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both of these are prominent ideas in scripture and there seems to be no third choice in the matter.

Having once been a staunch Armenian (even before I knew that word), in my Bible college days I grudgingly argued my way into believing the 5 points of Calvinism. (For the unknowledgeable these are total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and preservation or perseverance of the saints. It nicely spells out TULIP.) I became the one arguing, "I don't want free will when I can have God's will." But even that leaves the option of free will open. Being again faced with the absolute necessity for some kind of free will, I began to seek to prayerfully reconcile the two. Here is where I have gotten to.

We must go back to the first day of seeing God as our creator. This absolutely makes Him sovereign over us every single bit of us, including our decisions. I am now of the belief that God, knowing full well the decisions that we must face and the direction our lives would take, is the creator of our free will. I am 5'10" tall, and there is nothing I can do about it. I was born with red hair, again not my choice. I have freckles and need contacts to see clearly. None of which is my choice, but it is the design of God. What if, in the same what that God made my physical being, He also created the way my mind works. What if it is by design that I am an analytical and inquisitive person? What if my love for the color green over the color blue, or even by desire to write is because God made me this way? I think most people would agree that this is true.

I ask then, why is it so hard to believe that this God, who created everything else about me, would also instill within me my process of decision making the process that says this is the choice I will make when faced with this certain scenario. Not because He is making choices for me, but because He designed me for make these choices. "Do you for one moment suppose any of us knows enough to call God in to question? Clay doesn't talk back to the fingers that mold it saying, Why did you shape me like this?' (Romans 9:20-21 MSG)

Let's face it, we can't take a breath without God giving it to us. How would we exercise free will without God creating and defining it in us. It isn't something created outside of Him. See John 1:3.

Does this nullify our free will? Absolutely not! In the same way that I have red hair, I also have free will. Yet in the complexity of the mind of God, completely without my assistance or input, He created the direction and lengths to which my free will would go, and that includes the choice of accepting salvation.

Perhaps we simply need to fall back on the response of Job. After being challenged directly by God for four chapters of the Bible, Job is forced to answer God in Job 42:2-3. He says, "I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?' It is I and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things too wonderful for me.

Perhaps we need to recognize that God is God, not us. God is creator not us. And aside from Him we do not even exist. If He wants to elect and predestine AND wants to give man free will to choose, how can we question His ability to do both? He promises, "My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts are above your thoughts (Isaiah 55:9)," and then says "I know the plans I have for you (Jeremiah 29:11)" Instead of questioning and arguing against Him, let's just let Him be God, and take our place as His worshippers.

Learn more about this author, Scott Ingram.
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