The Will May Be Free.. But That NATURE?

No amount of logic or conscious reasoning is going to convince a person that they lack free will, not when one can FEEL the truth of free will. You ask what would I like, pecan or pumpkin pie? Pumpkin! It was an effortless decision and therefore proving that I have free will because NOTHING outside of myself made me choose the pumpkin – I chose freely.

In actuality, all I've proven with this illustration is that we are decision making agents. We cannot simply define 'free will' as the ability to choose freely without outside compunction because there are factors within us that determine our choice. We won't go into the technical points here but let's keep in mind that we always choose based on a list of criteria that bring about the most desirable outcome. A truly FREE choice would be a RANDOM choice in which no desire or urge effected the decision.

I have previously given a workable definition:

Free will – the ability to choose freely that which we desire the most.

Free choice is not the problem in this logical and theological puzzle, the problem is with our DESIRES. Are our desires free from pre-determined influences? Let me give you another illustration and one of my favorites:

At one time I had three beautiful Golden Retrievers and a lovely fenced little farm for them to run on. Let's say I put them outside the back door with the promise of a treat – a hunk of juicy STEAK. The three dogs stand in rapt attention as I lift the meat over my head. Mind you, there are no leashes on them, no leads or dog runs, nothing to constrict or control their movements – they are totally FREE to go anywhere they DESIRE.

I throw the first morsel to the right. Can you predict which direction the three dogs will go? If you chose a unanimous decision to go to the right then you are correct. Next I throw the steak to the left, the opposite of the first toss. Yes! You are correct again, this time they ran to the left. Next, to keep things fresh I toss the meat to the right again. I could have thrown it straight and long and of course the dogs would follow the meat. No matter how many times I throw a piece of meat and ANY direction, the dogs will follow - it is their NATURE.

The dogs are free to choose and free to move in any direction but they are in bondage to their NATURE. Our nature is the fountain of our desires and though our wills may be free in choosing, our wills are NOT FREE of our nature. Our natures, apart from Christ, are IN BONDAGE TO SIN.

Ephesians 2:1

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

In this verse lies the sad condition and the truth about free will. Our will may be free from outside control but it cannot escape it's bondage to the desires of our fallen nature. By nature, all mankind are haters of God and can NEVER make a saving decision toward God – it would violate our nature.

Jesus, in his explanation to a nationalistic Nicodemus told the curious Pharisee,

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

So if the Lord says, “whoever believes in him, should not perish”, then doesn't that mean we have the freedom to choose eternal life? Not if we are God haters, not if we are by nature children of wrath. The truth is that the answer to “whoever will believe” is NOBODY. Unless God first changes our God-hating nature then no one WILL believe.

Hence Jesus explains in John 6:44

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him

and again in verse 65,

And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

So, in any discussion, remember to define your terms. We do indeed have wills and in as much as our wills are free from OUTSIDE control then our wills can be called FREE, but watch out for the problem INSIDE. Even the best that our minds and hearts have to offer comes from a polluted well, a fallen nature that apart from Christ is an ENEMY of God. Hence, Isaiah tells us that "all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment." We are in bondage to sin and it is ONLY in Christ that we are truly given the ABILITY to NOT SIN - it is the closest that we will come to true FREEDOM in this life. To God be the Glory.

FREE WILL! Ok, grab your forks, we're going to open this can of worms.

For a very long time now I have wanted to address the topic of 'Free Will'. There is much confusion about this subject and enough suspicion of it that most will avoid a study of it, thinking it's a can of worms best left unopened. The real problem with a discussion of 'free will' is that folks don't define their terms before they start an argument. Just as with Calvinism, people bring their own bias, understandings and misunderstandings to the table and then spend hours talking past each other. Our goal here is to break these complicated or misunderstood ideas down into bite sized portions and if I've put this discussion off, it's because this is such a FABULOUS meal with many courses and many ways to present it. I will try and answer the biggest questions but it will take several installments. In this first portion I will give you a great working definition of 'free will'. In subsequent offerings we will look at God's Sovereignty and Salvation, Is God's Will Free or Necessary?, Free Will and Human Responsibility, the Will or Wills of God and more. Let's begin with God.

God is the First Cause and “in Him we live and move and have our being”. Acts 17:28 God is the Creator and has ownership of all things and may dispose of all things as He see fit. God's sustaining power holds all the elements of the universe together, from sub-atomic particles to galaxies. God knows every part of His creation with perfect intimacy, (just as He knows you!). God is the King of kings, this means that He is King in the fullest and most absolute sense, His authority is complete and total. The theological word for this kingly and absolute authority is 'sovereignty'. God is sovereign in power and sovereign in His will.

