Free Will? What Free Will?

bro, bago ako matulog share ko muna sa inyo yung insight ko kaya sinasabi kong wala talagang free will ang tao technically.. what we really sense as "free will" is just an illusion.. the truth is God orchestrated everything from the moment we open our eyes until death where we'll close them.. medyo mahaba mga bro, nasarapan eh.. hehe... enjoy reading it.. discuss natin next week kung anong napag-aralan nyo...

ok.. God's work is all for His glory right? it is to magnify His love, His greatness, His holiness, etc.. lahat naman tayo ng-aagree dito diba???

now ask yourself: Do i really have a part in my salvation? meaning, naligtas ba ako kasi pinili kong maniwala at magtiwala sa Diyos? in the first place, ako ba tlga ang pumili sa Kanya or Siya ang unang pumili sa akin? eto ang mga points na kailangang isipin bago natin sagutin yang tanong na yan:
1) 1 Corinthians chapter 1 with emphasis on verses 5, 9, 26 to 31..
a. verse 5: we are enriched by Him - sa atin ba galing ang kaalaman? dahil ba ngbasa tayo ng Bible tapos naisipan nating piliin si Christ? i dont think so...
b. verse 9: ye were "called" unto the fellowship of Christ - nagkusa ba tayong lumapit? nope, tinawag muna tayo..
c. verses 26-31: God has chosen the foolish to confound the wise; God chose... that NO flesh should glory in his presence
2) Ephesians 1:4-5: God has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world... having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will... dito may dalawang point, actually marami.. una, before the foundation of world, pinili na yung mga gagawing children by Jesus Christ.. pwede ka bang tumanggi don? not even death can separate you from the love of God (Romans 8).. pangalawa, since pinili na, ibig sabihin hindi free will nila Adam and Eve na mgkasala.. that was all planned kasi nga God wants to show His greatness thru contrast... ipinakita ni God kung gaano kaputi ang puti by showing us kung ano ang maitim.. how to be loved by showing us how He loved the unlovable.. mercy by showing us His wrath.. how the Holy of Holies reconcile with the unholy.. and so forth..
3) Ephesians 1:11: being predestined according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will - kung predestined ba tayo may choice pa tayong mamili na ayawan ang destiny natin? siguro kung mas powerful pa tayo kay God, posible sigurong umayaw tau.. kaya siguro may mga nagsasabi na "chosen na pala ako eh, pwede nakong mgstop" kasi hindi nila alam kung bakit pinili sila.. kung anong purpose.. in the first place, masasabi nating hindi sila pinili kasi matigas pa rin heart nila eh..
4) 2 Thesalonians 2:13: But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth - mga bro, malinaw nman diba.. kung chosen na tau, we are already bound to give thanks, to love God.. kasi nakita na natin ang goodness ng Panginoon.. so hindi natin pwedeng sabihing "ui since chosen na ako, lie low muna ako, saka nlng uli ako mg-aactive kasi chosen na nman ako eh.." kapag ganun ang thinking, malamang hindi pa tayo ligtas.. and by God's mercy nlng kung ire-reveal ba Niya sa atin yung goodness Niya..
5) 1Peter2:9: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light - lahat ba pinili to be called out of the darkness? at once napili na anong gagawin natin? mglie low? nope.. that ye should show forth the praises of Him.. see.. hindi tayo titigil sa point na nlaman natin ligtas na tayo.. ipapakita natin ang kapurihan ng Diyos..
6) Romans9:15-16 I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.- may ginawa ba tayo para piliin tayo ng Diyos? wla, by mercy lng talaga.. so may pinili nga.. the chosen ones.. now, asan yung part natin sa salvation? pwede ba nating sabihin, "Lord, ayoko sa Iyo"? God knows the future right? now bakit ka Nya pipiliin kung alam Nyang sasabihin mo yan later? ibig sabihin, hindi ka tlga chosen...
7) John15:16 - Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. -- ayun mas malinaw.. He do the choosing part.. pwede ba tayong umayaw later? i believe kung chosen na talaga tayo hindi na tayo makakatanggi... because our fruit should remain.. how can you ever resist the goodness of God kung nakita mo na to???


more points to ponder:
1) if i have a free will to accept or reject God and His son Jesus Christ, then Christ's death on the cross was void and incomplete.. why? eh pinili-pili ako ng Diyos tapos hindi pala ako kayang iligtas ng cross na yan.. kailangan pang ako ang mgdecide kung maliligtas ba ako or hindi.. kailangan ko pang mgdecide kung tatanggapin ko ba si Christ sa buhay ko or hindi.. on the other hand, kung powerful nga ang kamatayan ni Christ sa cross, bakit hindi lahat ng tao ligtas? kasi nga hindi lahat pinili.. yung mga pinili lng ang 100% sure of salvation.. how can we know kung ligtas ba tau? by our fruits.. anyway, ibang topic na to...
2) granted na nsa akin ang choice kung mgpapaligtas ba ako kay Jesus.. meaning pwede kong ipagmalakai in God's face, "hey you God! i am saved because i have a free will to choose your son Jesus Christ!" literally, it is i who saved myself... is this the case? God forbids..
3) sino ang na-glorify kung ako pala ang pumili at ngdecide kung maliligtas ba ako or hindi? diba ako rin? ako pala ang susi sa kaligtasan ko eh..
4) a scenario used by our cell group pastor: a drowning man was saved by a lifeguard.. pwede bang sabihin ng taong naligtas, "wow! naligtas ako kasi ngdecide akong kumapit sa lifeguard! it is my doing kaya naligtas ako!"
5) another one: lahat tau makasalan so maihahalintulad tayo sa basura.. ngayon may pumulot sa ibang basura para irecycle.. yung iba naiwan.. masasabi ba ng napili na sila ang ngdecide kaya napili sila? masasabi rin ba ng mga naiwan na basura na unfair yung pumulot kasi di sila sinama?
6) we were dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:5) - how can a dead decide for himself to come alive? zombie? God revived us first, gave us grace and saved us from Death.. may input ba tayo? wla, response lng.. response to believe, be joyful in God's presence, etc..
7) remember when pastor peter preached about freedom? sabi nya dalawa lng ang klase ng freedom.. true freedom and false freedom.. false freedom makes us feel na pwede nating gawin anuman ang gusto nating gawin -- good or bad.. ito yung free will na sinasabi.. actually, this is not freedom because in reality, nagiging slave tayo ng sin.. on the other hand, true freedom is the freedom to do what God wants you to do.. ironic right? but in doing God's will that we were freed from the slavery of sin.. free to do what is right.. because doing the right thing is difficult.. only once you are truly free that you can do good freely.. asan ang free will dito? wla.. but God's will.. get the point?

actually mga bro marami pang nasusulat sa bible that God is the one who saves.. hindi tayo.. our salvation depends on God's mercy kung bibiyayaan ba Niya tau ng faith para maniwala tayo sa anak Niya and not by our own effort and decision.. kung gusto nyo pa ng maraming babasahin bros, eto ang ilan sa mga links...

http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/choice.html
http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/12578.You_Did_Not_Choose_God_He_Chose_You_