Where in the Bible is the doctrine of "Free Will" mentioned?

Question

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Someone said in another question that God cannot answer a prayer because human free will may not allow him to do so. (For example, God cannot heal someone if a doctor, using his free will, administers the wrong kind of medicine.)

I've never heard this theory before. So where does it say that God's power is limited when people make stupid choices?

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Answer 1

This was one of the most heated debates in Christianity, especially around the Reformation. The problem is reconciling God's power and all-knowingness (omnipotence and omniscience) with the idea that humans can actually make their own decisions.

Here are the extremes:
Extreme predestination (see John Calvin)-- God determines everything. Nothing can occur without God's express will; humans have no choice. People are predetermined by God to either go to Heaven or Hell, and there is nothing that they can do about it.

Extreme free will (very few people ever held these beliefs, but this is what proponents of predestination feared): God is essentially impotent. Humans can choose whether to be good or evil, and can earn their way into heaven.

Your example comes from a relatively strong doctrine of free will, and is more from a standpoint of philosophy than religion. If humans truly have free will, then God cannot interfere with that decision -- otherwise, the decisions are not actually free.

Answer 2

Human free will is intimated in several areas:
in the urging of humans to turn to God (Prov 1:23; Isa 31:6; Ezek 14:6; Matt 18:13; Acts 3:19).
in the urging of humans to repent (I Kings 8:47; Matt 2:3; Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3,5; Acts 2:38).
in the urging of humans to believe (II Chr 20:20; Isa 43:10; John 6:29; 14:1; Acts 16:31).
in the urging of humans to obey (Acts 5:32; II Thess 1:8; Heb 5:9).
If you read these passages, you will note that in none of them are humans forced to do anything, therefore mankind has free will.

Nowhere does it say that God's power is limited. The Bible states instead that God's power is limitless. He does as He chooses, when He chooses, and how He chooses. The fact is that it is NOT that God -cannot- intervene when man makes a bad choice, it is that He -will not- intervene, unless such intervention is part of His overall plan.

Answer 3

Well, God gives us choices...In everything we do. We can choose to do something the way God wants & tell us to or we can think that we know more than God, and do it our own way...The problem is that is idolatry: Many people think that idolatry just means worshiping statues and beads & such but in reality it means wanting something more than wanting to please God. An example would be like if you really wanted a job, so you lie on the application to get the job. You sinned because you didn't trust God. If God wanted you to have that job he would make it happen, if you didn't get the job, God must have another plan for you.

The consequences are not always immediate...God is not a genie and prayers are not wishes. It is a chance to ask God what He wants for you in your life...I don't really understand the example above, Gods power is never limited, but he is a discerning God who may or may not allow things to happen, the way you want or not.

Just like the word trinity which is not in the Bible, free will is made reference to by the choices we are given, God doesn't want to force us to love him, just like you can't force your spouse to love you...But there are consequences for choosing poorly.

Answer 4

The Deuteronomy and Joshua "choice" verses are simply an illustration of how man does not know what God knows. They are not proof of man's ability to approve or disapprove of His action in men's hearts. I do not believe that man has the capability to look to God for salvation. Also, Calvinism is not a double predestination of fatalism and sending man to heaven or hell despite an ability to choose God.

Rather, the fall of Adam has brought the entire human race into a state of condemnation before the Lord, and God would be fully justified in not saving anyone. Yet, for reasons not known to us, he has chosen whom he will save from before the foundations of the world. We do not have the capability to accept Him, NOTHING we can do will ever merit a trip to heaven on our own.

We should keep in mind that free will does not have anything to do with making day-to-day decisions -- we do make them, and in that sense, Calvinism does maintain that free will exists. However, if none of those decisions involves a capability of seeking God, then what are any of those decisions worth?

I hope that sheds some light on your thinking and the comments made thus far.

Answer 5

God doesn't intervene unless he has a reason in his plan; God gave the choice to choose right from wrong to decide where you want to be ; it isn't difficult; you can choose his path and he hopes that you will but if you don't want to return his love, there is nothing that he can do but wait for you; he wants you freely , could he make you do something yes; can he offer protection , yes, but you first have to earn it; the people who follow his laws and walk in his grace make themselves more available to his intervention and answering of your prayers in his time not ours; he stills allows you back in even if you never acknowledged him etc but it is a choice; God's power is never limited, it is beyond our imagination and expectation. The choice is yours good or bad. The power is limited only by how you spend the gift of freedom of choice

Answer 6

Being given selections implies unfastened will. God says to % who you will serve. this ability unfastened will. The term "unfastened will" the form you're concerning it does no longer look interior the Bible, yet Christians are smart sufficient to comprehend complicated innovations like examining between the lines. The term freewill selections is contemporary interior the Bible, concerning selections that are made to the Lord freely, for no different reason than love of the Lord. (e.g. each and all the Israelite men and females human beings who have been keen introduced to the LORD freewill selections for each and all the artwork the LORD with the aid of Moses had commanded them to do. Exodus 35:28-30) God delivers salvation and existence everlasting, he does no longer rigidity anybody to settle for it. that is their own determination. the alternative isn't particularly intense-high quality, even though it remains own determination. verify of this: The wicked won't flow unpunished, yet people who're righteous will flow unfastened. Proverbs 11:20-22 the guy with out the Spirit does no longer settle for the flaws that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he won't be able to comprehend them, because of the fact they are spiritually discerned. a million Corinthians 2:13-15

Answer 7

Free will is taught throughout the Bible and is choosing the truth or following a lie has nothing to do with God's ability to intervene in a situation. Free will first shown in Genesis where Adam and Eve disobeyed God. It is revealed anywhere a man chooses not to obey God. It has nothing to do with the fact that God can intervene in ones life and answer prayer according to his own will.
God has intervened in the world through paying the penalty of death for us..Without God's intervention we all perish in our sin.

Answer 8

There is no such thing as "free will"...it's called agency. No choice we make is ever "free" - every choice has a consequence whether goor or bad...
Agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and to act for ourselves. Agency is essential in the plan of salvation. Without it, we would not be able to learn or progress or follow the Savior. With it, we are "free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil" (2 Nephi 2:27).

Answer 9

It arising in the Garden of Eden. After God created Adam and Even He placed before them all sorts of good stuff to eat, etc., He then set forth fruit of which He commanded them not to eat, but told them, nonetheless you can choose (he then proceeded to tell them the consequences of that choice). There is no free will without a law, because there must be an opposition in order to have choice. God provided an opposition in that He allowed for Satan to tempt Adam and Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit. Because of this it is clear God chose to provide mankind with free will, subject of course to the consequences. It is not that God can't heal a person, but He often allows for men to make choices and act according to their desires, hoping of course they are in line with His. There are times when He does heal (you may not buy it, but I have been healed before). He expects us to work out our own salvation, but will assist us if needed (and answers prayers to help). Hope that answered your question.

Answer 10

Free Will when understood completely means that God has to limit himself. I don't think he limits his power but he limits his foreknowledge. The whole prayer thing, well I think thats when God says no. If the doc gives the wrong meds.