Thinking About Free Will

Jim McClarty thinks through a few implications of the notion of free will.

Here's the link mentioned at the end of the video:

http://www.gcaarchive.com/theologytalk.shtml

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Jim
• McClarty
• Grace
• Christian
• Assembly
• Sovereign
• Calvinism
• Freewill
• theology
• Reformed

[HosannaHM]

what's the song called at the end of this?

[SalvationByGraceOrg]

@HosannaHM - it's an arrangement of the hymn "Come Thou Fount" that I've been working on.

[HosannaHM]

@SalvationByGraceOrg Thanks a lot! I really like that song I just could not think of the name of it!I think what you do is great and you're very informative of God's grace. Thank you for these videos I really get a lot out of them especially since I'm about to go into the ministry. You are a very fruitful servant of our Lord and it shows

[SalvationByGraceOrg]

@HosannaHM - Thanks very kindly.

[andrewwk6]

but then it comes this argument that says "God is a bad and evil god because if he controlls everything, he sends people to hell and saves others because he wants to. hes a maniac and pleases in our pain"... how could a christian argue against that?

[SalvationByGraceOrg]

@andrewwk6 - We shouldn't have to argue against it. It's a false argument, based on human assumptions about the nature and character of God. God has revealed Himself in His word. And He has described Himself since we could never have figured Him out. We have to align our thinking about Him to bring it into conformity with what He, Himself, has revealed about Himself. Anyway other description of Him is faulty and pointless.

[shiningcross]

Masterful and thoughtful. Great video.

[CBALLEN]

@SalvationByGraceOrg Great teaching,I'm just sad God didn't teach me this until 14 yrs after He saved me,but then again it was His will to keep me ignorant as long as He did. I guess to show me how I could still be deceived if I didn't study, like I should have ,and that I'd rather believe the traditions of men,than God.God is so awesome!

[hemet92544]

the Lord thought so much of Paul's free will, he gave him a thorn in the flesh....but ah, did that thorn in the flesh come to Paul before Paul wrote Romans? is there a point to that? hmmmm. it seems so......David, how many of his Psalms did he write "after" his famous sins, a point also to that? anyone know the answer to either? meaning what I stated above, what came first to both of these men

[AVIVAH4EVER]

The desire for free will in relation to God our Father, truly, is the spirit of rebellion and witchcraft. The desire for a will not submitted to God by His Spirit is the very definition of the original sin of Satan.

[247websolutions]

I cannot find the concept of "Free Will" in the Bible. It seems to me that the Bible says that our will is a slave to sin. It is only after regeneration that the will has the freedom to choose not to sin. However, the internal presence of God negates that the believer can make choices that are not influences by an "external" source.

[TheObservationDeck]

Jim, are all things determined by God, including the sins of Christians?

[theflarpus]

@HermitintheRain Something for me to think about :=)

[HermitintheRain]

@theflarpus (9) how can we live like this? Paul asked this very question in the closing exclamation in Romans 7 to which he found his answer in Jesus Christ. that same answer which Peter gave in his first epistle when he said: Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1Pet 1:5)

Faith that moves mountains is nothing. But faith that keeps us unto salvation through our manifold temptatons-now that is powerful-and must be of God indeed.

[HermitintheRain]

@theflarpus (8) the new man in us is indeed Christ within us. it isn't just a new relationship, but an entirely new existence. in the description given through Ezekiel: our stony hearts have been removed, which has been replaced with a new heart, as well as a new spirit; on top of which the Lord declares that he will also place his spirit in us which will cause us to walk in his ways and keep his commandments-something that Adam when he was originally formed never had.

[HermitintheRain]

@theflarpus (7) which we are exhorted by the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to respond in very severe terms: crucify, mortify, cut it off, pluck it out, deny it, etc. for you can be certain that this is exactly what the flesh is seeking to do to that soul which has been renewed by the washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit.

[HermitintheRain]

@theflarpus (6) is before us in a given day. that bread which will prepare us with what is needed to overcome our enemies-especially the one that is in our old man (i.e., our flesh) which still wages war against our soul (1 Pet 2:11). the number one persecutor of our walk and profession of faith in Christ Jesus isn't an unbeliever, our neighor, or some antichristian entity out there in the world. the number one persecutor of our faith is to be found within our own flesh-which we are exhorted