Where?

[starchild1980200]

Will someone please show in scripture where or how, GOD is a gentleman and does not force us to accept him? Is (free will) even in the Bible?

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[God'sElectSaint]

James White's book "The Potter's Freedom" is a great starter on reformed theology, it was for me. Because he is refuting an arminian work as he explains it. I highly recommend it!

 

[Jake]

It would probably be good to go through a larger study on this topic, such as a book like Edward recommends. I see you're in the OPC: I'm sure your session could recommend some good resources as well or go through this topic (it was a topic we went over when I joined the OPC and was meeting with the pastor to do so). James White was helpful to me early on though!

 

[GraceOverwhelmsMe]

James White's book "The Potter's Freedom" is a great starter on reformed theology, it was for me. Because he is refuting an arminian work as he explains it. I highly recommend it!

Along with this, I think Chosen By God by R.C. Sproul would be extremely beneficial. It teaches the doctrines of grace (Calvinism/TULIP) at an extremely layman level.

But I think the question you're asking is based on the doctrine of "Irresistible Grace" (the I in TULIP). This doctrine is often mislabeled by Arminians who say stuff like, "God drags people into heaven kicking and screaming, while at the same time saying 'no' to people who desperately want in." This is a complete lie. R.C. Sproul prefers to call Irresistible Grace "Effectual Calling". I like that better, too.

The phrase "free will" is NOT in Scripture explicitly (at least in any of the English translations I've read), but it is implicit in there. The problem with our free will is that it's not as free as we like to think it is. St. Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther, and Jonathan Edwards all wrote amazing pieces on Free Will. Martin Luther's is most appealing to me simply because of the title: "THE BONDAGE OF THE WILL." Luther makes the case that our free will is in bondage to sin, and until God frees our wills from that bondage, we will never make a righteous decision.

Essentially, how this works is we are completely and utterly blind, deaf, and dumb to the things of God from birth (Total Depravity - T in TULIP). This means that we are actually unable to NOT sin. Our minds are completely bent on evil, and can only do evil (Romans 8:5-8).

Now, when conversion happens (regeneration/rebirth - something done completely of the Spirit, with no effort of our own - Ephesians 2:8-9), God calls to us, and now that we are able to see God for who He really is, our hearts being made new, we gladly receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

So no, God does not FORCE us to believe in Him, in the sense that you would have been taught about Calvinism from your upbringing. Instead, He frees our wills to grant us, by His grace, the capability to believe in Him, and our free will gladly chooses Christ every time.

I wrote a blog post on this awhile ago called "Kicking and Screaming - Calvinism Misconceptions pt.2" that might be of some help.

 

[Reformed Roman]

Brian's comments on the bondage of the will are very good. That's what people fail to grasp. All mankind is in bondage to sin. We ate slaves to sin. Ephesians 2 says we are dead in sin. Romans 3 says no one is righteous of themselves, that no one does good in themselves. God used His Grace to open our eyes to His gospel.

That's a beautiful thing. We weren't people at the top of an ocean trying to swim, in ourselves we are a dead people. Dead. God brings us to life.

That's the goodness of God.

I believe as Christians, we do have freedom and can make decisions. But even those decisions can be pushed upon us, we have the Holy Spirit in us, sin tugging at us, etc. So while we are free there are still influenced to our decisions, even as Christians

 

[GraceOverwhelmsMe]

I believe as Christians, we do have freedom and can make decisions.

Quite right. If we didn't have the freedom to make decisions for ourselves then we would have no right to a heavenly reward for our righteous decisions or God would be causing injustice to occur if he punished us for sins that we didn't choose to commit. We can't just say "the devil made me do it" and walk away feeling ok with that sin.

Remember, Proverbs 16:9 - "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps."

God ordains all that comes to pass - even evil - but that doesn't make evil good... It just means that in some way, only known to God, it is good that there is evil. I can only assume that in some way, the evil that he permits to occur on a daily basis goes along with the verse "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28)."

 

[py3ak]

People mean different things by 'free will.' It's not in the Bible, in a way a lot of people mean it. Ephesians 2:1-10 is a good passage to reflect on in this connection. According to Paul, we were dead in trespasses and sins until God made us alive. That is nothing short of an act of new creation in Christ.

