DO I REALLY WANT TO BE FREE?
DO I REALLY WANT TO BE FREE?
I have decided to write about free will. Did I really decide to do that or was it foreordained from all eternity that on this day I would write about how I am free to act in any way I wish to act? I dressed myself this morning. I chose to eat cereal not waffles this morning. I decided against stepping on a bug this morning. Why did I choose these things instead of other or even contrary actions? The journal, Scientific American, did a study a few years ago in an attempt to explain why things happen in the way they do. There conclusion were that, “everything that happens is determined by what happened before — our actions are inevitable consequences of the events leading up to the action.” There once was a theological view similar to this called “Process Theology.” This view held that everything is in the processes of becoming, so your next action is determined by your previous action and won’t “become” until the process of “now” has worked itself out; thereby determine what will happen “then.” This theological view was abandoned by all but some of the most liberal scholars years ago.
But back to our question of free will; was this topic determined for me by our study of the Gospel of John, is it the natural outcome of that study, or could it be that I chose to highlight this particular aspect of chapter 18? How about throwing sin into the mix? Could I ever really have a free will if I am totally depraved? (For those of you who are not Calvinist you will have to look up Total Depravity on your own)
Let me quote R. C. Sproul as he elaborates on Luther’s famous work, “Martin Luther struggled greatly with the relationship of God’s sovereignty to human free will and sin. In fact, one of the greatest books ever written on the subject, The Bondage of the Will, is from Luther’s pen. When Luther grappled with this issue, he especially struggled with the Old Testament passages where we read that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Ex. 4:21; 7:3–4, 13–14, 22–23; 8:15, 19, 30–32; 9:27–10:2; 10:16–20, 24–28). When we read these passages, we tend to think, “Doesn’t this suggest that God not only works through the desires and actions of humans, but that He actually forces evil upon people?” After all, the Bible does say that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. When Luther discussed this, he observed that when the Bible says that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh, God did not create fresh evil in the heart of an innocent man. Luther said that God didn’t harden people by putting evil in their hearts. All that God must do to harden anyone’s heart is to withhold His own grace; that is, He gives a person over to himself.” (RTJ - For even more on this topic read Jonathan Edwards: Freedom of the Will)
I have seen what I am like; therefore I don’t want to be given over to my own will! Maybe free will isn’t all that I had hoped for? Maybe the Providence of God is starting to look better all the time? He did created me, form me in my mother’s womb, shape me into what He wanted me to be, save me from my sin, and guaranteed my salvation for all eternity. Definitely – I like His will more than mine.