Subtitle: What About Free Will?

Excerpt: What About Free Will?

Author: Rina Schultz

We read in the Bible that God is omnipotent. What does this mean? How does it affect us? How can we be predestined and yet have the freedom to choose?

These are questions I have wrestled with my entire adult life. I am one of those people who has been born with a “why” wired into my being. As a child, my dad nicknamed me “Why” because I always sought explanations for everything. I haven’t changed. I still seek explanations for everything. One of the hardest things I had to do as a Christian was to learn to let go of my need for understanding and replace it with trust. Yet, whenever I have an opportunity to learn and gain insight, or a slightly better understanding of things that intrigue me, I grab the opportunity. I like to discuss these things with God. I’m often surprised by His answers.

How can I have free will when God has predestined me to be saved or to do the good works He created me to do? These are the questions I had for God.

God had questions of His own. “Do you remember yesterday? Do you know what you did yesterday? Can you change yesterday?” Of course, the answers to these questions are “Yes” and “No.” Yes, I remember yesterday and what I did during the day. No, I can’t change it. I can learn from it and apply those lessons to the future so as not to repeat my mistakes, but no matter how much I learn, I can’t change or control the past.

Knowing something doesn’t mean we control or change what we know. God is not limited by time. He knows our past, present, and future. He knows what we think. He knows our choices and decisions long before we face the situations that require our choices and decisions. Does that mean that He controls what we think, decide, or choose? No, it simply means that He already knows. He has seen our futures. God’s omniscience doesn’t rob us of agency. He is not a puppet master pulling strings but an eternal observer who sees the full tapestry we’ve woven with our choices.

It’s difficult to picture existing outside of time when we are constrained and limited by time. It’s difficult to grasp infinity with finite minds. We are trying to fit God and our understanding of God into our limited thinking. It’s no wonder that God says His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). God is so much greater than we can ever imagine. This is why we are called to trust and not to understand. Some mysteries, such as infinity and eternity, are meant to humble us rather than be unpacked by our finite minds. 

I’ve experienced enough of God’s goodness in my life to ever doubt that He loves me and that He has planned good things for me. It doesn’t mean that my life is easy and without challenges. Jesus warned that we would have troubles here on earth, but He promised that we could take heart because He has overcome the world. We have a future with Him for eternity. This is another concept that can’t be measured in time. It’s limitless. We have a limitless, good, and abundant life with God for eternity. Our focus shouldn’t be on circumstances that are bound to change, but on God and His promises that will never change.

God is beyond my understanding, but He’s not beyond my reach. He’s close to anyone who calls on Him. Call on the Name of the Lord, and be saved. I can’t live without Him here on earth, and I don’t want to exist without Him for eternity.