If you fear God's wrath and that limits your choices........does that limit your free will. Christians will say, free will is the 'ability to choose' not the choice itself. If your 'ability to choose' is affected in any way, then you have lost your free will. Your ability to choose between right and left is hindered, because of the consequences of either right or left.
Christians, do you have free will when it is really controlled by FEAR?
2007-05-05 15:54:08 · 19 answers · asked by drpsholder 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Science is correct. "The "fear" or respect/awe of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Taken in this in this context, our free will is not diminished.
No one should fear God because God is loving and merciful God.
Peace and every blessing!
2007-05-05 20:12:17 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fear of God does not mean you are scared of God. It means that you reverence God or have respect. So it doesnt' hinder free will because it still a choice if you believe or don't believe. Or do and not do what He ask you to. Be surprised how many fail to do God's will on a daily bases. So there must not be much fear in the since you are speaking of.
2007-05-05 23:10:08 · answer #2 · answered by turtle30c 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No it isn't! We still have the ability to choose but, with everything, we weigh the consequences before we choose. If I'm trying to decide whether or not to run across the street, part of that decision process involves the fear of being run over. So, I may choose to wait until there are no cars coming or I may choose to run really fast or I may choose not to cross at all. Among other factors considered, fear of harm was part of it. It is not different than "free will." Fear can be part of the choosing process.
2007-05-05 23:00:59 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is not controlled by fear and everyone has free will. To fear God you must believe in God first. And we all have that choice.
Also, why do you think that if the consequences favor a particular choice our free will is lost? I would rather die than denounce my God. I would rather go to hell than denounce my God. I would still have the choice, and having the choice is free will.
2007-05-06 22:29:38 · answer #4 · answered by Alien51 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You first need to really understand what the fear of God actually is, and just know its not the fear of being "afraid" of him, or "wrath" God is a God of love.
one of the scriptures that mentions fearing God is found in Deuteronomy:
“And now, O Israel, what is Jehovah your God asking of you but to fear Jehovah your God, so as to walk in all his ways and to love him and to serve Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul; 13Â to keep the commandments of Jehovah and his statutes that I am commanding you today, for your good?"
The fear of God is healthful; it is an awe and a profound reverence for the Creator and a wholesome dread of displeasing him. This fear of incurring his displeasure is a result of appreciation of his loving-kindness and goodness together with the realization that he is the Supreme Judge and the Almighty, who has the power to inflict punishment or death upon those who disobey him.
This fear means hating what is bad, this is confirmed at Proverbs 8:13,
The fear of Jehovah means the hating of bad. Self-exaltation and pride and the bad way and the perverse mouth I have hated.
Our free will, you can say could be limited by our fear of displeasing him by the choices we make in our lives. All of us decide for ourselves the decisions we make, but we make our decisions based on what we feel is the best way to live our lives based on the information in the Bible that God has given to us.
Just remember, fear isn't bad, Psalms 111:10 says:
The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom.
All those doing them have a good insight.
His praise is standing forever.
One more for you from Psalms 19:9
"The fear of Jehovah is pure, standing forever.
The judicial decisions of Jehovah are true; they have proved altogether righteous"
in your studies look up also Proverbs 6:17 & Revelation 14:6 & 7
2007-05-05 23:18:12 · answer #5 · answered by Ginger 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes, we still have free will. for starters, we have the free will to choose to follow God. Once we have made that decision we still have free will and we still do bad things regardless of the fear that we have toward God. So no, although we do take God into consideration when making choices we can still disobey Him and make the wrong choices (hence. .using the free will God gave us).
2007-05-05 23:01:35 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Ever hear that? The Law is revered by intelligent folks. Those who break it have reason to fear it. Those who live by it will prosper. I'm speaking metaphorically, not as a literal statement about man made laws.
2007-05-05 23:11:22 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
All decisions are influenced.
We are influenced by our upbringing.
Our genetics.
Peer situations.
The needs/wants of our body (hunger, thirst, etc.)
What we are capable of - for example a blind man can't choose to see. No one I know can choose to fly. No one I know can create something out of nothing (but God).
We are influenced by bad spirits.
We are influenced by good spirits.
We are influenced by our consciences.
Lots of folks make decisions based on the fear of death or pain or damaging relationships..
The list could go on. Only God is truly free, and even He is limited by His character. For example, God cannot lie. He could technically lie if He wanted to, but it is not in His character to do so. So even God's "free will" is internally limited by the nature of His character and His own desires.
Just be glad that God is willing to influence our decisions or else we'd be doing even worse!
2007-05-05 23:08:53 · answer #8 · answered by 4theGLORYoftheONEwhoSENTme 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Fear of displeasing him, much like any child wishes to please their parents.
Free will that limit's our choices?
I choose not to sleep with every man I meet and therefore I am free of death dealing STD's.
I choose to spend my money wisely, paying my bills on time to improve my credit score to buy the things may need at a later time instead of playing the lottery, gambling, attending bars and drinking my money away.
I choose to be free from the harmful effects of tobacco and illegal drug use.
So to answer your question: yes, choosing to fear God, and choosing the course of life he laid out for us threw his written word found in the bible, my life is richer for it and I am loving every minute of it too!
2007-05-05 23:09:14 · answer #9 · answered by Here I Am 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
As the apostle John says "Perfect love casts out all fear." Once you are born of God's spirit, there is no fear of God.......but peace between you and God, but enmity now with the world.
2007-05-05 23:01:38 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