Free Will?

I felt inspired to write this today (June 1, 2011).  Many people are concerned about “free will” and “God’s will” which I consider are like the difference between macro evolution and micro evolution (which is for another essay altogether).  As we Christians believe, our God created the heavens and the earth, and each kind produced after their own kind.  “And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” ~Genesis 1:25~  So macro evolution fails the Biblical test.  However, we also know that a kind doesn’t refer to each individual variation within the kind.  For example, a cat can be many types of cats, and color and size variations.  But they are all in the cat family kind.  That is about the extent of “micro evolution” but just goes to show how much God loves variety.  This is how “free will” and “God’s will” work together.  God’s will always superceeds on the grand scale of things, but “free will” is somewhat limited as far as unless God says otherwise, I don’t think it matters if you eat a chocolate chip cookie or a peanut butter cookie.  As long as you don’t go and eat, say, 20 cookies, as that violates the Biblical principle of moderation (read Ecclesiastes).  So it’s very small compared to the grand scale.  God’s will always prevails.

We know that God is no respecter of persons. “Then Peter opened [his] mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:” ~Acts 10:34~  God does not show favoritism, what He does for one He can do for another.  God treats everyone equally.  Christ died for all sinners, and ALL have sinned.  “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” ~Romans 3:23~  God does not hold one sin higher than another.  And God will forgive equally for those who repent.  However, God also allows for others to ask for God to intervene in the life of another, whether they are a believer or unbeliever.  “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” ~Ezekiel 22:30~  God calls for us to stand in the gap for others — especially those who will not ask God themselves!  (Several applications of this are in the Bible, read Abraham’s pleading with God over Sodom [Genesis 18:16-33], or Moses’s pleading to spare the Hebrews [Exodus 32], or Jeremiah’s pleading to spare Israel [Jeremiah 32], and many more.)

An example I wish to draw upon that many should be familiar with is “Let My people go.”  God had Moses deliver this message to Pharoah many times, and each time Pharoah could have chosen to let the people go.  It was not a matter of whether or not the people would actually go, because that was God’s will that the Hebrews be let go.  It was Pharoah’s choice as to what point he would allow the people to go — how far he would let it get.  But inevitably, it wasn’t really Pharoah’s choice as to whether or not IF the Hebrews would eventually go, but rather WHEN they would go.  God’s will always prevails.  Notice also that God showed Pharoah gently at first to manifest His power, and only as a last resort did He bring the pain and suffering to break Pharoah’s hardened heart.  God is a God of love and does not wish for any to perish.  It is the deeds of wicked men under the slavery of Satan that cause pain and suffering of many.

The Bible states pretty clearly in many places about being a slave to sin.  “Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” ~John 8:34~ “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.” ~Romans 6:20-22~  But God can FIX IT!  Christ came “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’” ~Acts 26:18~ 

You cannot hide or run from God.  The Bible states “Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee? ” ~Job 15:11~  “so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” ~Matthew 6:18~  There was a man in the Bible who tried to run from God.  His name was Jonah.  Now, I know you’re going to say “but he was a prophet.”  Well, we’ve already established that God is no respecter of persons.  Prophet or not, we are all accountable.  God could call you today or tomorrow to deliver a message for Him.  That doesn’t make you any less of a sinner or any less need of a Savior.  Anyhow, Jonah tried to run from God.  The Bible says that “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD” ~Jonah 1:3a~  A man who supposedly knew God, to be chosen to deliver a message for God, tried to hide from God.  But remember that God works all things together for good!  (“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” ~Romans 8:28~)  So even though Jonah tried to run from God, eventually got on a ship and “But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.” ~Jonah 1:4~  God had to get Jonah’s attention that God is everywhere and he couldn’t run.  But through it take note of those who were with Jonah… “Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.” ~Jonah 1:16~  Through Jonah’s disobedience, God’s power was revealed to others!  God worked it out for good.  And God still made Jonah go where God wanted Jonah to go.  “Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.” ~Jonah 3:2-3~  Granted Jonah did complain a lot, even though God continually provided for him.  Jonah’s “free will” was not about whether or not he was going to go to Ninevah.  It was how he got there.  He could either say “yes, Lord, I will go” or he could do things the hard way, and have a storm on a ship, a ride inside a fish, and complain.

So remember, that God’s will always prevails.  If God tells you something will happen, do not doubt it for a minute! God is working!  “Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.” ~Daniel 10:12-13~  God hears our prayers but sometimes He has to work longer to soften hearts.  And we do know that He softens hearts: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” ~Ezekiel 36:26~

God is able, nothing is too hard for Him, and His will always prevails.  Stop running from God and follow Him.

**This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.**1 John 5:14, 15