What is freewill?

[TonyChanYT]

I know that I have my freewill. I can sense it. OT mentions it in Exodus 35:

29 All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the LORD freewill offerings for all the work the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do.

The Bible assumes the existence of freewill. 1 Corinthians 7 talks about freedom and will:

37 But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing.

A similar concept is expressed in (BSB) Philemon 1:

14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness will not be out of compulsion, but by your own free will.

On the other hand, Paul talks of God's influencing our will in Philippians 2:

13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Ephesians 1:

5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will/

Our freewill is a faculty/organ in our brain that does the choosing when presented with some alternatives. It is up to us to choose. The term freewill however is a bit misleading as if it is absolutely free from all factors and influences. Alternatively, instead of "freewill", one can speak of "sovereign will" or "independent volition". I have my volitional faculty. That's what I call my freewill.

Is there freewill in heaven?

Yes, I will still possess my own volitional faculty or independent volition.

By my definition, the volition organ is part of the soul, and the soul is formed when God's breath (spirit) interacted with the body. According to this definition, AIs do not have a freewill unless God breathes on them.

 

[Randy Kluth]

I know that I have my freewill. I can sense it. OT mentions it in Exodus 35:


The Bible assumes the existence of freewill. 1 Corinthians 7 talks about freedom and will:


A similar concept is expressed in (BSB) Philemon 1:


On the other hand, Paul talks of God's influencing our will in Philippians 2:


Ephesians 1:


Our freewill is a faculty/organ in our brain that does the choosing when presented with some alternatives. It is up to us to choose. The term freewill however is a bit misleading as if it is absolutely free from all factors and influences. Alternatively, instead of "freewill", one can speak of "sovereign will" or "independent volition". I have my volitional faculty. That's what I call my freewill.

Is there freewill in heaven?

Yes, I will still possess my own volitional faculty or independent volition.

By my definition, the volition organ is part of the soul, and the soul is formed when God's breath (spirit) interacted with the body. According to this definition, AIs do not have a freewill unless God breathes on them.

Yes, I agree. In my own explanation for this I would say that God's sovereignty set up a set of options available for every individual in any decision he has to make. God does not lose control when a person makes his or her own independent choice--that choice is automatically governed by God's sense of justice. It is God's justice that renders any decision we make a result of God's sovereign control.

God makes the rules by which every decision is made and has an outcome for any possible decision. And so, everything remains under God's sovereign control. He is allowing people to make their own independent choices, based on His own rules for doing this.

It is thought that God loses power of sovereignty the minute He does not control how a person will choose, or He loses omniscience the minute He is unable to tell whether someone will make one choice or another. But apparently that is not true, since God is indeed in control over everything.

He simply yields men their choices, controlling the conditions under which they can make one choice or another. Whatever choice they make He anticipates the *result* of how they choose. This fully anticipates any possible outcome, and whatever is chosen falls within God's ultimate control of justice.

Controlling what a choice leads to, in terms of God's justice, indicates God has always had control. Even yielding a decision to another is not losing control of any result when it falls completely within God's determination of outcomes for each possible choice.

I can conceive of a mathematical formula to prove this, but I'm not smart enough. Let's say God provides you with a house that has only 3 rooms. The rooms are different and the choice of each room has a different outcome. But whatever choice you make the choice will still result in zero, as if R/1 + 1 x 0 = 0 and R/2 + 2 x 0 = 0 and R/3 + 3 x 0 = 0. Each room adds a different variable, but the result is always 0.

Whatever choice we make God has anticipated a result which means the end always winds up what God had anticipated from the beginning, regardless of the choice. The "0" value is God's judgment, which is a constant, no matter what the choice is, no matter what its consequence is.

Let's make this more practical. God gives you the choice to live for Christ, to live for Self, or to live sometimes for Christ and sometimes for Self. In each choice God's judgment determines the result will bring about the same judgment value, determined by the same basis for judgment.

To live for Christ will result in God's justice determining the reward of Eternal Life. To live for Self will result in God's justice determining the reward of Eternal Death. The choice for a mix of Christ and Self will result in God's justice determining the reward of Eternal Death. The degree of eternal consequence in the punishment is determined by the proportion of choice for Christ and choice for Self.

In all cases, the same measure of justice in God determines an outcome that God's justice, from the beginning, has determined for each choice. God allows for choice, but the choices given belong to God and the results are always anticipated by God. Yet we are indeed allowed to make free choices.

