Predestination and Free Will

Predestination and Free Choice/Will © 2011 WF Cobb Truthbase.net DailyTruthbase.Blogspot.com       Hear the Audio on Truthbase.net

I. God gives people Choice to acknowledge truth and experience its benefits or live with the consequences of their disobedience

A. Sovereignty: God sets the rules/consequences. Gal 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
Foreknowledge: God has a plan. Dt 7 Predestination: God's determined certain things (to bless a group) Revelation/Reason/RealityTruth

Gen 1 Made in the Image of God, seen as exercising His will; Gen 2-3 God sovergnly gives Adam and Eve a choice/consequences Dt 18:10
Gen 4:7 If you do well, won't you be accepted? If you do not do well, sin...desire is for you, but you must rule over it. Gen 6 Noah/grieved
Gen 12-15, 22 choice of Abe, double blessing for obedience (Heb 11:8 faithful obedience; would not have gotten if disobey) Anger >100x

B. God blesses or curses based upon the Choice to obey, which God motivates them to do. Ex to Dt-Nothing about fatalism (is fatal)
Num 13 Caleb, 25 Phinehas; God's goal is for people to eliminate evil (lack of goodness, not created/mandated, but allowed: our free choice)

Dt 1:26 you would not go up, but rebelled 29:25 Because they forsaken covenant 29 revealed belong to us...that we may do all the words of this law.

Dt 30:19 witnesses...have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your children
may live; 20 that you may love Yahweh your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life

Joshua God gives, but man has to get Jericho/Ai 6 started winning-Jericho, then lost-Ai; then won-Conquest; then lost-Judges... cf Rom 11
Josh 24:14 fear Yahweh, serve Him 15 if it seems evil to you to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves 16...forsake Yahweh to serve other gods
2Sam 7 David and descendents blessed or disciplined; 1Kg 10 Solomon; Isa 43:7, 21-23 Nation; Eph 3:21 Church

C. God pleads for people to repent (change their mind) and turn (obey) so He can bless, rather than curse them.
Pr 1:23 Turn at my rebuke; I will pour out my spirit on you;24 I have called and you refused,25 would have none of my rebuke...

Ezk 18:27 wicked man turns away...does right, he preserves himself alive. 28 Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways," says the Lord GOD. "Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!"

Mt 23:37 How often I wanted thelo to gather your children together, as a hen...but you were not willing thelo! Lk 13:34
Calls to discipleship Lk 9:23 He said to them all, "If anyone desires/wills to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 24 whoever desires to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life 26...ashamed of Me and My words,
Jn 3:16 whosoever will 1:7 witness...all might believe; 9 every man; 11 own didn't receive; 12 whoever; 13 “sourced” 16 all, 29 world

Acts 2:38 Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of JC for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the HS. Eph 1:13
Rm 2:4 do you despise the riches of His kindness...not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
1Tim 2:4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth.
2Pt 3:9 The Lord...is patient toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Heb 10:36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise (3:1,14)
Rev 2:21 I gave her time so that she might repent, and she does not wish to repent 22 tribulation...unless they repent of their deeds

II. Salvation different contexts (deliverance; justification/forgiveness; sanctification/holiness; glorification); ditto Choice/Elect/Select

#4309 Predestine=Pre+Determine Ac 4:28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.
Rm 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; justified; glorified. Note context of Rm 8 esp 8:1, and book.
1Cor 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,
Eph 1:5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by JC to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, (future Rm 8:23 Gal 4:6)
11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined acc to the purpose of Him who works all things acc to the counsel of His will,

Determine Lk 22:22; Ac 2:23;10:42; 17:31 Christ; Ac 11:29 disciples giving; Ac 17:26 boundaries; Rm 1:4 declared; Heb 4:7 judgment day
Foreknowledge=know+ahead 4267 Ac 26:5 Pharisees; Rm 11:2 His people; 1Pt 1:20 Christ 2Pt 3:17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;

Rm 8:20 Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

Questions for Reflection/Discussion/Response:
1. How are the Chosen People of the OT similar to the Saints of the NT? Why does God choose a special people? Dt 7:4-7
2. If God had predestined people to certain actions, why does He get grieved, angry, plead with them to repent. and rejoices/judges them?
3. Are individuals predestined to forgiveness? Heaven or hell? Blessing or cursing? What about groups/corporate?
4. Do you have a choice to obey or disobey God? What distinguishes someone under the control of sin or the Spirit? Rm 6
5. How does your understanding of God's word make a difference in your life? By what mechanism will you obey or sin?

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