an earful on God’s justice –
We have all heard this before: “God would not force His love on anyone. He wants us to choose Him and if we do not, His love allows us to make that choice.” Therefore, the thought is that God loves us and wants us to choose Him, but gave us a free-will to reject His love.
I recently received comments explaining to me that God expresses His love by giving the human being a free will choice. In fact, Christians use analogies like “if you liked a girl would you give her a potion to force her to marry you or would you love her enough to allow her the freedom to choose?”
Another analogy talked about kidnapping someone and forcing them to do something against their will. These comments play into the ‘we are not puppets and we are not robots’ arguments. As if God cannot be the Potter and we the clay. As if God cannot work His will in our lives without making us puppets or robots, or without giving us a potion or kidnapping us.
Would you give relationship advice to a man based on how lions act? Lions kill other males and force themselves on the females. Would you give a woman relationship advice based on how a praying mantis acts? Praying Mantis sometimes eat their mate.
Of course not! Why? Because lions and Praying Mantis have nothing to do with humans in regard to courtship relationships. So infinitely more than this, human to human relationships have nothing to do with God to human relationships. Why then, do we continue to humanize God in these analogies? If a human did not give another human a free will choice, then that human would be controlling and not loving. Therefore, if God didn’t give the human a free-will choice, then God would be controlling and not loving. Here is the fatal flaw in this reasoning:
GOD IS NOT A HUMAN BEING AND HIS RELATIONSHIP TO HIS CREATURES IS DIFFERENT THAN THE CREATURE TO CREATURE RELATIONSHIP. God is in the unique position of being God. For instance, scripture says that we live, move, and are (exist) in God (Acts 17:28). Also, God gives to all life, breath, and all (Acts 17:25). No person has this relationship with another person. No one, whether it be our children, spouse, parents, friends, or anyone else lives, moves, and exists in us or another person.
The point I am trying to make is that God giving us a free-will is not the same thing as a human being giving another human being the freedom to choose. Why? Because God formed the inmost being of every human and created the circumstances of each individual life. This inmost being and all circumstances created and molded by God cause the human to make choices that God has planned from the beginning. So, God cannot give humans a free-will and if we say He did, then we are saying this free-will is given to make choices that God has already determined.
Here is some scripture that proves this:
11 For, not as yet being born, nor putting into practice anything good or bad, that the purpose of God may be remaining as a choice, not out of acts, but of Him Who is calling… -Romans 9:11
The above verse references Jacob and Esau but is a template in how God operates with all humanity as He is not a respecter of persons. In Romans 9:11, Paul says that before we are born (not as yet being born) and BEFORE we did anything good or bad (nor putting into practice anything good or bad), God determined what we would do (the purpose of God may be remaining as a choice, not out of acts, but of Him Who is calling).
So, this verse says that God determined the choices that Jacob and Esau would make before they were born and before they did anything good or bad. God did not go into the future to see what Jacob and Esau would do because that would still depend on Jacob and Esau putting into practice anything good or bad. God clearly says that its not based on the siblings actions or choices but completely determined by God.
As a result, those that believe in human free-will would have to conclude that God gives a human the free will to make a choice that God already determined he would or wouldn’t make. That is why the gift of free-will, if it were real, is not love. In fact, this proves that human free-will does not exist. It may be loving for me to allow my girlfriend to choose me or not, however, God determines our choices beforehand so every decision we make is a result of Him. So, free-will is not love when the choices are already determined.
Still not convinced? How about 2 Timothy 1:9…
9 Who saves us and calls us with a holy calling, not in accord with our acts, but in accord with His own purpose and the grace which is given to us in Christ Jesus before times eonian… -2 Timothy 1:9
God would not force us to love Him says the Christian. God loves us so much that He allows us to choose or reject Him? Really?
Now, there is no doubt that scripture implores us to choose Christ and to choose God. However, let’s not mistake the relative call to action with the fact that these choices are determined by God.
2 Timothy 1:9 says the believers have this grace in Christ before time began. This is in accord with God’s purpose and grace He has given, not in accord with our acts. We know that grace is received through faith and therefore, faith was given before we were born. So, how could one make a free-will choice when it was determined by God that they would believe before they were even born?
3 For I am saying, through the grace which is given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to be overweening, beyond what your disposition must be, but to be of a sane disposition, as God parts to each the measure of faith. –Romans 12:3
It’s not that people don’t make a choice for God. It’s that God determined that choice before they were born. God determines our inmost being, our circumstances, and molds us into making decisions that He has planned from the very beginning.
Once again, free-will is not a thing nor would it be love if God has already determined our choices. Love is actually God sending His Son to save and justify all creation. This notion that God giving us a free-will is love is nonsense once we understand that God is God and everything He plans for us will end in the greatest possible good for us and His glory.
If God has chosen you to be a believer then in your life, He will work everything out so that you come to belief. If God has not chosen you to believe, then He will work things out so that you don’t believe. Then, the unbeliever will face God’s judgement or correction to learn about themselves and eventually come to the cross and know God and Christ in a greater way than they ever could have if they believed. All is of God and all are saved, eventually, by Christ.
Grace and peace.
Saved ignoble 
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