We are saved by Jesus from being eternal slaves to sin, which is a part of the penalty of that sin… being a slave to it.
Prior to the instant of salvation, we are bound to, & love our own sin, we don’t feel the sting that we inescapably experience after Salvation.
If we feel no sting after engaging in sin, it’s improbable that we are truly saved, because the Holy Spirit is the One that transmits that sting through us, in whom He inhabits.
We can’t cease sinning entirely so long as we are physically alive in this perishing flesh.
as Paul said, “if we say we have no sin, the truth is not in us & we make God a liar.”
We are guaranteed our Eternal Inheritance with Him if we are truly His.
“& you were dead in trespasses & sins… following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom WE ALL once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body & the mind, & were BY NATURE CHILDREN OF WRATH, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by Grace you have been saved— & raised us up with Him & seated us with Him in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus…”
Ephesians 2:1-6
We are also saved by God from the wrath of God & eternal death & damnation.
“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God.”
We are saved by Jesus from being eternal slaves to sin, which is a part of the penalty of that sin… being a slave to it.
Prior to the instant of salvation, we are bound to, & love our own sin, we don’t feel the sting that we inescapably experience after Salvation.
If we feel no sting after engaging in sin, it’s improbable that we are truly saved, because the Holy Spirit is the One that transmits that sting through us, in whom He inhabits.
We can’t cease sinning entirely so long as we are physically alive in this perishing flesh.
as Paul said, “if we say we have no sin, the truth is not in us & we make God a liar.”
We are guaranteed our Eternal Inheritance with Him if we are truly His.
“& you were dead in trespasses & sins… following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom WE ALL once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body & the mind, & were BY NATURE CHILDREN OF WRATH, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by Grace you have been saved— & raised us up with Him & seated us with Him in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus…”
Ephesians 2:1-6
We are also saved by God from the wrath of God & eternal death & damnation.
“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God.”
Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
By this word Jesus teaches that He gives His life in the place of His people as a substitute for them.
He also says: “…I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:15).
His death is a personal substitutionary atonement, not a general provision for all men.
Jesus lays down His life as a sacrifice for certain persons who are His sheep, not for the goats.
Jesus teaches that He did not die for all men, head for head, but for His people out of the world.
Therefore Jesus does not say that He gives His life a ransom for sin generally, but that He came “to give his life a ransom for many,” (Matt. 20:28, Mark 10:45).
His life given upon the cross is the ransom for those for whom He died. They are many, but not all men, head for head.
Jesus’ death accomplished the actual, complete salvation and deliverance of those for whom He died. Jesus teaches a definite atonement for sin in His blood, not a mere possibility or provision.
His blood cannot fail to save His sheep. The power of Christ and His cross never fails to save His people. Jesus saved and therefore also saves!
As it is written, “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified,” Heb. 10:14.
He accomplished a finished redemption in the cross.
Therefore Jesus speaks of Himself as the bread of life.
As He said, “… and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world,” (John 6:51).
By this He teaches that His death is the only source of spiritual life and salvation just as bread sustains our earthly life when we eat it.
That world for which He gave His life is fed by faith in Him with everlasting life.
It is a world that is surely saved, for He says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life,” (John 6:47).
Jesus does not teach that He provides everlasting life for the world of all men, head for head, but that He is everlasting life unto the world of them who are united to Him by faith.
His death is a true sacrifice.
It saved, ransomed, and delivered those for whom He died, and He now gives eternal life through faith unto them as His sheep.
As He said, “My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life…” (John 10:27, 28).
This was God’s design as Jesus said, “As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him,” John 17:2.
Jesus teaches that He accomplished a finished salvation and a personal substitutionary atonement for those for whom He died.
Jesus teaches a definite limited atonement, a particular redemption, not a universal indefinite provision, not a mere possibility to become a personal Saviour, if you will only let Him.
He gives eternal life to His sheep.
Jesus teaches that He “knows his sheep,” and not that He must engage in an investigative judgment to find out who they are.
Do you believe in this Jesus of the Scriptures, Who knows His own, and dies for them?
There is a false christ of man’s invention who dies not knowing his own, a maybe saviour, a mere provider, who waits on man to make him truly a savior.
If we humans were honest, can we say that our heart has never desired, since we know there is a God, that He were a little less Holy, maybe a little less Pure, so that those things which are actually very serious sins against Him would be instead regarded as lesser, just a simple slip in need of no punishment?
The desire to change God from what He says He is into what we think He should be shows we don’t love Him as we ought, we love aspects of Him that make us feel like we are thriving.
