If you’re like me, you’ve begged God to take away your free will.
Eternal life through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest gift there will ever be. But free will is a great gift which set the stage for God’s redemptive strategy.
Worship and adoration from trillions of souls would be meaningless unless those souls chose to love him. While God did not create evil, by allowing free will he introduced a potential for evil. This potential was a necessary byproduct in the creation of true, voluntary love.
To some degree, angels have a choice whether to love God. But unlike angels, man is not immediately or eternally cast out of God’s presence when he chooses to disobey. Therein lies the value of our earthly free will.
A man can choose to live a long life for himself and only on his deathbed reconcile with God. Not fair? Exactly — but not because this man waited until the end; It’s unfair because he sinned. No sinner deserves to go to heaven. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Likewise, James 2:10 says, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” Living as a Christian from age eight to eighty won’t make up for even one sin. That’s why God had to offer salvation as a gift we can choose to accept.
How should one respond to this gift of salvation? Give thanks through voluntary works! Works can neither earn nor repay salvation but are an appropriate response to salvation.
God could tell each one of us specifically what he would like us to do; occasionally he will. But most often God calls us to seek him, understand his will, and then exercise our free will by choosing to express our love.
Husbands, do you buy flowers for your wife only when she asks for them? No! That would nearly destroy the purpose of the gift. Why then do we wait for God to tell us specifically what he wants? This indicates that we either have not taken the time to know God or we’re not willing to make the sacrifice. We behave as though God’s purpose is to bless us rather than the other way around.
If you really know God’s character, you also know how to express your love to him. Scripture is full of guidelines on how to please God. He may not individually tell us to give everything to the poor, to preach to the ends of the earth, to pray all night, to fast, to serve our community, and to step out of our comfort zone in faith. But do you think you’re going to upset him by doing these things without waiting for a sign? Salvation is your sign!
Don’t reject God’s gift by waiting for him to tell you specifically what to do. Show him how much you love him. An entire culture around us is waiting to see the Christian walk match the Christian talk.
Email This Post