An Article on free will

[Johann]

Its a spiritual inability remember ? A carnal person can believe naturally, just like a devil can believe James 2

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

A devil and a natural man can believe in God, but its not a Gospel believing that pleases God and obeys God. See True believing requires a spiritual obedience and love for the Truth Rom 10:16


But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?


can a devil do that ? No, neither can a person in the flesh because they cannot please God,or obey God.

Paul’s lament reflects a continuation of Israel’s history of rejecting God’s revelation and messengers.

This pattern is deeply rooted in the Old Testament and is central to Paul’s explanation of why Israel has not fully embraced the gospel.

a. Israel’s Historical Privilege

Israel was uniquely chosen by God to receive His covenant, the law, and the promises (Romans 9:4-5). These privileges should have prepared them for the coming of the Messiah.
The message of the gospel fulfills the promises made to Israel, as Jesus is the culmination of the law (Romans 10:4).

b. Prophetic Witness to Israel’s Resistance
Paul quotes Isaiah 53:1 to highlight that the rejection of the gospel is not a new phenomenon but was foreseen by the prophets.

The suffering servant in Isaiah 53 was rejected by the very people he came to save, a pattern mirrored in the rejection of Christ.
Other prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel also experienced Israel’s resistance to God’s word, showing their long-standing disobedience.


c. Rejection of the Messiah
The rejection of Christ as the Messiah represents the culmination of Israel’s resistance. Despite the miraculous signs and fulfillment of prophecy, many Jews clung to their pursuit of righteousness through the law (Romans 10:3), rather than submitting to the righteousness of God through faith.

2. Theological Implications
Paul’s reflection on Israel’s rejection of the gospel serves a dual purpose: to explain their unbelief in light of God’s sovereignty and to highlight the universal scope of salvation. It raises profound questions about God’s promises, human responsibility, and divine election.

a. God’s Sovereignty and Election

Paul emphasizes that Israel’s rejection does not signify a failure of God’s word (Romans 9:6). Instead, it reveals the mystery of election: not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, but the true Israel consists of the children of the promise.

This tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility is central to Paul’s argument. While God’s purposes are being fulfilled, Israel remains accountable for their unbelief.


b. The Role of Faith in Salvation
The rejection highlights the shift from the old covenant, based on the law, to the new covenant, centered on faith in Christ. Paul explains that righteousness is no longer attained through works of the law but through faith in Christ (Romans 10:9-10).
This introduces the concept of the "obedience of faith," where faith is not merely intellectual assent but involves a total submission to the gospel.


c. Inclusivity of the Gospel
Israel’s rejection opens the door for the Gentiles to be grafted into the people of God (Romans 11:11-12). Paul sees this as part of God’s redemptive plan to create one unified body of believers.
However, Israel’s current unbelief is not final. Paul asserts that a future remnant of Israel will turn to Christ (Romans 11:26), demonstrating God’s faithfulness to His covenant promises.


d. The Remnant Theology
Paul introduces the concept of a faithful remnant, rooted in Old Testament theology (e.g., Elijah’s time in 1 Kings 19). Even though the majority of Israel rejected the gospel, a remnant believed, signifying that God’s purposes are still at work within Israel.
3. Broader Implications for Humanity
While the immediate focus is Israel, their rejection of the gospel reveals universal truths about human nature and the need for grace.

a. Human Resistance to God
Israel’s rejection is emblematic of humanity’s broader resistance to God’s revelation. Left to their own devices, people reject the truth of the gospel, requiring the work of the Holy Spirit to bring about faith.


b. The Necessity of Preaching
Paul’s broader argument in Romans 10 emphasizes the necessity of proclaiming the gospel: “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?” (Romans 10:14). Despite resistance, the gospel must be preached to all, because faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17).


c. God’s Patience and Plan
Israel’s rejection also demonstrates God’s patience and long-term redemptive plan. Paul insists that God’s ultimate purpose is mercy for both Jews and Gentiles (Romans 11:32).


