I've never studied any of the writings of Calvin and I've never even heard of Arminian. I just know that the term free applied in front of will offers the possibility of it's counterpart, slavery so as to make the distinction. So, objectively they are both relative, but to what? left is right to one who is facing you, but which way is the west for I keep going forever and never get there. I was heading south but eventually I ended up going North. All things are relative to an absolute. Scripture says whom you obey is your master. What is freedom from God is servitude to sin, What is servitude to God is freedom from sin. No edification in arguing semantics.
We all inherit sin through Adam according to scripture. If we go back to the first man we do not find that God gave him a choice regarding eating of the tree of knowledge. God never said to man he could disobey Him, for He is the absolute. It was in fact Satan who proposed we had a choice, hence he said we could disobey and not die. In this sense freedom became a temptation only viable through a corrupt image of God.
For Satan said, God does not want you to eat, because He knows if you eat, your eyes will be open, and you will be like Gods. Hence to the innocent, who had no knowledge of guile, an image of God was sown in their minds, that was of a self-serving God, who would sacrifice others for Himself. Being deceived by this most cunning of God's creatures, they believed, or rather unbelieved, and ate.
Now some will claim that because there was an option, we could have said no to Satan. The mind that thinks thus, misses the point; that the mistake was that we accepted a corrupt image of God, and traded in what was Holy for what was not. This is what fascilitated disobedience, even as righteousness is by faith. And this was possible, because we did not know what Holiness was when we had it. Regardless, we now all die and have sin, even as God who was ever true, had said would happen. Our minds being corrupted, the will cannot be free. If one now claims he has no sin, he is a liar.
For this reason Jesus said the Truth will set you free. Free from what? we are slaves to no one they answered. Whosoever sins is a slave to sin, Jesus said. And then this Jesus, this Christ, who is the True Image of God, even as the only begotten of the Father, climbed onto his cross, and revealed the eternal loving trustworthiness of God's nature. And there he sacrificed himself for us saying, forgive them Father for they know not what they do.
Now if we eat this bread from heaven, if we believe that this is the nature of God, though I cannot fathom any reason why anyone would not want to believe this, then it is a good thing He is self-serving, according to His perpetually perfect nature. Consequently it is a good thing to serve Him, for whoever serves Him, in truth serves himself. There is nothing wrong with slavery to God, except to the corrupt mind. But the pure mind desires only to serve Him. Please be not offended in me, or be offended if you must, for many were offended by God's Christ, even because he revealed our own wicked depravity.
He is the only true light that shines in the darkness we are in. For this reason, the children of God are born out of corruption. So that they can grow towards God forever and love Him with all their hearts ,minds, and souls. Unfortunately for man, we often must believe in evil before we believe in good. The only freewill is one that sees the Truth, and is enslaved by it. To believe we can choose to not obey God is our vanity, and our destuction.
We all inherit sin through Adam according to scripture. If we go back to the first man we do not find that God gave him a choice regarding eating of the tree of knowledge. God never said to man he could disobey Him, for He is the absolute. It was in fact Satan who proposed we had a choice, hence he said we could disobey and not die. In this sense freedom became a temptation only viable through a corrupt image of God.
For Satan said, God does not want you to eat, because He knows if you eat, your eyes will be open, and you will be like Gods. Hence to the innocent, who had no knowledge of guile, an image of God was sown in their minds, that was of a self-serving God, who would sacrifice others for Himself. Being deceived by this most cunning of God's creatures, they believed, or rather unbelieved, and ate.
Now some will claim that because there was an option, we could have said no to Satan. The mind that thinks thus, misses the point; that the mistake was that we accepted a corrupt image of God, and traded in what was Holy for what was not. This is what fascilitated disobedience, even as righteousness is by faith. And this was possible, because we did not know what Holiness was when we had it. Regardless, we now all die and have sin, even as God who was ever true, had said would happen. Our minds being corrupted, the will cannot be free. If one now claims he has no sin, he is a liar.
For this reason Jesus said the Truth will set you free. Free from what? we are slaves to no one they answered. Whosoever sins is a slave to sin, Jesus said. And then this Jesus, this Christ, who is the True Image of God, even as the only begotten of the Father, climbed onto his cross, and revealed the eternal loving trustworthiness of God's nature. And there he sacrificed himself for us saying, forgive them Father for they know not what they do.
Now if we eat this bread from heaven, if we believe that this is the nature of God, though I cannot fathom any reason why anyone would not want to believe this, then it is a good thing He is self-serving, according to His perpetually perfect nature. Consequently it is a good thing to serve Him, for whoever serves Him, in truth serves himself. There is nothing wrong with slavery to God, except to the corrupt mind. But the pure mind desires only to serve Him. Please be not offended in me, or be offended if you must, for many were offended by God's Christ, even because he revealed our own wicked depravity.
He is the only true light that shines in the darkness we are in. For this reason, the children of God are born out of corruption. So that they can grow towards God forever and love Him with all their hearts ,minds, and souls. Unfortunately for man, we often must believe in evil before we believe in good. The only freewill is one that sees the Truth, and is enslaved by it. To believe we can choose to not obey God is our vanity, and our destuction.
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