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Free Will

JVan357

Registered User
A Gnostic in my midst? This should be a hoot! lol Once I return tonight I will begin a response. This could take a while. I'm not being serious at all, just debunking what some believe is Calvinism. This is not a debate nor am I being facetious or sarcastic in any way. I am only trying to explain Reformed Theology.

I am a Theology (UnderGrad) Graduate from Liberty U and a Seminarian majoring in Apologetics with a concentration in textual criticism. I attended a Baptist and Methodist college but quickly learned that those specific universities did NOT teach the WHOLE counsel of God. And so, after many years of being an Arminian believer, I became a Reformed. This doesn't make me a super expert, just wanted you all to know where I am coming from.

The great Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon said "We are all born Arminian, it's Grace that makes us Calvinists."
 

BryanMaloney

Premium Member
The decision maker always holds responsibility in direct proportion over his control of the decision. It is that simple.
 

BryanMaloney

Premium Member
As my Church (non-Arminian--Arminianism is Western) teaches, God has the power to select and decide all things. He freely chooses (for only God is free) to grant us a pale reflective measure of freedom to respond to His call. If we refuse to respond, it is upon us. We cannot choose to respond on our own merit, but God grants all the ability to choose to respond--such is Grace, given freely and without being earned. That being said, we still can repeat the first Adam. Even given Grace, we can still cast it away, ourselves, although nobody ELSE can take it from us. That is, while Grace cannot be taken from us, we can repudiate it, not because we have more power than God, but because God permits it. Why would God permit such worthless creatures to do such a thing, to refuse His unquestionably Holy Gift? Hrm, how to answer that? "His ways are not our ways."
 

JVan357

Registered User
If you can cast away grace then you can cast away the New Testament. I'm at work and will respond with scripture later. Also, if you call my response a "cop out" then you must know it came from the psalmist himself?
If you are going to get as offensive as I have read in your other threads then I will choose to end this conversation with you. It seems that you like to argue and not hold peaceful discourse. (Judging from your posts on several other threads) but....I am a flawed and sinful man so I hope you prove me incorrect.
 

JVan357

Registered User
As my Church (non-Arminian--Arminianism is Western) teaches, God has the power to select and decide all things. He freely chooses (for only God is free) to grant us a pale reflective measure of freedom to respond to His call. If we refuse to respond, it is upon us. We cannot choose to respond on our own merit, but God grants all the ability to choose to respond--such is Grace, given freely and without being earned. That being said, we still can repeat the first Adam. Even given Grace, we can still cast it away, ourselves, although nobody ELSE can take it from us. That is, while Grace cannot be taken from us, we can repudiate it, not because we have more power than God, but because God permits it. Why would God permit such worthless creatures to do such a thing, to refuse His unquestionably Holy Gift? Hrm, how to answer that? "His ways are not our ways."
"37 All those the Father gives me WILL come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose NONE of all those HE has given me, but raise them up at the last day." -John 6:37-39

Emphasis mine on the will, none and He
 

Isaih

Registered User
When you compare choices to free will then yes I can agree.

I read someone talk about predestination. I don't think fate (intervention) is the same as predestination. I don't subscribe to that but I do believe in fate. For today atleast, haha.

Rhetoric is definitely not my strong suit but pointwithinacircle laid out my way of thinking perfectly.

Seine talked about lack of freewill is lack of meaning. I disagree in that with the right spiritual well being and attitude anyone can have meaning in their life.

Please don't let me kill the conversation because I for one have learned a lot and contemplated a lot. I rather enjoy overthinking things!
Paul says "
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,"

I think we are spirit portals. And the lesson the "choice" Eve made was to trust (or love) god.
Because the moment she doubted him , in listening to the lie of the serpent, she invited the influence of that spirit.



If we genuinely had free will, I should imagine we would all be Alexander the Great by the time we were 25 years old.

