You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? - Rom. 9:19-21
As we saw in part 1 of this series, a human’s will may not always be quite as free as we would like to think or might prefer. I provided only three out of numerous examples in the Old Testament where God clearly, in some cases directly and in others less so, diverted the will of men He for one purpose or another chose to use. There are a few other aspects of this topic that must be addressed: the extent of God’s direct intervention in the lives of men, the basis on which we make the choices we make, and inevitably, the role of man’s will in salvation.
I mentioned also in part 1 that one of the most pertinent passages on this issue is found in Romans 9. As it is somewhat lengthy, it is best broken into smaller chunks:
For this is the word of promise: “at this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.” And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “the older will serve the younger.” Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
Romans 9:9-13
Here we find God predicting what will happen, but this is more than a prediction - this is God ordaining future events. Sarah was barren and unable to bear children. Abraham was advanced in age and expectedly unable to sire offspring. Yet God, at the appointed time, a time of His choosing (not Abraham or Sarah’s) opened Sarah’s womb and allowed Abraham to impregnate her; and at the appointed time, the time of God’s choosing, Sarah gave birth to a son. This had nothing to do with Abraham or Sarah’s will - this was all God.
Likewise, prior to the birth of Jacob and Esau, God predetermined that Esau would serve Jacob. This was not simply a prophecy, nor did either of the two have a choice in the matter. Why? Not because of anything they had done (they could not do anything prior to their entrance into the world) or would do, as Paul explains, but because it was God’s will. Again, look at the passage:
…so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand… (emphasis mine)
This is not, as some may argue, God simply knowing what would happen and declaring what He foresees. This is not God prophesying the future based on His knowledge of how people behave and what they will do. In these events, God is specifically working out His plan according to His will. He has predetermined these things for His “purpose according to His choice,” and in such events, man’s will is inconsequential.
This is the same as was discussed in part 1 regarding Pharaoh. Some say Pharaoh hardened his own heart. Some claim God hardened Pharaoh’s heart because He knew Pharaoh would not release the Hebrews. Scripture tells us otherwise:
What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
Romans 9:14-18
God hardened Pharaoh because it suited His purpose. God raised Pharaoh up specifically so Pharaoh would refuse to release the Hebrews, that He then could reveal His power and glory, not only to the Hebrews whom He chose to save, but to the Egyptians as well. So what does it mean for God to have mercy on whom He has mercy, to have compassion on whom He has compassion, or to harden whom He hardens? Does He do these things because He sees what we will do and makes a decision what to do with us based on that? No. These verses clearly show that God works these things based on His will. It is not because of what we choose or how we act - it is not based on “the man who wills or the man who runs”; it is strictly based on God’s will just as the Bible says. I will dig further into this in the next installment.
It is often difficult for us, even as Christians, to accept that God might contravene our free will. After all, we do make choices all the time where it does not appear God specifically interferes. We also do not generally think it appropriate to force someone to do something against his or her will. Many Christians outright reject the idea that God might compel a person to do anything, or that God would in any way interfere with a person’s free will. Such thinking is not rooted in Scripture; it is based on human reason and emotion.
Why do we struggle so hard against this truth? Parents regularly make their children do things they do not wish or will to do. A child may want to play, but be made by a parent to do chores instead. Why then, if God is our heavenly Father, would we expect otherwise from Him? We would not argue (nor should we) that it is wrong for a parent to violate a child’s free will by having the child do that which he or she does not wish to do. Nor is it unjust for a parent to disallow that which the child wills. Good parenting often requires that a child’s will be abrogated. Would we consider a parent’s actions of this nature unjust? Absolutely not. Nor is it wrong for our heavenly Father to treat us likewise.
None of this is to say we are merely marionettes with God acting the puppeteer pulling our strings. Abraham and Sarah, mentioned above, obviously made choices with which God did not interfere. Consider that, not understanding God’s promise of a child, or perhaps not fully believing it, Sarah offered up to Abraham her handmaid, Hagar, in an attempt by human will to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. Think about Abraham and Sarah traveling through foreign lands, as God had commanded. Lacking full trust in God for their safety, fearing that Abraham would be killed for Sarah, they lied saying that Sarah was Abraham’s sister rather than his wife.
Therefore, humans clearly do have some degree of free will. Examples throughout Scripture like these abound; however, limitations are still plainly evident. For instance, God, at least in some respects, determines when and where we live:
…and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation
Acts 17:26
Whether this indicates God determines for each individual their time and place, or this solely points to the rise and fall of countries and their borders, it shows God explicitly foreordains certain aspects of human life. After all, this is His creation, and He is in control. This does not mean He imposes Himself upon us at every turn; but it does mean, if He should so choose, He can.
Though my focus thus far has been on whether God will interpose upon our will, and there is more to say on the matter, as will be seen in the next part of the discourse (and potentially a following part, if appropriate), other factors may also constrain our will.
I am going to end part 2 here, and pick up with the next few verses of Romans 9, and a further discussion of verses 14 through 18, in the next article. To delve into these here would make this article rather lengthy, and I believe more will be gained from having this discussion in smaller segments.
Read the next article in the series: Shall the clay say to the potter... - part 3
Read the previous article in the series: Shall the clay say to the potter... - part 1
My thinking has always taken me back to “if God is GOD, Creator of life out of nothing, then who can resist HIS call when He calls or commands?” …. Can man say to Gods call, “no thanks, I’ll just choose another way but thanks!”
from there it’s almost impossible for me to fully wrap my brain around the “free will” concept. Bc if God is GOD then no mere man can resist His voice unless God wills it.
Ok. Mind blown.
Thanks for this 2nd installment!
Another one that gets my thought gears grinding. Once again you've given me a good bit to examine and make my own conclusions on.