Free Will

In this article I will make my best effort to share with you the verses of Scripture that people use, as well as common statements, to support their idea of a "free will" supposedly given to them by God.

There seem to be 2 opinions in the free will teaching, one that says man can choose God on his own, without any prompting by God at all, and another that says God does call you (and that He calls all men) and then you have the free will to say no, to that calling.

It is my belief, based solely on what I found in Scripture, that neither of these teachings are biblical, and I'll share Scripture with you, to show you why I don't believe this to be accurate.

Having spent the last several years in Christian chat rooms and bulletin boards where Bible doctrine is discussed, I've witnessed free will believers use the same verses over and over again. There was a time when I completely believed in "free will", but this was prior to God placing a hunger in me, for the Word of God and truths found in it. Once I began to study this, He showed me things in His word that I simply could NOT ignore, and keep believing in this "free will" teaching.

I don't pretend to fully comprehend this, but I do know what the Bible says about it, and I have to leave His word as the final authority on this. Not my opinion, or translation or interpretation, but His literal word, as it stands.

Normally when this topic is discussed in a Christian chat room, the discussion goes so fast, it's hard to make your point, before the next comment is made, and often times, your point gets lost. I hope to rectify that by this article, as well as share with anyone else reading, what the Scriptures really do say.

When this topic of free will is discussed, all manner of statements are made, that have to do with free will, predestination, election, being chosen, etc.

While these are in no particular order, the most common verse of Scripture used, will be listed here first:

"Choose this day whom you will serve"

Free will teaches that this verse supports and confirms free will, 100%. Does it? Here's the verse:

Joshua 24:15 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.

If this verse is read carefully, and in the exact context in which it was written, you will see that Joshua is talking to the Israelites about God delivering them out of Egypt, and all the miracles He performed for them. Joshua goes on to say to them to fear God, to worship Him in sincerity and truth, and put away the false gods their fathers served back in Egypt. Rebuking them, he goes on to say to them that if it seems evil (translated "displeasing" in this verse) to them to do that, then go ahead and pick which FALSE god they're going to serve. But that him and his household were going to stay faithful, and continue to serve God.

This was an exhortation, and a rebuke at the same time, for those who knew God and served God already, to quit messing around with idolatry, and serve God right. Joshua wasn't talking to a bunch of unbelievers, telling them they had the option to "choose God" if they wanted to. The verses in Scripture that show us that we CANNOT choose God, are here:

1 Corinthians 2:14
Titus 3:5
1 John 3:14
2 Corinthians 5:17
John 3:5
Romans 12:2
Ephesians 2:1
Ephesians 2:5
John 1:12
John 1:13*(key verse)
Romans 7:18
Romans 8:7*(key verse)
Romans 8:8
Ephesians 4:21-22

The rest of the statements and verses will simply be listed in as God brings them to my remembrance:

" God loves us all and wants us to be saved, the Bible says so in John 3:16, 'for God so loved the world', not 'for God so loved some' "

This is a really common one. Most of us read the Bible and assume the common definition of a word used there, means the same thing now, as it did when Scripture was written. We also assume it to be literal, when there are clearly places where it is symbolic, and not literal at all. Best example,

John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Certainly Jesus is not a literall, wooden door.

In this verse, and others where Jesus talks about the "world", we have to once again, compare Scripture with Scripture. One of the definitions of the use of the word "world" means any type of collection of particular people, of any sort, either believers, or unbelievers. It's a way to use the word "world" when you might mean a lot, or most, or even a general statement.

Another example of this is if I said "the whole world is headed to hell". Of course I don't mean every single human being on earth, it's simply a different way to use this word, than the literal meaning.

In this verse, the word "world" is not being used to define every human being in the world. It can't be, since elsewhere we find Jesus saying:

John 10:26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

"World", in John 3:16 is being used to define those that God would call to Him. Those are the ones He sent Jesus for. Those are the "whosoever" spoken of, in this same verse.

And while I'm on the topic of "whosoever",

(Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.)

how does one BECOME, a "whosoever"? Do we just wake up one day and say "I think I'll exercise my God given free will today, and repent and serve the Lord". Hardly. We become a "whosoever" when God calls us, and then we come, and humble ourselves before Him, acknowleging that we need Him.

"We all have free will to choose God"

Do we? What does the Bible say about this?

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:
John 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
Romans 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Psalms 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

The Bible clearly tells us that we do NOT have the free will to choose God at all.
Jesus said no man can, so how, if Jesus says "no man can", can we say that "some men will"?

That only by God drawing us, as John 6:44 says, do we come. An interesting note here is that this word "draw" literally translates to "to drag". The metaphoric meaning is to draw by inward power, to lead, or impel. Jesus' own words are very clear here, that man can not, on his own, seek Him.

Where man's freedom truly comes from, and WHEN it comes:

John 8:36
Galatians 5:1
Galatians 4:1-3
Romans 8:15

"But God calls ALL men to Him, the bible says so... in John 12:32 and 1 Timothy 2:4"

Does it? Here are the verses:

John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

All men? Does that literally mean all human beings on the earth? No, it does not. It means all MANNER of men, all races, religions, nationalities, etc. John Gill's notes: "Christ died indeed for all men who are drawn unto him; but this is not true of all men, that are, were, or shall be in the world." And also "it designs some of all sorts of men, of every state, condition, age, sex, and nation, Gentiles as well as Jews, and especially the former; which agrees with the ancient prophecy, #Ge 49:10, and with the context"

Even those who do believe in a free will to choose God, will agree that not ALL human beings will be saved, yet they use these 2 verses to say that God WILL draw all to Him, as a way to avoid admitting that not ALL (literally) will be (drawn). Interesting twist.

