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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Can a toddler go to heaven? | Rom 3:23 | disciplerami | 77245 | ||
Hi John, Ok, I'm not nitpicking, I'm really trying to get to the bottom of this issue. Please bear with me. There is no harm done, I hope, in our continued dialogue. You stated in an earlier posts, that Tim and I need the courage from God to accept that we don't have freewill, as you put it, if we follow the plain reading of the text, "your freewill doctrines would have to be abandoned." But now, you say that it would take God-given courage to accept our position. I guess I can understand what you are saying then. No matter which way is right, you must have the courage of conviction to stand in the right place. You close this last post by saying that men are "absolutely free to exercise their wills freely, and according to the desires of their hearts." I'm curious, does this statement of yours represent a slight change in your ideas, or is there a subtle idea in those words that I'm not catching? Again John, Your responses to me have been among the best I've received from anyone on this site. I have nothing against you whatsoever. I'm always learning because I sincerely want to bring glory to God. I have no pride, no ego, that needs stroking. So give me your best and I'll do the same. Remember what Proverbs says, "as iron sharpens iron, so..." Good day to you. Disciplerami |
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2 | Can a toddler go to heaven? | Rom 3:23 | John Reformed | 77264 | ||
Dear Discilerami, Thank you for your generous remarks. We all should be so gracious. I must admit to a bit of subtlety. :-) I said "I believe that all persons DO have the liberty to choose or to refuse the offer of the gospel. They are absolutely free to exercise their wills freely, and according to the desires of their hearts." I believe the Bible teaches that we are born in sin and are hearts are of stone and naturally desire that which is wicked or evil. I don't mean to say that man is as wicked as he possibly could be, but that in his totality, man is bent toward evil. Ezek 36:26 "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." The sense in which man is free, is that he is free to choose that which his heart desires. A wicked heart produces sinfull desires. Therefore, for a man to desire Christ, he must first have been given a heart transplant by God. A question I have asked in the past on the forum is: Is a man free to choose in opposition to the strongest desire of his heart? I look forward to your answer. John |
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