Upon creation, the creator God gave man, His most prized possession of all creation the ability to bear His image and likeness unlike any other celestial or terrestrial being. Genesis 1 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Free will, or freedom of choice is part of man’s spiritual and physical DNA to simply see if humanity would freely choose to obey and listen to Him as an expression of love. Genesis 2 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” This was a direct authoritative instruction of warning from God to Adam and Eve. It was solely for their best interests not to make the decision at all costs to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The concept of free will is a cornerstone of theological and philosophical discussions. But why did God give man free will? This freedom of our own self allows us to freely choose good or evil. Our decision making both reflects and demonstrates our heart and what is inside of it. Our free will is a voice, it speaks for itself on our behalf when we act upon our choices. God patiently waits and watches to see if we love Him or not based on our choices which ultimately will either honor or dishonor Him.
Robots and other material created things do not have free will as man does. At its core, free will is about the freedom to choose. Unlike animals and robots, humans are neither driven by instinct nor programming. This freedom and ability of man sets us far above and apart from animals and robots, which are led by their animal instincts and operations based on pre-written software.
Every decision we make reflects our inner self. When we choose, we do not just follow external commands or programming; we make a choice that speaks to what lies within our hearts. Jesus said in the gospel of
Matthew 12 v34 “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” From what is inside a man makes itself known in speech one way or the other as it reveals itself. It is a direct expression of our innermost thoughts and desires. Through our choices, we declare our values and priorities. God, in His infinite wisdom and sovereignty always sees through our intentions and decisions, as to whether or not we in fact genuinely love Him or not, and henceforth if we are committed to obeying His ways and purposes.
The gift of free will comes with great responsibility on our part. It is a test from God as it can either invoke life or death as with blessings, or curses as prescribed in Deuteronomy 28. V1If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. v2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God. v15 However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you. God gave us the capacity to choose so that our love is on display and without deception. Love that is forced is not love at all. Thus, free will is the means by which we can genuinely show our devotion and love to God. It is up to you and I to choose obedience and faith, despite the temptations and trials that will be presented to us.
With the ability to choose also comes the inevitability of consequences. Our choices have magnificent, eternal lasting effects, not just on our physical lives here on the earth but also for eternity. For example, certain decisions such as worshipping false gods will actually invoke generational curses on our bloodline effecting our children and their children to be. Making the right morally and ethically choices centered on the Word of God will always lead to blessings and spiritual growth, while self-centered non-God-fearing choices displayed in disobedience can lead to not only hardship but will also invoke generational curses. However, it is important to remember that God's grace is always available to us through genuine repentance and renouncing. Wise godly choices will only position ourselves for God’s favor, blessing, prosperity, and fruitfulness.
Why did God give man free will? So that we can love Him freely, grow in truth in the knowledge of Him, and choose His path of righteousness through salvation, which is good rather than evil. As we live on this side of Heaven let your choices reflect a heart that seeks after God in total surrender, devotion, and love to Him. Continue to grow in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ so that “not my will, but thine, be done.” Luke 22:42 On earth as it is in Heaven.
Shalom!
