FORGOTTEN THOUGHTS ON FREE WILL

BY W.F. BELL

Scattered across the countryside are scores of churches with “Free Will” in their names (or in their doctrines). It is most amusing to see this, as the emphasis seems to be, “We admire and uphold man’s choices and freedom; that which God ‘offers’ in mercy, man can reject and lose in disobedience.” But, if possible, look for just a moment at this subject objectively. Note four simple thoughts about “free will” that seemingly most people have forgotten about:

(1) If man’s will is truly free, this makes man himself a god.

No one denies God has given humans a will, and no one denies that men and women can brush their teeth when they like, go to bed when they like, work where they like, etc. But even these things have “limitations.” No one has absolutely “free will” to do everything, for that is reserved to the Almighty alone, for only He can say, “I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:10-11). No one else can say this! There cannot possibly be two absolutely “free wills” in the universe. It is just impossible.

(2) If man’s will is truly free, Christ died in vain.

Think about it, please. Those who believe you must “accept Christ” of your own will, actually believe that Christ’s death secured the salvation of no one, and that, if Christ is “accepted,” still one can lose that “salvation” by backsliding. So, Christ died in vain, for no one is assured of actually being saved! Grace is only “needed,” man must “cooperate” with the Holy Spirit, and Jonah 2:9 should read, “Salvation is provided by God, but accomplished by man’s will.”

(3) If man’s will is truly free, there is no assurance that the gospel will be successful.

Think about this, for if Christ died in vain, preaching and witnessing for Him is also in vain, because “free will”may decide that no one will hold out and persevere to the end. In other words, what assurance does anyone have that there will be “believers” in Christ at all? If it is determined by man “freely deciding” and “freely persevering,” then logically no one is sure of heaven! How totally different this is, however, from Christ’s prayer in John 17, where He prays for certain ones “given Him” by His Father (v. 2), but says, “I pray not for the world” (v. 9). That makes no sense whatever if salvation is not “certain” and “secured” for many. Does it?

(4) If man’s will is truly free, the wicked could not be punished.

If God cannot “violate” man’s will (as many tell us daily), how can He be the Judge of sinners, then “violate” their “free wills” by “casting” them into “the lake of fire”? No one will “choose” to be punished, so they are simply not punished. Correct? Think about it. But the Bible is plain when it declares, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). Not one word is said about sinners being asked for their “permission.” So much for this false doctrine of “free will.”

But there is good news! God has elected a people unconditionally, Christ died for them in sacrificial love, and the Holy Spirit sovereignly and effectually “calls” every single one of them to repent of sin and believe on Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). Now, that’s assurance, and it’s all of grace!