Think about that for a moment, if what I have just said is true – that God's will has his absolute total and supreme authority behind it, then logically we must conclude that there can be only ONE FREE WILL in the universe. God's will trumps all other wills. Let's see if you believe this: You have a loved one who is unsaved, do you pray for that loved one that salvation will come to him? When you pray, do you pray to God or do you call your loved one and pray to him or her? If you pray to God for him or here (as you should) then you must admit that God's will can over power, restrict and manipulate the will of your loved one. If God's will does not trump your loved one's will then you should pray to your friend or relative and say, “Bill” or “Mary, save yourself, please!” You don't do that, in fact what you really want is for God to 'violate' the 'free will' of your friend, to quicken them, to open the eyes of their heart and CAUSE them to come to the savior.

That's enough to digest for now but I did tell you I would give you a working definition of 'free will' and I will do that so you can ruminate on it until the next serving.

Definition: 'Free will' is the ability to choose freely that which we desire the most.

Memorize that because it's going to get you out of trouble and offer a delicious morsel to those who hunger for a better understanding of God and his dealings with His creatures. I will take this definition apart in the coming days.

(Go To Part Two)

Danny Kept Me Up All Night!

I started hanging around with Christian kids in 1970 when I was 15 years old; the chief reason was a record breaking cross country runner named Danny Biebel. He was one of those young men who just seemed to do all things well. He was a son of a Baptist preacher who wasn't afraid to bring his faith to school, to races or to wherever he went. Danny was a natural leader and because of his athleticism, aspiring athletes were drawn to him - I sure was. He mentored us on running and the Bible and the discipline required for both of those studies.

In '72 I faced a crisis of faith and of being. My parents were headed toward divorce and a series of events that typically rocks the security and comfort zone of the children of divorce. I thought that being a Christian would make me immune from such messy disturbances. I wanted to be a Christian for the camaraderie, for the running, for the bliss. At 17 I was learning that Christianity doesn't change situations, doesn't stop catastrophes and demands your all not just your interest. The price was too much, my experiment with Christianity was over.

That's when the Lord sent Danny to my door. Every time I got together with Dan, there was an interesting ritual that took place.

Dan would ask, "How are you doing?"
"Fine", I would answer.
Then Dan would stare right into my eyes and there was a pause.
After a bit of discomfort Dan would ask, "How are you doing... really?"
"No really, great, I'm fine."
Then Dan would shift his body and look away for a moment, as if to say "Stop wasting my time with small talk, you're avoiding the truth."
Then he would look back into me and cock his head and say, "No, I mean, how are you doing... really?"

I'm not sure what Dan would have done or said next, THAT was always enough to get me to turn from my denial and admit that things were bad and I was hurting. I told him that I don't want Christ anymore, it's not what I was expecting.

Dan said, "Let's go for a ride."

We drove to the home of a family in the church and Dan asked if we could use their upper room. They said sure. Dan and I went up and sat on the floor for a few hours as he recounted Bible promises and I resisted. He spoke again of Christ's sacrifice but it wasn't enough. He asked me if I wanted to pray - I said "No".

Finally we left and being the middle of the night I was relieved that he would take me home. Instead we drove across the river into New Hampshire and up onto a high hill in Plainfield where the view was amazing. Above us was a vast canopy of stars and below were the lights of houses in the valley. We sat for a long time in silence and then he asked again, "Would you like to pray?"

"No"

Dan said, "You see all those lights down there?

"Yes".

"How many of those people do you think have problems?"

Interesting, with that question I now felt that it was God himself who was staring into me and then looking away to let me know He didn't appreciate me wasting time with small talk and avoidance.

Dan explained that God doesn't take our problems away but he also doesn't let us go through them alone. That suffering is common among the children of men but that God brings purpose to our inflictions. I knew that if I was to turn to Christ again it wouldn't be for running, for family, for friends or for fun, it would be a surrender of everything, it would be a confession that I would be willing to lose it all for the prize of knowing Christ.

Being a distance runner, Danny's favorite Bible verse was Hebrews 12:1,2:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Dan again turned to me and said, "So... do you want to pray?"
I knew that the Christian walk would never again be easy but I said "Yes."

Danny had inspired me to become a runner and I thought winning the race was the goal, but in the end he was my hero because he showed me that we win when we STOP and know that Jesus is Lord; that we are more than conquerors when we bow low and acknowledge God's sovereign will, and surrender to His love, His mercy, His plan.

Danny kept me up all night. Thank you Dan.

Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Judged. HUH?

I was critical of the attention (every major network) that was poured out on the Michael Jackson Memorial Service. I received the much used warning "Judge not lest ye be judged!"

Matthew 7:1 "Judge not, that you be not judged" is a verse so often torn from context and used by folks to try and shame or humiliate believers for drawing a line between right and wrong behavior or good and bad morals. This sentiment actually attacks our Lords teaching to be discerning.

1 Corinthians 6:2-3 "2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!"

John 7:24 24 "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Philippians 1:9-10 "9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ..."

Proverbs 3:21 "My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight"

Jeremiah 22:3 "This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right.

