I agree about the wishy-washyness... we see it all the time ,even with professing Christians. However, the main problem here is this: Did Christ save man or simply make man saveable? If God came to save all men, and all men are not saved, then what happened?
~ God doesn't want to interfere with our free will
My question is what is your definition of free will? Let me put it to you this way. A bird with a broken wing is free to fly. No one is holding that bird down, or making it stay somewhere it doesnt want to. However, even though it is perfectly free to fly, it still cannot. Why? Because of its own natural ailment. This is mans 'free' will; broken by sin to the point where man cannot choose God. Our wills are not free; they are broken. Man has free agency, which means that God graciously allows him to operate in His world, but his will is another story.
~ "But that means God controls us! How is that fair?!?"
1.) we, as broken humans, can't even understand fair. Not really. We understand what we feel is fair, which again disproves free will. A 'free' will that can be and often is swayed by outside stimulants is not free; it is wishy-washy.
2.) How is it not fair. No, God does not force you to sin; he doesnt need to force you to do something you want to do anyways! And yes, He does allow us to operate in His world. But even if He did control us, by way of who He is, and simply by creation, He would be perfectly just in controlling even our very thought and wills. We belong to Him anyways!
~ But God doesn't want puppets!
And He doesn't get puppets. We sometimes forget that God is not just a giant human sitting on a giant throne. He literally thinks in another plain of existence. Try to hold a single thought without somehow tying it to time or space. Impossible. But for God, this is how he always has and will think; outside of time and space. To us, God allowing us to make choices and yet still control everything seems like a contradiction. THIS IS GOD!! Did pharaoh harden his heart, or did God? We say both, not because it is logically the correct answer, but because we understand that often times, God's ways are so above our own that we must accept there are somethings about God or that God does that we will never fully understand. Man's free agency and God's Soverignty are just one of the many mysteries of God. But, no mystery does not mean untruth. Yes, we are free to make choices and do things; and yes God is soverign. This is one of the many great mysteries of God that we must accept to truly understand who He is. Just beause you don't understand the mystery doen't mean you can claim it doesn't exsist, just because you think
"God would never!...."
HOW WOULD YOU KNOW? Are you God? No? Well then, I don't think that you are really qualified to claim to know what God would and wouldn't do.
~ Then, how can we even know the truth.
The Word of God. Period.
~ But there are verses about man chooooooooooooooooosing
this is where we must allow scripture to interpret scripture. Both are mentioned in the Bible, so both must be true. However, looking further than just the surface, we can see that many if not most of these are either God or someone else talking to Isreal or believers, whom God has already called unto salvation!!! So, with many of these so-called 'choose God' verses, we can see they are really saying 'God has choosen you, now make wise decisions!'
I hope this post will serve to help others better understand the wonderful system of theology that was documented during the reformation
