Considering the term “Free Will”.

Some have said “without ‘free will’, we’d be no more than robots/automatons”, but from what I’ve read in the Word of God relating to the will of mankind, since Adam & Eve’s sin, I find that mankind is born as a slave to a will that isn’t “free”, and the results of exercising that will, have been detrimental to the individual and often to many others.

The will of mankind is set predominately on choosing to do what pleases self. But God has greater plans for us that will make us free from being slaves of sin, to doing only what pleases His will and brings us peace and full eternal contentment: He’s even going to cause obedience in the elect of the Israelite nation on earth: Ezekiel 36:27 “And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments, and do them.”, But they won’t be automatons, but free from slavery to sin.

I’ve heard of at least three perceptions of what the Bible teaches on the term “free will”:

• One perception specifically relates to doctrines of salvation (Soteriology), where some believe that people express “free will” to obey or reject God’s command to repent to eternal salvation through Christ.
• Another perception is that Christians can of their own accord, make daily choices to sin or to obey God.
• A third perception is in relation to decisions of preference that are not necessarily sin or obedience related, such as choices of colour, shape, taste etc. although the act of making these decisions is often not a matter of right or wrong, the result of such decisions can be an act of sin subject to the motive, or subject to the subsequent effect to other persons.

Where is the term “free will”, used in scripture?

Of the two occasions I’ve found the actual term “free will” used in the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible); the term is translated from the Hebrew word “nedab” H5069; meaning to volunteer:

“I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with you.“

Ezra 7:13

“… and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem:”.

Ezra 7:16

These examples of the specific term, and other examples of the nature of it, are expressed in verses where choices of obedience are made, including:

1) By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

2) If you think it’s the wrong thing for you to serve the Lord, then choose for yourselves today who you will serve…

1. Hebrews 11:24-25 and 2. Joshua 24:15

To consider: If mans eternal salvation is subject to his own will to acknowledge his sin and turn from it why would anyone choose rather to die in their sinful state and go to an eternity of grief? I find it an amazing fact, that although we’re surrounded by evidence of God’s existence, unless “Furthermore, because they did not think it worthwhile to keep knowing God fully, God delivered them to degraded minds to perform acts that should not be done.”

Adam is of course, the first example of man having a “free will”, but God chose to preserve Adam from the fullness of the penalty he deserved for his disobedience, God kept him from taking the fruit of the tree of life (Gen 3:22), so why does God show favour to one and not to another? Romans 9:20-21 God has the right to do whatever He desires.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.

John 17:20 For You granted Him authority over all people,  so that He may give eternal life to all those You have given Him. There’s no source for man’s decision here, the decision is wholly the will of God.

is it possible to make an independent decision in the matter of salvation (soteriology), or in the matter of daily obedience? First to consider the matter of soteriology

Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him.”

John 6:65

This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

Acts 2:39

John 18:1 When Jesus had spoken these things, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. 2  For You granted Him authority over all people, so that He may give eternal life to all those You have given Him…”

Why do people who confess faith in God choose to disobey Him? The answer has been provided in scripture:

I viewed a site (https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-free-will/) which presented 18 verses which proposed examples of “free will”; The author wrote: “These Bible verses about free will show us that we have the ability to choose and have faith in God, being secure in our eternal life in heaven, or we can choose to turn from God and live apart from Him.”.

The Greek words for forgive, provide distinction of forgiveness (aphesis) to salvation and forgiveness that is not to salvation (aphiēmi, apoluō & charizomai); In the same manner, It’s vital to understand that repentance to salvation is not available as a free choice, it’s only granted to those who the Father chooses, and it’s not negotiable. We’re able to make choices within our earthly abilities and responsibilities, but not to determine our eternal destination.

Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him.”

