UNDERSTANDING FREE WILL

p_rehbein · Mar 24, 2014

What does “free will” mean?

Free will simply means that a person has the ability to choose.

Is “free will” Biblical?

Well, let us look at Scripture.

John 3:14) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 .) That WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 .) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 .) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.18 .) He that BELIEVETH ON HIM is not condemned: BUT HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT is condemned already, BECAUSE HE HATH NOT BELIEVED in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

(clearly there is a CHOICE THERE to be made…..to believe or to not believe)

What purpose would there be for God to create a world JUST to destroy part of that world? Why create a people just to condemn to death part of those people? Answer? He didn’t. Man brings condemnation and destruction upon himself through his denial of Jesus Christ. Through his unbelief. This is clearly stated in the 17 vs. above.

Consider what Paul said in 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Timothy……..2:1 .) I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 .) For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 .) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 .) Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 .) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 .) Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
(note above……….”who would have ALL men to be saved” and “who gave himself a ransom for all)

Paul said: Romans 1:16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation TO EVERYONE THAT BELIEVETH; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 .) For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

(clearly there is a CHOICE THERE to be made…….to believe or to not believe)

To deny “free will” is to say that when Adam sinned by disobeying God, he was simply doing “the WILL OF GOD.” Why would God punish someone for doing His will? Does that make sense?

Ecclesiastes 7:29) Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

(note that man “sought out” sinfulness…..must needs be man had a choice)

Josh McDowell had the following to say about creation, evil, and God’s love for us:

The Scriptures make it plain that God did not create the world in the state in which it is now, but evil came as a result of the selfishness of man. The Bible says that God is a God of love and He desired to create a person and eventually a race that would love Him. But genuine love cannot exist unless freely given -- through free choice God allows us to accept His love or to reject it.

This choice made the possibility of evil a reality. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they did not choose something God created, but, by their choice, they brought evil into the world. God is neither evil nor did He create evil. Man brought evil upon himself by selfishly choosing his own way apart from God’s way.

Consider these words from Deurtonomy……7:12) Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: 13 .) And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

(again, clearly a choice to be made……….)

p_rehbein · Mar 24, 2014

CONTINUED.....................

God, from the beginning, had a plan to redeem mankind and within that plan were choices for man to make. Reward and consequences for man are based on the choices he makes. God desires fellowship with all mankind, not just certain people. Yet God knows that not all of mankind are going to make the right choice, to choose everlasting life……..by choosing to believe in Jesus the Christ. There would be those who would deny Christ.

(and this is FORKNOWING……..)

To believe in the Calvanist’s predestination is to accept that man is bound in chains of obedience to God. Those who were predestined to salvation had no ability to deny Christ, and those predestined to damnation had no ability to believe in Jesus the Christ regardless of their desire to do so.

David Bennett said: There is another emotion that shows that man was created with free will. That emotion is anger. The Old Testament says that God was angry with many people, even His own chosen people, the Israelites. Some He punished, some He relented from punishing at the pleading of people like Moses and others. If God preordained everything then why would He be angry if people and nations did exactly what they were designed by Him to do? God is sovereign and almighty therefore no one could oppose Him or disobey Him unless they were given free will.

Genesis 6:3-6 / Exodus 32:9-10 / Psalms 95:10 / Psalms 78/59 / Psalms 106:29 /
Hebrews 3:10 and 17-19……..and there are many, many more.

Consider what Bennett said here:

GOD’S GIFT, FAITH, EXCUSES, REPENTANCE AND RESPONSIBILTY
Gift: The Bible calls salvation a gift. A gift without acceptance is not a gift. If you force a gift on the receiver it is no longer a gift. In business law
to have a legally binding contract or a legal transaction you have to have an offer and an acceptance. Another element to a legally binding
transaction you must also have consideration, that is, something of value or a price has to be given. In the case of our salvation ,Jesus paid the price.

See Romans 5:15, and 6:23 / Ephesians 2:8 and John 12:48 and James 1:21.

How does “faith” fit in with “free will?”

In Romans 4 we’re told that it was by faith that Abraham was credited with being righteous. It is faith by which all are saved.
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” --Luke 7:50 NIV

I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. --Acts 20:21
NIV

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
--Romans 3:22-25 NIV

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to
Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
--Galatians 3:13-14 NIV

Faith requires an action on our part, otherwise it is not faith. If faith was a pre-programmed (we were predestined to) action then it wouldn’t be faith.

p_rehbein · Mar 24, 2014

CONTINUED..........

One of my favorite Scriptures concerning “free will” is:

Joshua 24:14) Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
15 .) And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

(there can be no more clear example of man having a CHOICE)

And remember what Elijah said:

1[SUP]st[/SUP] Kings 18:21) And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

(clearly a CHOICE to be made)

Additional Scripture to consider……

Jeremiah 15:19) Therefore thus saith the LORD, IF thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and IF thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.

