Free Will
By Barry Adams
2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. NIV
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. NIV
Freedom is at the very heart of who God is. And since we were all created in God's image (Genesis 1:27), He has entrusted us with this wonderful gift too. Oftentimes, we aren't even aware of this privilege until it is taken away. Many of us experienced this in a practical way during the recent global pandemic when some of our basic freedoms to move about and visit family were taken away and we all know how painful that was.
Part of this precious gift that has been given to us is the freedom to choose, or what some would call our 'free will'. Whether we are aware of it or not, God has woven this into our DNA because it is part of what makes us all wonderfully human. It is our God-given ability to make choices whether good or bad. Good choices can lead to positive outcomes and poor choices can lead to negative ones. The Bible calls this sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7-9).
The first time we see this principle at work is in the creation story of Genesis 2. After God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in the Garden of Eden and gave them charge of everything there. They could eat the fruit of every tree in this spectacular garden except for one. And that tree was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
We read about this in Genesis 2:16-17... 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” NIV
So for the first time in human history, Adam and Eve were presented with a choice. They could choose to feast on all of the good things that God prepared for them or they could choose to eat from the wrong tree and experience the consequences of their disobedience. Unfortunately, we all know that they chose the latter over the former.
I'm sure many of us have wondered why God gave Adam and Eve the option to disobey Him in the first place. After all, we would be still living in the garden today if there weren't any other options. But the reality is, for love to be present, there has to be freedom to choose or reject it. That is just how love works.
If I forced my wife to marry me, that wouldn't have been love. If I forced our children to unconditionally obey me, that wouldn't be love. Love has to be voluntarily chosen or it ceases to be love and because of this, when you love someone, it comes at great risk because they may not love you back.
When we think about who God is, the Bible says that God is love (1 John 4:16). It isn't only that He loves, but the very fabric of His being is love. The Apostle Paul writes of the amazing humility of God's love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8... 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. NIV
When we begin to see through the lens of God's love, we will understand that control and manipulation have no place in the heart of God. God is completely free and it is His desire for us to experience that same freedom as well. And part of this God-entrusted attribute, is the ability that we all have to respond or reject His continual initiation of love.
It is amazing to think how an all powerful God would put Himself in such a place of vulnerability. A place where He could be rejected and even scorned by the ones He loves with all His heart. But this is the story of the human experience that was on full display when Jesus died on a cross. For God did not make us to be robots, but human beings who have the freedom to stay or leave, just like the prodigal son did in Luke 15:11-32.
Our Father is not willing that even one person would perish, but that all would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:9). And God has moved heaven and earth in order for that to be the case. But the reality is His love will not force us into a relationship with His Son. So the Father patiently waits for us, and He continues to draw us to Jesus (John 6:44-45).
We see the contrast between God's desire and Israel's response clearly in Jeremiah 3:19-20... 19 “I myself said, “‘How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land,
the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me. 20 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me,”
declares the Lord. NIV
It may not make sense to our rational mind, but when the eyes of our hearts are opened to see the humble love of Father, Son and Spirit, it will undo us to the very core of our being. When we have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying, we will know that it cost God everything in order for us to have a free will. For the disobedience of what happened in the garden was already provided for because Jesus is called 'The Lamb slain before the foundation of the world' (Revelation 13:8).
And when we begin to understand that Jesus came to the world to set us free from the sin that enslaves us (John 8:34-26), we will begin to experience a freedom at a whole new level because it is for freedom sake that Christ has set us free (Galatians 5:1).
Part of this precious gift that has been given to us is the freedom to choose, or what some would call our 'free will'. Whether we are aware of it or not, God has woven this into our DNA because it is part of what makes us all wonderfully human. It is our God-given ability to make choices whether good or bad. Good choices can lead to positive outcomes and poor choices can lead to negative ones. The Bible calls this sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7-9).
The first time we see this principle at work is in the creation story of Genesis 2. After God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in the Garden of Eden and gave them charge of everything there. They could eat the fruit of every tree in this spectacular garden except for one. And that tree was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
We read about this in Genesis 2:16-17... 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” NIV
So for the first time in human history, Adam and Eve were presented with a choice. They could choose to feast on all of the good things that God prepared for them or they could choose to eat from the wrong tree and experience the consequences of their disobedience. Unfortunately, we all know that they chose the latter over the former.
I'm sure many of us have wondered why God gave Adam and Eve the option to disobey Him in the first place. After all, we would be still living in the garden today if there weren't any other options. But the reality is, for love to be present, there has to be freedom to choose or reject it. That is just how love works.
If I forced my wife to marry me, that wouldn't have been love. If I forced our children to unconditionally obey me, that wouldn't be love. Love has to be voluntarily chosen or it ceases to be love and because of this, when you love someone, it comes at great risk because they may not love you back.
When we think about who God is, the Bible says that God is love (1 John 4:16). It isn't only that He loves, but the very fabric of His being is love. The Apostle Paul writes of the amazing humility of God's love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8... 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. NIV
When we begin to see through the lens of God's love, we will understand that control and manipulation have no place in the heart of God. God is completely free and it is His desire for us to experience that same freedom as well. And part of this God-entrusted attribute, is the ability that we all have to respond or reject His continual initiation of love.
It is amazing to think how an all powerful God would put Himself in such a place of vulnerability. A place where He could be rejected and even scorned by the ones He loves with all His heart. But this is the story of the human experience that was on full display when Jesus died on a cross. For God did not make us to be robots, but human beings who have the freedom to stay or leave, just like the prodigal son did in Luke 15:11-32.
Our Father is not willing that even one person would perish, but that all would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:9). And God has moved heaven and earth in order for that to be the case. But the reality is His love will not force us into a relationship with His Son. So the Father patiently waits for us, and He continues to draw us to Jesus (John 6:44-45).
We see the contrast between God's desire and Israel's response clearly in Jeremiah 3:19-20... 19 “I myself said, “‘How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land,
the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me. 20 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me,”
declares the Lord. NIV
It may not make sense to our rational mind, but when the eyes of our hearts are opened to see the humble love of Father, Son and Spirit, it will undo us to the very core of our being. When we have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying, we will know that it cost God everything in order for us to have a free will. For the disobedience of what happened in the garden was already provided for because Jesus is called 'The Lamb slain before the foundation of the world' (Revelation 13:8).
And when we begin to understand that Jesus came to the world to set us free from the sin that enslaves us (John 8:34-26), we will begin to experience a freedom at a whole new level because it is for freedom sake that Christ has set us free (Galatians 5:1).