Summary
Israel’s rejection of the gospel is both a fulfillment of prophetic warnings and a stepping stone in God’s plan for universal salvation. Historically, it reflects a continuation of their resistance to divine revelation, culminating in the rejection of Christ. Theologically, it underscores the sovereignty of God, the necessity of faith, and the inclusivity of the gospel. However, Paul’s argument ends on a note of hope, affirming that Israel’s unbelief is neither total nor final, and God’s promises to His people remain unshaken.

J.

 

[Kermos]

Are you well?

Your words

"then you fail to understand basic English because Jesus literally says that people do not have the ability to judge what is right on their own initiative when He asks them why they do not have the ability"

Thank you for proving that I did not write "cannot" in reference to "why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right
(Lord Jesus Christ, Luke 12:57), so you argue with yourself because you persist with "cannot". You are dead wrong about man having free-will to choose God, and, the Truth (John 14:6) is that no Word of God indicates man was imparted a free-will to choose God. God is exclusively Sovereign in man's salvation as shown in the past posts in this exchange in Truth (John 14:6).

You cannot choose God, and you always fail to judge rightly in your own initiative to choose the Righteous God because the Word of God says such between the below and above.

You believe you buy your way into heaven with your free-will saying "apart from Christ, I chose Christ so Christ must profit me with salvation", yet the Christ of us Christians declares "apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5) and "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God" (John 3:3) and “you did not choose Me, but I chose you” (John 15:16) and “I chose you out of the world” (John 15:19, includes salvation) and “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (John 6:29) and “It is the Spirit who gives Life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and are Life” (John 6:63), so you preach and teach and believe falsehood (2 Peter 2:1; 2 Peter 2:9-10).

You wrote "John 15:5 speaks of the believers walk not the ability to believe" (proof post #4,906), so you adulterate the Word of God in order for your heart to nullify the Word of God, and your self-willed (2 Peter 2:9-10) interpretation intention to delete the Word of God is evident in your quotations augmented with your heart's thoughts in your posts:

TomL's Self-exaltation		Exaltation of Christ
I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for you can choose to believe in me apart from Me (TomL 15:5).		I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing (Lord Jesus Christ, John 15:5).

so your heart preaches your sovereignty of man eliminating the Sovereignty of God, and so go your adulterations of the the Holy Word of God.

Moreover, you do not believe Jesus (John 5:45-47) when He says "see" (John 3:3) as can be seen in when you wrote "John 3:3 speaks of on experiencing the kingdom of God not seeing it" (proof post #4,906), so you adulterate the Word of God in order for your heart to nullify the Word of God, and your self-willed (2 Peter 2:9-10) interpretation intention to delete the Word of God is evident in your quotations augmented with your heart's thoughts in your posts:

The word of TomL		The Word of God
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot experience yet he can see the Kingdom of God (TomL 3:3).		Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God (Lord Jesus Christ, John 3:3).

so your heart preaches your sovereignty of man eliminating the Sovereignty of God, and so go your adulterations of the Holy Word of God again.

Your heart makes false statements about God and man. Free-will is a conjured concept of the traditions of men (Matthew 15:9).

In Truth (John 14:6), the Almighty God is Sovereign (Genesis 1:1) in man's salvation and affairs of man (Daniel 4:34-35)! PRAISE GOD - THE GIVER OF LIFE AND SIGHT!!!

 

[Larry]

Its a spiritual inability remember ? A carnal person can believe naturally, just like a devil can believe James 2

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

A devil and a natural man can believe in God, but its not a Gospel believing that pleases God and obeys God. See True believing requires a spiritual obedience and love for the Truth Rom 10:16


But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?


can a devil do that ? No, neither can a person in the flesh because they cannot please God,or obey God.

Romans 1:20 - For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

1 Corinthians 8:6 - But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

1 John 4:8 - He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

Hebrews 11:6 - But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Romans 1:18-20 - For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; (Read More...)

John 1:1-2 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (Read More...)

Revelation 4:11 - Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Jeremiah 29:13 - And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

John 3:8 - The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Romans 1:21 - Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

John 1:18 - No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Colossians 1:15 - Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Psalms 90:2 - Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

John 3:16-17 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (Read More...)

