Free Will?

"Then why do you embrace Christ, and your moral Buddhist neighbour across the street does not?

Are you smarter than he is?

More spiritually sensitive?

Better, in any way?

What makes you to differ?

Is the Holy Spirit working just as hard on him as He did on you?

If so, why do you believe, and he does not?

No matter how hard you try, you can’t avoid coming to the conclusion that, in a 'free will' system of salvation, those who believe do so because there is something different about them.

If the Spirit is bringing equal conviction to bear upon each individual, the only deciding factor, given equality in everything else, is something in the person himself.

I believe the only possible difference between the redeemed in heaven and the guilty, condemned, punished sinner in hell is a five-letter word ...

It’s called 'grace.'"

~ James White

Free Will Quotes

The heart is the main thing in true religion. I make no excuse for asking the special attention of my readers, while I try to say a few things about the heart. The head is not the principal thing. You may know the whole truth as it is in Jesus, and consent that it is good. You may be clear, correct, and sound in your religious opinions. But all this time you may be walking in the broad way which leads to destruction. It is your heart which is the main point. Is your heart right in the sight of God? Your outward life may be moral, decent, respectable, in the eyes of people. Your minister, friends and neighbors, may see nothing very wrong in your general conduct. But all this time you may be hanging on the brink of everlasting ruin. It is your heart which is the main thing. Is that heart right in the sight of God?

J.C. Ryle, Is Your Heart Right in the Sight of God?

 

Then why do you embrace Christ, and your moral Buddhist neighbour across the street does not? Are you smarter than he is? More spiritually sensitive? Better, in any way? What makes you to differ? Is the Holy Spirit working just as hard on him as He did on you? If so, why do you believe, and he does not? No matter how hard you try, you can’t avoid coming to the conclusion that, in a 'free will' system of salvation, those who believe do so because there is something different about them. If the Spirit is bringing equal conviction to bear upon each individual, the only deciding factor, given equality in everything else, is something in the person himself. I believe the only possible difference between the redeemed in heaven and the guilty, condemned, punished sinner in hell is a five-letter word ... It’s called 'grace

~ James White

Free will has carried many souls to hell, but yet never a soul to heaven.

 ~ C.H. Spurgeon

Man is nothing; he hath a free will to go to hell, but none to go to heaven, till God worketh in him" and "you dishonour God by denying election. You plainly make salvation depend, not on God’s ‘free grace’ but on Man’s ‘free will.’ 

~ George Whitefield

 

A man’s free will cannot cure him even of the toothache, or a sore finger; and yet he madly thinks it is in its power to cure his soul. 

~ Toplady

...the whole Pelagian poison of free-will … a clear exaltation of the old idol free-will into the throne of God … That the decaying estate of Christianity have invented. 

~ John Owen 

...the general consent of all that sect is that God (by his foreknowledge, counsel, and wisdom) has no assured election, neither yet any certain reprobation, but that every man may elect or reprobate himself by his own free will, which he has (say they) to do good or evil … [All these things are] forged by their own brains, and polished by the finest of their wits, when yet in very deed they are but the rotten heresies of … Pelagius, long ago confuted by Augustine …

~ John Knox 

They go and set up free-will with the heathen philosophers and say that a man’s free will is the cause why God chooseth and not another, contrary to all scriptures.

~ Tyndale 

 

I once laboured hard for the free will of man, until the grace of God at length overcame me.

~ Augustine

The Leaven of Synergism

By Arthur Custance

Throughout the centuries since God covenanted to save man through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ, whereby He provided a full, perfect, and sufficient satisfaction for our sins, one aberration of the Gospel has recurrently threatened the truth. It is the view that man must make some contribution himself in securing his salvation. It is not the size of this contribution that is the important factor, but the necessity of it.

It is as though healing is promised to a terminally ill patient if only he will prepare himself in some way, or yield himself, or present himself at his own expense before the physician. The Roman Catholic Church holds strongly to the view that some self-preparation is essential, usually in the form of a willingness to make amends for wrongs done, or to effect some self-correction in order to merit the grace of God. The Lutherans place the emphasis on the necessity of man's willingness to accept God's salvation. Modern evangelism calls upon men to "make an active decision" as though to pick up the phone and arrange an appointment. Or the patient is invited at least to unlock the door before the physician can make this call and heal him. This door is locked on the inside and can be unlocked only by the patient.

But there is no question of the patient's healing himself. On this there is a wide measure of unanimity. He does need the Saviour; but he is not considered to be without any ability to assist in some way, or at least to co-operate in the healing process, though the measure of his co-operation may amount to no more than that he allow the physician to visit his soul.

Whatever form the human contribution takes, it always means that salvation is a co-operative activity. Salvation is not a God-only process, but a God-and process. This working together is termed Synergism. Such Synergism was a religious philosophy with humanistic overtones even in Old Testament times, and it has been in evidence in every generation. It is man's demand not to be considered impotent, Man admits his sickness, but he is unwilling to admit his death.

Continue reading-->HERE.

Age of Accountability or Infant Salvation?

by Tony Warren

The age of accountability is one of the many misleading terms that are often used in Christian circles. Most would agree that it basically means, "a person who is young enough that he is not yet able to understand fully the results of his actions." It is theorized by some that these children are not held accountable for the things that they do that are against God's law. For example, a six year old child that might hit his sister over the head with a toy block in anger. Theoretically, this child is not held accountable by God because he had not yet reached an age where he was able to fully understand what he was doing. The problem with this theory is that it is based upon logical processes of the fallen human nature, and is a perverse twisting of God's law for the sake of what seems right in our own eyes. There is nothing in God's law that declares anyone must fully understand sin, before it is actually accounted as sin. On the contrary, this doctrine is both un-biblical and self serving, for it presupposes unrighteously that sin must first be recognized as sin before it is actually accountable. But nothing in scripture supports such a thesis.

Another theory is that all children are automatically guaranteed salvation because God loves children. The texts most often quoted are verses such as Matthew 19:19, Mark 10:14 or Luke 18:16, where Jesus says things like "Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." But this is a misunderstanding of this application, for Jesus is merely using children as an illustration of the Christian, as he is a child of God. He is making the analogy of how the believers are to be humble "as children." Jesus taught that we are to walk meekly, accepting and receiving the word of our father as children do with their earthly fathers. This has nothing to do with children being righteous or being without sin, which is actually a heretical teaching. For all professing Christians should know inherently that there are none who are without sin. Only God is without sin, and those who are regenerated in Him, washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. These alone are automatically guaranteed Salvation.

While these doctrines of accountability may serve to comfort bereaved parents who have lost children, either through accidents, murder, miscarriage, abortion, or sickness, it is not a Biblically validated view and is contrary to all that God has declared of sin and all those who commit it. The plain truth is, this theory is simply a natural humanistic response in sentimentality that is closely related to man thinking more of himself than is justified. i.e., we naturally all want to think nice things about children. But sentimentality does not govern how we are to understand God's word, it is the word itself that does that. And God doesn't share the popular Church opinion that a child's sins are unaccountable because of their age.

Read more --->HERE

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Note:  I have read this article in its entirety and think it to adequately address the issue.  May our understanding and acceptance of HIS ways be a delight to our souls.