Your Bible question (regarding free-will or predestination) was:
> which is it do you have verses to back up eithier one?  please help me!!!!

_______, the Bible reveals that regarding free-will and predestination,
it is _not_ one or the other, but rather, _both_.  That is, the Bible
teaches
both the free-will of man and God's election or "predestination."


Unfortunately, the teachings and creeds of men have misdefined these
Biblical
concepts so that the impression is left that one cannot have both, only one
or the other.

We must accept the the "whole counsel of God on this subject instead of the
wisdom of men (Gal. 1:6-10; 1 Cor. 1:18-21).

Many men teach that man either has no free-will (fatalism), or limited
amounts of it.  The Bible teaches that every person with a moral capacity
has the freedom of will to decide whether or not to obey God.

Simply put, the Bible teaches that God elected (predestined or set in place)
to save every soul who "fears God and works righteousness" (Acts 10:34-35).
That is, before time eternal, God predestined that men would be saved "in
Christ" (Eph. 1:3-4, 7-12).  God predestined the "plan" of human redemption
(cf. Eph. 3:10-11).

God also determined that man would have free-will, the ability and
responsibility to choose to obey Him (cf. Gen. 3:1-6; Josh. 24:15; Matt.
11:28).

God did not predestine the man (which individuals would be saved & lost), He
predestined the plan (how men would be saved) - read again Acts 10:34-35;
Eph. 1:3-12; Rom. 8:28-30; 10:9-17.

Some do not understand the above passages on predestination. They think that
if a person is not of those predestinated, he is just out of luck, is
eternally damned, and there is nothing he can do about it. However, it is a
particular group or class of people that God chose before the foundation of
the world and not individuals. It is up to us to be part of that class (of
those "in Him") if we want to be of the chosen.

Let me illustrate it this way:
A school teacher on the first day of class told his students that some would
pass and some would fail the course they were about to take.  He then
described the things necessary for one to be of those who would pass.  At
the end of the school year, just as the teacher had said, some passed and
some failed.  Since the teacher had predestinated the outcome before he
began, does it mean that he caused each individual to either pass or fail
and there was nothing they could do about it?  Certainly not!  It was up to
each student to be of whichever group he desired.  Likewise, God
predetermined before He made the world that He would choose those "in
Christ" and now it is up to us to be of those in Christ.

By using our free-will we choose whether to be "in Christ" and thus saved
(Gal. 3:26-27).

So, we see God's part (His gracious plan of human redemption which is
accomplished through the death of Christ), and man's part (faith in Christ,
cf. Jas. 2:14-26; Matt. 7:21-23) combining to complete the equation of
salvation (Eph. 2:8-9).

If I have failed to address some specific point on this subject, please feel
free to write back and I will be glad to do so.

Sincerely,
Joe Price

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Joe R Price
joe@bibleanswer.com

Bible Answers
http://www.bibleanswer.com

Mt. Baker church of Christ
http://www.mtbakercofc.org/
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