God's Free Will

gswisher · Rabid Pit Bull Joined: 04 Jun 2003 Posts: 421

If you are living according to free will, you are striving in your own strength.
Heb 13:21 [The Lord Jesus] perfect you in every good work, in order to do His will, doing in you that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Scripture says it is not within man to guide his own steps, that the Lord directs the heart of the king like a channel of water.

Jer 10:23 O Jehovah, I know that his way does not belong to man; it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.
Pro 21:1 As streams of waters, the king's heart is in the hand of Jehovah; He turns it wherever He desires.

God bound men under disobedience in order to show His mercy.

Rom 11:32 For God shut up all into disobedience, that He may show mercy to all.

Rom 8:20 For the creation was not willingly subjected to vanity, but through Him subjecting it, on hope;

Gal 3:22 But the Scripture locked up all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to the ones believing.

There is no one who does what is righteous. Not one.

Rom 3:10 according as it has been written, "There is not a righteous one, not even one!" Rom 3:11 "There is not one understanding; there is not one seeking God." Rom 3:12 All turned away, they became worthless together, not one is doing goodness, not so much as one!" LXX-Psa. 13:1-3

He raised Pharaoh up and hardened his heart in order to bring glory to himself.

Rom 9:17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very thing I raised you up, so that I might display My power in you, and so that My name might be publicized in all the earth." Ex. 9:16

He chose Jacob over Esau to show human endeavor means nothing, but God’s sovereign election stands above all.

Rom 9:11 for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of the One calling, Rom 9:12 it was said to her, "The greater shall serve the lesser;" Gen. 25:23

It is not in him who runs but in God’s election.
Rom 9:16 So, then, it is not of the one willing, nor of the one running, but of the One showing mercy, of God.

We are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness.

Rom 6:19 I speak as a man on account of the weakness of your flesh. For as you presented your members as slaves to uncleanness and to lawless act unto lawless act, so now yield your members as slaves to righteousness unto sanctification.
Rom 6:20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free as to righteousness.
Rom 6:21 Therefore what fruit did you have then in the things over which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
Rom 6:22 But now having been set free from sin, and having been enslaved to God,

Do not say we will do this or that, it is all contained in God’s will.

Jam 4:15 Instead of you saying, If the Lord wills, even we will live, and we will do this or that; Jam 4:16 but now you boast in your presumptions. All such boasting is evil.
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The God of our Lord Jesus Christ give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the FULL knowledge of Him.--Eph 1:17