Ezekiel 33:11) Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

Romans 10:8) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 .) That [ IF ] thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, [ AND ] shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 .) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 .) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

2[SUP]ND[/SUP] Peter 3:1) This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: 2 .) That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: 3 .) Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 .) And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5 .) For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6 .) Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7 .) But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 8 .) But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9.) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Even with the existence of “free will,” God’s will remains sovereign, for God has a plan for mankind. This gift of “free will” is shown in that Jesus Christ paid the price for sin FOR ALL! And all who choose to believe will be saved.

Romans 8:3) For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

p_rehbein · Mar 24, 2014

CONTINUED............

1[SUP]st[/SUP] John 2:1) My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 .) And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

One FINAL ARGUMENT I would make is that for those who say “FREE WILL” is NOT IN THE BIBLE…………well……….read this:

Philemon 1:8) Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient,
9 .) Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. 10 .) I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: 11 .) Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me: 12 .) Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels: 13 .) Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel: 14.) But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.

(is that clear enough?)

IF predestination is truth, then WHY did Jesus have to die? To believe in predestination is to make of no value the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Jesus died for sins we willingly committed, not for sins God preordained we would commit. Had God preordained us to commit sins, then of what value is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

Romans 5:6) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.7 .) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 .) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 .) Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 .) For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 .) And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Titus 2:11) For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 .) Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 .) Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 .) Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 15 .) These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Acts 26:15) And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. 16 .) But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; 17 .) Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, 18 .) To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

1[SUP]st[/SUP] Corinthians 9:16) For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! 17 .) For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. 18 .) What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. 19 .) For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

John 1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 .) The same was in the beginning with God. 3 .) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 .) In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 .) And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6 .) There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7.) The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 .) He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 .) That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10 .) He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 .) He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 .) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 .) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 .) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

1[SUP]st[/SUP] Timothy 2:5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 .) Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

While there is much that can be debated, thereare points from the original Reform movement that we should all agree on:

sola gratia- we are saved from sin and destruction by the grace of God alone -- never by human works, no matter how good they might
seem to be.

sola fide- our major responsibility toward God is to live through total faith alone in God and his “providence” or good care.

sola scriptura- all authoritative guidance for the Christian life comes from scripture alone -- not from human authority.

God punishes men for rejecting Jesus Christ. For rejecting His salvation plan established through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This plan provided ALL WHO WILL a way to receive eternal life. They can choose to believe, or to deny

Under predestination mankind is condemned to hell as God determines even though He could save them if He wished, and regardless of their desires to believe in Jesus Christ. In essence, God DELIBERATLY withholds salvation from some while giving it to others. He punishes those He predestined to damnation for not accepting what He did not offer to them. Does that make sense to anyone? Seriously

What about God’s Will?

Matthew 12:47) Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48 .) But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 .) And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 .) For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother

Matthew 26:38) Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39 .) And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

In conclusion……….is “free will” Biblical?

YES………

p_rehbein · Mar 24, 2014

FREE WILL:

Go ye unto ALL THE WORLD.................

PREDESTINATION:

Go ye unto ONLY THOSE I PREORDAINED...........

chubbena · Mar 24, 2014

Man has the freedom to use his will to choose but whatever he chooses it's not free - on one side He paid the price and on the other he will pay the price.
Free will exists only in the absence of consequences.

Spokenpassage · Mar 24, 2014

I'm sorry brother but I do not enjoy long extensive posts, but I believe that we do have free will to an extent naturally.

I believe as through scripture that we have the ability to choose, but it is limited by our nature. Kind of like a prisoner may choose to walk back and forth in his cell, but the walls block him from going anywhere further even if he desired to go further. Like us who once were enslaved to sin couldn't escape our carnal mind and heart on our own. When Christ died for us while we yet sinners, we then have this choice to choose His will through faith. Faith in Christ activates that power to be joined to God's will rather than our own. By ourselves, we do not seek good, neither do we have the choice to continue and to pursue righteousness in truth.

Jesus sets us free.

IloveyouGod · Mar 24, 2014

We do have the freedom of choice, but ANY action must have its consequences whether it's gonna be positive or negative. There's no such thing as Free will without consequences.

chubbena said:

kennethcadwell · Mar 24, 2014

Deuteronomy 30:19 " I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live. "

Spokenpassage · Mar 24, 2014

p_rehbein said:

Actually there is different views on predestination. Predestination in the bible is according to God's foreknowledge - "many are called, but few are chosen." This doesn't mean God picked people to be saved and to be condemned, rather it means by God's foreknowledge He saw your heart in this present time and declared you His child. This fits perfectly with free will. There is though a doctrine out there that teach Jesus died only for the believer whom "He chose", that kind of predestination is not in the bible.

