Sola

Is man a morally responsible agent with the ability to choose or predestined by eternal omniscience with only an appearance of free-will? This is obviously biting off more than I can chew but I think a few comments might not be too dangerous.

Since God is omniscient and omnipotent and desires all men to come to repentance how can we reconcile the fact that not all men will come to repentance? One point of view says that since God’s will cannot be thwarted it must be God’s will that only the elect will come to repentance. This slights the explicit statements of Jesus that God is not willing that any should be lost. On the other hand the view, that because God is not willing that any be lost God will eventually save everyone, denigrates the many statements in the NT that show that many people will not come to repentance but be eternally lost. Additionally, both views could lead to a sense that evangelism is not required or necessary which is directly opposed to Christ’s command to make disciples everywhere teaching them to obey everything He commanded us.

If then, a pure predestination view is unsatisfactory what part does the free-will of men play? First, let us understand that no act of human will can remove sin. In fact, we are assured that our will cannot turn toward God at all without the prevenient work of the HS. Our will did not figure in creation. There is in fact only one place where the will of man becomes visible, disobedience. What does it mean that man disobeyed God? Is it really about an apple? Isn’t the apple and all the following misery really about disbelief? God said, “don’t”, but man said, “I don’t believe you.” This is the essence of the problem thus the answer to the problem is belief.

All the things that we mess up by saying no to God, God went to extraordinary lengths to set right. Jesus became the propitiation to God becoming not only our priest but the very gift upon the altar. He provided every necessary thing to bridge the gap between us and Him, even the power to cross the gap. He redeemed us out a slavery we had sold ourselves into. The Father justified us declaring us righteous via the imputation of Christ’s righteousness. The only act of will we contribute is the smallest nod of assent. Which tiny act is itself only possible by the power of the HS, an act so small it’s as if God filled in the Grand Canyon and I added a teaspoonful of dirt on the top and thus claimed that I had a part in God’s work. And I surely did, for otherwise I had no part. This indication of belief suffices to bring the mighty works of God to bear on the believer’s life.

An objection to this is that it is unconscionable that human will should thwart Divine will. Does it impugn the omnipotence of God if human wills can resist His will? No, just as it takes nothing away from a strong man to be gentle with a baby, God’s forbearance and gentleness with men does not lessen or contradict His power. It is not and never could be that any one has the ability to resist God but he condescends to allow our will, infinitely miniscule by comparison to His, to impact our eternal destiny. As C.H. Spurgeon said, “Since expiation is made, God is able to forgive without shaking the foundation of His throne.”