So how much does a dead man contribute to his own resurrection? How much did nothing contribute to creation? That's how much we contribute to our salvation. God doesn't force us to become alive. Did our parents force us to exist? Forcing a dead person or to live or forcing nothing to become something is plain nonsense. Of course, once we are alive we do act.

 

[KMK]

Will someone please show in scripture where or how, GOD is a gentleman and does not force us to accept him? Is (free will) even in the Bible?

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Welcome to PB! Please fix your signature according to board rules. Find out how by clicking on 'Signature Requirements' underneath my own signature.

As to your question, I will direct you to the London Baptist Confession. (If you are a Presbyterian, I apologize.)

Chapter 9

Paragraph 1. God has endued the will of man with that natural liberty and power of acting upon choice, that it is neither forced, nor by any necessity of nature determined to do good or evil.1
1 Matt. 17:12; James 1:14; Deut. 30:19

Paragraph 2. Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom and power to will and to do that which was good and well-pleasing to God,2 but yet was unstable, so that he might fall from it.3
2 Eccles. 7:29
3 Gen. 3:6

Paragraph 3. Man, by his fall into a state of sin, has wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation;4 so as a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin,5 is not able by his own strength to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.6
4 Rom. 5:6, 8:7
5 Eph. 2:1,5
6 Titus 3:3-5; John 6:44

Paragraph 4. When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, He frees him from his natural bondage under sin,7 and by His grace alone enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good;8 yet so as that by reason of his remaining corruptions, he does not perfectly, nor only will, that which is good, but does also will that which is evil.9
7 Col. 1:13; John 8:36
8 Phil. 2:13
9 Rom. 7:15,18,19,21,23

Paragraph 5. This will of man is made perfectly and immutably free to good alone in
the state of glory only.10
10 Eph. 4:13

 

[johnny]

At the risk of speaking just from my own personal experience,

The "Holy Spirit is a Gentleman" approach is a classic Pentecostal technique for letting go
of your conscious mind and was used on me by members of the AOG while I was learning Glossolalia.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossolalia
It also works well for being "Slain in the Spirit" in other words, stop thinking
and allow yourself to become mildly hypnotized as proof that God loves you.

The scripture texts sometimes used are Elijah's encounter in the cave.
1 Kings 19:11-12
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

And also various NT passages.
John 14:26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 16:13
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Again, this was my personal experience and may not relate to your question.

 

[johnny]

I must follow this up by quickly stating that I abhor this teaching now,
It is heresy through and through, avoid at all costs.

 

[Contra_Mundum]

How about,
Instead of a Gentleman, we have God as our Hero, our Deliverer and Defender. The Savior of the world.

Jesus doesn't stand at our door, knocking pleadingly. (Yes, Rev.3:20; but that's not a verse about salvation)

We were behind a door--a prison door--a captive, abused, one who knew no other existence than that of a slave; who lacked any will to rise up even to challenge the door. We needed a Rescuer to come and smash the door in, carve his way through any and all opposition, and take us out of there into a completely new way of living: a life worth living. He didn't have to be someone we were waiting for, were "prepared" for, nothing.

Our spiritual salvation is perfectly paralleled by Israel's salvation out of Egypt; in fact, it was the OT typological lesson that was lived by God's people, then written for theirs and their children's instruction so they should understand what God was in-process of carrying out through their Messiah, who was on his way.

Arminian and other non-Reformed anthropology conceives of Man as an intelligent, able-bodied doer; capable, even expected to judge the quality of the salvation "offer," and make a reasonable choice. Proud Human, the king of that castle behind the door, offered more gracious accommodations, if he can see the advantages of a new neighborhood.

 

[MW]

Will someone please show in scripture where or how, GOD is a gentleman and does not force us to accept him? Is (free will) even in the Bible?

What "quality" is meant by the figurative image of a gentleman?

So far as the outward call is concerned God condescends to reason with man and to show him what is in his best interests. He uses persuasion to win over the understanding and the will by commands, exhortations, and invitations. The inward effectual call of the Spirit does not force man to do anything against his will, but enlightens the mind and renews the will so that man willingly, with a sense of thirst and hunger, embraces the Saviour in all His fulness as freely offered in the gospel.