Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: RightWhale; All
Maybe not, that part isn't certain since Satan worked in the executive suite at first. However, the road to hell is Satan's work, and that road is wide, smooth, and paved. Lately it is also attractively lighted around the clock. And, no speed limit.
I see no problem with that assessment. But I do imagine that the terms of salvation as I understand them are such that the resurrection will do away with Satan's works––my own feeble logics not withstanding ... I certainly make no pretense to some special knowledge.

Man and Angels may choose what they will, but God is master over the consequences.

A complementary idea is seen with the notions of free will that the world enjoins.

Consider: to be free with respect to sin is to be a slave to righteousness. For the elect the choice is whom do I obey? The Spirit or this Body of Death?

This means that Christians exercise a different kind of will than do non-Christians who are free with respect to righteousness but are slaves to sin.

For the unregenerate in this age, they are able to exercise the full range of moral choice and to operate their will as a moral person. If they choose to act beatific or satanic their moral choices do not disrupt their sin reality.

This is why, I'm convinced, one moral philosopher opined that man's existence as a moral being demands that he reject Him, God.

To the world the whole panoply of free will is bound up in being able to know good and evil, to be a moral or an immoral being––or even something in-between as is more often the case.

By contrast, a Christian no longer factually operates in this way. Our choice is: "Whom do we obey?"

To the worldling, Christians have surrendered their free will.

But when He returns this will come about (or so I'm convinced): without our Body of Death we will be able to exercise our wills freely because nothing we could do could ever change the fact of our new birth or that we please Him––we will have true free will and maybe even more.

But for the damned, even the free will they have had will no longer be an option. The damned will be unable, if prevented or incapable, of ever acting on their wills ever again.

Or such is my supposition.
17 posted on 12/06/2006 10:36:57 PM PST by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies ]


To: Rurudyne

Remember that Satan has never fought God. He doesn't get to fight God. Gabriel and his forces have fought Satan and Satan has lost--every time and in the time it takes for a bolt of lightning to strike. While we have free will, God knows already and knew all along how it will turn out. It is not for us to know or understand why, as explained in the poetic Book of Job.


18 posted on 12/07/2006 8:42:49 AM PST by RightWhale (RTRA DLQS GSCW)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson