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Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away…
See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.
But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish…I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live…. (Deut. 30:11–19)
"God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned." -- 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
"For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old, ordained to this condemnation." -- Jude 4
"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." -- 2 Timothy 1:9
"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate.... Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." -- Romans 8:29-30
"For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. .... For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?
Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction." -- Romans 9:11-22
Originally posted by AwakeinNM
Deleted.. Not sure what I'm trying to say...edit on 10-1-2013 by AwakeinNM because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by MyHappyDogShiner
I dunno....
I live my life one way,I go to heaven...
I live my life another way,I go to hell...
Gee whiz,that seems more like an ultimatum than free will.
Maybe I'm just crazy....
Originally posted by jhill76
reply to post by windword
Man does not have free will. There is only one really major choice that is given via free will, and that is choose to believe, or not believe.
Even then, it's all a perception of free will.
Originally posted by windword
Originally posted by jhill76
reply to post by windword
Man does not have free will. There is only one really major choice that is given via free will, and that is choose to believe, or not believe.
Even then, it's all a perception of free will.
Man has free will to believe what?
I do think that the God of the Old Testament was a liar.
How does this God present the question, "Do you believe in me?" Does he rely on the interpretations of him, from religious texts? Is there a specific text that he particularly identifies with, as a description of his nature, that we are free to believe or disbelieve?
Why is belief so important, that it would become our only freedom? Why doesn't he make his nature known, without ambiguity?