Free Will – A Major Misconception

Free will is the ability to make choices free from any constraints.

To be able to comprehend what we are speaking of here, we need not only to understand what God has invested in us but who we are in Christ. We need also to clear up some misconceptions.

God created man in His own image. We have the breath of God in us and we are living souls. We are a little lower than angels (and not a little higher than apes as evolutionist would have us believe) and we have been crowned with glory and honour. Man is a rational and moral being. We are filled with the Divine nature of Christ. We have dominion over the earth. Man has the ability to learn, discover, composes concertos, write books and poetry, perform complex surgical operations, speak several languages, and the list goes on… Who gave us this aptitude? Education yes, but who puts it there in the first place? In addition, there are those with little or no education who contributed greatly to this world, here are a few:

Michael Faraday (1791-1867), a man who worked in a London bookshop, having left school at the age of 14 for an apprenticeship in book binding, taught himself and became a great scientist.
William Hershel (1738-1822), composer of cello, organ and oboe with no education in astronomy yet discovered several moons and the planet Uranus. He also built 400 telescopes.
Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887-1920), impoverished Indian teenager with most basic education, was a mathematical genius. He made substantial contributions to the analytical theory of numbers and worked on elliptic functions, continued fractions, and infinite series.
Wolfang Mozart (1756-1791), His first work was a minuet that he wrote when he was four.

Therefore, we cannot just say education is responsible. Our knowledge developed or not, is because we are created in God’s image. We have a wonderful memory; we have feelings and a self-awareness. Our words too have power. We are complete in Him. Nevertheless, in all this we are subject to God. (Gen. 1:26-27, 2:7, 15-17, Psa. 8:4-5, Pro. 18:21a, Eph. 4:23-24, Col. 2:10, 3:10, II Peter 1:4)

We have been brought with a price. We have all fallen short of the glory of God. The Lord provide for our salvation. We have been justified. We have been redeemed and forgiven of all our sins. Our salvation is totally complete in Him. We are citizens of heaven. We are seated in heavenly places in Christ. (Rom. 3:23, 5:1, I Cor. 6:19-20, Col. 1:13-14, Eph. 2:6, 19)

We believe in Heaven but we have difficulty believing in a Hell. Jesus Christ spoke more on hell than any other subject. There are over 162 references in the New Testament alone which warns of hell and over 70 of these references were uttered by the Lord Jesus Christ! I personally have had a vision of demons taking lost souls into hell and their screams were indescribably horrific.

Once saved always saved is fallacy. The case of the Philippian jailor is quoted to prove this but “in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established”. The passage in Acts has no other verse to second it. However, I do believe that the unsaved families of believers are granted special favour when it comes to their “call to salvation” but that is all, they too have to make their own decisions. We have to work out our own salvation says the Bible but why would this be necessary if our salvation was a “fait accompli”? I know the Bible says, “For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good”, but here He is only inciting us to His will, He is not imposing. (Acts 16:30-31, Mat. 18:16, II Cor. 13:1, Phil. 2:12-13)

At times, when watching people go about their daily business, the Lord has opened my eyes to see the inner man, Christian or not, we are truly “master of our own destiny” and in that sense, we are like gods.

The Lord can never go against man’s (Christian or not) will. He created us with the power of free will. He willed to create us in His own image. He cannot and will not go back on his decision. He created the church to be His bride; He does not want a robot. He wants someone He can have fellowship with. He desires people who want His company.

This is why it is so important to cooperate with God. He needs our will for our salvation and He needs our will to continue to work in our lives. Is is true that none can pluck us out of His Hand but we can jump out of His hand by our wilful and continued disobedience/rebellion.

When we consider this all of this, it is scary to think we hold so much power in our hands. We are only safe when we place and continue to place our lives in His hands.

Dear brother, sister and, friend of mine we cannot stay in our comfort zone. We need to cooperate with God.

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