In discussions about the absolute sovereign power of God in relation to the choices of men, the question usually comes up: Does man have a free will to make his own choices? --The answer is: Yes. Definitely. "Free will" is basically the ability to make choices without external coercion.

That is, God does not coerce anyone to choose what they themselves do not want and decide to choose. One of my Bible professors observed that: "Every man (from an earthly perspective) is just as free to choose whatever he wants and decides to choose, as though nothing were pre-determined by God." --Thus, people are not "puppets" or "robots," but they consciously make intentional and real choices --not fake ones. As a result, people are responsible before God for the choices they make and act upon.

Man's ability to choose is seen all through the Bible --including choices related to salvation. Joshua challenged the people to follow God: "Choose this day whom you will serve" (Josh. 24:15), and Jesus says, "whoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17), and He said, "whoever will, come after me..." (Mk. 8:34). --People can do what they want.

Now, if you were satisfied with the explanation thus far, we could stop the discussion about the "free will" issue right here at this point, and we as Christians could happily and successfully work together proclaiming the good news of the gospel to all people, with the result that many would be saved... (not bothering with the "technicalities.")

But there are two main Christian perspectives on what God does "behind the scenes" in regard to salvation. -- The "Compatibilist" says that man's "freedom" to choose operates along with a limitation: that no one can choose (and actually do) something that they are not, by nature (or character), capable of doing. --Three examples: to want what they don't want; to believe what they don't believe; to grasp a contradiction (eg. a "square circle.")

The "Libertarian" says that man's free will (and choosing) is capable of ultimate self-determination. Similarly, the Wesleyan/Arminian view says that although God gives grace and helps (even influences) non-believers to understand and desire Christ and spiritual things up to a point --still-- when it comes to the decisive cause for a man being born again and believing and coming to Christ, the final decision comes ultimately and only from the man's own free will. (Question: What Bible verses say this is the case?)

However, the Bible seems to clearly give a compatibilist view of salvation (saying what men are not able to do). Paul says that the unsaved (unregenerate) man is not able to understand or grasp the truths and things about God (1Cor.2:14). Similarly, Jesus says that the unsaved man is not able to hear or accept the spiritual truths God has revealed (Jn. 8:43,47). Rather, Jesus says, "my sheep (those who are born again) hear my voice, and I know them" (Jn. 10:27). Also, the unsaved man is not able to see the light of the gospel (2Cor.4:4), and the unsaved man is a hostile enemy to God (Ro.5:10), and he is not able to submit to God (Ro.8:7),nor is he able to desire or seek God (Ro.3:11), but he hates and rejects God (Jn.15:23).

To be freed from all that "inability," the crucial "turning point" is where a person is born again, and so has saving faith and repents. Where does this originate from? --John says, "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God" (1Jn.5:1), which tells us that a person must be born again before they have saving faith. Regeneration initiates saving faith. --So, those who are "children of God" are the ones who "believe" in Christ; these people are not born by "a human decision," but instead are "born of God" (Jn.1:13). No one decides to be born again; It is never a human decision. God "causes" people to be born again (1Pet.1:3). --And then, Jesus says, "no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father (Jn.6:65). --Paul says, "it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and that [faith] is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8). In addition, repentance does not originate in the human heart, but rather, God must give or "grant" true repentance (with faith) to a person, which initiates eternal life (Ac. 11:18; 2Tim.2:25).

If God is sovereign over the human will, are we responsible? Yes. The Bible repeatedly says so. Read the section at the top about man's ability to choose what he wants. Jesus says people will, "give account for every careless word" (Mat. 12:36), and "each of us will give an account of himself to God" (Ro.14:12). We are all genuine moral agents who make real choices. But without the grace of God, the non-believer is enslaved to sin, and is not able to desire Christ. --But the difference is, that for those who are born again, Christ has set us "free from the law of sin and death" (Ro.8:2). Sin is no longer your "master" (Ro.6:14), but now we are free... "slaves to righteousness" (Ro.6:18).

Again, keep in mind: All men have "free will" in the sense that "Every man (from an earthly perspective) is just as free to choose whatever he wants and decides to choose, as though nothing were pre-determined by God."

Also do not forget: The Bible gives a "compatibilist" view, such that man's "freedom" to choose operates along with a limitation: that no one can choose (and actually do) something that they are not, by nature (or character), capable of doing. --Therefore, the Bible says that un-saved men are not able to understand Holy Spirit truths (1Cor.2:14), nor able to hear or accept God's revelations (Jn. 8:43,47), nor able to see the light of the gospel (2Cor.4:4), nor able to submit to God (Ro.8:7), nor able to desire or seek God (Ro.3:11), but they always hate and reject God (Jn.15:23).

