The Will of Man (From the Potter's Freedom)

Does one choose to remain a slave to sin, and can, at any time, simply choose, by the exericise of free will, to become a believer and cease being a slave?
Can and would a slave to sin ask God to be free from his sin?
Can a slave to sin recognise their need for a Savior?
Are people really free in the first place if the Bible says that we are slaves to sin?
What are the inablities of man?
What is a slave? : a person held in servitude as the chattel of another 2 : one that is completely subservient to a dominating influence

John 12:39-40
For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, "HE HAS BLINED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM."
They are unable to believe because God blinded their eyes.
But 2 verses earlier in John 12:37 we read, "Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him". OK, this sounds like these people were unwilling to believe but why were they unwilling?

Yes, we do read of their unwillingness to believe 2 verses earlier. However, John then explains their unwillingness to believe in 12:38, by stating, "This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: 'LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?'" John's own interpretation of their unbelief was that it was a fulfillment of prophecy.

So, let me get this straight....Some people can not believe because God's prophesy would not be fulfilled! Is the fulfillment of God's prophesy more important than man's free will? Was their blindness "chosen and avoidable blindness"? If it was avoidable, does that mean the prophesy itself was avoidable?

Yes, they had been called upon to repent and believe. It does not follow that "they were able to do so" when verse 39 says they were not able to do so. People overturn the plain assertion of Scripture because it can't mean what it says. The assumption is that if God commands all men everywhere to repent, then that must mean that all men everywhere are morally neutral creatures with free wills who are able and who are not enslaved by sin. But this does not follow. God commands all men everywhere to love Him with all their heart, soul and mind and strength, but sin does not allow any of the fallen sons of Adam to do so.


Paul spoke of the spiritual inabilities of the natural man when he wrote to the Corinthins:

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

So, when people say, " Just accept Jesus into your heart", is this possible by the natural man? No! But with God, all things are possible.

Unregenerate man is fully capable of understanding the facts of the gospel; he is simply incapable, due to his corruption and enmity, to submit himself to that gospel. Man cannot respond in faith and repentance toward Christ without God first freeing him from sin and giving him spiritual life (regeneration).