But another issue to govern how God anticipates who will make what choices is another matter entirely. The kinds of influences free men are allowed to make upon others influences how they will choose.

 

[ScottA]

I know that I have my freewill. I can sense it. OT mentions it in Exodus 35:


The Bible assumes the existence of freewill. 1 Corinthians 7 talks about freedom and will:


A similar concept is expressed in (BSB) Philemon 1:


On the other hand, Paul talks of God's influencing our will in Philippians 2:


Ephesians 1:


Our freewill is a faculty/organ in our brain that does the choosing when presented with some alternatives. It is up to us to choose. The term freewill however is a bit misleading as if it is absolutely free from all factors and influences. Alternatively, instead of "freewill", one can speak of "sovereign will" or "independent volition". I have my volitional faculty. That's what I call my freewill.

Is there freewill in heaven?

Yes, I will still possess my own volitional faculty or independent volition.

By my definition, the volition organ is part of the soul, and the soul is formed when God's breath (spirit) interacted with the body. According to this definition, AIs do not have a freewill unless God breathes on them.

What most miss in considering such things as freewill, is that all things were actually acted upon "in the twinkling of an eye" "before the foundation of the world"...and this is merely the reading of the "will."

History is not a timeline, it's a storyline...of all that was before the foundation of the world.

Meaning, yes, we had our freewill...and this is it made manifest. "After this the judgement."

 

[Aunty Jane]

What most miss in considering such things as freewill, is that all things were actually acted upon "in the twinkling of an eye" "before the foundation of the world"...and this is merely the reading of the "will."

What I find is that so many misinterpret the phrase “before the foundation of the world” to mean the creation of the material universe, when it literally mean the foundation of the human race descended from Adam and his wife.

The Greek term (ka·ta·bo·leʹ) for “founding” can refer to human conception and the subsequent birth of children. “Ka·ta·bo·leʹ” literally means “a throwing down [of seed]” and at Hebrews 11:11, may be rendered “conceive”. Its use there evidently refers to Abraham’s ‘throwing down’ human seed for the begetting of a son with Sarah.

Therefore “the founding of the world” should not be taken to mean the beginning of the creation of the material universe, nor does the expression “before the founding of the world”, refer to a point of time prior to the creation of the material universe. (Eph 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20)
Rather, these expressions evidently relate to the time when the human race was ‘founded’ through the first human pair, Adam and Eve, who, outside of Eden, began to conceive seed and produce children that could benefit from God’s provisions for deliverance from inherited sin. (Rom 5:12)

God did not plan the fall of mankind, but as soon as it took place, he implemented a plan of action in the coming of the “seed” who would rescue Adam’s children.

History is not a timeline, it's a storyline...of all that was before the foundation of the world.

For Jehovah, it is a knowing of what will transpire in all circumstances, and being prepared to address them in advance that allows him to act for the benefit of all. God does not change history, he foretells it. It’s not a story…it is history written in advance….a lot of what we call prophesy…the very first one addressed what happened in Eden, before children were born to our first parents. (Genesis 3:15)

Meaning, yes, we had our freewill...and this is it made manifest. "After this the judgement."

Free will was a precious gift, given in good faith, because if the humans and the original rebel had simply obeyed the will of their Creator, instead of their own, none of the tragedy that plagues the human race, would ever have happened. We would never have known what an evil thing was…..but since the humans chose to obey a ‘wannabe god‘ instead of their rightful Sovereign, he allowed them to see exactly where misused free will would take them…..and here we are, right on the brink of the conclusion that God also foretold….the end of wickedness and all who practice it, in it’s many forms. He will then re-establish his original purpose for the human race. (Isaiah 65:17, 20-25; Isaiah 55:11)

At the creation of man, we had to opportunity to live the life that God HAD planned for the humans he placed here….but because of misusing their free will for selfish reasons, we were robbed of it until the life lesson is finished.
At its conclusion…..what have we learned?

 

[Rockerduck]

Not according to these scriptures.

Proverbs 16:9 - A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 19:21 - You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.
Jeremiah 10:22 - I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.

 

[Aunty Jane]

Not according to these scriptures.

Proverbs 16:9 - A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

Only if he obeys the Lord of his own free will….

Proverbs 19:21 - You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

With us or without us….he will not stop us making our plans or mistakes.

Jeremiah 10:22 - I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.

