Calvinism is antithetical to Christology

[synergy]

Calvinism is antithetical to Christology in multiple ways. For example, a book can be written on how Calvinism misrepresent what is Biblically encapsulated for one to be positioned "in Christ" and therefore to be justified, predestined, known by God, elected onto salvation, etc... In this thread, I'd like to concentrate on the popular question concerning man's "free will". Calvinists adamantly scream that there is no such thing as free will. Let's take a moment here and ask ourselves how should we best approach this subject? Should we do what Calvinists do which is to bypass Christology and focus in on their philosophical and rational opinions? Or should we appeal to Christ's Life and see how He handled his human and divine wills? Obviously let's appeal to Christology, which is an afterthought in Calvinist apologetics.

Let's start with Jesus' declaration of freedom that awaits all believers:

John 8:36 Therefore if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.

So since each and everyone of us are composed of mind, heart, and will then all of those components will be set free by the Son of God.

But free in what sense and how does that fit in with the fact that Christ has both a human will and a divine will? In John 6:38, Christ exhibits what it truly means to possess a human free will through the many times he synergistically aligned his human will with his divine will. In similar fashion, we need to align our will to God's will, through God's Grace of course, for us to truly possess the free will to do good.

John 6:38 For I came down from Heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.

Calvinists, on the other hand disregard Christology and attempt to philosophically reduce man down from human beings to human wills. Our human will is one of many faculties that God has graced us with as humans. We possess faculties of mind, heart, conscience, volition, etc... and each one has its own unquestionable importance. We are human beings, not human willings. As such our will should be placed alongside everything else that makes us human and not to overwhelm what it means to be human.

 

[civic]

Calvinism is antithetical to Christology in multiple ways. For example, a book can be written on how Calvinism misrepresent what is Biblically encapsulated for one to be positioned "in Christ" and therefore to be justified, predestined, known by God, elected onto salvation, etc... In this thread, I'd like to concentrate on the popular question concerning man's "free will". Calvinists adamantly scream that there is no such thing as free will. Let's take a moment here and ask ourselves how should we best approach this subject? Should we do what Calvinists do which is to bypass Christology and focus in on their philosophical and rational opinions? Or should we appeal to Christ's Life and see how He handled his human and divine wills? Obviously let's appeal to Christology, which is an afterthought in Calvinist apologetics.

Let's start with Jesus' declaration of freedom that awaits all believers:

John 8:36 Therefore if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.

So since each and everyone of us are composed of mind, heart, and will then all of those components will be set free by the Son of God.

But free in what sense and how does that fit in with the fact that Christ has both a human will and a divine will? In John 6:38, Christ exhibits what it truly means to possess a human free will through the many times he synergistically aligned his human will with his divine will. In similar fashion, we need to align our will to God's will, through God's Grace of course, for us to truly possess the free will to do good.

John 6:38 For I came down from Heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.

Calvinists, on the other hand disregard Christology and attempt to philosophically reduce man down from human beings to human wills. Our human will is one of many faculties that God has graced us with as humans. We possess faculties of mind, heart, conscience, volition, etc... and each one has its own unquestionable importance. We are human beings, not human willings. As such our will should be placed alongside everything else that makes us human and not to overwhelm what it means to be human.

Excellent OP and welcome to our new and improved, user friendly forum . Good to see you my old friend, not that you are old

 

[e v e]

Calvinism is antithetical to Christology in multiple ways. For example, a book can be written on how Calvinism misrepresent what is Biblically encapsulated for one to be positioned "in Christ" and therefore to be justified, predestined, known by God, elected onto salvation, etc... In this thread, I'd like to concentrate on the popular question concerning man's "free will". Calvinists adamantly scream that there is no such thing as free will. Let's take a moment here and ask ourselves how should we best approach this subject? Should we do what Calvinists do which is to bypass Christology and focus in on their philosophical and rational opinions? Or should we appeal to Christ's Life and see how He handled his human and divine wills? Obviously let's appeal to Christology, which is an afterthought in Calvinist apologetics.

