History of Free Will in the Bible
This is to silence the critics who say man has no free will according to God and the Bible. We see a clear history of God giving man Free will to choose.
The choice to man
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Context
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Bible Verses
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To EAT/NOT EAT
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The fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil
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Get on the Ark/Stay outside
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The Ark door was left wide open, until the water started to fall, for anyone to BELIEVE God's word on a global deluge and be saved.
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Let my people go/keep them as SLAVES
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God thru Moses gave Pharoah a choice. First 5 times Pharoah hardened his own heart.
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Exodus 7-14
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Blessing/Cursing
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Moses: God puts a choice of life and death, blessing and cursing before Israel. Encourage Israel to choose life.
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God(Yahweh)/False gods
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Joshua: Choose, O Israel, whom you will serve this day.
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God(Yahweh)/Baal
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Elijah challenge: Serve Yahweh or Baal
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God(Yahweh)/Molech
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Israel chose Molech and burned their babies alive to him.
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Believe or Not Believe on the Messiah Jesus to be Forgiven by God
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Jesus himself said WHOEVER believes will be saved and whoever does not believe is condemned.
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John 3:16-20
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Argument #1: God's Coersion doesn't allow for man's free will.
Critics bitterly contend that God by stating His will in the choice and including dire consequences with going against His will, is in fact allowing for no free will. However closer inspection reveals this argument a bit naive.
An example of this that would clearly illustrate the point of contention is a father-child relationship. A father who cares deeply for his child woul instruct his child to stay out of the streets with speeding cars. The father make it crystal clear to the child that it is his will they stay out of the streets, even going so far as to tell them of the consequences (hospitalization and potential death). Yet it is up to the child's free will to do as they are told. They can choose to obey and stay out of the streets or disobey and run into the streets.
Does the child have the freedom to decides to disobey the father and run out into the streets? Sure. Does the child also have the freedom to obey the father and not run out into the streets? Absolutely. Which would the father prefer? Naturally that the child chooses to obey him given the dire possible consequences of not obeying. This is the same situation with our Heavenly Father in the Bible.
Critics bitterly contend that God by stating His will in the choice and including dire consequences with going against His will, is in fact allowing for no free will. However closer inspection reveals this argument a bit naive.
An example of this that would clearly illustrate the point of contention is a father-child relationship. A father who cares deeply for his child woul instruct his child to stay out of the streets with speeding cars. The father make it crystal clear to the child that it is his will they stay out of the streets, even going so far as to tell them of the consequences (hospitalization and potential death). Yet it is up to the child's free will to do as they are told. They can choose to obey and stay out of the streets or disobey and run into the streets.
Does the child have the freedom to decides to disobey the father and run out into the streets? Sure. Does the child also have the freedom to obey the father and not run out into the streets? Absolutely. Which would the father prefer? Naturally that the child chooses to obey him given the dire possible consequences of not obeying. This is the same situation with our Heavenly Father in the Bible.
Argument #2: God forces people to believe or not believe.
Another argument states we have NO CHOICE in what we believe or don't believe. In essence we are FORCED to believe or not believe on Jesus regardless of whether there is truth in what we believe or don't believe. Of course this is utterly ridiculous and used by atheist to justify their not believing on Jesus and God despite all the historical, scientific, and archeological evidence. It is simply their way of sweeping all logic and proof aside and refuse to believe.
The irony is by admitting they are FORCED to believe or not believe, atheist are confiding that there is a God and that they have a will of their own (free will). After all if you are being forced to do anything, you have to be forced by someone else against your own will.
Another argument states we have NO CHOICE in what we believe or don't believe. In essence we are FORCED to believe or not believe on Jesus regardless of whether there is truth in what we believe or don't believe. Of course this is utterly ridiculous and used by atheist to justify their not believing on Jesus and God despite all the historical, scientific, and archeological evidence. It is simply their way of sweeping all logic and proof aside and refuse to believe.
The irony is by admitting they are FORCED to believe or not believe, atheist are confiding that there is a God and that they have a will of their own (free will). After all if you are being forced to do anything, you have to be forced by someone else against your own will.
Argument #3: Man can not have free will, if God's plan never frustrated.
This argument assumes a very limited God, who must require certain choices and not others, otherwise God's plan would need to be altered constantly. But this would make for a limited God who doesn't know what choices people would make even before they made them. This is simply not the case. God already knows the choices men would make and even knew people would be born and do certain things before they were even born.
Classic example in history is the coming of Cyrus the Great and his conquest of Babylon which the gates would be left wide open for him. God knew Cyrus by name and foretold what he would do some 200 yrs before Cyrus was even born.
This argument assumes a very limited God, who must require certain choices and not others, otherwise God's plan would need to be altered constantly. But this would make for a limited God who doesn't know what choices people would make even before they made them. This is simply not the case. God already knows the choices men would make and even knew people would be born and do certain things before they were even born.
Classic example in history is the coming of Cyrus the Great and his conquest of Babylon which the gates would be left wide open for him. God knew Cyrus by name and foretold what he would do some 200 yrs before Cyrus was even born.