John 6:65

I think that one substantial help to finding the answer to the question of “who decides our salvation” or the but the term isn’t used anywhere in the verses quoted or anywhere that I could find in the New Testament. It seems that although the will, or choice of people, is commonly referred to and expressed throughout scripture, the specific term “freewill” is only used once as identified above (Subject to the Bible translation used). It’s quite clear though, that the will of mankind is regularly referred to throughout God’s Word: Matthew 1:19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and was unwilling to disgrace her publicly, he resolved to divorce her quietly.

God’s Word confirms that we all exercise our own choices at various times, Scripture states that by many of these decisions, we currently experience either God’s discipline, because of His love (Hebrews 12:4-11), or we experience His blessings, because of our obedience (2 Chronicles 7:14), and by these words or actions, when our time on Earth ends, we’ll give an account to God of all we’ve said and done (Ecclesiastes 3:17, Matthew 12:36, Romans 14:12  Hebrews 4:13).

I believe The Word states that we will not choose to repent to salvation unless God works in us to do so, without His intervention, our independent choice will always be to reject His commandment to repent to salvation. Further to that, we will not even have the desire to go to Him unless God puts the desire in us

John 6:65 Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him.”

Opposition to God is resident in every person.

…Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin. As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.

Romans 3:9-11

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do.

Romans 7:18-19

2 Peter 2:19 …For a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.

Romans 6:20 For when you were slaves to sin, you were free of obligation to righteousness. What fruit did you reap at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The outcome of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life.

For the earnest (G603 apokaradokia: anxious and persistent) expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing (apokalupsis G602: manifestation, appearance) of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility (mataiotēs G3153: 1. what is devoid of truth and appropriateness, 2. perverseness, depravity, 3.), not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Romans 8:19-21

The Command To Repent:

Unless God enables man to repent, the will of man will never choose to do so, because man’s will is bound to fulfil his own desires rather than God’s will, and man’s independent will has no respect or fear of God’s will.

To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”

Acts 3:26

Firstly to consider the call of the gospel for sinners to repent to salvation; The call can be regular and clear, but the call doesn’t necessarily result in obedience of the called at it’s first, or any subsequent delivery, this delay in response, or rejection of the command, is evidence of there being place for choice in the called to either accept or reject the command to repent. So the called have to be willing to obey the command to repent and believe, for them to receive salvation. It would seem to be a fairly easy decision to make the wise choice to obey the command and repent, then subsequently live for God, and be granted eternal life in God’s favour; rather than reject the command, and live the remainder of time on earth for self, then subsequently suffer eternal penalty; So, why do so many people chose to reject the free gift of salvation? (Rom 5:15, 16, 18, 6:23). Because man’s heart is opposed to God unless God changes it; Romans 1:28 “Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.”, and Romans 1:21 “For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.”

“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.

Luke 13:24

As far as I’ve read,  it appears that angels who sin, don’t get a second opportunity to experience God’s mercy, the scripture tells that because of disobedience, they’ve been kept in chains, awaiting the final judgement of eternal penalty: 2 Peter 2:4 “For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell, placing them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;…”

It’s common to hear non-Christians express anger at God for many events in this world, and even Christians have done similar; A Christian told me that when he was approx. 29, his spouse died so he told God he wanted nothing more to do with Him, he subsequently went into a deep state of depression and was hospitalised in a mental rehab. clinic, then later recovered, and is now free of bitterness and loves the Lord. But why reject God? Regardless of the statements of men claiming that there is no God, God doesn’t lie, we’re told in scripture:

Stick to scriptural references!

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

Romans 1:20

Romans 9:1-23
They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. ⁹ For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. ¹⁰ And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; ¹¹ (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calls;) ¹² It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. ¹³ As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. ¹⁴ What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. ¹⁵ For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. ¹⁶ So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy. ¹⁷ For the scripture says unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised you up, that I might shew my power in you, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. ¹⁸ Therefore he has mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardens. ¹⁹ You will say then to me, Why does he yet find fault? For who has resisted his will? ²⁰ No but, O man, who are you that reply against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why have you made me this way? ²¹ Hasn’t the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel to honour, and another to dishonour? ²² What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: ²³ And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had before prepared unto glory,

which subsequently results in the obedience of the subject persons repentance responsibility,  Scripture relating to salvation and scripture relating to responsibility of the saved are not interchangeable, they are two separate matters, but those verses that speak of responsibility are totally dependant firstly on those verses that speak of salvation.

