion, these present writers would like to close by quoting Francis Turretin, (whom this ministry highly recommends to the serious reader), to the end that all lovers of His truth may be encouraged to continue in the good fight.
“Now more properly the miserable state of man and the most degrading servitude of free will under sin must be considered. I confess it is a sad spectacle, but still more useful and highly necessary, in order that we may fully know the greatness of our misery and the more certainly understand and the more earnestly seek the necessity of medicinal grace. For this reason the argument is the more diligently to be pursued because the weightiest controversies have been set on foot about it by various adversaries almost from the very beginning and are even now in our day urged (in the discussion of which great talents have been and are now employed). And not to mention here the most futile errors of heathen philosophers, who, (ignorant of the corruption of nature), contend that man could be the builder and architect of his own fortune and by making men free made them sacrilegious. [Ed. note: read lawless.]
"Who is ignorant of the gigantic attempts of the Pelagians and semi-Pelagians on this subject! They deny either wholly the impurity of nature or extenuate it most astonishingly to extol the strength of free will. Neither the authority of various councils, nor the labor and industry of the brightest lights of the church (Jerome, Augustine, Prosper, Hilary, Fulgentius, and others) broke so much as to prevent their renewing and causing to sprout again the very same things in succeeding ages; so that you would say these enemies had been triumphed over rather than entirely conquered by the fathers. Nor do the Jesuits, the Socinians, and the Remonstrants of our day labor for anything else than on this subject, (as also in various others), to bring back, (either openly or secretly and by burrowing), Pelagianism and semi-Pelagianism, and to place the idol of free will in the citadel. This is the Helen whom they so ardently love and for whom they do not hesitate to fight as for their altars and firesides. It is of great importance, therefore, that the disciples of true and genuine grace should oppose themselves strenuously to these deadly errors and so build up the misery of man and the necessity of grace that the entire cause of destruction should be ascribed to man and the whole glory of salvation to God alone. Here belongs the doctrine of free will, concerning which we now dispute.” (Institutes of Elenctic Theology, Vol. 1, page 659; P & R Publishing.)
--------------------
Romans 9:11-24
Our Eschatology may vary even our Ecclesiology may be disputed among us but our Soteriology most assume a singularity and exclusivity which in biblical term is known as Quote; "The Narrow Way" and Quote!
Posts: 2792 | From: Stockton,Ca | Registered: Jun 2002
| IP: Logged | 
|
Printer-friendly view of this topic