"It's God's will that NONE should perish!"

Well, this is piece of a verse that is quite commonly taken out of context. Here's the full verse:

2 Peter 3:9 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.

Taking Scripture out of context and using it to prove a point, is quite possibly one of my biggest pet peeves. We all have them, this one is mine.

In this verse, IF Peter was addressing this comment to a general audience of unsaved sinners, then using this verse, to support free will, might be valid.

However, Peter was not addressing unsaved sinners at all, but believers.

Peter is saying that the Lord is unwilling that any of them should perish, rather, that they all come to repentance...and they DID. "They" who? BELIEVERS. Not all men, not all human beings, not all people, but ALL that the Lord wasn't willing should perish and would come to repentance.

If this verse is translated as the free will doctrine dictates, that God is not willing that any (general sense, any human being) should perish, then we literally serve a very WEAK God. If man's will can override God's will, in the area of salvation, God cannot be in control, as the Bible says He is (and as we confess that He is).

"If we don't have a choice, why bother to share the gospel at all?"

Well, the simple answer is, because Jesus told us to.

Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Not to mention, that while God certainly knows who will be saved, He also put in place the WAY in which they would be saved, as we see in

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (also, see Romans 10:17, John 16:8)

The argument that free will is biblical, somehow, because we're supposed to be witnessing to the lost, is invalid. The fact is, God Himself put in place the method by which the lost will hear the gospel, and those who He is calling, will hear it and respond. He certainly could have bypassed us all together, and chose a different way for those who would get saved, to respond, but this is the way He chose to do it. It really is that simple.

"I refuse to believe that the loving God I serve, would choose only some, and not others, sending people to hell".

Well, this one is a doozy. First of all, that statement starts out with a declaration that the person speaking, is unwilling to even be open to what the Word of God says about this.

"I refuse to believe: (fill in the blank)". What if the thing you are refusing to believe, is supported time and time again throughout Scripture? Well, this one certainly is, because God HAS chosen. And the ones He has chosen will be saved, where the ones He has not chosen, will not be saved.

"that the loving God I serve..."

Big problem here, with this comment. I believe part of the problem is that people, for whatever reason, have narrowed down God to 1 character trait, that of love, and forgotten that He is not the happy, loving Grandfather in Heaven, patiently waiting for us to choose to serve Him, wringing His hands, hoping we'll come to our senses. While God IS loving, He is also so much more. Just, righteous, holy, merciful, jealous, judgemental... and the list can go on for days.

We seem to think that we can dictate God's behavior, based on our perception of Him, or based on the way WE might react or decide, in certain situations. BAD MOVE. Since Scripture tells us quite clearly:

Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Hard as it may be to comprehend, try using this analogy:

You are a very gifted artist, who paints. You have painted 10 pictures, and they are all on the wall. Four of them you take down and throw into the fireplace. They fulfilled YOUR purpose while they were being painted, and as they hung on the wall, but because YOU created them, and because YOU own them, you are fully entitled to do with YOUR pictures, as you please. The six that remained on the wall, were the ones YOU chose to save, for the same reasons. They are yours, you created them, you have chosen to keep 6 and get rid of 4.

Someone watching all of this might say "but why, the ones you chose not to save are just as nice as the ones on the wall?" The most simple, basic answer would be "because I chose to save the ones I wanted saved".

I don't like reducing God this way, but I believe this to be a fairly accurate explaination of God, as Creator. No one knows why He chooses some, and not others, since none of us are worth saving anyway. If God was ONLY just, and had no mercy at all, ALL of us would be bound for hell. No one complains because He showed them mercy and called them out of a life of sin, but the minute this subject comes up, they claim that wouldn't be fair. We can't have it both ways.

Is God unfair because He made sure YOU heard the gospel and got saved, but Punjan Olingo from a jungle tribe in Africa never heard the gospel and died without Christ? Think about that for a minute or two.

He chooses because He is God, and His purpose for choosing some, and not others, is a mystery to us.

(note: Psalms 145:17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.)

~~~whether they make sense to us, or not~~~

also note:
John 3:18 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.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Keeping in mind that the faith TO believe in the first place, also comes from God:

Philippians 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Also(crucial verse: John 10:26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

There is so much more that I could cover here, but it's my hope, that with the material I have presented so far, it might just cause you to dig a little deeper into His word.

If you still believe that you chose to serve God, that God gave you complete sovereignty over your own salvation, that you choose to go to Heaven, or hell, that you had something righteous and holy within you to make that choice to serve God in the first place, then I hope you study these verses I've presented for you, even more.

Here are some additional verses for your consideration on this matter. God bless you as you study.

Romans 8:29-30
Ephesians 1:5, 11
Matthew 22:14
Colossians 3:12
Matthew 24:22
Mark 13:22
2 Timothy 2:10
Romans 9:11
1 Thessalonians 1:4
2 Peter 1:10
James 4:10
1 Peter 5:6
Ecclesiastes 3:11
Romans 11:33