I wonder if the term “free will” may be applied in the context of the will often being free of external influence, so that the choice made can not be attributed to any external good or evil being, so that the responsibility for the words or action are wholly attributable to the individual, but even at this level of consideration, the words/actions of any good, will never be able to redeem the person from the sinful words/actions.

For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do…. Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.

Romans 7:19, 21-23

Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself

Acts 15:14

Eternal Life as a Gift

Over many years, I’ve been told by some that Salvation is a gift from God that can be accepted or rejected; In consideration of this thought; to draw a parallel of the first “gift of life” given to every living person, there’s no option to reject it when you are in the womb of your mother or even thereafter, once you’ve been granted life, the only thing to follow is eternal existence, regardless of the time spent occupying an earthly body. Similarly salvation isn’t a negotiable gift, the only remaining question after having been granted salvation is to what degree I will obey God in fulfilling my obligations to Him. Scripture makes it very clear that there is no turning back by God on His word:

• Romans 11:29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
• John 6:37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

God does as He wills.

Hasn’t the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel to honour, and another to dishonour?

Romans 9:21

The earthly person is occupied with seeking to satisfy itself and determining it’s own future, but I think the strongest determination of this being, may be it’s denial of the sovereign right of God to be praised, honoured and revered, above all beings. So it’s no surprise to find it being unwilling or reluctant to concede that it has no power to determine it’s spirits eternal path. The sooner we recognise that God’s will to save us, is our only means of being kept from our own will to suffer the result of our daily disobedience, the sooner we rest in the peace that God desires us to grow in.

Isaiah 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
Acts 28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and they have closed their eyes; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Matthew 13:12-14 For whosoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever has not, from him shall be taken away even that he has. Therefore I speak to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. ¹⁴ And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive:

• At this point, my question is:
  • To what degree does it matter or impact on the Church that the belief of which a person who ministers to the Church holds in regard to either of the following two perspectives;

The two perspectives considered here, are generally within the following parameters, though some individuals, churches and organisations have developed perspectives of minor and substantial difference.

1. That man can either choose to accept or reject salvation through Christ Jesus, of his own determination, apart from any influence of God:
   • Some also believe man can by his own decision be saved from eternal punishment for His sin, then can move by his own decision to a position of rejecting salvation, so being eternally penalised for His sin.
2. That salvation is obtained by those who’ve been chosen by God to receive His irresistible work of salvation through God’s sovereign revelation of Himself to them, after having believed who God is in their heart, they’ve received salvation by confessing that Jesus Christ is God. However they would not be able to believe in their heart or confess this belief except the ability had been granted by God’s choice and work in them to do so.

A base measure of the truth of any doctrine, is that it must concur with all other scripture, because God never contradicts Himself. The expression of a belief of scriptural doctrine will never represent contradiction if it represents the truth, otherwise there’s been one or more misinterpretations of scripture which lead to a dilemma of perceived contradiction.

The true belief of soteriology must concur with John 3:30 “He must increase, but I [must] decrease.” And 1 Corinthians 15:28 “But when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subject to Him who has subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all things in all.”; I can’t see any room in either verse for man to claim repentance to salvation was his “free will” decision, only that it was his responsibility. there is no mention of men choosing in the following verses: 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 and God has chosen the base things of the world, and things which are despised, and things which are not, in order to bring to nothing things that are; 29 so that no flesh should glory in His presence.

When I hear the word ‘choose’ used in the context of man deciding to repent to eternal salvation, I haven’t seen any scripture where the addition of the term “free will” is added to it in the scriptures. I find only God having chosen men to salvation then men obeying God’s command to repent. It may be perceived that this act of obedience of repenting is a “free will choice”, but obeying a commandment of God is not a free will choice, it’s a requirement only enabled by God’s sovereign will. It seems to be that the perception of some scriptures are taken to relate to a person making “a decision to choose salvation” rather than to what is the persons God granted ability.

Jeremiah 31:18-19 I have surely heard Ephraim mourning to himself, [saying], You have chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bull not broken in; turn me, and I shall be turned. For You [are] the LORD my God. Surely after I was turned, I repented; and after I was taught, I struck on [my] thigh. I was ashamed, yes, I even blushed, because I bore the disgrace of my youth.

For a person to “choose” to repent of sin, they have to be aware of the fact that they have sinned against God, to be aware of this, they have to believe that God exist, but the belief of the existence of God is not sufficient to being saved, they must also believe that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God and that it is by His death and resurrection that sins are forgiven. It is this faith in Jesus Christ that not all men have, that is required to receive salvation, as can be read in the following verses:

• Acts 13:48 When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed
• Romans 1:7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Titus 1:1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect,…
• Hebrews 4:2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

Given that faith is a gift from God, but not all people have faith (2Thessalonians 3:2), and without faith, it’s impossible to please God, then salvation is not going to be the portion of all persons regardless of them hearing the gospel which only bears fruit when it’s preached from faith to faith:

Looking at verses relating to salvation, I’ve so far found the following:

• Romans 10:9-10 That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.

Acts 11:18 “When they heard these things, they were silent and glorified God, saying, Then God has also granted repentance to life to the nations.”

Acts 13:47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”48 When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

Genesis 6:5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.

Job 14:4 Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one!

Psalm 65:4 Blessed is the man who you choose, and cause to approach your courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, even of your holy temple.

Isaiah 65:9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and my elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. 

Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you; I’ve appointed you a prophet to the nations

Ezekiel 11:19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.

Matthew 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect‘s sake those days shall be shortened. 

Matthew 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 

John 5:21  For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes.

John 6:37 All that the Father gives me shall come to me; and him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out.

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 8:47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

John 10:26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.

John 12:40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.”

John 13:18  I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me.

Romans 3:⁹ What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. ¹⁰ As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;¹¹ there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.¹² All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Romans 8:28-30 And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.

1 Corinthians 12:3 …no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:4-5 For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will,

Ephesians 2:1 And you, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Colossians 2:13 And you–being dead in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh–He made alive together with him, having forgiven you all the trespasses,

1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God,

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brothers beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of [the] Spirit and belief of [the] truth,

2 Thessalonians 3:2 And pray that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for all [do] not have] the faith.

1 Timothy 2:4 "who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
John 12:32 "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me"
"all" in the above verses = G3956; when used collectively as it is here, is "some of all types"; the types as described in Revelation 5:9 ": And they sung a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;" and should not be confused with "all" G3650 as used in 1 Thessalonians 4:10 "And indeed you do it toward all G3956 the brethren which are in all G3650 Macedonia: ..."

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him], for he who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 

1 Peter 2:8 They stumble at being disobedient to the word, to which also they were appointed. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession,

1 John 5:20  And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding so that we may know Him who is true. And we are in Him that is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and the everlasting life.

---

Some Questions to ask of the Choice Doctrine:

• Why do some people who are about to die, express fear of dying, but still don’t want to chose to repent to salvation?
• Why do people choose to sin after choosing to repent to salvation?
• Adam was warned by God that if he disobeyed Him, he would die; after which, he chose to disobey: He had the fundamental choice and decided against God. (Genesis 2:17 “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”) With the knowledge that sin leads to death, why do people who have come to an appreciation of the depths of the suffering of Christ for mans sin, commit sin?
  

⁽¹⁾Acts 17:11 “…but now commands all men every where to repent:”