Something I'm Thinking Through

I heard someone say somewhere this past week that God will NOT interfere with our free will. I’m not going into a deep or comprehensive discussion of free will here – that’s a topic that has been debated for centuries, but, after reading through the Old and New Testament of the Bible, I do not see how we can biblically say that God NEVER interferes with man's free will. For just one example, He opened Paul’s eyes spiritually on the road to Damascus while blinding them physically. If he had left Paul (Saul) to his own free will he would have continued on in the same murderous path sincerely, but wrongly, thinking he was serving God. (Acts 9)

Romans 3:10-18 demonstrates what my free will chooses apart from God.
“As it is written:
‘There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.’
‘Their throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit’;
The poison of asps is under their lips’;
‘Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.’
‘Their feet are swift to shed blood;
Destruction and misery are in their ways;
And the way of peace they have not known.’
‘There is no fear of God before their eyes.’”

The very fact that I am saved is proof that He does, in fact, do that very thing - interfere with my free will. The natural man cannot understand or receive the things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:14) It does not say he will not, it says he cannot. The natural man, left only to his own free will, cannot receive the things of God or even know them. God had to regenerate my heart for me to even understand my need for a savior. Only by His grace can I exercize faith in Christ, and thereby was my will freed from the bondage of sin and freed to live for God’s glory. In my natural sin nature, I would not choose God’s glory. My sin nature is a prideful, selfish thing bent only to rebel against God and to try to approach Him through my own way and my own efforts rather than surrendering to Him in faith and humility, recognizing that I cannot live up to His righteous standard – my righteousness is as filthy rags. Even my best effort to please Him falls far, far short of His standard of holiness. It is only Christ’s righteousness imputed to me through His blood shed on the cross that has cleansed me and reconciled me to God. Apart from God’s intervention, I would never know Him. Apart from God’s intervention, I would not even want to know Him – at least not in truth as He has revealed Himself in His word.

Anytime God protects me from my own stupid judgments or mistakes He is interfering in some way with my free will. Anytime He calls to my remembrance His word and pricks my heart with conviction, He is interfering with my will, for He is turning my thoughts and heart back to His way. Anytime He chooses to allow me to suffer the consequences of my actions, He’s still interfering with my will, because the Bible says that all things work together for good for those who love God and are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28-30) He is in control. I am not.

I don’t pretend to understand how God’s sovereignty works with the choices I make throughout life and with what the Bible teaches is my responsibility to obey Him and believe the Gospel, but I do know that He is sovereign over all. The only way I could even try to say that I have true free will is from my own limited perspective when I make decisions. Because I don’t see God’s plan, I have to make choices based on what I do know, but God is still in control ultimately. So, from my limited perspective, I am making decisions using the mind, will, emotions, understanding and other resources God has given me like scripture, prayer and godly counsel, but He still works everything for my good and His glory. I don’t pretend to have all that figured out, because God’s ways are higher than mine and His thoughts are not my thoughts. But I definitely trust that God is in control – sovereign over all, and is not boxed up and bound to my pitiful will.

God will not share His glory with another. He is not subject to my whims – to follow through the notion that God will NOT ever interfere with man’s free will is to ultimately lead to open theism. Not a slippery slope I want to slide on.

Praise Him, oh praise Him that He has not left me only to my will. Left to just my will, I would never have chosen to follow Him. It is because He awakened my spiritually dead heart and opened my spiritually blind eyes that I was able to see the depth of my sin and total need for a Savior. It is the Holy Spirit in me through faith in Jesus Christ that produces the fruit of the Spirit and allows me to understand God’s word and grants me a love and passion for His word. I do want to persevere and obey and use the knowledge and understanding He has granted. I do want to seek His kingdom first and for my love for Christ to be such that all other affections pale in comparison. I do want to be found faithful. But I could never have had those desires had I not been born again by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in my heart. I say again, praise my glorious savior that I am not left with Him never interfering with my will.

Let me have a teachable heart, Lord. Teach me, I pray. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and change my heart so that I will hunger and thirst for righteousness and hunger and thirst for more of Your word. Work in me so that I will obey and do what You call me to do.