do the humanbeings have the freewill or not

[silviawang]

and how to identify the free will/the G-D's leading?

[OneLight]

Do you have strings attached to you? I don't! Yes, we have a free will. When God pulls on your heart, it is not with puppet strings, but with love strings. You can choose to listen or not.

[Guest]

The End

Now

"And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken:"

Matthew 21:44(a)

Or later

"but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."

Matthew 21:44(b)

Now

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life:"

John 3:36(a)

Or Later

"and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."

John 3:36(b)

The End

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

"For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

[kross]

and how to identify the free will/the G-D's leading?

I would say the question is in defining "free".

I hope and pray everyday that GOD's will will be done in my life. I believe it is. So, my will is free as long as it is inline with GOD's will. Since GOD's will is always done, if it were possible for my will to be contrary to HIS, HE would bend my will to HIS will that I might continue in the path and calling and in HIS perfect timing for the events HE has planned for my life.

I gave my life to JESUS and I believe HE has taken it. My will was captive to sin and Satan prior to that, so I do not think it was or ever is free.

Do I buy Cocoa Puffs as a free will choice or as an act of an infinite GOD orchestrating the lives of 8Billion people who needs a certain amount of Cocoa Puffs to be eaten in order to keep a certain person employed making them? I know what i think. What do you think?

[EricH]

Yes we would need to define what you mean by free will first

[Gauntlet]

"Free will" can be defined as the ability to make choices or commit to actions without external control. Without it, we are not really human. It's been argued that, if an omnipotent God wants everybody to be nice and love each other, why doesn't He just disallow us from doing or thinking or saying anything bad? Puppets have no free will. The love of an automaton for its creator means nothing because the automaton has no control over what it says, does, or feels.

Choice gives everything meaning.

[EricH]

"Free will" can be defined as the ability to make choices or commit to actions without external control. Without it, we are not really human. It's been argued that, if an omnipotent God wants everybody to be nice and love each other, why doesn't He just disallow us from doing or thinking or saying anything bad? Puppets have no free will. The love of an automaton for its creator means nothing because the automaton has no control over what it says, does, or feels.

Choice gives everything meaning.

But it is not the ability to make choice without being influenced. Circumstances impact choices. The best definition of freedom from a Biblical perspective is the ability to act according to ones preferences in a given situation. Since God knows what a person would chose given a specific set of variables, He can still control things by controling circumstances (not forcing the person to make a choice, but directing circumstances so that the person will freely choose what God desires)

[kross]

"Free will" can be defined as the ability to make choices or commit to actions without external control. Without it, we are not really human. It's been argued that, if an omnipotent God wants everybody to be nice and love each other, why doesn't He just disallow us from doing or thinking or saying anything bad? Puppets have no free will. The love of an automaton for its creator means nothing because the automaton has no control over what it says, does, or feels.

Choice gives everything meaning.

But it is not the ability to make choice without being influenced. Circumstances impact choices. The best definition of freedom from a Biblical perspective is the ability to act according to ones preferences in a given situation. Since God knows what a person would chose given a specific set of variables, He can still control things by controling circumstances (not forcing the person to make a choice, but directing circumstances so that the person will freely choose what God desires)

And add more strength from the HOLY SPIRIT when more strength is needed. It is for this reason that we give HIM the glory for our achievfements and not ourselves.

However, until a person is saved, the will is captive to sin and Satan and is in no way free. We have "freee will" only when the power of GOD sets it free.

[Bold Believer]

"Free will" can be defined as the ability to make choices or commit to actions without external control. Without it, we are not really human. It's been argued that, if an omnipotent God wants everybody to be nice and love each other, why doesn't He just disallow us from doing or thinking or saying anything bad? Puppets have no free will. The love of an automaton for its creator means nothing because the automaton has no control over what it says, does, or feels.

Choice gives everything meaning.

Then we have no free will (as I have asserted in another place). We have controls upon us from the day we enter this universe. Adam sold us into slavery. Christ bought us out of slavery and into servanthood. We are either controlled by God or by Satan. We are not, AND NEVER HAVE BEEN independent of the control of either God or Satan. To believe so is to make ourselves out to be God. What was the original lie? Once your eyes are open (i.e.-once you are free of God's control), you will be JUST LIKE GOD, determining good and evil. God controlled Adam with a simple prohibition: Don't eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. No string there, simply a boundary. Adam obeyed and all was well. Eve was deceived and fell for the lie, then Adam (seeing Eve was still alive and not realizing that death had already occurred) followed suit. When he saw that Eve was still living, Satan was able to plant the thought in his mind: I won't die. ZAP! GOTCHA! From one control to another.

[CAP73]

Then we have no free will (as I have asserted in another place). We have controls upon us from the day we enter this universe. Adam sold us into slavery. Christ bought us out of slavery and into servanthood. We are either controlled by God or by Satan. We are not, AND NEVER HAVE BEEN independent of the control of either God or Satan. To believe so is to make ourselves out to be God. What was the original lie? Once your eyes are open (i.e.-once you are free of God's control), you will be JUST LIKE GOD, determining good and evil. God controlled Adam with a simple prohibition: Don't eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. No string there, simply a boundary. Adam obeyed and all was well. Eve was deceived and fell for the lie, then Adam (seeing Eve was still alive and not realizing that death had already occurred) followed suit. When he saw that Eve was still living, Satan was able to plant the thought in his mind: I won't die. ZAP! GOTCHA! From one control to another.

No one forced Adam to choose to obey, nor did anyone force Eve to be deceived. They made a choice to either obey or disobey. On a side-note, Adam also chose to disobey not too much later. Just because God knows what we are going to do before we do it does not mean he has forced us to do it. I pretty well know what my kids will do in certain situations, but that does not mean I have forced them to make the decisions that they make.