It has often been asserted that if man was given a free will, a free choice if you will, that somehow that would detract and interfere with the sovereignty of Almighty God. Well the Scriptures are absolutely clear that nothing can abrogate the glorious and eternality of the sovereignty of God, so if God Himself chose to allow man a free choice concerning Himself it in no way defiles or tarnishes the pristine and august sovereignty of God Himself. In my view it glorifies the amazing sovereignty of the only God of all creation.Did the Father allow Lucifer and his angels a free choice and was God's sovereignty compromised? Did God allow Adam a choice and was God's sovereignty compromised?
The scriptures are replete with "choose you" commands to man. The New Testament exhorts us to "examine yourselves to see whether you be in the faith". How can a lost person discern that he is not in the faith unless by God's Spirit he can see the distinction and thereby can obey or reject the "whosoever will" offer of the gospel. Jesus Himself observed that He so often wanted to gather Jerusalem like a hen gathers her chicks, but "you would not". And in II Thess. chapter two God says he will "send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie that they might be damned", referring to those who rejected the truth. Now why would God have to send strong delusion if those people could never choose Him in the first place?
Now it is true that without the power of the Holy Spirit no one could ever comprehend the gospel truth and subsequently become a believing follower of the Lord Jesus. But the universality of the offer (the whole world) makes it clear that God's plan was to "whosoever will", not only who God wills, because as we know He is not willing that any should perish. And in a mysterious act of faith, granted and empowered by the Father, I chose to follow Jesus. I say that with abject humility and gratefulness, since I did not exercise the power of choice that I earned, no and God forbid, I exercised the free choice I was given by the Father Himself. And with that God given choice I glorify the sovereign and august God of all creation. I was not a Spiritual slave on the end of a tractor beam, no, I was granted a choice and I glorified my Savior Jesus, I chose Him because He chose me.
Now since the free will men have watered down the gospel in these days I find much brotherhood with the various segments of the reformed camp, but I retain my "free will" credentials and I rarely get into an argument about any of it. It is a marvelous mystery which will one day be revealed to all of heaven. But in this article I want to let the entire universe know that I, by the power of the Spirit, chose my Lord and Savior Jesus. And since that first day in March of 1975 I have chosen Him thousands of times in a continuing confirmation of that first born again day. I haven't always been faithful, but He has. I haven't always loved Him with all my heart, but He has always loved me with His. He hasn't always been pleased with me, but I have always been pleased with Him.
And so, Jesus, I glorify You with the free choice You gave me. I chose you, I believed on You, I chose to become a follower of You and then You birthed me into Yourself by Your power. I had no power but that which You gave me, the power to place my faith on You. And as I received You, You gave me the power to become a son of the living God (John). There is no other name but Yours where I find salvation (Acts). Your name is exalted above all names forever (Phillipians). Only You, Jesus, are the express image of the Godhead (Hebrews). So here by faith I stand (Romans). There is no one else so to Whom shall I go (Matthew)? Who have I in heaven but You (Psalms)? You are my Alpha and Omega (Revelation).
I do not consider my free choice as a work, oh no, it is a glorious mystery through which I was given an avenue to eternally glorify You. Lord, you could have created a race without a free will and You would not have had to suffer the humility and indignity of the cross to redeem a rebellious creation. You didn't even have to create anything, but for a reason far beyond my poor ability to understand, Your love is so intense and eternal You made me. I have let You down an innumerable amount of times, and in my most obedient and worshipful moments I still fall short, but by Your grace I still choose You. And You still choose me.
I count myself as nothing and all I have as dung, and You as the only pearl of great price I have ever found. I am nothing but an earthen vessel filled with You, the only treasure. I can never completely verbalize my love for You, my words seem so unworthy of the love You really deserve. And so I take the precious gift that You gave me, the gift I gave back to You 31 years ago, and I again kneel before Your Holiness, prostrate myself at Your feet, and I worship You again with that which gave me life eternal.
I choose You, Jesus. Forever.
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1 comment:
But where in scripture are we taught that our will is indeed free? I see verses that say we are in bondage to sin (Rom 6) and the flesh profits nothing (John 8) and how it is impossible to please God without faith, and how the carnal man in the flesh does not keep God's law and in fact can not keep it, which is a question of ability (Rom 8). And then in John 1:13 it says that we were "Born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." How do you reconcile these verses with man's totally free and independent choice to freely choose or reject the Gospel, the ultimate good! And what about Romans 3 that says there are none who seek after God? Help me out on this because I am struggling with the doctrines of grace, especially Total Depravity and Unconditional Election! Thanks for the post too.
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