If you know to do the right thing, then why do you still not do it?
You must have a choice. You are aware of good and evil and sometimes you choose evil.
DOCTRINE #36: FREE WILL
Free will is the ability to act apart from one's nature. Free will is the ability to choose good or evil. Once beings are judged, they lose their free will. Every being has choice. Beings that are judged still have choice within their nature, however, they don't have the ability to choose something apart from their nature.
Question: Do you believe you have control over the choices you make?
Next Doctrine: Doctrine #37
Table of Contents
If you need it, here is the support from the Word of God...
SCRIPTURE
"11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off.
12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?
13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?
14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
16 in that I command thee this day to love Jehovah thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, that thou mayest live and multiply, and that Jehovah thy God may bless thee in the land whither thou goest in to possess it.
17 But if thy heart turn away, and thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish; ye shall not prolong your days in the land, whither thou passest over the Jordan to go in to possess it.
19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed;
20 to love Jehovah thy God, to obey his voice, and to cleave unto him; for he is thy life, and the length of thy days; that thou mayest dwell in the land which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them." (Deuteronomy 30:11-20)
(You can do this, so it is your choice between: good, bad, life, death, blessing, and being cursed. "Witness against" meant you could have done differently, but you chose not to. There are no Jewish Calvinists. They knew they had a choice and it would be their fault, not God's. We as people are constantly trying to avoid responsibility, avoid justice being taken out on us, because of our poor actions and decisions. To say that God chose some and didn't chose others is a way of justifying yourself! Think about it, if you were to say God chose you regardless of your free will, then there is nothing that you can do to be un-chosen. Or, you never were chosen, and there is nothing that you can do for God to choose you. It is actually a comparative and comfort driven mentality! This is man's way of thinking.)
"4 And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which Jehovah commanded, saying,
5 Take ye from among you an offering unto Jehovah; whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, Jehovah's offering: gold, and silver, and brass,
6 and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,
7 and rams' skins dyed red, and sealskins, and acacia wood,
8 and oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense,
9 and onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate." (Exodus 35:4-9)
(The willing heart determined if you would do good, because if you recognized that God had created these things (gold, silver, brass, etc.) for your benefit, then it would be just for you to desire to respond with giving. "Whosoever" meant everyone has a choice. Whosoever was used over 150 times in the Bible. This was known as a "free will" offering, a choice to do good. This was a choice to create, instead of a sacrifice that got you back to zero. This offering is like principle, because there was no specific HOW given. Here's another example...)
"14 but without thy mind I would do nothing; that thy goodness should not be as of necessity, but of free will." (Philemon 1:14)
(Paul stated that the choice to do good ought to be an effect of free will. Without our minds we are simply an animal, but we choose with our minds if we desire to create. This is God's Thinking.)
"17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let him come: he that will, let him take the water of life freely." (Revelation 22:17)
(At the end, it is ultimately up to "he that will": he that chooses. He chooses the Spirit, to be a part of the Bride, to hear, to speak, to drink the water of life, and all of these things are done freely. God did not force a person to do this.)
"14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up;
15 that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:14-16)
(This is the most famous passage of scripture ever. There were two whosoever's! Belief was mentioned in both instances. What we believe is in our control, no one can make you believe what you believe, the responsibility is ours. So, we always ought to keep an eye out for those who will mislead as the mystics and gnostics do.)
"1 Wherefore thou art without excuse, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judges another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest dost practise the same things." (Romans 2:1)
(Notice, it was wrong and unjust to judge someone if they didn't have a choice. Paul stated it was a choice to stay within your nature and judge others hypocritically, which was evil.)
"11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask anything in my name, that will I do.
15 If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments." (John 14:11-15)
(Jesus encouraged us to choose to believe. If we can't make this choice, then Jesus was wrong and unjust. The rest of the passage was choice: ask, love. In fact, Jesus said He would follow our will like He wouldn't have a choice. Jesus spoke of what He would do after His death, after He was judged. Jesus doesn't have a free will today. He can only do what is Right and Just. We will see this in the next Doctrine. For now, let's look again at God the Father...)
