Jul 23, 2017 | by Jonathan Waller | series: The Gospel John
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“Free Wouldn’t”
John 3:1-10
- Introduction: People often try to explain how a good God can be all powerful by suggesting that he gives us free will
- Free will exists in the Bible, just not in the way we want it to
- Our definition of free will is that we have equal authority over our decision making as God (if not stand above him)
- If we truly had free will, we free wouldn’t
- It’s possible to be religious and not be born again
- Nicodemus was a heavily religious man, but he was not born again
- He had done everything he could do to be right with God but it still wasn’t enough
- All who are born again are born of the Spirit
- The Spirit does what He wants
- We know how to recognize the Spirit, but we cannot predict his moves unless he reveals himself to us
- Everyone who has been born again have been given the right to be called a child of God
- Everything in the OT preludes to how salvation works
- If Nicodemus truly understood the OT the way he received credit from men, he would have understood the truth of Jesus’ words
- We can study the Bible and even teach it, but still not understand the things of the spirit
- Conclusion: Free will exists in the Bible, but only in the hands of God and those the spirit has enabled
- We can either feel threatened by this truth or thrilled
- We must not see God taking from us that which we treasure most, but instead see God’s will for what it is, the sovereign deliverance of what we should treasure most; eternal life in Christ