But it doesn’t mean we don’t have the ability…we just don’t have the right to plan anything in opposition to God’s will. He is the one who should tell us how to live….we don’t get to dictate to him what we will do with the life he gifted to us.

You read what you want to see….God does not interfere with our exercise of free will…otherwise he would have prevented what took place in Eden…..satan would not have tempted Eve, and Eve would not have tempted Adam to partake of the fruit, stolen from their Sovereign as he claimed that tree as his own property.

Your knowledge of scripture is very selective and badly interpreted…..IMO.

 

[TonyChanYT]

Not according to these scriptures.

Proverbs 16:9 - A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 19:21 - You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.
Jeremiah 10:22 - I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.

Can you quote my words and contradict them?

 

[ScottA]

What I find is that so many misinterpret the phrase “before the foundation of the world” to mean the creation of the material universe, when it literally mean the foundation of the human race descended from Adam and his wife.

The Greek term (ka·ta·bo·leʹ) for “founding” can refer to human conception and the subsequent birth of children. “Ka·ta·bo·leʹ” literally means “a throwing down [of seed]” and at Hebrews 11:11, may be rendered “conceive”. Its use there evidently refers to Abraham’s ‘throwing down’ human seed for the begetting of a son with Sarah.

Therefore “the founding of the world” should not be taken to mean the beginning of the creation of the material universe, nor does the expression “before the founding of the world”, refer to a point of time prior to the creation of the material universe. (Eph 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20)
Rather, these expressions evidently relate to the time when the human race was ‘founded’ through the first human pair, Adam and Eve, who, outside of Eden, began to conceive seed and produce children that could benefit from God’s provisions for deliverance from inherited sin. (Rom 5:12)

God did not plan the fall of mankind, but as soon as it took place, he implemented a plan of action in the coming of the “seed” who would rescue Adam’s children.

It doesn't matter.

The problem is not that it is a misinterpretation of the definition of a word ("katabole") in the passage "before "the foundation" of the world", but rather that the entire matter is an event of God and thus the same yesterday, today, and forever, and not actually an event of this world per se or even an event on this historical timeline, because this world was not even created "before" it was "created." Meaning, that by any definition, the context does not apply to this world.

 

[ScottA]

For Jehovah, it is a knowing of what will transpire in all circumstances, and being prepared to address them in advance that allows him to act for the benefit of all. God does not change history, he foretells it. It’s not a story…it is history written in advance….a lot of what we call prophesy…the very first one addressed what happened in Eden, before children were born to our first parents. (Genesis 3:15)

No.

There is no "Jehovah...will" in "I AM."

Your whole line of conjecture is out of context.

 

[ScottA]

Free will was a precious gift, given in good faith, because if the humans and the original rebel had simply obeyed the will of their Creator, instead of their own, none of the tragedy that plagues the human race, would ever have happened. We would never have known what an evil thing was…..but since the humans chose to obey a ‘wannabe god‘ instead of their rightful Sovereign, he allowed them to see exactly where misused free will would take them…..and here we are, right on the brink of the conclusion that God also foretold….the end of wickedness and all who practice it, in it’s many forms. He will then re-establish his original purpose for the human race. (Isaiah 65:17, 20-25; Isaiah 55:11)

At the creation of man, we had to opportunity to live the life that God HAD planned for the humans he placed here….but because of misusing their free will for selfish reasons, we were robbed of it until the life lesson is finished.
At its conclusion…..what have we learned?

No.

Again--your whole narrative is out of context. Your statements and understanding are all worldly based--not of God, but of this world, of which His kingdom is not.

There is no "was" except what was "before the foundation of the world." Time is an illusion that was "created"--"before the foundation of the world." And what "was" was no accident, but rather the revelation of what was "before the foundation of the world" as the words of a book written "before the foundation of the world" only now being read as a testimony before the judgement.

 

[Ronald Nolette]

I know that I have my freewill. I can sense it. OT mentions it in Exodus 35:


The Bible assumes the existence of freewill. 1 Corinthians 7 talks about freedom and will:


A similar concept is expressed in (BSB) Philemon 1:


On the other hand, Paul talks of God's influencing our will in Philippians 2:


Ephesians 1:


Our freewill is a faculty/organ in our brain that does the choosing when presented with some alternatives. It is up to us to choose. The term freewill however is a bit misleading as if it is absolutely free from all factors and influences. Alternatively, instead of "freewill", one can speak of "sovereign will" or "independent volition". I have my volitional faculty. That's what I call my freewill.

