Freewill

What is freewill

One definition of freewill is “the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints.” Freewill is simply about choices.

Why is freewill important?

It is very important because without freewill (or choice), all human beings would be robots, and would not be able to determine (choose) their destiny. The only alternative to freewill is that God dictates everything, including who will be saved. So, logically, the only alternatives to freewill are either God dictates that everyone is saved (this is known as universalism) or He dictates that only a select few, or the “elect” will be saved (this is known as Calvinism). So if you don’t believe in freewill, then you are either a universalist or a Calvinist. The belief that everyone has freewill to choose their salvation is known as Arminianism. For more about these three views of salvation and why Arminianism is to be preferred, see https://word.spiritbodysoul.com/three-views-of-salvation/.

What freewill is not

Freewill is not a struggle, it is not mindpower, it is not salvation by works.

Why freewill is Biblical

Here we explain why freewill is a Biblical concept and that we have a choice in our salvation:
Before we explain this we must make it very clear that we believe that salvation is by grace through faith in the blood of Jesus on the cross and not by works (Eph 2:8-9, Rom 3:25). Rom.9:11-16 says “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 calleth. …. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” Eph. 1:4-5 teaches that God chooses and predestines us to adoptions as sons. But does this mean that only some selected people are called? Actually it is clear from Scripture that God calls everyone (John 12:32, John 1:9, Romans 1:19-20). Predestination is on the basis of God’s foreknowledge of whether we will believe or not (Rom 8:29).
So why is it then that not everyone is saved? Is it, as the first point of Calvinism teaches, due to the “total inability” of unbelievers to be saved (sometimes called “total depravity”)? No, it is not the inability of some people, but their unwillingness that prevents them from being saved, as can be seen from the following Scriptures:

Ye will not come to me, that ye will have life (Jn 5:40).

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (Mt 23:37),

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely (Rev 22:17).

The following Scriptures clearly show that we have a choice to follow God or not:
• But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name (Jn 1:12).
• Deuteronomy 30:15 See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong [your] days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.
• John 14:15 If you love Me, keep My commandments.
• John 15: 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9 ¶ As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
• 1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and [before] Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep [this] commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing.
• 2 Timothy 2:21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honour, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
There is a reward for doing good works, as can be seen from the following verses. It is clearly a choice whether to do those good works.
• Romans 2:10 but glory, honour, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.
• 1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain [it]. 25 And everyone who competes [for the prize] is temperate in all things. Now they [do it] to obtain a perishable crown, but we [for] an imperishable [crown].
• Ephesians 6:8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
Without free will, many Bible statements would make no sense:
• People can “resist the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:10; 7:51-55); this clearly indicates that they have free will.
• Why do you call me Lord and don’t do what I say (Lk 6:46)? Jesus puts the responsibility on the person’s freewill to choose not to obey Him, He does not say that “God willed it that you don’t do what I say!”
• Whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have eternal life (Jn 3:16). The verse does not say “whosoever God makes a believer will have eternal life”.
• And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: (Acts 17:30). God does not force people to repent, but He commands people to repent, and of their free will they decide whether or not to repent.
• Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely (Re 22:17). Not “only whosoever is selected by God can take the water of life.”
• And whosoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them (Lk 9:5). Not a testimony against God for not choosing them.
• Come to me you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest (Mt 11:28). Not “God makes you come to me.”
• Philemon 14 But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly. This is free will.
For further discussion which shows that we have freewill, refer to the following excellent Rational Roundtable Freewill Megadebate series of Youtube videos by Michael J Crawford:

We are aware that Spurgeon stated that “free will carried many a soul to Hell, but never a soul to Heaven”. Also Luther talked about an “idolatry of free will”. We do not agree with this, for the reasons described above. For more information see also http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Doctrines/Calvinism/spurgeon.htm. Calvin’s rejection of freewill ended up with him controlling Geneva by forced conversion and violence and punishment to those who dared to question him – see http://www.biblelife.org/calvinism.htm  similar in some ways to the controlling, bullying and threatening behaviour of some of the Christian universalists who deny freewill today, which we have personally observed.
It is also said by some people that it is pride, self-religion and works to talk about free will. Of course Jesus Christ saved us through his blood, but we still have free will whether or not to receive his free gift of salvation, God does not force anyone to be saved. In fact free will is also a gift from God, as everything on this earth is.

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