How many times have we all heard..... "God has given us all a free will to either choose Him or reject Him. He wants to save us, but the choice is up to us". But did you know the Bible does not teach that? The scriptures say, "It is not of Him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy" Romans 9:16. "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" John 1:13. "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you" John 15:16. Obviously, the Bible does not teach that man has a free will. These scriptures deny it!
But why make an issue of this? Is it really that important as to whether or not you believe in free-will. Isn't this merely theological hairsplitting? NO! And here is why: free will is a denial of the Gospel! Here is how.
Free will is a denial that God is God. Free will says "God cannot do what He wants to do unless we choose to let Him".....if that is the case, who is God: Him or you? What low views men have of God that would make them think God can't act without their permission. Who would worship a god like that anyway? You will not worship a god that is in your hands. You will only worship a God whose hands you are in! The scripture says "Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He" Psalms 135:6. This is totally contrary to the notion that He cannot save us unless we choose to allow Him to.
Free will is a denial of what the Bible says about the sinful state of man. "Dead in trespasses and sins" Ephesians 2:1, is the scriptural description of man. Would it not be ludicrous to walk into a graveyard and say to somebody dead in the grave, "God will give you life if you of your free will decide to let Him".
Free will is a denial of the new birth. A baby does not decide to be conceived nor does a sinner decide to be born again. This is a supernatural work of God's grace. "Of His own will begat He us" James 1:18.
Free-will gives the ultimate credit in salvation to man, and not to God. It makes man's will the deciding factor in salvation. The believer in free-will must pray "Lord, I thank you that I was born with a free will. I was born with power to turn to you myself, and I did it. There are many in hell who had their sins paid for just as much as me. But the difference between me and them is my free-will". A belief in free will is actually a denial of free grace altogether!
Free will destroys the true meaning of faith. Free will makes faith a decision you make. And those who believe in it will invariably look back to some decision they made in the past, or some experience they had as a ground of assurance rather than Christ himself. Faith is in a Person, not in a decision. The truth is, we don't choose to believe, we believe because we have no choice! The christian is driven to Christ because he has no other options! All other doors have been closed! You are driven to his feet to ask for mercy! That doesn't sound like a choice to me. When Christ said, "Lazarus, come forth", did Lazarus have a choice? Of course not! When God gives us life, we must come to Christ!
"Are you implying that the sinner does not willingly come to Christ?", someone asks. NO.! We come willingly because He makes us willing. "Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power" Psalms 110:3. "It is God that worketh in you both to will and to do His good pleasure" Phillipians 2:13.
The absolute worst thing that could possibly happen to any of us would be for God to leave us to our own free-will. When man was left to his own free will, he murdered Christ. Would it not be far more wise to come to Christ like that leper did: "Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean"......Oh, how I love the Lord's reply to that broken man, "I will, be thou clean".
Adam's free will is what got us into the mess we are in. But thank God, He said, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will show compassion to whom I will show compassion" Romans 9:15. Salvation does not come by man's free will. Salvation comes by God's free grace!