He’s the God of Heaven and Earth, God of all things visible and invisible. He’s the Cause of every effect… We talk about having faith, maintaining relationship, & possessing passion for Him. We boast that we love God by our outward works while simultaneously looking down on others who don’t have the appearance of Godliness as we do, or as we think we do.
Haters of God who boast in their own love for Him do love the idea of a God who’ll do good things for them, offer them the desires of their fleshly hearts while rejecting His True nature, proving the true enmity we humans have against Him.
As He reveals Himself through His Scripture, is it not true that we strive to twist the reasons why He isn’t who He clearly says He is because it shatters the idea of Him we fashioned in our own minds, in the image of our own broken psyche?
(some paraphrasing & modifications by Camille Russo for the hearer to more easily understand)
It is God who works in you, both to Will and to work for His good pleasure.
† Philippians 2:13
It depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
† Romans 9:16
The Word plainly declares: “There is none that seeks after God” † Romans 3:11 Did not Christ say to the men of His day: “You will NOT come to Me, that you might have life” † John 5:40 ?
Yes, but some actually did “come” to Him. Who were they? John 1:12, 13 tells us: “But as many as received Him, to them He GAVE POWER TO BECOME the sons of God, to them that believe on His name: WHICH WERE BORN, not of blood, NOR OF THE WILL OF THE FLESH, nor of THE WILL OF MAN, BUT OF GOD”
In and of himself the natural man has the power to reject Christ, but in and of himself man does not have the power to receive Christ. And why? Because man has a mind that is “enmity against” God… “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” † Romans 8:7 & Because man has a heart that hates God… “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you.” † John 15:18
A man simply chooses what is according to man’s nature; therefore… before he will ever choose that which is Divine and Spiritual, a new nature must be GIVEN to him; in other words, man must be born again.
The Holy Spirit does something in each of God’s elect: He works in His elect; “For it is God who works in you TO WILL and TO ACT on behalf of His good purpose.” † Philippians 2:13
People will say: “NO! the Spirit’s work of conviction is the same both in the converted and the unconverted, the only difference is that the converted yielded to God’s effort whereas the unconverted resist them.” (Allowing God to transform them because of their own choices and ability to choose)
But, if this were the case then the Christian would have reason for boasting and self-glorying over their co-operation with the Spirit; BUT this would clearly contradict Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that NOT OF YOURSELVES: it is the gift of God, so that NO MAN MAY BOAST.”
Let us appeal to the actual experience of the Christian reader:
Was there not a time (may the remembrance of it bow each of us into the dust) when you were unwilling to come to Christ? There was. But since then you have come to Him, Yes?
Are you now prepared to give Him ALL the glory for that?
“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your loving devotion, because of Your faithfulness.” † Psalms 115:1
Do you not acknowledge you came to Christ BECAUSE the Holy Spirit BROUGHT YOU FROM UNWILLINGNESS TO WILLINGNESS?
What is the human Will?
Is the human will a self-determining agent? Or is it determined by something else? Is the human will sovereign or a servant? Is the human will superior to every other faculty of a human’s being so that the will governs them? Or is it moved by their impulses and subject to their pleasure?
DOES THE WILL RULE THE MIND, OR DOES THE MIND RULE THE WILL?
Is the will free to do as it pleases, or is it under the necessity of rendering obedience to something outside of itself?
Does the will stand apart from the other great faculties or powers of the soul? Is the will a ‘man within a man’, who can reverse the man and fly against the man and split man into segments, as a glass snake breaks in pieces?
Or, is the will connected with the other faculties, as the tail of the serpent is with his body, and that again with his head, so that where the head goes, the whole creature goes, and, as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he? First thought, then heart (desire or aversion), and then act.
Is it this way; the dog wags the tail? Or, is it the will (the tail) that wags the dog? (Silly)
Is the will the first and chief thing in man, or is it the last thing- to be kept subordinate, and in its place beneath the other faculties?
Is the true philosophy of moral action and its process that of Genesis 3:6: ‘And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food’ (sense-perception, intelligence), ‘and a tree to be desired’ (affections), ‘she took and ate thereof’ (the will).” (George S. Bishop).
These are questions of more than academic interest. They are of practical importance. We believe that we do not go too far when we affirm that the answer returned to these questions is a fundamental test of doctrinal soundness.
THE NATURE OF THE HUMAN WILL.
What is the Will?
We answer: The will is the faculty of choice, the immediate cause of all action. Choice necessarily implies the refusal of one thing and the acceptance of another.
The positive and the negative must both be present in the mind before there can be any choice.