To be freed from such "inability," a person must be born again, and only then do they start to have saving faith, as John says, "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God" (1Jn.5:1). So regeneration precedes and initiates saving faith, which is a gift from God (Eph.2:8). And Jn.1:13 informs us that no human ever decides to be born again --rather, God graciously "causes" people to be born again (1Pet.1:3).

Since these things are the case, we should realize that the all-knowing God would have looked forward through the corridors of time, and he would have foreseen that every unsaved man (if left to his own desires and self-will) would never desire or choose to know God, nor could he come to God/Christ (Jn.6:44), nor ever decide to be born again, nor could he ever (if left to himself) have "saving faith" on his own --since saving faith is a gift which must result from being born again of God. Only after re-birth do men (in faith) choose Christ and come to him. --These things are what God would have foreseen.

God could have justly and fairly left the entire human race to be condemned in their sin, since they willingly participate in sin's inabilities. --However, before all creation (in his mercy and love) Scripture tells us that God (in his grace) then "pre-loved" and "pre-related" his divine intimacy toward some of mankind --in biblical words, he "foreknew" them before they existed (Rom.8:29), and he chose (or "elected") them to be his own "children." So he planned before all time, that he would cause these specific "pre-loved" & "pre-related" individuals to be born again (1Pet.1:3); and then (being born again) God would initiate the gift of saving faith in them. --However, the remainder of mankind, God (in his wisdom) "never knew" (or "loved") in a relational, personal way (Mt.7:23). So he leaves them to have it their way, without him --just as they freely want and choose.

To more fully describe the salvation plan, Paul says that those whom God "foreknew" ("pre-loved" & "pre-related"), "he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son" (Rom.8:29) --meaning, these individuals would be born again (as adopted "sons of God"), and in many ways become like God's actual Son, Jesus Christ, who loves and obeys God. Then Paul says that all of these individuals, God "also called; and [all] those he called he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified" (Rom.8:30). So, the final destiny for all of these "pre-loved" individuals is: a "glorified" eternal life with God.

Now, one very important step in Paul's series above, is that every one of these "pre-loved" people is also "justified" by God. God justifies by the blood of Christ (Ro.5:9), because the saved have faith in Christ (Ro.4:5) after they are born again. --When God "justifies" the sinner, this is a divine legal "edict," in which God declares that the person is "not guilty" of any sin, and --more than that-- that they are even declared (and will be treated) as being perfectly righteous (Ro.4:11). When God "justifies" these "pre-loved" people, he "imputes" (credits, recons, gives) Christ's perfect righteousness and merit to that sinner (Ro.4:22-25; 5:17). In addition, when God justifies people, all of their sins are placed upon --or "imputed" (given)-- to Jesus on the cross where he "became sin" on the believer's behalf (2Cor.5:21). These imputations are not just theoretical or possible, they are accomplished in justification. Since their justification is a legal fact, these "pre-loved' ("foreknown") people can never be held accountable nor punished for any of their sins, because Christ fully paid their total legal sin-debt on the cross (1Pet.2:24), and they will never be condemned to face the wrath of God (Ro.8:1,33).

Finally: Although it is true that "salvation is from the Jews" (Jn.4:22) --as God chose Abraham and Israel to bring salvation to the world through Jesus, the Jewish Messiah--this does not mean that only Jews are saved, nor that people must become Jews to be saved (as some have assumed), but rather, that any born again person is saved. Jesus is the only mediator and Savior God will ever provide for all of mankind (not just Jews) to be saved: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him [not just Jews] should not perish but have eternal life" (Jn.3:16). Most of the Bible was initially written to Jewish readers, who were well aware that they were "the chosen people" (Isa.65:9), and the gospel came "first to the Jew" (Ro. 1:16), so the apostles often pointed out that Christ wasn't only the Savior of Jews, but Jesus was "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the whole world" (Jn.1:29). --And even saved Gentiles must not get selfishly near-sighted and lazy, but remember that God's offer of salvation must not stall with them, but extend to the rest of mankind, because Christ "is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours [who are already Christians] but also for the whole world" (1Jn.2:2). Christ isn't just for us. Don't forget, God has no other plan to save people, as Jesus "gave himself as a ransom for all" (1Tim.2:6), and Christ was sent by God to be "the Savior of the world" (1Jn.4:14). --But then, some day, as Jesus is descending at his Second Coming, every living Jew will be born again, and they will finally "get it" --and so, Paul says that then "all Israel will be saved" (Ro.11:26).

To further deal with these and related issues, please proceed with the following link: