Do You Even Have A Choice?

Most of us are certain that we have free will, though what exactly this amounts to is much less certain. The question of the nature of free will is “the most contentious question of metaphysics.” If this is correct, then figuring out what free will is will be no small task indeed. Today, I am going to focus briefly on the subject in relation to God and His relationship with man. Minimally, to say that a person has free will is to say that that person has the capacity to choose his/her course of action or to make decisions independent of external influence. 

"For centuries, philosophers and theologians have almost unanimously held that civilization as we know it depends on a widespread belief in free will—and that losing this belief could be calamitous. Our codes of ethics, for example, assume that we can freely choose between right and wrong. In the Christian tradition, this is known as “moral liberty”—the capacity to discern and pursue the good, instead of merely being compelled by appetites and desires." (Cave, 2016)

This concept in Christianity is known as moral liberty - which is the capacity to discern and to do good (which is the will of God) instead of doing the wrong things (which are against the will of God). We can easily become confused in this subject matter of how God's will and our own will can interact. While this is so, we can trust the word of God and know what God what God actually requires from us in relation with free will. 

Although we claim to choose what we want, whatever we choose is directly or indirectly influenced by the type of "world" we live in. In other words, our actions are bound by the things around us, things within us, or things we have entangled ourselves with. If this was not so, neither alcohol nor anti-psychotics would have their desired effects on us. The same holds true for brain structure: Cases of ordinary adults becoming murderers or pedophiles after developing a brain tumor demonstrate how dependent we are on the physical properties of our gray stuff. (Cave, 2016)

Until you can claim to have made yourself, you're not your own! You have not made yourself. Let us be humble to do the will of Him who made us. The planet earth is ruled by two kingdoms - the Kingdom of Light also called the kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness, of Satan or of Hell [Matthew 25:31-34,41,46]. Our decisions and actions actually speak a lot about which kingdom has influence on us. When people decide to got to war instead of seeking peace, it should tell you which kingdom is controlling them. When you decide to love God, to love others and to do according to the will of God, it reveals the kingdom at work in you.

In the same way when you hate God, His works, and people who do the work of God, it does not mean you're smart, it only reveals the kingdom at work in you. When people become murderers or pedophiles, although they "claim" to be doing whatever they want, it is actually being controlled by the kingdom of Darkness.

Genesis 2:7 | KJV

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 

God did not create anyone without the will to choose or the ability to choose between good and evil. That is what makes us in the nature of God. The scripture does not only tell us we're created but also tells us that we're living souls which means we have minds, we have will, and we also have emotions - all these elements help us to make decisions. Which does not eliminate the concept of free will but that we're accountable to God who created us for every choice we make. 

Jeremiah 17:10 ESV

“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Matthew 12:36 ESV 

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,

The truth is that there is nothing like absolute free will without accountability. Although we have free will to do what we like, we are however not free from consequences of the choices we make or we are can not go without the reward for our actions. Accountability is one of the elements the human race have practically tried to erode from their minds and hearts. With such comments as "my body; my choice", "I can do whatever I want", are examples of how corrupt we have become as a people. 

Become a lover of God and the only way to show God that you love Him is to do according to His Words and not just professing from your mouth. [John 14:15]. 

A GOOD CHOICE

¹⁹ This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live ²⁰ and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

A good choice for you today is to choose to love God! Right from the garden of Eden, God has been trying over and over to get His creation to do exactly what He created us to do - to love him. Jesus' coming to earth was all in the mission of God's love. God loves us so much that he sent His Son to come and die for us - so we can have a choice. A choice between Heaven and Hell, a choice between good and evil.

Instead of becoming humble and accepting the will of God to be done in our lives, we blame God for our actions and mistakes.  Instead of asking why a loving God will choose to destroy people in Hell, ask yourself why you'll allow your choices to take you to hell if there's an opportunity for you to escape hell by accepting Jesus as Lord and saviour.

We were created with free will. However, our free will depends on the type of kingdom that has control over our souls - the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of darkness. Deciding against the will of the Creator is same as subscribing to the will of the Devil.  There is a choice to make. But it does not go without consequences. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.

Further Reading. 

• Cave, S. (2016). There’s No Such Thing as Free Will. [online] The Atlantic. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/theres-no-such-thing-as-free-will/480750/.
• O’Connor, T. and Franklin, C. (2018). Free Will (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). [online] Stanford.edu. Available at: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/freewill/.
• ‌www.iep.utm.edu. (n.d.). Free Will | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. [online] Available at: https://www.iep.utm.edu/freewill/#H1 [Accessed 6 May 2020].

• ‌Cover Photo by Lubo Minar on Unsplash

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