In every act of the will, there is a preference: the desiring one thing rather than another. Where there is no preference, but complete indifference, there is no volition (choice, discretion).
To will is to choose (determine), and to choose is to decide between two or more alternatives (choices).
But there is (always) something that influences the choice; something that determines the decision.
Hence the human will cannot be Sovereign because it is the servant of that something that influences the choice.
The human will cannot be both Sovereign and servant. It cannot be both cause and effect.
The will is not causative, because, as we have said, something causes it to choose, therefore that something must be the causative agent.
Choice itself is affected by certain considerations, and is determined by various influences brought to bear upon the individual himself, hence, volition is the effect of these considerations and influences, and if the effect, it must be their servant; and if the will is their servant then it is not Sovereign, and if the will is not Sovereign, we certainly cannot predicate absolute “freedom” of it.
Acts of the will cannot come to pass of themselves – to say they can, is to postulate an uncaused effect.
Ex nihilo nihil fit-nothing cannot produce something.
In all ages, however, there have been those who contended for the absolute freedom or Sovereignty of the human will.
Men will argue that the will possesses a self-determining power. They say, for example, I can turn my eyes up or down, the mind is quite indifferent to which I do, and the will must decide. But this is a contradiction in terms. This case supposes that I choose one thing in preference for another while I am in a state of complete indifference. Manifestly, both cannot be true. But it may be replied, The mind was quite indifferent until it came to have a preference. Exactly; and at that time the will was quiescent too! But the moment indifference vanished, the choice was made, and the fact that indifference gave place to preference, overthrows the argument that the will is capable of choosing between two equal things.
As we have said, choice implies the acceptance of one alternative and the rejection of the other or others.
That which determines the will is that which causes the will to choose.
If the will is determined then there must be a determiner.
WHAT IS IT THAT DETERMINES THE WILL? We reply, The strongest motive power which is brought to bear upon it. What this motive power is varies in different cases. With one it may be the logic of reason, with another the voice of conscience, with another the impulse of the emotions, with another the whisper of the Tempter, with another the power of the Holy Spirit; whichever of these presents the strongest motive power and exerts the greatest influence upon the individual himself is that which impels the will to act. In other words, the action of the will is determined by that condition of mind (which in turn is influenced by the world, the flesh, and the Devil, as well as by God) which has the greatest degree of tendency to excite volition …
Among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
If you have faith in Christ, you were predestined by God before He even created creation itself. If not, God’s word isn’t true.
God’s will is Sovereign, our will is bound to sin, & isn’t free.
Got ordains ALL things, free will is the philosophy of Lucifer, although God ordains everything, it’s spirit can’t be God’s. God is a God of Order, not chaos. Lucifer hated being under YHWH’s sovereignty & desired to break away from God’s will & establish a will of his own, & establish a people of his own & many Christians follow in his steps, unknowingly, hence why Scripture says we are either a slave of sin or a slave of righteousness. A spiritual slave has no sovereign will of their own.
WHO HE FOREKNEW, HE ALSO PREDESTINED to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover WHOM HE PREDESTINED, THESE HE ALSO CALLED; WHOM HE CALLED, THESE HE ALSO JUSTIFIED; AND WHOM HE JUSTIFIED, THESE HE ALSO GLORIFIED.
Romans 8:29
HE CHOSE US IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, HAVING PREDESTINED US TO ADOPTION as sons BY JESUS CHRIST to Himself, ACCORDING TO THE GOOD PLEASURE OF HIS WILL, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which HE MADE US ACCEPTED in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:4-6
IN HIM ALSO WE HAVE OBTAINED AN INHERITANCE, BEING ourselves *PREDESTINED ACCORDING TO THE PURPOSE OF HIM who works all things according to the counsel of HIS WILL…
Ephesians 1:11-12
The words translated “PREDESTINED” in the Scriptures above are from the Greek word PROORIZO, which means; DETERMINING BEFOREHAND, ordaining, & deciding ahead of time.
….when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (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 HIM WHO *CALLS), it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I HAVE HATED.”