Let's start with Jesus' declaration of freedom that awaits all believers:

John 8:36 Therefore if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.

So since each and everyone of us are composed of mind, heart, and will then all of those components will be set free by the Son of God.

But free in what sense and how does that fit in with the fact that Christ has both a human will and a divine will? In John 6:38, Christ exhibits what it truly means to possess a human free will through the many times he synergistically aligned his human will with his divine will. In similar fashion, we need to align our will to God's will, through God's Grace of course, for us to truly possess the free will to do good.

John 6:38 For I came down from Heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.

Calvinists, on the other hand disregard Christology and attempt to philosophically reduce man down from human beings to human wills. Our human will is one of many faculties that God has graced us with as humans. We possess faculties of mind, heart, conscience, volition, etc... and each one has its own unquestionable importance. We are human beings, not human willings. As such our will should be placed alongside everything else that makes us human and not to overwhelm what it means to be human.

I think Christ had His will even while in this horrid flesh body.

The carnal mind = the human will. So..

 

[TedT]

The conundrum:
a free will is an absolute necessity for us to be truly guilty for our sins, for us to be able to become holy and for the heavenly marriage based upon love to actually exist.

Yet, no sinner can have a free will or the words enslaved (addicted) to sin have no meaning and are essentially useless babbel.

Therefore, it seems like we can only have had a free will before we sinned and, if we chose to sin, after our perfect sanctification unto pure hoiness when we are made ready for the Heavenly Mariage.

A free will must be free from all coercions from any source; a corrupted will is coerced by sinfulness to continue to sin in some way with every decision. Sanctification is not the process of HIM zapping us so we are now newly addicted to holiness with no power to sin. It is the process by which HE teaches us to always choose right over wrong and to do right because we now want to do it against what we used to want to do. WE learn to exchange the pleasures and profits of sin for the eternal pleasures and profits of always choosing the loving, righteous and just way.

 

[synergy]

The conundrum:
a free will is an absolute necessity for us to be truly guilty for our sins, for us to be able to become holy and for the heavenly marriage based upon love to actually exist.

Yet, no sinner can have a free will or the words enslaved (addicted) to sin have no meaning and are essentially useless babbel.

Therefore, it seems like we can only have had a free will before we sinned and, if we chose to sin, after our perfect sanctification unto pure hoiness when we are made ready for the Heavenly Mariage.

A free will must be free from all coercions from any source; a corrupted will is coerced by sinfulness to continue to sin in some way with every decision. Sanctification is not the process of HIM zapping us so we are now newly addicted to holiness with no power to sin. It is the process by which HE teaches us to always choose right over wrong and to do right because we now want to do it against what we used to want to do. WE learn to exchange the pleasures and profits of sin for the eternal pleasures and profits of always choosing the loving, righteous and just way.

We possess many more faculties than our volitional faculty and the word of God is effectual for those who believe. If you combine our conscientious, emotional, logical, volitional faculties with the effectual word of God, that is one strong recipe for belief to precede salvation by regeneration.

In other words, I would be hesitent to put all my cards on my will and force it to carry the entire load by itself. Our other faculties must be brought into view too.

 

[synergy]

I think Christ had His will even while in this horrid flesh body.

The carnal mind = the human will. So..

Christ is the Way. If his human will is not carnal then, if we conform ourselves to Him, neither will be our human will. In other words, by conforming ourselves to Christ is how our will becomes a free will.

 

[e v e]

The conundrum:
a free will is an absolute necessity for us to be truly guilty for our sins, for us to be able to become holy and for the heavenly marriage based upon love to actually exist.

Yet, no sinner can have a free will or the words enslaved (addicted) to sin have no meaning and are essentially useless babbel.

Therefore, it seems like we can only have had a free will before we sinned and, if we chose to sin, after our perfect sanctification unto pure hoiness when we are made ready for the Heavenly Mariage.