Is there freewill in heaven?

Yes, I will still possess my own volitional faculty or independent volition.

By my definition, the volition organ is part of the soul, and the soul is formed when God's breath (spirit) interacted with the body. According to this definition, AIs do not have a freewill unless God breathes on them.

Free will is that innate ability to obey god! volition, though a term used synonymously is different in that it is the abilty to make choices in everyday living like what to eat, wear etc.

Mankind lost his freewill at the fall of Adam. we regain our freewill when born again. Only believers can choose to obey or disobey God.

 

[brightfame52]

Man has a will but unfortunately its not free from our sinful nature, its governed by it. Eph 2:3-3

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Man and our will, heart, mind etc is by nature dead in sin, hence a slave or servant to sin, even the most moral and religious and sincere,

 

[Hobie]

Man has a will but unfortunately its not free from our sinful nature, its governed by it. Eph 2:3-3

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Man and our will, heart, mind etc is by nature dead in sin, hence a slave or servant to sin, even the most moral and religious and sincere,

I think you have come closest to the mark in your post my brother, as the bondage of sin directs us in the wrong path. We have to choose and turn to God so He will direct our path..

 

[brightfame52]

I think you have come closest to the mark in your post my brother, as the bondage of sin directs us in the wrong path. We have to choose and turn to God so He will direct our path..

You cant, you cant go against or choose against what you are by nature. Thats like saying a meat eating lion can change his nature and chose to eat salad instead. For him to desire a salad instead of a zebra steak is against his nature, he cant will to do that.

 

[Robert Pate]

You cant, you cant go against or choose against what you are by nature. Thats like saying a meat eating lion can change his nature and chose to eat salad instead. For him to desire a salad instead of a zebra steak is against his nature, he cant will to do that.

Hogwash. Your post slanders the Holy Spirit. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to transform an unbeliever into a new creation in Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:17. "And that you have put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Ephesians 4:24.

 

[Robert Pate]

Free will is that innate ability to obey god! volition, though a term used synonymously is different in that it is the abilty to make choices in everyday living like what to eat, wear etc.

Mankind lost his freewill at the fall of Adam. we regain our freewill when born again. Only believers can choose to obey or disobey God.

Man did not lose his free will in the fall. What he lost was his relationship with God.

 

[Ronald Nolette]

Man did not lose his free will in the fall. What he lost was his relationship with God.

Well I look at what Paul tells us in gods word and it clearly says the unsaved man cannot please god, nor can the unsaved man understand the things of God, and that the unsaved man is a slave to sin.

 

[brightfame52]

Hogwash. Your post slanders the Holy Spirit. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to transform an unbeliever into a new creation in Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:17. "And that you have put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Ephesians 4:24.

Man by nature is sinful, his nature is sinful and controls his will Eph 2:2-3

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

 

[laBonhomme]

Man by nature is sinful, his nature is sinful and controls his will Eph 2:2-3

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

You live in Canada, and you don't even know that "Freewill" is a song by Rush? What kind of Canadian doesn't even listen to Rush, are you in that country legally, or are you just a migrant?

 

[Zao is life]

I know that I have my freewill. I can sense it. OT mentions it in Exodus 35:


The Bible assumes the existence of freewill. 1 Corinthians 7 talks about freedom and will:


A similar concept is expressed in (BSB) Philemon 1:


On the other hand, Paul talks of God's influencing our will in Philippians 2:


Ephesians 1:


Our freewill is a faculty/organ in our brain that does the choosing when presented with some alternatives. It is up to us to choose. The term freewill however is a bit misleading as if it is absolutely free from all factors and influences. Alternatively, instead of "freewill", one can speak of "sovereign will" or "independent volition". I have my volitional faculty. That's what I call my freewill.

Is there freewill in heaven?

Yes, I will still possess my own volitional faculty or independent volition.

By my definition, the volition organ is part of the soul, and the soul is formed when God's breath (spirit) interacted with the body. According to this definition, AIs do not have a freewill unless God breathes on them.

To me freewill simply means that man, who was created in the image and likeness of God, has the ability to choose between one thing and another. That's why Jesus said,
​

He who believes on Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil.
-- John 3:18-19.

The word "rather" in the words "Loved darkness rather than light" implies the will of man leading to choice.

So we are not free to reject our Creator without there being any consequences, just because we have that ability. There are consequences to what we choose to do with our will.​