Romans 9:10-13
…..Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the *ELECT, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory….. 2 Timothy 2:10
Even so then, at this present time THERE IS A REMNANT ACCORDING TO THE *ELECTION OF GRACE. And if by grace, then IT IS NO LONGER OF WORKS; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
Romans 11:5-6
For we know, brothers loved by God, that HE HAS *CHOSEN YOU……
1 Thessalonians 1:4
But YOU ARE A CHOSEN RACE, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may PROCLAIM THE EXCELLENCIES OF HIM WHO *CALLED YOU out of darkness into his marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9
“What shall we say then? IS THERE UNRIGHTEOUSNESS WITH GOD? CERTAINLY NOT! For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOMEVER I WILL HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOMEVER I WILL HAVE COMPASSION.” ***So then IT IS NOT of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” Therefore HE HAS MERCY ON WHOM HE WILLS, AND WHOM HE WILLS HE HARDENS. You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? FOR WHO HAS RESISTED HIS WILL?” But indeed, O man, WHO ARE YOU TO REPLY AGAINST GOD? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” DOES NOT THE POTTER HAVE POWER OVER THE CLAY, FROM THE SAME LUMP TO MAKE ONE VESSEL FOR HONOR AND ANOTHER FOR DISHONOR? WHAT IF GOD, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, ENDURED WITH MUCH LONGSUFFERING the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that HE MIGHT MAKE KNOWN THE RICHES OF HIS GLORY ON THE VESSELS OF MERCY, which *HE HAD PREPARED BEFOREHAND FOR GLORY, EVEN US WHOM *HE CALLED, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness….”
If you have faith in Christ, you were predestined by God before He even created creation itself. If not, God’s word isn’t true.
God’s will is Sovereign, our will is bound to sin, & isn’t free.
Got ordains ALL things, free will is the philosophy of Lucifer, although God ordains everything, it’s spirit can’t be God’s. God is a God of Order, not chaos. Lucifer hated being under YHWH’s sovereignty & desired to break away from God’s will & establish a will of his own, & establish a people of his own & many Christians follow in his steps, unknowingly, hence why Scripture says we are either a slave of sin or a slave of righteousness. A spiritual slave has no sovereign will of their own.
WHO HE FOREKNEW, HE ALSO PREDESTINED to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover WHOM HE PREDESTINED, THESE HE ALSO CALLED; WHOM HE CALLED, THESE HE ALSO JUSTIFIED; AND WHOM HE JUSTIFIED, THESE HE ALSO GLORIFIED.
Romans 8:29
HE CHOSE US IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, HAVING PREDESTINED US TO ADOPTION as sons BY JESUS CHRIST to Himself, ACCORDING TO THE GOOD PLEASURE OF HIS WILL, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which HE MADE US ACCEPTED in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:4-6
IN HIM ALSO WE HAVE OBTAINED AN INHERITANCE, BEING ourselves *PREDESTINED ACCORDING TO THE PURPOSE OF HIM who works all things according to the counsel of HIS WILL…
Ephesians 1:11-12
The words translated “PREDESTINED” in the Scriptures above are from the Greek word PROORIZO, which means:
DETERMINING BEFOREHAND, ordaining, & deciding ahead of time.
….when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (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 HIM WHO *CALLS), it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I HAVE HATED.”
Romans 9:10-13
…..Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the *ELECT, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory…..
2 Timothy 2:10
Even so then, at this present time THERE IS A REMNANT ACCORDING TO THE *ELECTION OF GRACE. And if by grace, then IT IS NO LONGER OF WORKS; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
Romans 11:5-6
For we know, brothers loved by God, that HE HAS *CHOSEN YOU……
1 Thessalonians 1:4
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whoever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whoever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” But indeed, O man, Who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness….
“PRAYER gives the Holy Spirit permission to do God’s will — He cannot act without getting permission from a human with Authority.”
Permission is defined as: The act of permitting, especially in giving formal consent
That quote is appealing, sounds right to the average Joe, right?
Is it biblical?
Is it true?
Is the limitless power of the universe at our disposal?
Does God require our permission to do anything?
Do we live in a universe where control over the invisible and visible is in the hands of the human will?
No, no, no, and no.
The Serpent’s lie in the Garden of Eden was bad enough:
“you will be ‘like’ God.”
The assertion that God requires one’s permission to act on behalf of any matter is a flawed belief that suggests the individual possesses godlike qualities. This belief is not in line with the reality that God is the ultimate authority and we are subject to His command.
It is important to understand that God is the creator and sustainer of the universe, and we are mere mortals who are dependent on His mercy and grace. To suggest that God requires our permission to act on any matter is to place ourselves in a position of authority over God. This is a dangerous belief that can lead to arrogance and a false sense of power. It is important to recognize that we are not in control of the universe, and that God is the one who is ultimately in charge.
Furthermore, the idea that we have the power to grant permission to God is not supported by any religious text or tradition.
We recognize that God’s wisdom and knowledge far surpasses our own, and that His plans are always for our ultimate good.
Are we the ones holding the reigns?
His power is restrained by us?
