#44 On the Nature of God: He created man with free will.

The Bible has many examples that show that God allowed mankind to freely decide to obey or resist His commands. Consider Adam and Eve in the garden. Eve was tempted, but Adam was not, 1 Timothy 2:14:

“and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.”

Adam understood the temptation and chose to participate in the sin.

 

Consider what Cain did, Genesis 4:8:

“Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and a killed him.”

Cain chose to kill Abel. He was not forced to do so. Afterward, he did not apologize to God or ask for forgiveness. He knew he had chosen to disobey God.

 

Moses addressed the Children of Israel before he died, Deuteronomy 30:19-20:

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Moses clearly states that the Children of Israel had a choice. If they chose to obey God, they could live in the land and have the life that God had planned for them. If not, death and a curse awaited.

After the Children of Israel had conquered the land of Canaan, Joshua explained that they had a choice, Joshua 24:15:

“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

They could choose to worship idols or God. Joshua chose to serve God.

 

Man’s free will was granted by God at creation and continues today.

The Apostle Paul says we can always choose to repel temptation, 1 Corinthians 10:13:

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

I am free to choose to fall to temptation or to repel it.

 

The Apostle Paul also made it clear that my choices will determine my eternal destiny, Galatians 6:7-8:

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, the churches were reminded of their ability to choose to serve God. For the churches at Ephesus, Pergamum, Revelation, and Sardis, Jesus says ‘repent… or I will come…’ They had drifted into sin. Jesus indicates that they had a choice of repenting or suffer the punishment He would administer.

Even in Thyatira, Revelation 2:20-21, where a woman that Jesus labels Jezebel had led Christians into sin, Jesus says she had the opportunity to repent but would not.

The language to Laodicea, Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,  I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”  was made particularly plain by Jesus using the figure of Jesus knocking at the door. They could open or refuse.

In summary, a characteristic of God is to allow man to have free will and choose to serve or reject Him. The obvious lesson is to choose to serve and worship God.

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