Monday, April 09, 2012

The Freewill Error

"What does it mean to say that I am free? It means that I am not under constraint. Thus, I am free to do whatever pleases me. But am I free with respect to what pleases me and what does not? To put it differently, I may chose one action over another because it holds more appeal to me. But I am not fully in control of the appeal each of those actions holds for me. That is quite a different matter. I make all my decisions, but those decisions are in large measure influenced by certain characteristics of mine that I am not capable of altering by my own choice. If, for example, I am offered for diner a choice between liver and any other entree, I am quite free to take the liver but I do not desire to do so. I have no conscious control over my dislike of liver. That is a given that goes with my being the person I am. In that respect my freedom is limited. I do not know whether it is my genes or environmental conditioning that has caused my dislike of liver but it is apparent that I cannot by mere force of will alter this characteristic of mine.
There are, then, limitations on who I am and what I desire and will. I certainly did not choose the genes that I have; I did not select my parents or the exact geographical location and cultural setting of my birth. My freedom, therefore, is within these limitations. And here arises the question: 'Who set up these factors?' The theistic answer is, 'God did.'
I am free to choose among various options. But my choice will be influenced by who I am. Therefore, my freedom must be understood as my ability to choose among options in light of who I am. And who I am is a result of God's decision and activity. God is in control of all the circumstances that bear on my situation in life. He may bring to bear (or permit to be brought to bear) factors that will make a particular option appealing, even powerfully appealing, to me. Through all the factors that have come into my experience in time past he has influenced the type of person I now am. Indeed, he has affected what has come to pass by willing that it was I who was brought into being.
Whenever a child is conceived, there are an infinite number of possibilities. A countless variety of genetic combinations may emerge out of the union of sperm and ovum. We do not know why a particular combination actually results. But now, for the sake of argument, let us consider the possibility of a hypothetical individual whose genetic combination differs infinitesimally from my own. He is identical to me in every respect; in every situation of life he responds as I do. But at one particular point he will choose to move his finger to the left whereas I will move mine to the right. I am not compelled to move my finger to the right, but I freely choose to do so. Now by making sure that it was I, and not my hypothetical double, who came into existence, and setting the circumstances of my life, God rendered it certain that at that one particular point I would freely move my finger to the right." (Millard Erickson, Christian Theology, p. 384)

The term "freewill" appears 17 times in the Old Testament; never in the New Testament. Not once is it used in conjunction with salvation. The term has to do with being voluntary. The idea of having a free will is nowhere to be found in Scripture. Scripture declares God sovereign over everything (see previous blog entry). Where was Nebuchadnezzar's "free will" when God made him act crazy and eat grass for seven years? Where was Jonah's "free will" when God overrode his actions? Romans 6 tells us that our will is slave to sin when we are lost, and that it is slave to God when we are saved. Making daily decisions has nothing to do with a so-called "free will." It is God who raises individuals up, and God who abases individuals, and God who brings in nations to judge other nations. "[God] has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires" (Rom. 9:18). People try to deny what this clearly states, but the next passage (vv.19-24) would make absolutely no sense if it did not mean precisely what it states. God raised Pharaoh up for the express purpose of destroying him. God raised Judas up for the express purpose of betraying Jesus. Every individual has earned, and is deserving of, hell. God is obligated to save none of them; and He certainly is not obligated to save all of them. If God chooses to save some and pass over the rest, He has done nothing wrong. None of them deserve salvation. If he passes over everyone, and everybody goes to hell, God has done no wrong. If He chooses to save a handful of individuals while the rest end up in hell, God has done no wrong. God chooses to save for His own glory. If He did not act, there would not be a single individual who would enter the gates of heaven. Salvation, repentance, and faith are all gifts from God. Unless He changes our heart first, we will not respond to His Gospel.