God is in control and holds ultimate authority over all things. We are called to submit to His will and trust in His guidance. The idea that we hold the reins in our relationship with God is dangerous and heretical. We are completely dependent on God for our existence, salvation, and destiny. Our role is to respond in faith and obedience to His call, surrendering our desires and trusting in His plan. Humble submission to God’s will is the foundation of our faith and the key to a fulfilling relationship with Him.
The Bible teaches that God is the One who loves and pursues us, not the other way around. We are the ones who arerequired’s love and forgiveness. To suggest that God needs something from us is to turn the whole relationship upside down.
Our flesh always tries to control and manipulate things, including our relationship with God. We want to be in control, and we don’t like the idea of God having any power over us.
Is God a divine genie, ‘an all-powerful wish grantor, He lets us pretend to be His keeper’?
Every believer I’ve ever met makes the claim ‘God can do anything”… yet, He may only do ‘anything’ when we “permit” Him?
God limits Himself to our passions. Where is God’s Power in that?
2 Tim 3:5 says that some will have a form (aspect, presentation, material) of Godliness but reject IT’S POWER. God’s Spirit is Power.
Serious Question:
When did you allow God to form you in your mother’s womb?
What about someone who has cancer?
Is it not going into remission because they haven’t permitted God to heal their cancer?
As if God’s hands are tied until we bags of flesh give Him the “GO”?
To add: There isn’t a single story of Christ ever asking anyone for permission to ACT; quite the opposite.
Scripturally:
God doesn’t need our permission. We are invited by Him to willingly consent to His plans, but He’s not limited by our desires. When the Creator of everything – visible and invisible – invites a person to consent to His plans, that person WILL consent to His plans, willingly.
Just like when God commands you to breathe His breath into your lungs, He doesn’t ask you for permission, and you aren’t feeling dictated to or controlled by Him doing so either, right?
The clay has no right over the Potter. But the Potter has ALL RIGHTS over the clay.
Scripture:
BY Him, ALL THINGS were created, in heaven & on earth, visible & invisible, thrones, dominions, rulers, authorities—ALL THINGS were created through Him & FOR HIM.”
Colossians 1:16
WHATEVER THE LORD PLEASES, HE DOES, In heaven, earth, in the seas & in all deeps.”
Psalm 135:6
Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases.
Psalm 115:3
It is *God* who works in you to will & to act on behalf of His good purpose.”
Philippians 2:13
Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will make you stumble before the enemy, for God has power to help and power to overthrow.”
2 Chronicles 25:8
God says: Even from Eternity I am He, And there is NONE who can deliver out of MY hand; I ACT & WHO CAN REVERSE IT?
Isaiah 43:13
The life of every living thing is in God’s hand, as well as the breath of all mankind.
Job 12:10
It does not depend on man’s desire or effort but on God’s mercy.
Romans 9:16
“Not death or life, or angels or rulers, or things present or things to come, or powers, heights, depth, nor anything else in all creation, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:37-39
This includes our own will, does it not?
All who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of blood, nor of the DESIRE OR WILL of man, but born of God.
John 1:12-13
“And you were DEAD in the trespasses and sins”
Eph 2:3, Col 2:13
DEAD means spiritually dead.
How can the spiritually dead make the spiritual decision to live? In the same way, a physically dead person can make the physical decision to live. He can’t. He’s dead…
ONLY an outside force can bring the dead to life, & ONLY One WILL have that power… The dead don’t choose life. How can they?
“There’s no one who understands, no one who seeks God……”
Romans 3:11
If we could understand and seek by our will, we would not desperately need the Holy Spirit to intercede as we do, nor would Jesus’ death be of any purpose.
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.
John 15:16
Did Jesus’ Apostles have a choice? NO. Jesus says, NO!
For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.
Revelation 17:17
The Holy Spirit, how does HE work?
As it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear heard, no heart imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit… The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have NOT received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may UNDERSTAND what God has FREELY GIVEN US. & this is what we speak, NOT in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing SPIRITUAL TRUTHS in spiritual words… The NATURAL MAN does NOT accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he CANNOT UNDERSTAND THEM, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment. “For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:9-16
Paul’s warning is very clear about false doctrines, they appeal to the human will and recoil at the idea of having to relinquish control:
Paul :
“Let him who boasts boast only in the Lord.”It’s not the one who commends himself who’s approved, but the one whom the Lord commends….I am afraid, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your SIMPLE and pure devotion to Christ. ( The Simplicity of Christ is enough) For if someone comes & proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it way too easily…. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions…. If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is forever worthy of praise, knows that I am not lying. I will boast about such a man, but I will not boast about myself, except in my weaknesses.
