Do we have free will as sinners?

[JWdant]

After reading (Romans 6) it does look as if 'total' Free Will is only given to believers in Christ to the full measure. Does knowing sin as it truly is give a person a better sense of Free Will? opinions and scripture welcome

 

[Christ_empowered]

This is true….

I seem to recall reading that there are actually a lot of agnostics and atheists working for churches and ministries sometimes as ministers. Eek

 

[Edward]

Yes, but I do believe that, eventually, the gospel will become to the ex-believer what it was to them before God called them. Just words. Just a story.

I think I heard something like that before. that everything worldly that you put in your mind makes it harder to hear God. And that everything of the Lord that you put into your mind makes it harder to hear the world.

Do you think that, once we're in Heaven that our memory of earth will be with us or filtered away by God?

 

[Edward]

This is true….

I seem to recall reading that there are actually a lot of agnostics and atheists working for churches and ministries sometimes as ministers. Eek

Yeah, in it for the money. I'm starting to see commercials about, Now you can secure your future with the business plan of the Kingdom of God! I think they teach them to go into prosperity gospel and promise 6 figures your first year.

Lol.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Do you think that, once we're in Heaven that our memory of earth will be with us or filtered away by God?

Boy, that's a toughy.

I think we will recall the old life for a while as we meet and rejoice with friends and family and people we ministered to in this life. Then it will be utterly forgotten and our complete and total attention will be on the eternal kingdom.

 

[Hidden In Him]

After reading (Romans 6) it does look as if 'total' Free Will is only given to believers in Christ to the full measure. Does knowing sin as it truly is give a person a better sense of Free Will? opinions and scripture welcome

Nah. Calvinist misconception and Gnostic heresy.

The whole thing hinges on if we yield ourselves to sin or to righteousness. The entire teaching falls flat on its face if free will does not remain fully intact throughout. We choose WHO we will serve, and reap the consequences, depending on our choice.

16 Know ye not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. 19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. 20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and having become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

 

[Hidden In Him]

Slave of sin or slave of righteousness…those seem to be the biblical options. Neither one seems to provide much in the way of total and complete free will…

Nah, C-E. Those who yield themselves as servants of sin or righteousness don't lack any more freedom than those who make themselves servants of Burger King. If you stick with the program, you do what Burger King tells you to do and earn the corresponding rewards for doing so. You can still quit and choose not to be a servant at BK anymore, or maybe stay on but not show up to work a few times and do your work poorly, or go the other route and do it extremely well. You will be rewarded accordingly, based on the choices you made and how good a servant you chose to be.

 

[WIP]

Okay, we've left the OP out of the conversation and I've already issued a warning, which was obviously ignored. Any more posts not focused on answering the OP's questions will be removed.