Dan of Israel
Do Humans Have Free Will?
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The skeptic's confusion:

Yes.

“I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life.” Dt.30:19

No.

“And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” Acts 13:48

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate.... Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” Rom.8:29-30

“For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. .... For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? ... Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.” Rom.9:11-22

“He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” Eph.1:4-5

“God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned.” 2 Th.2:11-12

“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” 2 Tim.1:9

“For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation.” Jude 4

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Explanation:

This is indeed one of the most difficult issues for a Christian, let alone people of all faiths, to address. I will quote, from another writing, what my thoughts are on this-- which coincides and agrees with the Scripture above:

God operates outside the limits of space and time, but has the ability to work inside its framework. Because of this, God can see humanity as it unfolds from its full and complete existence, but He can interact with it anywhere He wants; in fact, there is not a moment where He doesn’t.

God chooses people on a simple capacity or display of faith. To deny this fact would not only contradict certain Scriptures, but not give man a choice of free will as we know it.

Free will is ultimately based on our finite view of the world and the cosmos; we cannot think beyond this framework because of how our minds were created to specifically fit in to this environment. Within these boundaries, we have all the freedom necessary, externally and internally, to make choices based on our desires and judgment. However, because God operates outside this system, He knows and controls how events will unfold, and makes necessary changes as He sees proper. Because we do not have the mind of God in the aforementioned breadth of conciousness, we do not have the necessary facts or ability of reasoning to consider this arrangement which Man finds himself in as fair or unfair.

God foreknows people because He created them; He knows them better than they know themselves. God knows who the elect are because He knows their heart and disposition, as well as how they will handle the trials and tests before them.

From birth, God sets Man in motion as He guides his actions when He sees fit."

"And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days... Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD." Genesis 49: 1, 16-18

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