Part of their nature of being created to me = Free Will
Free will in man (or angel) is an illusion. Our choices are dependent upon our nature. Christ was Holy (Luke 1:35.) He did not sin. He is not able to sin.
Man was created "missing the mark" ("sin-
ful") and this why he sinned and disobeyed God. He was a sinner before the eating from the tree. He added to God's Word when he said, "neither shall ye touch it."
6 Add thou not unto his words,
Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Proverbs 30:6.
Adding to God's Word is a sin. Yet Christians do this daily.
God is not sitting back waiting to see who will "accept Jesus into their hearts" because man cannot do this and God is not obligated to obey any man who thinks they can change their nature or exert a will to have the Holy Spirit baptize them into the body of Christ. First Corinthians 15 describes the distinct differences between the first Adam and the last Adam. Sin comes from sinner; sin does not come from holy. Thus, man was created sin-ful ("missing the mark.") What is the "mark" missed?
The glory of God, or the glory
that is God.
Man is not a chicken , or a cheetah, or a leopard. A man was given a brain through which he reasons and understands. The animal kingdom , while acting as if they have Free Will by selective choice... such as a dove picking a mate for life, or my one pup who will always pull out the red ball, no matter how many different colors of the same ball there is is said to be working on mere instinct. Man, however has learned, by the time they areat minimum , middle age, what the consequences are for
certain choices they might make, either by sheer experience or by seeing and hearing from others.
We can choose vanilla or chocolate, the brown shirt, or the white shirt. But only Christ rules the spiritual realm. Man was created fallen short of the glory of God. The word for that is "sin." Therefore, man's choices come from a sinful nature.
13 As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: 1 Samuel 24:13a.
What you are talking about is called "instinct" and animals have instinct. It was instilled upon the animal world as part of their nature when God created them. Same thing with man. You think you have free will but that is an illusion. Our wills are only particular to our nature. Salvation is of the LORD. Salvation is of the Jews. One is given to a people; the other is the people receiving it. But the basis is covenant. God saves through covenant. And the only people that possess covenant are the Hebrew people. And within covenant the children of Israel can obey God or disobey God, and historically they have disobeyed God. But this is why God must do the saving because men cannot save themselves. They had no say in their being created or receiving covenant promises. Every man (or woman) in Scripture that had a positive relationship with God was called. But called within the confines of covenant. No one sought after He whom they could not see.
Yes, man certainly is made "less" or fallen short of the glory of God. So were the angels. But that does not mean those that
become reprobates have done so by merely being far less then God. I firmly believe the potential was instilled in us when God made the first brain... and breathed into Adam, which gave Him life.
They don't have to be reprobates. Being sinful is enough. The thing is man is part of the material creation. He has no power in the spiritual realm. Having a sinful nature means your choices are particular to sinful desires. But desires or not the sin nature is part of man in his creation just as Holy is part of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only did He not sin but was not able
to sin. Sin does not come from holy.
There is far too much in the four corners of the Holy Book to deny free will.
If we do not have it, there is only one other alternative... and it is not because of of being created "less" or fallen short of the glory of God... it would be as Isaiah 45:7
7 states
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. And that would mean we have zero choice in areas of our lives because the master puppeteer, Our Father in Heaven controls the strings.
There's no puppeteer, there's no robots. God merely set things in motion as created and He knew the end game/result. We do not have any say on spiritual matters. It's "Thy kingdom come, THY WILL BE DONE on earth as it is in heaven. God knows the end from the beginning because He's ordained the end.
You final paragraph here begs for comment but I have no time now. Perhaps later.
But in the meantime I would like to ask you if you believe that God's Sovereignty is all controlling?
God is Sovereign. But this doesn't mean He's controlling.
Also are you a full or partial preterist?
If you look at the myriad of definitions they, too, are all over the board.
Neither. I am a Biblical Christian.
Would you not feel comforted If, he is controlling everything... to know that that flat tire, or running out of gas were controlled.
I don't have to worry about things like that. Things that are eternal, THAT'S where I focus my thoughts.
The Gospel Coalition definition
Yes, "sovereign" means that God has supreme authority and control over all creation, governing everything according to His will. This concept is central to Christian theology, emphasizing that nothing happens outside of God's control.
Just one link from Christianity today....
If you were to look up the word sovereign in the dictionary, you would find words like superior, and greatest, but the way I like to define God’s sovereignty best is simply to say, “God is in control.”
www.christianity.com
If God is Sovereign, Did God Create Evil?
Watch Kay Arthur explain this complex question about how God in His sovereignty brings both prosperity and disaster.
“My husband and I have been through trials we never thought we’d go through. But we can walk in peace because we know that God is sovereign. And this God that sits on the throne, that creates good, that creates adversity; He is love.”
Billy Graham wrote the following
I know... there are those on here that truly detested that man.... but
“Does God determine everything that happens to us or can we make our own decisions regardless of what God would prefer we do in life? If he directs ou
billygraham.org
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
For centuries, theologians have disagreed about God’s absolute control over everything, others emphasizing our freedom to act on our own.
The reason they haven’t agreed is because the Bible teaches both God’s sovereignty and our human responsibility.
This may sound like a contradiction, but the Bible does not contradict itself; rather it says, “The entirety of [God’s] Word is truth” (Psalm 119:160).
It is unlikely that we’ll have a complete understanding of this until we get to Heaven. But until that day, we need to hold firmly to both truths:
God is in control of everything, but we’re also responsible for our actions. Why is this important?
No, there are things we can know. If it's revealed in Scripture, then they are for us and our children:
29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deut. 29:29.
Having commentaries and theology books are OK but unless you study for yourself then you're only regurgitating another man's bible study.
The Bible says, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:14, NLT).
God is working behind the scenes to accomplish His purposes. This is why prayer is so vital to living the Christian life and making decisions that are according to His will. The Psalmist wrote, “I delight to do Your will” (Psalm 40:8).
Correct.
Knowing God’s will is the highest of all wisdom. If we’re ignorant of God’s Word, we’ll be ignorant of God’s will. The greatest barrier is that we want to run our own lives. This battle is going on in our hearts between our wills and God’s will.
Just as God gave the first man, Adam, freedom to choose, so He’s given all people this same freedom. We’re not mere puppets. God’s desire is that we will seek His wisdom and obey His instruction. In this way, we can live the abundant life that He promises.
Find peace with God today.
Related Answers:
How do I live for God?
Why should we pray according to God’s will?
Are God's blessings tied to doing His will?
Is a 'no' from God really a blessing?
Now, I have to run.... I will be back hopefully.
The presence of "Thou shalt not" in the Garden is evidence man was sinful.
He wasn't even tempted. He chose based on the one thing.
Sin nature.
