God is...

[themickey]

Now, if I need to repent blah blah blah, that means work.
Gotta go to church, sing, praise, tithe, be a goody two shoes.
If I don't go to church big chance I will fall away again, so there's no choice, go to bloody church or nothing.
That's not free choice.

 

[studentofthemarkets]

But if the ticket into heaven is only through someone, that's not a free choice.
Its like saying, if you want to go to the circus you need to meet certain conditions before you can go.
A free choice means I can just go, no free choice means I need to meet conditions.

I think of it more like being a choice not forced upon by God. So, "free choice" doesn't take into consideration the available choices to make, because, really, much of our life we don't make any choices at all about. For example, I don't have the ability to choose to fly to the moon every day, even if I really want to. Instead free choice means that when we do choose, God does not violate our will in that choice.

 

[studentofthemarkets]

Now, if I need to repent blah blah blah, that means work.
Gotta go to church, sing, praise, tithe, be a goody two shoes.
If I don't go to church big chance I will fall away again, so there's no choice, go to bloody church or nothing.
That's not free choice.

I'm not sure you should be going to church at this point. You've had a messed up church experience and who knows what church you'd land in next.

Repentance is "turning." Repentance for salvation is turning from going our own way, to recognizing God as truly God. He created us, He loves us, He is good, and He has the right to rule over us. And recognizing that about God is not something you or I can drum up by our imagination. It comes through, well, basically, it comes through God taking His own word, whether through a preacher or believer, or the Bible itself, and impressing Himself upon our understanding.

Kind of like a miniature Saul on the road to Damascus experience, but, in my own experiences, (not multiple salvation experiences, just God revealing Himself experiences). it has come through more like a very small, but deep impression of the truthfulness of God's existence and His character as revealed by a verse or passage.

Not sure I can make it clearer, but for myself, time alone with the Bible, especially the book of Hebrews, and talking the verses over with God, asking Him about the verses, thanking Him for them, those are the times that I do experience God. I'm not sure I'm explaining this very well.

 

[userque]

Why He just didn't do that in the first place.....?

I believe he wanted/wants to see which 'programs' will choose to follow.

You could argue: 'He already should know that!'

Maybe. But I would rather get a speeding ticket after I speed; not before, by a cop that can know the future. Letting me speed first removes all doubt that I could have.

 

[userque]

But if the ticket into heaven is only through someone, that's not a free choice.
Its like saying, if you want to go to the circus you need to meet certain conditions before you can go.
A free choice means I can just go, no free choice means I need to meet conditions.

You're misunderstanding.

The free choice is whether to take steps to satisfy the conditions, or not. You are free to do either.

 

[userque]

Now, if I need to repent blah blah blah, that means work.
Gotta go to church, sing, praise, tithe, be a goody two shoes.
If I don't go to church big chance I will fall away again, so there's no choice, go to bloody church or nothing.
That's not free choice.

Not sure why this is hard to understand.

You can choose to do the work; or you can choose to not do the work. In this example, that is the choice you have to make. It's all yours. You can choose either one.

For another example:

You can choose to be vaxxed, or not. That's the choice.

It's NOT your CHOICE as to whether you will be infected; just as it is NOT your choice as to whether you can just waltz into heaven with no requirements. YOU AREN'T GIVEN THAT CHOICE.

Freewill is the freedom to choose from AVAILABLE choices!

 

[userque]

I think of it more like being a choice not forced upon by God. So, "free choice" doesn't take into consideration the available choices to make, because, really, much of our life we don't make any choices at all about. For example, I don't have the ability to choose to fly to the moon every day, even if I really want to. Instead free choice means that when we do choose, God does not violate our will in that choice.

Read this after I pretty much posted the same thing.

 

[murray t turtle]

Not sure why this is hard to understand.

You can choose to do the work; or you can choose to not do the work. In this example, that is the choice you have to make. It's all yours. You can choose either one.

For another example:

..... just as it is NOT your choice as to whether you can just waltz into heaven with no requirements. YOU AREN'T GIVEN THAT CHOICE.

Freewill is the freedom to choose from AVAILABLE choices!

%%
With all due respect, some simply dont want to understand. So good points........
Any kind of medicine may or may not be a small part of health care. God heals with or without doctors, i know that from personal experience.
I remember as a kid, my banker dad read the [dr] Luke17 news where Jesus heals 10 lepers, 9 jews. One[non jew]came back + said ''thanks''

 

[userque]

%%
With all due respect, some simply dont want to understand. So good points........
Any kind of medicine may or may not be a small part of health care. God heals with or without doctors, i know that from personal experience.
I remember as a kid, my banker dad read the [dr] Luke17 news where Jesus heals 10 lepers, 9 jews. One[non jew]came back + said ''thanks''

I agree.

Most times, I'm responding to the benefit of bystanders that may be quietly following the discussion, and not really to the trolls themselves.

 

[themickey]

Does the bible make sense?