Lets just see how God paints man in his sinful state post fall.
Jeremiah 13:23- Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.
above we see man can do nothing to change his condition no more than a man can change the color of his skin or the leopard his spots. The same with sin and scripture makes it clear in numerous places we were dead in our sins when Christ made us alive.
Rom. 3:10-12, "as it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one; 11 There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; 12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless. There is none who does good, there is not even one.’"
Romans 6:16- Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness?
2 Corinthians 1:9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead-
Only God can raise the dead to life, and we were dead in our sins when He made us alive.
John 3:3- No one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again.
Only the new birth which comes from God, not ourselves is how we can see His Kingdom.
John 1:13- children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.
John 5:21- For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.
John 3:27, "John answered and said, 'A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.'"
John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day."
John 6:65, "And He was saying, ‘For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.’"
Coming to Christ can only happen when He draws us and enables us to come, its impossible to come by our free will since we are slaves of sin, in bondage to sin, and sin is our master.
So IMHO free will does not exist until after we are born again then we have the capability to choose to sin or choose to obey God.
The free will debate will never be resolved on this side of heaven and most of us have our lines drawn in the sand with the issue.
hope this helps !!!
Jeremiah 13:23- Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.
above we see man can do nothing to change his condition no more than a man can change the color of his skin or the leopard his spots. The same with sin and scripture makes it clear in numerous places we were dead in our sins when Christ made us alive.
Rom. 3:10-12, "as it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one; 11 There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; 12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless. There is none who does good, there is not even one.’"
Romans 6:16- Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness?
2 Corinthians 1:9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead-
Only God can raise the dead to life, and we were dead in our sins when He made us alive.
John 3:3- No one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again.
Only the new birth which comes from God, not ourselves is how we can see His Kingdom.
John 1:13- children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.
John 5:21- For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.
John 3:27, "John answered and said, 'A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.'"
John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day."
John 6:65, "And He was saying, ‘For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.’"
Coming to Christ can only happen when He draws us and enables us to come, its impossible to come by our free will since we are slaves of sin, in bondage to sin, and sin is our master.
So IMHO free will does not exist until after we are born again then we have the capability to choose to sin or choose to obey God.
The free will debate will never be resolved on this side of heaven and most of us have our lines drawn in the sand with the issue.
hope this helps !!!
