Bible Question: where in the bible does it state that man has free will and that God won't attempt to change man's free will? |
Bible Answer: The Bible does not say that God Never overrides a man's choice in a matter. An example of this is with Jonah, in that God exerted a strong influence over Jonah to cause Jonah to change the choice he was making. Another example would be 1 Kings 12:15, "Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat." Here, the Lord specifically caused the King to not pay attention to the people. Soloman wrote of this in Proverbs 21:1, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will." We know that God directs the flow of history, acting through individuals, and often by causing them to act a certain way. The death of King Ahab is another example, the Lord directing events to achieve an outcome. But, that is only part of the story. There is an area that God has left strictly up to man, and that is our relationship with God. The Lord has made a way so that anyone can come to Him and be forgiven, and reborn, and invites all to come. To those who want this, He will not turn them away. To those who don't, He will not force them. There are several places that show this principle in action: Ezek 18:30 "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct, declares the Lord GOD. "Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. Ezek 18:31 "Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel? While God pleads with man to turn from his sin, the choice is clearly left up to the man. Another example is: Luke 13:34-35 "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! The one killing the prophets, and stoning those having been sent to her, how often I desired to gather your children in the way a hen gathers her brood under the wings, and you did not desire it. 35 Behold, your house is left to you desolate. And truly I say to you, You shall not at all see Me until it comes when you say, Blessed is the One coming in the name of the Lord. Again, God earnestly desires to gather these together, but they did not desire it, so it did not happen. But when they have invited Jesus to come, He will come to them. So again, this clearly demonstrates that God desires relationship with those who do not want relationship with Him, and He allows their choice to be the determining factor. Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock: If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will enter to him, and I will dine with him, and he with Me. "If anyone hears My voice and opens the door" - something that you have to do - then - "I will enter to him..." So to summarize, God can and does change man's will, and predetermine man's choice in some areas, but in the area of man's relationship with God, God allows man to choose. God's preference is clearly expressed: Eze 18:32 "For I do not have delight in the death of him who dies, declares the Lord Jehovah. So turn and live." If it were God's wish that some were to perish, then why would not God delight in their deaths, as He delights in those who are saved? If both were His choosing, surely both would be His delight. But as is written throughout the Bible, our Lord desires all to be righteous. But He won't force us to love Him. Do you, who are created in the image of God, prefer the willing love of your living child, or the words of Chatty Cathy when you pull the string in its back "I-love-you"? Love in Christ, Mark |