This is really hard to explain, but I’ll try to answer your question. ” For if our will is totally “free”, and we love God and want to please Him all the time, then why do we sin?” The reason why we sin is because we are sinners. It’s our nature to sin. Even those who have been saved, still have sinned. As believers, it is our will to please the one who loved us so much that he suffered and died a horible death, was buried and rose from the dead to pay the price for our sins. But even though it is our will to please him, we still sin because it is our nature.

Since we now have Jesus living in us through the Holy Spirit, that sinful nature is now under control. Thus we no longer have a lifestyle of sin. However, we still ocassionally sin. But now we confess our sin and He is faithful and forgives our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

For if our will is totally “free”, and we love God and want to please Him all the time, then why do we sin?

I welcome your thoughts on this.

Sorry it took so long to repond. As you say, your views on predestination and election are vigorously debated by repectable theologians. I for one believe that God has choosen some of us as His elect. In other words I believe He says from the begining that these people are mine. These people are His elect. You can call this predestination. For everyone else, the door of salvation is open to “whomever will”.

This may seem strange to you and others because I have not heard anyone explain it quite like this. But this is what I believe and I’m sure this is an acceptable explanation as is your’s. I guess we won’t really know the answer until we get to heaven.

I also believe the way you do as to the question “Did Jesus die for the sins of everyone?” However, you said everyone is responsible for responding to the gospel. I simply call that response, a matter of our free will. We are not far apart Josh. I don’t think it’s necessary for us to agree on every secondary issue. But it is important that we agree on the essential biblical doctrines.

And you asked me a follow up question. “Do you believe that there are now people suffering in Hades (not hell)? Or let me put it another way. Do you believe there will be people cast into hell after the Great White Throne Judgement? If so, what do you think is the reason that they are sent there? If not, what is the reason you think no one goes there? I ask you these questions because it seems as though you may believe that Jesus died for our sins and therefore everyone is saved.”

Understandable questions. I hope that my previous post to Jim has answered the first 3 questions; Yes, Yes, Sin. You asked at the beginning of this blog post as the title “Did Christ die for the sins of everyone?” And I have an answer. It may be to some a shocking answer; the answer is NO. Christ did not die for the sins of everyone, he died only for those that would believe, the elect, the chosen. Some believe it was by foreknowledge, I personally believe it was by predestination. Don’t judge me so quickly, this is something many Christians have and do believe, you can hardly have a list of famous Christians or Theologians without many on it with this same persuasion. And this answer did not come to me easily. I had to fight through it, dig through scripture for it, and cry over it for a long time. Anyways, you say “To me the scriptures are saying that God made it possible for all to be saved by giving His One and Only Son, Christ Jesus, to pay the price for our sins.” You are saying that God in Christ made it possible, I’m saying he made it actual, he actually accomplished it right then and there. This doesn’t mean it’s over. We are still responsible for our response to the Gospel. But what I’m saying is an elect person will, by a changed nature, respond with repentance and faith, and a nonelect person will, by their depraved nature, continue in rebellion against God. I’m sure many people likely say, “this doesn’t sound fair”. Read Romans 9, then we’ll talk. I know this doesn’t explain much, and I’m certain I just opened another can of worms. Oh well. Admin, I hope this doesn’t mean we can’t be friends?!?! Grace and Peace, Josh

Thanks for your concern. I’m okay. Just been very busy. Hope to be able to continue this conversation soon.

Josh

Like you said, I think we are not far apart on this issue. So I’ll try to answer some of your questions.

You said:“If, perhaps as you say, we can before God acts in us, can by our free will, produce repentance and faith in Christ, and another person rejects Jesus and never repents or believes in Christ, does that make you better than the other person? Doesn’t that option imply that I did something better, or was wiser or smarter than the unbeliever? Doesn’t that option open me up to having a reason to boast about my part in salvation?”

Here I think you misunderstood me. No, I don’t believe we can produce repentance by our own free will. I do believe when we have a “change of mind” about sin and want to turn from sin, then God through the Holy Spirit gives us the power to repent and believe. Just because I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior doesn’t make me a better person than those who reject Him. No one in heaven will be able to boast because we will all know that the only reason we are there is because of the grace of God and what Jesus did for us over 2,000 years ago.

You said:“And if, perhaps, I did have a part in salvation by acting my free will to choose or decide to follow Christ, does that mean when Christ died he was wrong when he said “it is finished?” It sounds as if Christ work did not accomplish salvation, it only made it possible for those that would then, by something special in them, would choose to believe in Him, right? So we start the salvation process, and God then finishes it?”

When Jesus said “it is finished”, it was truly finished. All that was necesary for our salvation was accomplished. But that doesn’t mean that all will be saved. But here I think I need to ask a question of you. Do you believe that there are now people suffering in Hades (not hell)? Or let me put it another way. Do you believe there will be people cast into hell after the Great White Throne Judgement? If so, what do you think is the reason that they are sent there? If not, what is the reason you think no one goes there? I ask you these questions because it seems as though you may believe that Jesus died for our sins and therefore everyone is saved.

You said“And if God never violates our free will, how does that work with the conversion of Paul/Saul? Or Abraham, Or Noah, Or Joseph’s 11 Brothers, and many many more? In all of those instances, God sure looks like he not only acts first, but completely violates there free will? They don’t seem to have anything special, just God acting and using them. Right?”

In the above instances I believe that these men already had a “change of mind” about sin and God used them further. In Paul’s case I think he may have already had a “change of mind” about what he was doing, or God gave him a strong persuasion to “change his mind”. Then God used him to be His great apostle. But I believe Paul still could have refused and if he did, God probably would have given him a stronger persuasion or he would have raised up another great apostle.

Hope this helps!

Aman! Under this may we find unity.