thoughts on free will

Humans by nature view free will as something humans possess that is not affected or influenced by God - as separate from God. But in truth, there is no will outside the sovereignty of God. If the human will is outside of God, then God is not completely sovereign and omnipotent.

To claim that man has a will that is free of the sovereign influence and control of God has got to be rebellion. The fact of the matter is that no human can understand complete human free will because it does not and has not ever existed - there is no will outside of God’s will.

in Him we live and move and exist - Acts 17:28a

 Also, it seems that if the human will is required, if it is the initiating force to accept the working of God’s will - especially through His plan of salvation, then the truth of God’s word being living and active would have to be rejected. God’s word is living and active because of God’s will working through it. If the choice to accept or reject the gospel in God’s word is reliant upon the decision of man, then how could the word be living and active? Why would it need to be living and active?

The argument that God is only justified in pouring out His wrath on those who reject the gospel because they had an opportunity to make a free will choice is absurd. God would be justified if He chose to save no one. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are saved only by God’s merciful grace.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9