Ugh! The freewill debate again!
This was interesting though:
How many humans were there before the fall? If they could only choose good before the fall, how did the fall happen? I mean, didn't the fall happen because they chose something bad? How could they choose something bad if they hadn't fallen yet?
1. According to Creation story, there were 2 people
2. God was not the only 'good' thing - His Will was also good, which included his creation.
3. I think the Fall happened because they chose something good and used it badly.
4. They chose to follow their own will - this is how they became like God, but because they were not God and therefore, woefully ill equipped to be their own god; it was bad and led to death, not life. It would be similar to a child deciding to become President, but infinitely more tragic.
Aspen, when I think of this debate I tend to think of who chose who? Do we choose to follow God or does God choose us to follow him? I believe God called us. He wrote it in the nature of some to respond to his calling. We don't choose God. He chose us.
1. I believe that God chooses us.
2. We have a tendency to continue to use Gods good creation, which he willed into existence, for our own ends. We make idols out of false self/ego and follow it right into the grave, apart from Christ.
3. Thankfully, Christ intervened and provided us a saving relationship with Him, freeing us from the slavery of the false self. We don't have to be addicted to our opinions and desires any longer. We will wander off at times, but we can follow Christ's voice and turn back towards him and away from self.
But you have brought a different angle into the debate. Can we choose good instead of evil? I don't have a solid answer. I can say yes because he gave us the rulebook which is the Law. I can say no because there hasn't been anyone who has succeeded in keeping it aside from Jesus. And even he bent the rules a few times by the legalistic viewpoint.
1. It is not easy to understand! I am right there, with you! I just like to think about it.
2. I see it as a choice between acting selfishly or loving outwardly. If we understand that the law was made for us, not as our slavemaster, I think we can see how it can be fulfilled in Christ through living it out by loving outwardly. Where we went wrong with the law before Christ is that we made it an idol - and the craziest part of it for me is that we made it an idol for everyone else! In fact, we were still secretly following the Old Man, yet demanding fealty to the law from everyone else. Jesus was pure application of the law - and it must have been torturous to watch for people demanding external fealty to the law; especially because not one of them was able to follow it themselves.
Yes. We have freewill to choose good vs. Evil. But because we are in the flesh we will ultimately fail. We can do our best and encourage everyone to do so. But ultimately we will have NO CHOICE but to rely on Jesus and his sacrifice.
Agreed.