Frankly Answered Questions - FAQs

Questions on Free Will

Q: I AM A BORN AGAIN CHILD OF GOD AND DESIRE TO PLEASE HIM IN THOUGHT, WORD, DEED, BODY, SOUL, AND SPIRIT!

I LEARNED ABOUT YOU FROM MY DAUGHTER.

PLEASE SHARE WITH ME YOUR BELIEF REGARDING THE WILL OF MAN. DOES MAN HAVE A FREE WILL?

A: I do believe that man freely chooses and is not forced in his choices by anything external (i.e. God or Satan). So in this sense, I certainly believe in free will. A person freely chooses what they want. Their choice is not coerced by any outside influence. In other words, there is not and never has been a person who wants to believe in Jesus, but God won't let him believe. In this sense our will in free to choose.

However, I believe we need to think more deeply about where our choices come from. We choose based on what we want. Choices come from our nature (what the Bible also calls our "heart"). We can diagram this connection in the following way:

Our nature (heart)  --->  Our choices  --->  Our actions

So what is the state of an UNbeliever's nature or heart? Put another way, what does an UNbeliever want?

According to the Bible, an unbeliever's nature is a fallen nature. What is a fallen nature? What does a fallen heart want? According to God's Word, an UNBELIEVER is unable to choose good things (Romans 8:7). He does not even seek after God (Romans 3:10-11). Concerning the choice of bacon or cereal for breakfast, the UNbeliever's will is free. In regards to salvation, an UNBELIEVER'S will is not free in the sense of being undetermined, totally random, or arbitrary. His choices come from his heart and his heart is enslaved to sin and does not desire to choose God's way (John 8:44). Martin Luther called this the "Bondage of the Will" and his book by that title changed my thinking on this. Other verses which talk about the condition of an unbeliever's heart or an unbeliever's nature and what an unbeliever desires are: Genesis 6:5; 8:21; Psalm 58:3; Ecclesiastes 9:3; Jeremiah 17:9; Mark 7:21-23; John 3:19; Romans 3:9-12; 8:7-8; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-19; Colossians 2:13; Titus 1:15; 3:3.

Because of this I believe that an unbeliever needs the help of the Holy Spirit (John 3:5-7; 6:63) to come to repentance and submit to Christ's Lordship (John 3:1-7; John 6:44,65; Titus 1:15; Acts 16:14).

Because a believer has a new nature (heart) created by the Holy Spirit, then a believer's will is free to choose righteous or sinful things. However, I believe that the Scriptures place two limitations on this freedom: (1) A believer is not able to ALWAYS choose righteously and perfectly -- i.e. attain a state of sinless perfectionism in this life (1 John 1:8). (2) I do not believe that a believer will choose to absolutely reject Christ and continue unrepentant in sin. I believe that God's Spirit "keeps" the believer (Jude 24) or will take him to heaven prior to that condition (1 John 5:16).

So I return to your original question: "Does man have a free will?" Every person has a free will in the sense that every person chooses what they want. Their will freely chooses from their heart. God never stops a person who wants to believe from actually believing.

But a will is not something that exists by itself. We choose based on what our heart wants. The Biblical view of the heart is not very pretty. An unbeliever's heart is "corrupt" (Jeremiah 17:9), "loves darkness" (John 3:19), is "under the power of sin" (Romans 3:9), and "desires what the devil wants" (John 8:44). If this is true, then an unbeliever's will is free to choose what he wants. BUT he doesn't want to choose Christ. So in this sense, an unbeliever is unable to choose God, so an unbeliever is not free to choose God. Why? Not because God prevents him, but because an unbeliever doesn't ever want to choose God. As Romans 3:10 says: "No one seeks for God." Something or someone has to come into an unbeliever and change his heart, so that he will want to choose God.

You can read more about my opinion on this on our web site at FAQ: Predestination and Foreknowledge.

Q: TO WHAT EXTENT DOES GOD CONTROL MAN'S WILL?

A: I believe that God changes a man's nature (heart) and from this changes a man's will.

Q: SOME SPECIFIC QUESTIONS:

1. DID GOD CAUSE ADAM TO FALL IN SIN? DID GOD MAKE ADAM FALL?

A: Honestly, I'm not smart enough to figure all of this out. This issue confuses first and secondary causes.

Adam freely chose and was not forced externally by God to fall into sin. The Scripture doesn't speak in these terms, so I don't either.

On the other hand, we cannot deny that God is the first cause of everything (Acts 17:28). God certainly created Adam knowing Adam would sin.

I like what the Westminster Confession says on this: "God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass: yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established."

Q: 2. DOES GOD CREATE A LARGE PORTION OF MANKIND TO GO TO HELL? OR DOES HE WISH THAT ALL BE SAVED AND THEREFORE GIVE EACH THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE SAVED?

A: Yes (Romans 9:21-23; Proverbs 16:4). Yes (2 Peter 3:9). And Yes (Romans 1:19-20).

To affirm all three statements may seem contradictory, but actually (in logic) these statements are contraries not contradictions. A contradiction is to say A is true and not A is true, as in "The wall is red" and "The wall is not red." This is a contradiction and, of course, makes no sense. But a contrary has only the appearance of being false. For example, "The wall is red" and "The wall is blue." This appears at first to be impossible, but upon further reflection or further information we may find that both statements are indeed true: "The wall is made up of an interwoven red and blue design."

The Bible seems to clearly affirm all three of the above statements. God creates people to go to hell. God desires all men to be saved. And God gives every person the opportunity to know Him.

Do I understand completely how it all fits together? No. But simply because I don't understand doesn't mean that I should deny one of the propositions, so that it will appear more intellectually palatable. I assume that there are some things (like the working of God's purposes) that are above my understanding (Isaiah 55:8-9). Actually it would be human arrogance not to believe this. I rest in the fact that each statement is true and eventually I will understand how they all fit together (1 Corinthians 13:12) - if not in this life, then the next.