That is, does God arbitrarily will his nature? Or does his nature determine his will?
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CoreIssue
Well-Known Member
God has freewill by nature.
Mankind was created in the image of God, meaning mankind has freewill as well.
God wants our love. Love only exists when it is given in freewill. Otherwise it is just a program response devoid of true feeling and meaning.
There are programs I can add to my computer that will say exactly what I want them to say and respond how I want them to. But they are not responding because they want to but because I have to.
They simply don't care either way because they don't have the ability to care.
Mankind was created in the image of God, meaning mankind has freewill as well.
God wants our love. Love only exists when it is given in freewill. Otherwise it is just a program response devoid of true feeling and meaning.
There are programs I can add to my computer that will say exactly what I want them to say and respond how I want them to. But they are not responding because they want to but because I have to.
They simply don't care either way because they don't have the ability to care.
1stCenturyLady
Well-Known Member
His nature determines His will. That is why we must be born again of the Spirit, to receive a new nature that does not sin. 1 John 3:9
CoreIssue
Well-Known Member
One piece of clarification.
When born again our spirit receives a new nature, not our flesh.
That is why the Bible says we live in a war with our new nature fighting our old nature, the flesh.
Denying the mind and the flesh does not mean denying everything. That means denying destructive things of the flesh. Something that we never get 100% correct.
Anyone who says they can totally overcome is deceiving themselves.
bbyrd009
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If God is all wise, can he will to be stupid? = No, his will is bound by his nature, just as ours is.
CoreIssue
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1stCenturyLady
Well-Known Member
God's will is "bound" by his nature or who he is. He is not constrained by any external force. If you ponder this in the content of God is love (1 John 4:8). Even in the Calvinist usage you may sometimes see, God would still be understood to be able to operate within a certain set of parameters, otherwise we enter the Cartesian notion of a deceiver god.
bbyrd009
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Well we are told that Enoch walked with God, and I guess we have some other examples, too?I don't get it.
bbyrd009
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well wadr there is another, third option imo, that involves contemplating whether or not we have "ears to hear?" Iow if I told you to "stay here for the present" and you stayed a while and got no present, would it be bc I was deceiving you?
1stCenturyLady
Well-Known Member
If God's decree is perfect, he cannot change it to imperfection = His will is not free.
But any change wold be from perfection to imperfection. = God's will is perfect and not free to change.
You are confusing freedom with randomness. God is free to not do anything but what wisdom dictates. God loves wisdom. So He is free to always do what wisdom dictates.
The lack of freedom is when you want to do something, but you are unable.
A person who is in jail may want to go for a walk outside...but can't.
A person who doesn't want to go for a walk but remain indoors is not lacking freedom.
You will have to reconsider your own freedom. Are you being wise?
Any change from perfection is to imperfection. So you must assume God's decree isn't perfect?
I assume you aren't aware of what you're talking about a lot of the time....truth be told.
Perfection is not a jail. Love is not a jail. Only a sinful person would think that....a person who loves sin and imperfection.
Your thread then is more about nature than freedom.
There are some things God cannot do, because His nature would find them abhorrent. For example...
God cannot lie.
He cannot be pleased by works of the flesh.
He cannot be tempted to sin, not does He tempt others to sin.
He cannot renege on unconditional promises.
He cannot unjustly commit any to destruction.
He cannot act on any other motive other than what is rooted in love.
God cannot lie.
He cannot be pleased by works of the flesh.
He cannot be tempted to sin, not does He tempt others to sin.
He cannot renege on unconditional promises.
He cannot unjustly commit any to destruction.
He cannot act on any other motive other than what is rooted in love.
You are claiming any change in perfection can also be perfect even if it is imperfect.
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