By definition it is ‘any internally motivated action, to exercise control over actions, decisions or choices regardless of the outcome and consequences’.
To be human is to know right from wrong, good or bad, and choose accordingly. This is what separates us from every other living creature.
Consider a person getting behind the wheel or a car after drinking heavily, a young woman falling pregnant, taking a deadly cocktail of drugs, or a father working 16 hour days while the wife and 3 kids are desperate for love and time together.Why is part of our existence involve our ability to have self-rule in this short time on earth? Many lives have been changed and affected in history because of major decisions by leaders, rulers and dictators.
A nation votes for their Prime Minister because they have complete independence to make decisions for themselves no one else can make. Self freedom ultimately plays a significant part of society, which affects everything; from trends, fashion, stock markets, business, sports, travel and anything in between.
Free will could well be said as the most powerful force in the universe…-------------------------------------------
Genesis 2:17
But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.
Why did God place a tree of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden? Why place such a terrifying consequence for humanity on the decision of just two people?
Quite simply, without free-will we would be robots with no choice to choose for ourselves. God wanted Adam to obey but He gave Adam the freedom to choose.Without choice he would have been a prisoner and his obedience would have been without option. The tree provided an opportunity to either decide to obey or reject His ways. To obey was to live in freedom and relationship with His Creator. To disobey was to face consequences and separation.
It is clear from scripture that Adam was never meant to die but to do what he was created for – to walk in relationship with His creator forever. Thus the famous saying – “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever”.
Adam's sinlessness was untested perfection. However, Christ's sinlessness was tested perfection. Without temptation faithfulness can never be proven.
What does it mean to be human?
To believe that you are created or not is to have free will.
To believe in life after death is to have free will.
To believe that we are fallen and in need of Salvation is to have free will.
To believe in a Saviour who can give you that Salvation is to have free will.
What then is the Will of God you might say? Well in a Biblical context God’s Will is for mankind to follow His plan being fulfilled, to follow His divine laws, and for all people to be saved from death through His Son Jesus Christ by Faith.
Hebrews 9:27
And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.
Consider the following: Let us never set up our own will against the holy will of God. There was not only liberty allowed to man, in taking the fruits of paradise, but everlasting life made sure to him upon his obedience. There was also a trial appointed called Judgement that would investigate his obedience or not. By transgression he would forfeit his Maker's favour, and deserve his displeasure, with all its awful effects; so that he would become liable to pain, disease, and death.
Worse than that, he would lose the holy image of God, and all the comfort of his favour; and feel the torment of sinful passions, and the terror of his Maker's vengeance, which must endure for ever with his never dying soul. The forbidding to eat of the fruit of a particular tree. For man is sinful, and shows by his actions and his conduct afterwards, ready to do evil.Deuteronomy 30:19
I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life so that you and your children will live. And love God, your God, listening obediently to him, firmly embracing him
Free will – it’s a powerful thing.