I think Gnosticism is about fighting this slavery to the influence on us by the spirit world, by trying to take control of the serpent spirit. And thus attaining free will.
But it is all a lie, and you just become useful idiots to that serpent because he is more powerful than any man. And likes you not.

Therefore JMorris the difference between Superfly and just Fly is realising god does not force you to trust(or love) him, whereas the serpent treats you like a $2 whore.

We can imagine whatever we like, but only do what the spirits allow.
 
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Isaih

Registered User
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How does one treat such a women?
He gives you riches and power in this world,in accordance with his plan to challenge god again, riches and power that will turn to ashes in your mouth.

Or in other words, you'll get your $2,and the illusion of free will in that you may achieve great things, but once its spent you're left with nothing but a nasty coldsore
 
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Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
I hear what you saying "but" you do have the right to do the wrong thing, as far as fate is concerned the only thing that can not be changed is the past, and I would contradict my self almost but I will finish reading the other replies!!!
I agree. I think my future is predicated entirely by the decisions I make today (free will) and chance (things I can not control).
 

pointwithinacircle2

Rapscallion
Premium Member
That being said, let the fun & games begin!
1) Adam and Eve were not tossed because they ate the knowledge fruit. They were tossed for two specific reasons.
a) They were blaming someone else for their freewill choices and basically said that they did not want to be held to account for their choices. This made them both irresponsible and dangerous.
b) They might eat from the tree of life and therefore live for ever, and this would mean that irresponsible and dangerous and immortal people would be in his garden mucking it up and that was simply too intolerable for God to allow. Boot Time occurred very rapidly thereafter!​
This thread has been quiet for 8 weeks so I have no problem posting this, even if it is off topic.

Did anyone else notice that, prior to eating the fruit, God told Adan and Eve that if they ate the fruit they would die and Satan told them they would gain knowledge. So, God lied to them and Satan told them the truth. I have never heard an explanation of this point. Does anybody have one?​
 
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jjjjjggggg

Premium Member
Now that I think about it, I don't remember the subject of free will ever coming up in any of the numerous buddhist or taoist texts I've read. In fact, I'm not sure in any of the eastern traditions that I've studied and practiced that this was ever mentioned. The subject of free will has shown up more in the western traditions, even those predating Christianity (Greek philosophy), and in the western secular philosophies that show up later on. Hinduism, even with its rich and numerous texts don't really tackle the subject as much as I would have thought.

Of course, I guess since Buddhism stands on the side of "no-self" then the idea of free will would be moot.
 

coachn

Coach John S. Nagy
Premium Member
I am explainin' this issue like that:
1. The most important thing is that in humans there's existance of 2 things. 1 -- Body/mind. 2. Soul.
The problem is that there's no "proof" that -- "soul" is existing! Scientists cannot see it through microscope or sth. else.
Where is "soul"? Show me, please. Then, from that point, we don't have anythin' else, but -- BELIEVE.
This is the difference of humans from extraterrestrial civilizations.
We don't have only "mind", we have -- "soul".
And developin' of soul is related with -- BELIEVIN', and developin' of mind is goin' through -- KNOWLEDGE.
So, Adam & Eve, because of explained above, unfortunately made this "mistake" and made wrong "choice".
Cause, if they had -- ONLY BRAIN -- they wouldn't do that & did what God testamented to them. Like robots.
And, then all that began...
  1. The Body is time and space bound. It is physical and mortal.
  2. The Spirit is neither time nor space bound. It is non-physical and eternal.
  3. The Soul it the interface between the physical and the spiritual. It is created through their synergy. It is also their historical component and hence recordable and reportable. It is time and space bound and it is immortal.
 

coachn

Coach John S. Nagy
Premium Member
Thanks for the info. Sir.
So, you think that there's 3 sources(substances) in humans?
It's accordin' to what Teaching(religion)?
I do not think that there are three substances. I believe there are three aspects of man: Body, Soul (mind-emotion), Spirit

I understand this can be found within the Holy Scriptures.

REF: 1 Thessalonians 5:23 [New King James Version (NKJV)] -- Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
 
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