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"Bob Felts" wrote in message
news:153.21.08.05.277551000@srcbs.org...
>
>
> Gary McNees wrote:
>
> > "Bob Felts" wrote in message
> > news:151.42.08.05.547771000@srcbs.org...
> > >
> > >
> [...]
> > >
> > > Which has nothing to do with what you said. This discusses God's will
> > > concerning creation. Your statement talked about God's will in
relation
> > > to Himself.
> > >
> > > If you claim that God cannot will to change His nature then God does
not
> > > have free will. The conclusion is inescapable given your premise.
> >
> > I believe you are mistaken.
>
> Why am I not surprised?
>
> > Of course God cannot will to change His nature.
>
> So there are some things that God _cannot_ will, therefore His will
> isn't free.

This is a strange definition of free will. Because you cannot will
to fly (or rather since we need to keep a careful difference between
willing to do, and actually doing), you don't have free will?

We can "will" absolutely anything. We can "will" to be God, but it ain't
gonna happen.

God can will all that is possible. Hence we must differentiate between
His antecedent and consequent will. Before God willed to create, He
was free to not create. But after He willed to create, creation was fixed.

God cannot will to lie. We have been over this time and again. God
cannot will moral evil. There is no "darkness" in God. God cannot
deny Himself. Scripture is replete with such statements concerning
those things which God cannot do.

But I did not think that this was what even you meant about the will
being free. Most Calvinists only insist that man is unable to will to be
saved. And that this inability is due to the nature he was born with.

Free will in God means that God is free do will that which is possible,
for God is logical and the impossible is not logical.

> > Any change in God would be for the worse since God is perfect. In fact,
> > since God has willed all that He ever will in eternity, He will not
change
> > His will in anything.
> > But this does not prove that God does not have free will.
> >
>
> How can a will that is constrained be free?

His will is only constrained to do that which is possible.
That which is impossible cannot exist. God cannot make
a "square circle."

> > "Classical theists point out that what is willed freely can also be
> > necessary. Antecedent necessity that would eliminate free will differs
from
> > consequent necessity. God's will has antecedent freedom. He could have
done
> > otherwise.
>
> You undercut your own argument because you agree that there are some
> things where God _co