A free will must be free from all coercions from any source; a corrupted will is coerced by sinfulness to continue to sin in some way with every decision. Sanctification is not the process of HIM zapping us so we are now newly addicted to holiness with no power to sin. It is the process by which HE teaches us to always choose right over wrong and to do right because we now want to do it against what we used to want to do. WE learn to exchange the pleasures and profits of sin for the eternal pleasures and profits of always choosing the loving, righteous and just way.

except words like efficacious are terminology not simple words He uses...

so.. cringeworthy.

 

[e v e]

Christ is the Way. If his human will is not carnal then, if we conform ourselves to Him, neither will be our human will. In other words, by conforming ourselves to Christ is how our will becomes a free will.

Christ' will is His will.

He only volunteered to come here to this prison planet and wear this abomination - the ape body - to save us from it.

It's not who He is, and was Never His Nature.

 

[Martha]

Christ is the Way. If his human will is not carnal then, if we conform ourselves to Him, neither will be our human will. In other words, by conforming ourselves to Christ is how our will becomes a free will.

That is how I envision it with us.

 

[synergy]

Christ' will is His will.

He only volunteered to come here to this prison planet and wear this abomination - the ape body - to save us from it.

It's not who He is, and was Never His Nature.

In John 6:38, when Jesus mentions "My own will", is He referring to His divine will or to His human will?

John 6:38 For I came down from Heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.

 

[e v e]

In John 6:38, when Jesus mentions "My own will", is He referring to His divine will or to His human will?

John 6:38 For I came down from Heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.

He is not double minded. He only listens to His Will (God's).

The human will is what we will be freed of forever, which is the natural man, flesh.

 

[synergy]

He is not double minded. He only has His Will.

The human will is what we will be freed of forever, which is the natural man, flesh.

I'm sorry but the fact is that monothelitism strikes at the very core of Christology. I respectfully highly advise you to research the implications of monothelitism.

 

[e v e]

I'm sorry but the fact is that monothelitism strikes at the very core of Christology. I respectfully highly advise you to research the implications of monothelitism.

I don't know what that is.

 

[e v e]

The own will, the self, got us into this quagmire. The own will is the carnal mind.

Christ was not in that mind.

 

[e v e]

Looked it up. I don't deny Christ took a huge step Down - for us - and was in this horrid human fleshbody for a time.

 

[e v e]

I'm sorry but the fact is that monothelitism strikes at the very core of Christology. I respectfully highly advise you to research the implications of monothelitism.

By His will I meant He is like His Father and listens to the father. Not to the natural man type of will.

 

[synergy]

By His will I meant He is like His Father and listens to the father. Not to the natural man type of will.

Yes, Jesus aligns his human will to the will of His Father (Divine will). In similar fashion, our human will is not to be disgarded but needs to be aligned/transfigured with God's divine will.

 

[e v e]

Yes, Jesus aligns his human will to the will of His Father (Divine will). In similar fashion, our human will is not to be disgarded but needs to be aligned/transfigured with God's divine will.

Christs being human now, in His resurrection body, is only in the before the fall context eden paradise sense of what human meant then, before sin... the type of body and nature made by God in paradise in the other reality where eden was.

The current type of being human in this current body is after the fall and before our Change and return to paradise --- thus, sin nature -- the corrupt body and nature resulting from the fall.

 

[e v e]

we are not in the original Nature God made and declared Good.

 

[synergy]

Christs being human now, in His resurrection body, is only in the before the fall context eden paradise sense of what human meant then, before sin... the type of body and nature made by God in paradise in the other reality where eden was.

Christ, specifically, as both fully human and fully divine, now has His transfigured human body (with all other human attributes such as human will) in emblazened heavenly radiant light, in the very abode of His Father.

The current type of being human in this current body is after the fall and before our Change and return to paradise --- thus, sin nature -- the corrupt body and nature resulting from the fall.

Yes. Specifically us, we are not resurrected yet. Once we are resurrected then all our human features (body, mind, will) will not be disgarded but will be spiritually transformed.