"Do Christians have free will or they are fated to follow the bible ?"

Originally posted by debbiejo
Here's an interesting picture of Zeus....Doesn't he look familiar?

Kinda looks like Jesus.

They are not fated to,they have the choice to follow the bible and Christ.

Free will is the ability to independently make choices and hold views without deference to external persuasions.
If you automatically defer your opinion to that of another person, organization or entity, by definition you relinquish free will.

HUH!

No one has free will according to The Bible:

Acts 13:48

When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

Ephesians 1:4-5

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will…

Jude 1:4

For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:29-30

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

Romans 9:11-22

For though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, "THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER."

Just as it is written, "JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED."

What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!

For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION."

So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH."

So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?"

On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it?

Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?

What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?

2 Thessalonians 2:11-12

For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

2 Timothy 1:9

Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity…

Kinda looks like Jesus.

"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve..." Joshua 24:15

Originally posted by ska57
"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve..." Joshua 24:15

There's no "Who will you serve"...Isn't that like slave-ship...not free will...God doesn't need slaves...if god did it wouldn't be complete.

The Choice is ours to make ,Follow Christ or don't.Your not fated to listen its your choice

Originally posted by X-Menfan87
The Choice is ours to make ,Follow Christ or don't.Your not fated to listen its your choice

But, if you choice to follow Christ, do you have to belong to a church and have certain believes in common with others? I am a Buddhist, if I were to follow Christ could I keep all of my Buddhist practice and belief?

If the answer is yes, Christans have free will, if no, then they have no free will.

Originally posted by ska57
"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve..." Joshua 24:15

The Choice is ours to make ,Follow Christ or don't.Your not fated to listen its your choice

Then how do you explain this:

Acts 13:48

When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

Ephesians 1:4-5

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will…

Jude 1:4

For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:29-30

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

Romans 9:11-22

For though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, "THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER."

Just as it is written, "JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED."

What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!

For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION."

So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH."

So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?"

On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it?

Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?

What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?

2 Thessalonians 2:11-12

For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

2 Timothy 1:9

Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity…

So.....many believers aren't gonna make the grade either if they're not predestined......whoa...very very scary indeed....That's OK...Hells a nice place....they serve pizza and beer too.

drunk

Originally posted by debbiejo
So.....many believers aren't gonna make the grade either if they're not predestined......whoa...very very scary indeed....That's OK...Hells a nice place....they serve pizza and beer too.

drunk

Ya they do just down the street. But that place is in heaven. 😆

You know what's great about Heaven??? Watching people fall down when they're drunk.....I just love it when that happens.....makes me feel taller.... 😄

Originally posted by debbiejo
You know what's great about Heaven??? Watching people fall down when they're drunk.....I just love it when that happens.....makes me feel taller.... 😄

I like being drunk in heaven, you just have to be careful. If you fall and some short person laughs at you, you will soon be in hell. 😆

Originally posted by debbiejo
Most Christians think they have free will, but are really into the doctrine that their particular church teaches.

Every single human being has Free Will, the ability to chose right or wrong or wrong over right.

All Christians (or Muslims or Jews, etc.) can choose to not believe if they so wish because they have Free Will.

Depending on your doctrine, it goes deeper than just believing. How about baptism. Do you need that? What if you chose not to be baptised, or keep the Sabbath. Some Christian faiths believe you won't make it to Heaven.

All doctrines have their little rules. It's not just "Believe" and all will be okay, otherwise we wouldn't have all these different denominations that say "Follow us, we are on the right path."

The full message is believe in God, avoid evil, do good.

Originally posted by MRasheed
The full message is believe in God, avoid evil, do good.

Originally posted by Deja~vu
You are being deceptive in saying that. That's not how it really works and you know that. There are many other little rules in all the denominations.

No, I'm not. That is the full message... what we all need to do in order to get to heaven. The ritual rules are designed to strengthen you so you can do those things easier. For example, fasting regularly every year since you were 12 or 13 years old will develop the discipline needed not to overindulge so you are better able to say no to temptations, helping you to avoid evil. Establishing regular charity in your life develops the appetite for giving and doing good for your fellow man.

Administrative and business oriented "church rules" are more arbitrary, however, and should be held separate from the real rules of religion. The mixing of the two is what tends to turn people off, I think. Like when admin/church rules are given the same importance that religious rules get, it can make the community over-stuffy or overbearing.