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What is
"free will," and does everyone have it?
What is free will and does everyone have it?
A "free will" means that a person has the
freedom to exercise his own will of choice. God did not make man like robots or computers
that only make pre-programmed decisions. Man weighs his choices, and then chooses what he
wants to do whether it is right or wrong.
We see
that all people, right from the beginning, have been able to exercise their own will and
make a choice based upon it. Consider Adam and Eve. God told Adam, "And the LORD God
commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:16,17). Despite what man was told, he ate
of the tree anyway. Genesis 3:1-6 says, "Now the serpent was more subtle than any
beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God
said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent,
We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is
in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch
it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God
doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be
as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,
and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took
of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did
eat." Adam and Eve both knew that God did not want them to eat of that tree, but they
both exercised their own wills and ate of it anyway.
Some
people just cannot reconcile in their minds the fact that man has a free will, and then
understand how God can still be sovereign over His creation. This is especially true of
those who hold the view of "Calvinism." They believe that if God
"wills" and "draws" a person to be saved, then that person cannot
resist. After all, God is all-powerful. Their problem is that they are not taking into
account the whole of Scripture when considering this matter.
First, it
is Gods will that all people be saved. I Timothy 2:3,4 says, "For this is good
and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; WHO WILL HAVE ALL MEN TO BE SAVED, and to
come unto the knowledge of the truth." II Peter 3:9 says, "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."
So it is
clearly GODS WILL that ALL PEOPLE BE SAVED. But the Bible itself tells us that few
people are going to be saved. Matthew 7:13,14 says, "Enter ye in at the strait gate:
for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be
which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto
life, and FEW THERE BE THAT FIND IT."
Luke
13:23,24 says, "Then said one unto him, Lord, ARE THERE FEW THAT BE SAVED? And he
said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek
to enter in, and shall not be able."
The Lord
does draw them to be saved. John 12:32 says, "And I, if I be lifted up from the
earth, WILL DRAW ALL MEN UNTO ME." But they reject His love.
Mark
10:17-23 says, "And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and
kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal
life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that
is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal,
Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and
said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then JESUS BEHOLDING HIM
LOVED HIM, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou
hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the
cross, and follow me. And HE WAS SAD AT THAT SAYING, AND WENT AWAY GRIEVED: for he had
great possessions. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly
shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!" The Lord Jesus loved that
young man was was drawing him to salvation, but the young man walked away and rejected the
Lord.
The Jewish
people did the same thing to Him. John 1:11,12 says, "He came unto his own, and HIS
OWN RECEIVED HIM NOT. 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."
God is all
powerful, but He does not force Himself upon anyone. Revelation 3:20 says, "Behold, I
stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in
to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." He stands at the doors of
peoples hearts. He does not force His way in, but must be invited in personally.
Romans 10:9-13 says, "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.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is
rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved."
Because
God does not force Himself upon people, does not mean that He has lost his sovereignty. He
still rules over all. Yes, Satan is said to be the god of this world (II Corinthians 4:3,4
says, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of
this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."), but
even in that, Satan cannot do totally as he pleases. He is only permitted to do what God
allows.
Remember
the situation with Job? Satan had to come and answer what he had been doing, and he could
only go as far with Job as God allowed. Job 1:6-12 says, "Now there was a day when
the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among
them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and
said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the LORD
said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the
earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan
answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge
about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast
blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth
thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the
LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not
forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD." So Satan was
limited in how far he could go.
God is sovereign today,
though some may wonder whether He is. Psalm 76:10 says, "Surely the wrath of man
shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain." Yes, there is much
wickedness taking place, but God will only let it go so long, and then He stops it and
judges it.
That will
be seen to be a fact in the judgment day. Revelation 20:11-15 says, "And I saw a
great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled
away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand
before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of
life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,
according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and
hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to
their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire."
Everyone
has a free will to reject the Lord, or to receive Him to do His will, or to
do their own will. Have you decided that you will repent of your sin and receive Him as
your Savior? Have you decided to serve Him with all your heart and life?

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