Hello!

You should be aware that not all Christians believe that faith in Christ is a matter of our "making a decision."

I'm a Lutheran Christian. We believe that, because of humanity's inherent brokenness -- our inherent self-centeredness and alienation from God -- we can't "make a decision for Jesus" on our own simply because it's not in our nature to do so; our human nature is to fear and resent God and God's claims on us. We believe that it is God's Holy Spirit that creates saving faith in us.

How that happens differs from individual to individual, and we don't spend a lot of time second-guessing who is on or off the "God bus." We know that WE have been, through our baptisms, forgiven, freed and called to be a part of God's family; and we take it from there. We also know from Scripture that God loves us, desires that everyone should have a living, healthy relationship with God and will do anything -- in fact, in Christ HAS done that -- in order to make that happen.

I'll also add that salvation isn't just a kind of "get out of jail free" card. It's not just something that happens in the future but that happens now: "I was saved; I'm being saved; I will be saved." I think that point gets lost by popular, unthoughtful Christianity. And I think it's important to think of salvation as a process to get away from some of the stereotypical "turn or burn" rhetoric so common in certain Christian schools of thought.

It is a point that by giving  human beings  free will God risked everything because he did not want to create automatons. Then, for those, given the ability to choose to obey God , who decided to go their own way  they can hardly, in all fairness, put their choice back as guilt upon God.

 If I make a tin soldier and then give him life and free choice, surely it is his problem if he freely chooses to go the wrong way and hurt himself. I may warn him to be careful not to go into a fire because the fire will destroy him. If he still chooses to go into that fire and melts into oblivion, it is not my fault he did not listen to good advice.

Mar 18, 2011 -- 1:16AM, Shadow_Seeker wrote:

Hey everyone!

One day this issue just popped into my mind, if we have free will to choose whether we accept Jesus as Savior, or not, why would God punish someone for their choice of not accepting? If we have truly been given "free will" why would we be punished for our choice? So, if I decided not to accept Jesus as Savior, how could I be punished for using my free will?

Thank you to all that help 

Why would nature punish someone for walking off a cliff?

Free Will....Choice....comes with an accountability.

God is reaching out His hands to save us, if we slap that hand away, we are accountable for our own actions...

Freewill should be the ability to choose any Savior .

Freewill should be the ability to not choose any Savior.

Free will is just free.

There are no strings attached.

The idea G-d punishes us for free thought...

Is to keep us from thinking freely.

It I think is just a fear tactic

To keep us from thinking outside the box

From learning about other religions

From talking others who are different

A way to make ourselves feel we are special

We are born with an empty brain

It is up to us to fill it, or not.