One verse I use concerning predestination by foreknowledge is 1 Peter 1:1-2

Selihah · Mar 24, 2014

I would have to disagree with what Josh McDowell said "The Scriptures make it plain that God did not create the world in the state in which it is now, but evil came as a result of the selfishness of man. The Bible says that God is a God of love and He desired to create a person and eventually a race that would love Him. But genuine love cannot exist unless freely given -- through free choice God allows us to accept His love or to reject it." That to me seems to imply man created evil.

In fact I think scripture makes it plain that God did in fact create evil. "That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am Yehovah, and there is no one else. I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I Yehovah do all these things." I think John thought the same way when he wrote "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."

We need evil, but not in the way you might first react to that statement. We need it, because without it there would be no free will. We have knowledge of good and evil because God created it and created in us an ability to discern between the two (good and evil) I think it is what really sets us apart from the animal kingdom.

Nancyer · Mar 24, 2014

Yes, I do believe we have free will. Consequences don't change that, they are what they are. You have the right and freedom to choose to drink too much and then drive. The consequences can be horrific and you will have to live with that (possibly, you may not.) Those consequences are not surprises, are they? You also have the freedom to choose to believe in God, trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior. I sincerely hope you do. But if you don't, there will be consequences. No one is keeping those consequences secret.

But just because consequences are bad doesn't mean you don't have the freedom of choice. Lots of people choose to do the wrong thing and have to suffer the consequences. They choose to eat wrong, eat too much or not nearly enough. They choose to drive faster than the speed limit. They choose to not pay their taxes. And many of them get away with it for a very long time, thinking they've beat the system. So when the consequences catch up with them they think it's unfair. But they made their choice.

God's plan will ultimately come to fruition, not through our choices, but in spite of them. We have free will, but it is God's will that comes to pass in the end. This doesn't negate our free will, it just changes the road map from time to time.

Grandpa · Mar 24, 2014

I used to believe in free-will. But that was before I understood His Will. That was before I came to Christ and He showed me wisdom and knowledge.

Free will doesn't agree or mesh with scripture.

How can all things work for the good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose if they have free will also? It can't. Its one or the other. Either Gods Word is Truth or free will is truth. Free will says we can choose the good or the bad.

Salvation is too amazing, Gods Plan is too amazing, to be left up to chance and the will of men.

p_rehbein · Mar 25, 2014

chubbena said:

And we who acknowledge the gift of "free will" fully understand that.......if you read the entire commentary, you will see that this is stated.............

p_rehbein · Mar 25, 2014

Spokenpassage said:

Foreknowing is ALSO discussed in the commentary.............."Whom He did foreknow He did predestine........" Certainly God, from the beginning, KNEW who would BELIEVE and who would deny Jesus Christ........Who would choose life, who would choose death...........What He DIDN'T DO is condemn some to death and destruction without their having any CHOICE whatsoever.......that is predestination. And you are correct...........as the Scriptures I provided show.......He paid the ransom FOR ALL. All of this is stated in the commentary........but, thanks anyway.

p_rehbein · Mar 25, 2014

Grandpa said:

All of this is addressed in the commentary...........yes, it is long.........but then sometimes an "in depth understanding" of Scripture is the best way to fully comprehend Scripture.

FREE WILL MESHES completely with Scripture............Had you perused through the commentary, you would have found a plethora of Scripture to reveal this.

I appreciate your comment, but IF you are going to argue the opposing view, at least put some effort into it.

p_rehbein · Mar 25, 2014

Spoken, don't know what happened to your last comment..........but, hey, no apology necessary

I KNOW it is a LOOOONNNNGGGG OP! I had to take a break for lunch half way through typing and editing it before I could publish it. And I understand that many will not make the effort to read THE ENTIRE OP, and that's ok. Way I see it is, IF someone is really searching Scripture for information concerning free will...........they will have this available to them, and that's the purpose of posting this massive OP.

God bless

crossnote · Mar 25, 2014

Uggh. Man will choose according to his nature. Just as a cat will gobble up the fish and turn it's nose up at rhubarb (but it had the freedom to choose) so fallen man will choose his own way over God's way (Rom 3:11-18) UNLESS there is an intervention by the Holy Spirit on a person's heart and understanding opening their eyes to see their need for a savior and to the True Savior.

p_rehbein · Mar 25, 2014

crossnote said:

Uggh. Man will choose according to his nature. Just as a cat will gobble up the fish and turn it's nose up at rhubarb (but it had the freedom to choose) so fallen man will choose his own way over God's way (Rom 3:11-18) UNLESS there is an intervention by the Holy Spirit on a person's heart and understanding opening their eyes to see their need for a savior and to the True Savior.

and, again, all this is discussed in the OP...........

crossnote · Mar 25, 2014

p_rehbein said:

You know I don't read loooooong OP's

actually I skimmed it. Can you copy and paste that section in reply?

UNDERSTANDING FREE WILL

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