"1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness,
2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before times eternal;
3 but in his own seasons manifested his word in the message, wherewith I was intrusted according to the commandment of God our Saviour;
4 to Titus, my true child after a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour." (Titus 1:1-4)
(In Doctrine # 18: Omnipotent, we learned that God cannot lie, because He doesn't have the causes to lie. If God could lie (lying is unpure) then He would cease to be Holy. If He wasn't Holy then He wouldn't be God. If God could act apart from His nature He wouldn't be God. God judges by His Nature which is Right and Just. He will not be judged because He is the JUDGE.)
"17 Wherein God, being minded to show more abundantly unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath;
18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us:" (Hebrews 6:17-18)
(God cannot act apart from His Holy Nature. God cannot choose to be wrong and unjust. It is IMPOSSIBLE for Him to lie. God does not have the ability to lie. God does not choose to NOT lie.)
"5 And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5)
(There is no one who is able to judge God. God judges all and the only way that would be Holy is if God's Nature couldn't change. The execution of justice requires measurements to be consistent from one to another, and the only one who can execute justice is the one who is always and completely Just.)
"28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, there met him two possessed with demons, coming forth out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man could pass by that way.
29 And behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
30 Now there was afar off from them a herd of many swine feeding.
31 And the demons besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine.
32 And he said unto them, Go. And they came out, and went into the swine: and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep into the sea, and perished in the waters." (Matthew 8:28-32)
(The demons have been judged. Their evil nature causes them to inhabit people in order to be destructive. These demons believed in Jesus, however, they couldn't leave the person even though they wanted to; they couldn't choose to do the right thing and leave. These demons couldn't create so they had to ask Jesus to tell them to do it. This was a perfect example of animal thinking; they were only focused on the WHAT for their survival.)
"7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I go, I will send him unto you.
8 And he, when he is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold me no more;
11 of judgment, because the prince of this world hath been judged." (John 16:7-11)
(The prince of this world is Satan. Jesus said he has been judged.)
"13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which were done in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment, than for you.
15 And thou, Capernaum, shalt thou be exalted unto heaven? thou shalt be brought down unto Hades.
16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that rejecteth you rejecteth me; and he that rejecteth me rejecteth him that sent me.
17 And the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject unto us in thy name.
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from heaven." (Luke 10:13-18)
(Jesus pointed out that these people would be judged worse than other cities because they had more information and CHOSE not to believe. It would be unjust and wrong of Jesus to state these people would have greater judgment if they weren't able to choose. Then, the disciples said the demons were subject to them. We know this was because they've been judged (demons operate based upon animal thinking). Jesus's response was that it shouldn't surprise them because Jesus SAW Satan get judged and this was simply a fact. So, God and Satan are unable to act apart from their nature. Let's look at a previous passage more closely...)
"1 Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah.
2 And Jehovah said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
3 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil: and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
4 And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
5 But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face.
6 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life." (Job 2:1-6)
(God was contrastive and allowed Satan to take all Job's possessions. It didn't result in God being wrong. However, notice God stated that Satan moved God against Job to destroy Job without just cause. This was a hard verse. Many people try to ignore this verse or rationalize it away. If you understand that God could only be Right and Just by considering He was wrong (humble, contrastive), then He had to allow Satan to take from Job without just cause. God would eventually equal out justice.)
"1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Set thy house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.
2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto Jehovah, saying,
3 Remember now, O Jehovah, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
4 And it came to pass, before Isaiah was gone out into the middle part of the city, that the word of Jehovah came to him, saying,
5 Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the prince of my people, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee; on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of Jehovah.
6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake." (2 Kings 20:1-6)
(God said this illness of Hezekiah's would end in death. Hezekiah chose to pray. God added fifteen years to Hezekiah's life even though this would result in Manasseh being born and Israel rejecting God. This was not predestinated, otherwise, God LIED about the illness resulting in death. Also if this was predestinated then it would have been God who caused His own people to rejected Him by the birth of Manasseh: it would be God's fault. The only explanation is that humans have the ability to chose to be good or evil. God can only be Right and Just. Hezekiah told God to remember how he had walked in truth with a perfect heart, and God responded Justly. Hezekiah had free will, and ultimately it was his responsibility for his actions and decisions.)
"1 Dare any of you, having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?
2 Or know ye not that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world is judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more, things that pertain to this life?" (1 Corinthians 6:1-3)
(The angels still have free will. They have not been judged yet. The saints will judge the angels.)
Free will is the ability to act apart from your nature. God is always and completely Right and Just, and cannot act apart from His nature. So, how can Jesus be fully man and fully God, especially considering man has free will and God doesn't?