We are called on daily and even hourly to make judgments about good and bad, right and wrong, healthy and destructive behavior. We would be lousy parents if we did not judge behavior by what God values and not teach our children to do the same.

Jesus taught us in Matthew 7 that we cannot know who will and who will not have eternal life in Him and he clearly taught us that none of us are without sin. I quickly admit that I am chief of sinners and apart from Christ I am deservedly lost and that God would be perfectly just in sending me to Hell for eternity. I fall on His mercy and trust that Christ took my sins upon himself and 'clothed' me in His own righteousness.

Now, as a believer and a father, I have a duty to be discerning; I have the right and authority, based on God's Word,and in order that I might honor God's Word, to judge wrong, bad and destructive behavior.

Seven of America's finest and bravest died in Afganistan the day before Michael Jackson's memorial service yet we had to endure wall to wall coverage of the adoration, glorification and worship of a self professed "Peter Pan" of low moral public character.

A grown man who shares his bed with young children, grabs his crotch for all the world to see, hates himself so much he would mutilate his body and face is NOT a good role model. That is a no brainer. I don't care how well he moon walked or if a hundred little girls sob that he was the greatest dad in the world, he practiced destructive behavior that must be discouraged in our young people. The glorification of this man/boy was way over the top.

The sad question is, in the culture of enabling that he lived in, among all those tearful mourners on stage and in the spotlights, was there not one discerning friend or family member who would say, "Michael, you can't live this way... you are going to kill yourself?"

Lord, give us good judgment and help us to honor You with discerning minds and loving hearts.

Is Chocolate a Sin? Part Four

The Devil
The third hindrance to repentance is the devil. I don’t believe I need to tell you of all the ways the devil tempts us. He is a liar, a deceiver, he wants us defeated, depressed and dead. I want to let you in on what has been a secret to most. It’s Satan’s most powerful and commonly used scheme and yet many of the churched fall easily into it. Entire ministries may be serving this scheme and that’s downright frightening.

This scheme was working perfectly on this rich young ruler. It was revealed in these words - “All these I have kept from my youth.” This was a good man, he was really trying hard to be good. Satan is evil, Satan is cruel and he’s a liar but many miss the most important attribute of Satan. He is an expert in goodness. If he can’t get you to fall morally then he will use moral goodness to set you on the wrong path.

It may very well be that Satan’s scheme for you is to be a good as you possibly can in the flesh. Do you commit adultery? No, that’s good, your a good person. Do you murder or steal? No, that’s great. Surely you will go to heaven. Do you lie? No! Do you honor your father and mother? Yes, very good, what more do you need to do. You’ve got the bases covered. You are winning!

You won’t hear this very often but Satan wants you to be good. In fact he wants you to think you are good enough to have eternal life apart from Christ. He wants you to think that because you prayed a prayer when you were younger that you are going to heaven. It doesn’t matter that you haven’t opened his Word since, or that you live for yourself - you prayed that prayer, that was your ticket.

Examine yourselves, do not measure your self against the world and do not trust in your flesh to be good. Certainly do not trust Satan when he tells you there is a way to heaven that goes around the cross. Measure yourselves against the Word.

What does the Word say? it is clear and don’t let anyone confuse you. Ephesians 2 -
2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

That is good news, that is THE good news.

So should we strive to do good. Yes, of course. But never work to do good thinking that you can improve your standing before God. We strive to do good because of what has already been done for us. If someone walked up to you and paid off all your financial debt do you think you might express some form of appreciation. “Thanks for paying off my 750,000 dollar debt, here are some brownies my wife made”. I don’t think that would be your response.

How would you express your appreciation to one who brought you from death to life - from eternal damnation to eternal blessing? It’s not complicated. Jesus said simply, ‘If you love me, obey my commandments’. Don’t tell your Lord and Savior that you love him and continue in your sin. That’s not love, that’s lip service.’

We obey out of love and appreciation for what God has done. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit lives inside us. If that is true than sin no longer has mastery over us and we should see a change in our attitude toward the world, the flesh and the devil and a longing to be like Christ.

Now you may say but I am human, I can’t be perfect. That’s right so listen carefully. The goal of the Christian life is not perfection, the goal of the Christian life is CHANGE! We are being transformed, the Christian walk is transformational. Are you being changed?

Examine yourself. Are you being changed? Change should be what characterizes you life. Yes, you will struggle with sin but will you change? Will you confess your sin, repent of your sin and turn to Jesus in faith? The assurance of your salvation is not that you prayed a prayer, go to church, read your bible or give your money to the poor. The assurance of your salvation is based on what is happening in your life right now. Are you changing? Are you becoming more like the image of Christ. Peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Are these attributes part of your character and are they changing and increasing as you grow older? Do you find yourself more and more dependant on God’s Word and not the world’s philosophy? If not, there’s something wrong. If you are not changing than go to Jesus and ask for mercy on you, a sinner.

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

All scriptures have been taken from the The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles