God is sovereign. He chooses those who will be part of his kingdom. But what part do we play? Aren’t we just subjects of God’s will then? Required to do whatever he determines without a choice in the matter?
Shakespeare once said that all the world is a stage, and we are all players or actors in this cosmic play. So if that’s how you want to look at it, God is like the director of the play. He gives us a part to perform, and there is a story to be played out, but here’s the difference: Free will requires that we act out on the stage of life without a script. Life is ad-libbed. We improvise. Each day we act out without rehearsal. That’s free will.
So even though God knows the whole story and he gives us the part to play, he doesn’t put words in our mouth. We are free to move and act upon life’s stage as an extemporaneous performer.
Another way to look at it is to imagine God is like a football coach. He draws up a perfect game plan for life. The players on his team, however, do not execute the game plan perfectly. We all mess up, run the wrong routes, jump offsides, miss a key block and get penalties called against us. On top of that, we are playing against an enemy that is trying to disrupt and defeat God's game plan.
Despite all our mistakes and all the schemes of the opposition, God is able to adjust the game plan. He doesn't panic when a play or two goes wrong. He can take setbacks and turn them into a victory in the end.
These illustrations are inadequate for sure. Namely, they assume we are trying to cooperate with God in accomplishing His purposes. But they are simple ways to illustrate the complexity of how God's will intersects with our free will.
But here’s how our will is different than God’s will. God’s will is untainted by sin. His will is perfect. Martin Luther, the founder of the Protestant Reformation said because of sin, our will is in bondage. Our will is in bondage because of our sinful nature. So even though we do have an ability to make choices, our choices will always be tainted by unrighteousness. That’s why God has to take the initiative. In order for us to have faith, God has to give it to us. Faith is a gift. God gives it. We receive it and decide whether or not we will open it, obey, and follow him.
Aren’t you glad God doesn’t force us to love Him? He gives us the choice. We aren’t slaves forced to love him, or robots programmed to obey. Divine love allows for us to reject God if we so choose. The choice is up to us.
I believe in free will. Even though the term is not found in the Bible, we are created in the image of God. Unlike animals, which act mainly on instinct, we resemble our Creator in our ability to do and act as we please. To a great extent, we have the capacity to determine our own futures. The Bible encourages us to “choose life”. God dignifies us with a free will, the power to make decisions of our own rather than having God or fate determine what we do.
Proverbs 16:9 says it this way: In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. What that says to me is: We are chosen by God, yet we, in turn must choose him. We plan the course of our lives, but God has established our steps.
Shakespeare once said that all the world is a stage, and we are all players or actors in this cosmic play. So if that’s how you want to look at it, God is like the director of the play. He gives us a part to perform, and there is a story to be played out, but here’s the difference: Free will requires that we act out on the stage of life without a script. Life is ad-libbed. We improvise. Each day we act out without rehearsal. That’s free will.
So even though God knows the whole story and he gives us the part to play, he doesn’t put words in our mouth. We are free to move and act upon life’s stage as an extemporaneous performer.
Another way to look at it is to imagine God is like a football coach. He draws up a perfect game plan for life. The players on his team, however, do not execute the game plan perfectly. We all mess up, run the wrong routes, jump offsides, miss a key block and get penalties called against us. On top of that, we are playing against an enemy that is trying to disrupt and defeat God's game plan.
Despite all our mistakes and all the schemes of the opposition, God is able to adjust the game plan. He doesn't panic when a play or two goes wrong. He can take setbacks and turn them into a victory in the end.
These illustrations are inadequate for sure. Namely, they assume we are trying to cooperate with God in accomplishing His purposes. But they are simple ways to illustrate the complexity of how God's will intersects with our free will.
But here’s how our will is different than God’s will. God’s will is untainted by sin. His will is perfect. Martin Luther, the founder of the Protestant Reformation said because of sin, our will is in bondage. Our will is in bondage because of our sinful nature. So even though we do have an ability to make choices, our choices will always be tainted by unrighteousness. That’s why God has to take the initiative. In order for us to have faith, God has to give it to us. Faith is a gift. God gives it. We receive it and decide whether or not we will open it, obey, and follow him.
Aren’t you glad God doesn’t force us to love Him? He gives us the choice. We aren’t slaves forced to love him, or robots programmed to obey. Divine love allows for us to reject God if we so choose. The choice is up to us.
I believe in free will. Even though the term is not found in the Bible, we are created in the image of God. Unlike animals, which act mainly on instinct, we resemble our Creator in our ability to do and act as we please. To a great extent, we have the capacity to determine our own futures. The Bible encourages us to “choose life”. God dignifies us with a free will, the power to make decisions of our own rather than having God or fate determine what we do.
Proverbs 16:9 says it this way: In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. What that says to me is: We are chosen by God, yet we, in turn must choose him. We plan the course of our lives, but God has established our steps.
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