John 20:29 - Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

James 1:17 - Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Psalms 19:1 - (To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.) The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Job 38:4 - Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

Romans 1:25 - Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

 

[Larry]

We talking about two different things friend.

I hope so.

 

[brightfame52]

Romans 1:20 - For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

1 Corinthians 8:6 - But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

1 John 4:8 - He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

Hebrews 11:6 - But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Romans 1:18-20 - For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; (Read More...)

John 1:1-2 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (Read More...)

Revelation 4:11 - Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Jeremiah 29:13 - And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

John 3:8 - The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Romans 1:21 - Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

John 1:18 - No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Colossians 1:15 - Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Psalms 90:2 - Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

John 3:16-17 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (Read More...)

John 20:29 - Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

James 1:17 - Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Psalms 19:1 - (To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.) The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Job 38:4 - Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

Romans 1:25 - Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

And ?

 

[TomL]

Thank you for proving that I did not write "cannot" in reference to "why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right
(Lord Jesus Christ, Luke 12:57), so you argue with yourself because you persist with "cannot". You are dead wrong about man having free-will to choose God, and, the Truth (John 14:6) is that no Word of God indicates man was imparted a free-will to choose God. God is exclusively Sovereign in man's salvation as shown in the past posts in this exchange in Truth (John 14:6).

Is English a second language for you?

"then you fail to understand basic English because Jesus literally says that people do not have the ability to judge what is right on their own initiative when He asks them why they do not have the ability"
you have literally stated they cannot judge what is right
BTW



Joshua 24:15–31 (LEB) — 15 But if it is bad in your eyes to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you want to serve, whether it is the gods that your ancestors served beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh.” 16 And the people answered and said, “Far be it from us that we would forsake Yahweh to serve other gods, 17 for Yahweh our God brought us and our ancestors from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery, and did these great signs before our eyes. He protected us along the entire way that we went, and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed. 18 And Yahweh drove out all the people before us, the Amorites who live in the land. We will serve Yahweh, for he is our God.” 19 But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve Yahweh, for he is a holy and jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake Yahweh and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster to you; he will destroy you after he has done good to you.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, we will serve Yahweh.” 22 And Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves to serve Yahweh.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Remove the foreign gods that are in your midst, and incline your hearts to Yahweh the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve Yahweh our God, and we will listen to his voice.” 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people on that day, and he established for them a statute and a judgment at Shechem. 26 Then Joshua wrote these words in a scroll of the law of God, and he took a large stone and set it up there under a large tree, which is at the shrine of Yahweh. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Look, this stone will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of Yahweh that he spoke with us. It will be as a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God.” 28 Then Joshua sent the people away to their inheritance. 29 After these things Joshua son of Nun servant of Yahweh died; he was one hundred and ten years old. 30 They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, at Timnath-Serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 31 Israel served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who lived long after Joshua, and who had known all the work that Yahweh did for Israel.


These Israelites choose to and did serve Yahweh

 

[TomL]

Its a spiritual inability remember ? A carnal person can believe naturally, just like a devil can believe James 2

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

A devil and a natural man can believe in God, but its not a Gospel believing that pleases God and obeys God. See True believing requires a spiritual obedience and love for the Truth Rom 10:16


But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?


can a devil do that ? No, neither can a person in the flesh because they cannot please God,or obey God.

Sorry your doctrine of total inability hold they are incapable of believing

It is an error

Luke 8:13 (LEB) — 13 And those on the rock are those who receive the word with joy when they hear it, and these do not have enough root, who believe for a time and in a time of testing fall away.

and why it was necessary to harden these so they do not believe

John 12:40 (LEB) — 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they see with their eyes and understand with their hearts and turn, and I heal them.”


so why do you not address these

Luke 8:13 (LEB) — 13 And those on the rock are those who receive the word with joy when they hear it, and these do not have enough root, who believe for a time and in a time of testing fall away.

and why it was necessary to harden these so they do not believe

John 12:40 (LEB) — 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they see with their eyes and understand with their hearts and turn, and I heal them.”