James 1:12-15 YLT
12) Happy the man who doth endure temptation, because, becoming approved, he shall receive the crown of the life, which the Lord did promise to those loving Him.
13) Let no one say, being tempted—'From God I am tempted,' for God is not tempted of evil, and Himself doth tempt no one,
14) and each one is tempted, by his own desires being led away and enticed,
15) afterward the desire having conceived, doth give birth to sin, and the sin having been perfected, doth bring forth death.
God is not on the one hand telling man not to sin, that He doesn't want us to sin, that He commands us to resist sin, that the way to be happy is to not give in, and then on the other had secretly pleased by man's sin filfulling God's own secret desire.
Again, this is blasphemy, and you charge God with sin. Pharoah made his choices, and God confirmed him in those choices. But God did not create humanity for the purpose that it would become corrupted by sin. Though He knew it would.
It's the height of love, really, to allow others to make their own choices. God created Adam capable of making choices, and God gave him choices to make. And the choice Adam made was his choice, and God allowed that.
So when Adam made that terrible choice to eat from that tree, God gave him the consequences of that choice. True love gives true liberty and respects the outcome of that liberty. And God's amazing true love was to enter into our world Himself to provide us a way back to Him. Knowing all the time that any being created is not the same as the Creator, and that He would need to rescue us from ourselves, while still allowing us to make choices.
I don't see how things could be any other way. God wants those who are to be His family, but not to love Him because that's what He created, to love Him because we of ourselves do. That requires choice. True choice has true consequence. That's the Love of God.
Much love!
Dear marks,
You said:
God is not on the one hand telling man not to sin, that He doesn't want us to sin, that He commands us to resist sin, that the way to be happy is to not give in, and then on the other had secretly pleased by man's sin filfulling God's own secret desire.
The Old Covenant of Law was given to the Nation of Israel to be our schoolmaster which will led us to Christ.
God knew in advance that Israel would not be able to follow the Law, but He told them to follow it anyway. God knew that He had made mankind in such a way that would be impossible for Israel to keep the Law. When a person comes to this same realization that they cannot keep the Law, that knowledge will lead them to Christ and His works. Christ's works are
spiritual works which will change a person from "within" to be like Him (who does keep the Law).
If God didn't tell us His laws and tell us to follow them, how would mankind know that they have no ability to do so?
You said:
It's the height of love, really, to allow others to make their own choices. God created Adam capable of making choices, and God gave him choices to make. And the choice Adam made was his choice, and God allowed that.
There are ZERO scriptures which teach this false doctrine. If God were to allow all mankind to simply make their own choices, no man would ever be saved because no man would ever come to Christ and accept Him as Lord.
Rom 3:10 As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
1Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Because no man is able to come to Christ on their own accord, Christ was sent by the Father to come to us. When Christ decides it is time for Him to come to a person, He will come to them and give them the
Early Rain of the Spirit. It is the Spirit that gives them their faith and their "will" to accept Christ as their Lord.
1Cor 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit.
Unless Christ gives this gift of the Spirit to a person, no amount of preaching to them is ever going to cause them to accept Christ as their Lord. And after Christ gives a person the Spirit (even just the small amount of the Early Rain), they will no longer be able to reject Christ. This is the only way that a person becomes a believer. It does not happen by a person's supposed free will ability to make the right choice. It happens solely because of the spiritual work of Christ which changes their heart and mind. The individual has no say in the matter.
You said:
I don't see how things could be any other way. God wants those who are to be His family, but not to love Him because that's what He created, to love Him because we of ourselves do. That requires choice. True choice has true consequence. That's the Love of God.
Your comments come from the reasonings of the carnal mind and not from God's Word.
Christ is in the business of changing the hearts and minds of mankind. Unless He does this work within a person, no one would ever be saved. You are mixing you own works (Old Covenant) with the works of Christ (New Covenant). When a believer does this mixing, they are trying to serve TWO masters (Christ and Satan) and have committed the one and only sin that leads to death (loss of salvation).
Consider what Christ said below using the spirit word "wine":
Luke 5:39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.
The Old wine represents the Old Covenant where man attempts to make himself righteous by his own works. This is more commonly called
religion and is what the carnal mind of man prefers.
After Christ gives a person the Early Rain of the Spirit, they will have a measure of faith but they will remain carnally minded. In this carnal condition, they will still prefer the Old Wine (Old Covenant/religion). After Christ comes to the person a second time and gives them the Latter Rain of the Spirit, they will finally prefer the New Wine.
This scripture also applies:
Prov 23:27 For a whore (Great Harlot/man's carnal spirit) is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit. 28 She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men. 29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 30 They (unconverted babes) that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
Satan's lie which teaches a believer to mix the Old Wine with the New Wine is how Satan kills the saints and builds his apostate church. The Doctrine of Free Will is this lie's foundation and it "biteth like a serpent".
Joe
