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NASB | Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God (Elohim) created [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth. [Heb 11:3] |
Subject: Free Will |
Bible Note: Dear YenisaRap, We do not, of course, find these two words in the same sentence in Scripture. Nor can we find either of these words associated with angels. Hence, it will be difficult to use them to draw specific conclusions. Typically, people in using the term "free will" are speaking of a soteriological teaching known in theology as "libertarian free will" -- promulgated, with little variation, in Pelagianism, Semi-Pelagianism, Arminianism, and their popular variants. We know that a third of the angels followed Satan in his rebellion (Revelation 12:4). We know that God passed judgment and sentencing upon these beings without hope of redemption (Matthew 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4). Furthermore, Scripture also speaks of the elect angels (1 Timothy 5:21) as His angels (Matthew 16:27). I've posted on the topic of the will -- both the will of the Creator and the will of the created -- on this forum a number of times in the past few years. To summarize it all into a single sentence I would say that nothing is capable of to be or to deviate from its nature. Monkeys can choose to be like monkeys and to do the things that comprise "monkey-ness" but they cannot choose to be dogs. God may choose to do whatever He pleases, but He cannot choose something contrary to His nature. I believe this also applies to lost men and saved men. Lost men may choose to do and be all those things which comprise their nature. Saved men may choose to do and be all those things which comprise their nature. Etc. I would deem that the same ontological principles would necessarily apply to angels. In Him, Doc PS If you are up to a challenge, you can find a very thorough discussion of this subject in Jonathan Edwards' book "The Freedom of the Will." It is available -- freely available! -- online. :-) |