Scriptural support for Free will?

[AaronsStaff]

Can someone point out to me passages of scripture which support Free will?

currently I can only come up with these verses:

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

“Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.” (Proverbs 3:31)

“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17)

Also, how does a Catholic respond to verses used often by Calvinists to deny free will?

I have some here that I am struggling to respond to…

"And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." -- Acts 13:48

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate.... Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." -- Romans 8:29-30

"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." -- 2 Timothy 1:9

"He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." -- Ephesians 1:4-5

"God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation." -- 2 Thessalonians 2:13

“God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned.” – 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12

"For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation." -- Jude 4

Thank you all in advance.

 

[MarcoPolo]

Sirach 15:15-16 If you will, you can keep the commandments, and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice. He has placed before you fire and water: stretch out your hand for whichever you wish.

Luke 10:16 He that hears you hears me; and he that rejects you rejects me; and he that rejects me rejects him that sent me.

Jeremiah 21:8-9 And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.Really, any passage that gives a command reflects our free will. Any of the commandments…whenever we are told to “do” this or do that. Or the passage about he who takes care of his family vs. he who doesn’t. The parable of the talents is a good one too, the one guy didn’t utilize the grace he’d been given whereas the others produced fruit (profit) with it.

 

[Mark77]

The Catechism talks about freedom in 1730-1748 as well as 1037 “God predestines no one to go to hell; for this ,a willful turning away from God ( a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end.”

The Ignatius Study Bible notes on Romans 8:29 say, "Predestination is a mystery revealed but not fully understood; what we know for certain is that God is free to act as he chooses (Ps 135:6) and man is free to accept or despise his blessings (2:6-8; Sir 15:11-13).

I’ve heard it described as watching a movie. Prior to watching the movie, the character’s choices are unknown to you but once you have seen it, their actions are “predetermined” or known by you the next time you watch it.

God is outside of time so He knows all of our choices but He has given us the free will to make the choices.

Great questions, may God Bless you in the search for His Truth!

Mark

 

[Benadam]

I’m not sure which epistle of Paul’s this is in but it is something St Paul said. I paraphrase; " for me nothing is forbidden but not all does good." Therein lies freedom of the will and it’s true meaning. The ability to do what ought to be done.

 

[Catholic_Dude]

Gen 4:3-7 is pretty good.

 

[Ruthie]

Gen 3:1-7 is also good. Adam and Eve were God’s first created humans, and could not have fallen without free will. God could have created them completely obedient to Him. They weren’t, therefore they had free will.

Ruthie

 

[knightfall]

Can someone point out to me passages of scripture which support Free will?

Paul’s letter to Philemon might help:

1:10 I beseech thee for my child, whom I have begotten in my bonds, Onesimus,
1:11 who was aforetime unprofitable to thee, but now is profitable to thee and to me:
1:12 whom I have sent back to thee in his own person, that is, my very heart:
1:13 whom I would fain have kept with me, that in thy behalf he might minister unto me in the bonds of the gospel:
1:14 but without thy mind I would do nothing; that thy goodness should not be as of necessity, but of free will. (RV)

Kind regards,
AJ