The Free Will of Man
From the beginning of time, God had a plan. His plan was that he would create a being that could either choose or not choose him. God wanted romance, not slavery.
There are those who deny the very idea that God would create man with a freewill. God is a sovereign God. To them, sovereignty means that God decides everything.
I too, believe that God is sovereign. In God’s sovereignty, he decided to give man a freewill.
If the only goal of God was to create mankind without choice, he would have bypassed both the Garden of Eden and the Garden of Gethsemane. God could have simply made robotic puppets that were programmed to sing his praises.
Instead, God placed man in the Garden of Eden and gave him a choice. A choice between the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, or that of the Tree of Life.
One of the scriptures most frequently used by those, who use their freewill to deny that man has a freewill, is John 1:13 (KJV) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
I submit that this verse is not saying that a man does not have a freewill. This verse is simply saying that other men cannot make the choice of salvation for someone else. A Church, comprised of men, cannot collectively come together and vote in another man’s sainthood status.
Another verse that dominates the thinking of those who deny that men have a freewill is Eph 2:1 (KJV) And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins:
I quickly agree that a lost sinner is spiritually dead.
But here is my main argument, although a lost man is spiritually dead, he is not yet intellectually dead. God has given mankind a mind to think with. When Paul wrote the Book of Romans, he made an intellectual argument as to why a lost man should “choose” Christ.
The Bible says in Isaiah 1:18 (KJV) Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
I submit that salvation is not a just matter of magical mystery.
What happens when a person comes to know Christ is this: First, someone must plainly present the truth of the gospel to a lost man.
(Rom 10:14 KJV) How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Secondly, a lost man considers the claims made by Christ. This is illustrated by the questioned asked by those who were convicted of their sin on the Day of Pentecost:
(Acts 2:37 KJV) Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
(Acts 2:38 KJV) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Again, I do not deny that it is the work of Spirit utilizing the power of the God’s living word being used to convict the human heart, but it is still within man to intellectually consider the claims of Christ. The evangelistic Christian is to penetrate the mind of a lost man. It is God who penetrates the heart.
Becoming a Christian is not automatic. It is possible to reject the witness of God’s Word and God’s Spirit.
Consider this passage of scripture (Acts 13:46 KJV) Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
God is never unjust. Every lost man in hell is there today because he at come point in his life has rejected the inner witness that God’s Spirit made within him.
There are some who simply rejected the witness of God’s creation and sought not to know the Creator God. There are others who will be more harshly judged on the day of judgment because they had rejected an even greater witness of God.
(Mat 10:15 KJV) Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
God is not an unjust God. Men die and go to hell because of their intellectual rejection of God’s witness to them.
The reason why I can give hope, comfort, and assurance to the parents who have experienced the death of their child in infancy is, that the child is still sheltered within the framework of innocents, therefore, the child is in Heaven.
The child’s mind had not matured to the place where it intellectually could choose between right and wrong, therefore, the child had not as yet transgressed the laws of God and is in Heaven.
Keep in mind that there are two places that God has placed the law. We are all familiar with laws written on the tablets of stone. But keep in mind that the gentiles also had the law written on their consciences.
(Rom 2:14 KJV) For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
(Rom 2:15 KJV) Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
It may be that certain gentile people have never been given a clear gospel presentation, but they are still are in need of a Savior, and these verses indicate that they know that they need a Savior!
What I have just stated is the heartbeat of every missionary minded person. Lost people need to be saved!
Let me summarize: It is the responsibility of the Christian community to make lost men aware of their need for Christ. We are to make an intellectual appeal to the minds of those who are lost. Our tool for this is the Living Word of God.
(Heb 4:12 KJV) For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
If a lost man yields himself to the claims of Christ, God Spirit awakens their Spirit.
Here is a simple three point outline: the Evangelist makes the sinner “Aware” of the Truth. The lost sinner must “Acknowledge,” and yield himself, to the Truth that he has been made aware of. It is then that the Spirit of God makes the sinner “Awakened” in the Truth that he has been made aware of!
I suppose there are some who would say that by taking this position, that somehow, I am lessening the greatness of God. I shout “no” to this!
It took all of the greatness of God to allow for man to have a freewill. It is the freewill of man that Crucified Christ. It was the love of God that allowed for his only begotten son to become the sacrifice for our sin. It was the freewill of man that placed Christ in a tomb, it was the power of God that raised Christ from the grave. Man has a freewill to accept this truth or to reject this truth.
(Deu 30:15 KJV) See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
Choose life!
Every redeemed saint in heaven will have at least this one thing in common, by claiming the promises of made in scripture, they will have “freely” chosen to yield their souls to Christ!
