Friday, June 7, 2019
Pre-Destination V.S Free
Pre-Destination V.S Free Will EssayFor years Christians have argued active what role God has in humans attaining salvation. The most popular vox populi in American culture is the concept of free will. Free will is the belief that coming to Christ and being saved is a freewill choice of the person. Most churches believe this concept to be true at least to well-nigh degree. The other belief is the concept of Predestination. Predestination is the belief that God chooses who to save and who to damn. The biggest denomination in the United States that believes this is the Calvinists or more commonly known as the Reformed denomination.The debate will probably continue for umpteen years to come. By reading Romans 91-29 we can tell clearly which concept capital of Minnesota believes to be true. While I read Romans 91-29 I kept clearly in my mind the two beliefs of freewill and predestination. After reading it was apparent to me that Paul believes strongly in predestination. This, in my opinion, goes against human nature. I, at least, find it very hard to believe that if God chooses not to extend grace to a person that person cannot attain salvation no matter what they believe or what they do.Paul uses an example ab pop out Jacob and Esau. In Romans 9 10-13 Paul uses Malachi 12-3 that says that I have loved Jacob, further I have loved Jacob Paul then says that God had decided that before they were even born so as it says in verse 11-12 that Gods purpose of election might continue, not by works, notwithstanding by his call. If Paul is right about this and you interpret the parole literally than predestination has to be true. It is completely possible that Paul is biased though when writing about predestination. Paul believes strongly in salvation by faith not works.In Romans 3 27- 28 Paul says Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we main(prenominal)tain that a person is justify by faith apart from the works of the law. This is just one of many examples of how much Paul hates the idea of faith by works. There are many other examples of this in books written by Paul outside of Romans that convey the same message. Since Paul believes strongly in salvation by faith this would, in theory, make him lean towards predestination.Freewill means that we as humans make a choice to believe in God and be saved. Paul would suffer this as an example of justification by works and he clearly states in Ephesians 28-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. Paul believes that nothing we can do nothing to save ourselves which is the main idea of freewill. This makes Paul potentially biased toward predestination.I believe that this enactment isnt trying to address personal salvation as a main point, but I think we infer Pauls view on personal salvation through the verse. I believe that Paul was more trying to point out that we can do nothing to save ourselves. It is completely up to God. Paul was trying to stress that firstly, but then through that seems to make a case, as far as personal salvation goes, for predestination. He specifically mentions how he picked Jacob over Esau. If God chooses individually like that then I, at least, deduce from this passage according to Paul that God must choose who to save on a personal level.My rational human side tells me that predestination cannot be right, but then I read Romans and Paul says that predestination is right and freewill is wrong. The question then is if I believe Paul just because that is his opinion, even though it is most likely biased, or do I believe what seems right to me? Im still torn between the two because what I want to believe is contradicted by Paul. Maybe well never know for sure because the concept of God is impossible for our minds to completely unders tand in the first place.
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