Do we have free will?
Listen: 135.3
First, let’s consider the meaning of free will. According to the dictionary, free will is, “the ability of agents to make choices unimpeded by certain prevailing factors.” This gives the thought that free will is the ability to make decisions without any outside influence or persuasion. To that, I would say that free will doesn’t exist. Every decision we make is influenced by knowledge, lack of knowledge, prejudice, lack of prejudice, emotions and feelings.
In the Christian realm, ‘free will’ is thought of as the ability to choose or reject the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior. Do we have this ability to accept or refuse Christ as our savior? Let’s let the Word of God speak for itself. Joshua spoke of our responsibility to choose to follow the Lord in Joshua 24:15where he said, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve…” In addressing the Jews, the Lord expressed sorrow and frustration because of their rejection of Him. In John 5:40He said, “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” The Lord Jesus was grieved over the nation of Israel’s refusal to believe in Him. He said in Matthew 23:37, “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!”
The day is fast approaching when the Lord Jesus will return to rapture His church from this world to be with Himself in Glory. What a glorious day that will be when we who know Christ as our savior will meet Him in the air. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17tells us, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” However, there will be serious and severe consequences for those who choose to reject Him and His glorious Gospel. We read in 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12, “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” These people certainly had the opportunity, or choice, to believe in the Lord, but they refused. Does the Lord hold them responsible? Indeed, He does! They will all be damned because of their unbelief.
We are all responsible to accept, or choose, Christ as our savior. We read in Acts 17:30that God, “…now commandeth all men every where to repent.” The Lord commands you to repent of your sins. The Lord Jesus said in John 3:7, “…Ye must be born again.” Again, it is the command of the Lord to be born again by trusting in Christ as your savior. If you should choose to disobey the Lord and reject Christ as your savior, the Lord will judge you for every sin you’ve ever committed, every evil thought you’ve ever had, and every evil word you have ever spoken. Nothing will escape the Lord’s eye in judgment of sin. If you have not done so already, won’t you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be eternally saved. The Lord wants to save you. He wants everyone to be saved. Consider His words to you in Deuteronomy 30:19, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life…” Choose life by coming to the Lord Jesus in repentance of your sins and faith in His finished work on Calvary. The Lord comforts the believer and warns the unbeliever in John 3:36which says, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (135.3)