Where is it written in the Bible that God granted the power of free will to man?

Answer 1

I think this is plainly inferred when God said He made man after His image and likeness.
When God gave commandment not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the commandment would be an absurd statement if there were no power of choice granted.

Answer 2

Quoting:
"- Passages that prove man has a free will and God expects man to
choose to do right
- Deut 30:15-18; Josh 24:15; Jn 15:6-7; 3:16
- Man can "resist the Holy Spirit": Acts 6:10; 7:51-55
- 2. Without free will, many of Bible statements make no sense:
> "Why do you call me Lord & don't do what I say" Lk 6:46 Why? God
willed it that way!
> "Whosoever believes shall be saved" Jn 3:16 (Rather whosoever God
makes a believer)
> "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Re 22:17
> "And whosoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city,
shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them."
Lk 9:5 (Testimony against God you mean)
> "Come to me you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest" Mt 11:28

Answer 3

It is not written at all in the Bible that God granted any power of free will to man. However, for those that believe in free will, they will "color" things to their own liking and interpret scripture accordingly.

Answer 4

Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
If “free will” can mean that God gives humans the opportunity to make choices that genuinely affect their destiny, then I would conclude that we do have a free will. The world’s sin status is directly associated with choices made by Adam and Eve. All accounts of the fall of mankind indicate it was as the result of a wrong choice. From that point on individuals have had the opportunity to choose to follow God and to experience the consequences for not making that choice.

Answer 5

God gave free will to man from the beginning in the garden of eden,it was like that from the beginning of creation,you want scripture go to Joshua 24:15 which states And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord,choose you this day whom ye will serve whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood ,or the gods of the ammorites in whos land youye dwell : but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.

Answer 6

Man had free will and the ability to not sin in the beginning before the Fall. He chose to sin. He exercised his free will to do that by directly disobeying God. From then on, man has had limited free will.
Now man has limited free will. You do not have the ability to never sin. If you had total control over your will you would not have to continually regret doing or saying things, after the fact. You would never self-criticize your own actions.

Answer 7

Genesis-Humans had the free will to choose to not eat from the Tree of Life.
In 2 Cor. 3:17, St. Paul exhorts, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is freedom." Yes, in the Spirit of the Lord is liberty. The Bible gives immense evidence and numerous affirmations regarding free will. Scripture gives evidence that grace is active in and through man's cooperation with it. Let us never forget that grace is an absolute necessity for salvation. Scripture gives evidence of Man's absolute impossibility for self redemption, and the absolute necessity of redemption by God's grace through the power of the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

The following scriptures give Biblical evidence of free will. Let us look at the words of the great Old Testament writer and prophet Joshua. His renewing of the twelve tribes of Israel at Shechem. In Joshua 24:15 Joshua exhorts, "Choose you this day who you will serve, for me and my household will serve the Lord"! Let us look at the magnificent choice of blessings or curse that is given to the house of Israel by the great prophet Moses. In Deut. 30:15-19, "Life and Good" - "Death and Evil" are set before the Israelites. If obedience to the commandments, statues and ordinances of the Lord are obeyed, the magnificent blessings of God will be bestowed upon them. But through sin and idolatry, if their heart turns away from the Lord they will perish. The Lord has set before them, "Blessings or Curse"!

Answer 8

Watson, if man did not have free will before the fall, but then "chose" to sin, how is that possible if he did not have free will at that point? How could man have made any kind of choice without free will? See, you just can't impose any kind of logic on this, because it is utterly illogical.

Answer 9

Deyteronomy 30:19.20

I do take the heavens and the earth as witnesses against YOU today, that I have put life and death before you, the blessing and the malediction; and you must choose life in order that you may keep alive, you and your offspring, by loving Jehovah your God, by listening to his voice and by sticking to him; for he is your life and the length of your days, that you may dwell upon the ground that Jehovah swore to your forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to give to them

Answer 10

This is what I found on the Bible Life Ministries website- hope this helps:

Man's Free Will to do Good or Evil

Throughout Scripture the Bible continuously instructs mankind to make righteous decisions by free will. Many persons misinterpret a few verses to arrive at the false idea that mankind does not have a free will to do good or make righteous decisions. Below are some verses which strongly show that mankind has the responsibility to exercise their free will and is commanded by God to do so.

Deuteronomy 30:11 "For this commandment which I command you today [is] not [too] mysterious for you, nor [is] it far off. 12 "It [is] not in heaven, that you should say, `Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' 13 "Nor [is] it beyond the sea, that you should say, `Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' 14 "But the word [is] very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

Deuteronomy 30:15 "See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 "in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 17 "But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18 "I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong [your] days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 19 "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.

John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

John 15:7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

Romans 2:10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.

1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain [it]. 25 And everyone who competes [for] [the] [prize] is temperate in all things. Now they [do] [it] to obtain a perishable crown, but we [for] an imperishable [crown].

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and [before] Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep [this] commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing.

2 Timothy 2:21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

1 John 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.