Choose life

“Clearly the Israelites are given a real choice in this passage [Deut 30:15,19]… This is further demonstrated when we consider Moses’ words in verses 11-14… It is extremely important to notice that Moses tells the people that they are fully capable of making the right choice (which is reinforced by God’s desire that they choose life in verse 19). This militates strongly against any form of determinism, for according to necessitarian dogma it is quite untrue that it was not too difficult for many of them to obey.[3] Those who disobeyed (and many surely did) could not possibly have done otherwise than to disobey if determinism is true. However, Moses made it clear that all who heard his voice were indeed capable of obeying the divine command and firmly rebuked any who might dare to declare otherwise… This passage and numerous passages like it lay waste to the Calvinistic doctrine of exhaustive determinism.”

http://arminianperspectives.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/the-reality-of-choice-and-the-testimony-of-scripture/

“Moses now returns to the present time and directs his teaching to the people in the plains of Moab He tells them that the Torah is not something too ‘difficult’ for them; this term in Hebrew conveys the idea of something that is extraordinary and marvelous. The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan gets at the sense of it by rendering the clause as ‘it is not hidden from you.’ The Torah is not in the secret councils of Yahweh, but it has been revealed to the people. It is not too hard to understand and it is not too distant. Indeed, the Word of God is not in the heavens or beneath the earth–it is here among the people.”

“It is not that the law is easy to keep and obey. Rather, this has to do with accessibility and understanding. The law is not incomprehensible, remote, or unintelligible. It is not beyond mankind’s ability to grasp it and to understand it. This truth is in contrast to much belief in the ancient Near East,” J. Currid, Deuteronomy (EP 2006), 270-71.