Seriously?

     I never gave it a thought. In fact, I was fully in line with the thought process validating the perspective that "Free Will" was a necessary part of the equation for salvation. Not so anymore. And not because some filthy Biblically stilted Calvinist got hold of my capacity to think for myself, and tied up my brain with a rigid set of doctrinal notions that I couldn't untangle myself from. But, for the first time in years, by the help of some Calvinist teachings, they DID allow me to process some things that I've never considered before. I wish there were time and space in this blog to fully dissect this topic and take it under the microscope, but there isn't. I'll hit a few points, hopefully give a response or two and leave it at that.
     Recently I started a home fellowship group on Sunday evenings that is addressing an array of topics for the entire church to study and help get everyone on the same page. Good idea. I like that. However, I hadn't considered how much my views have changed through the years, nor how strongly people are attached to the idea that "Free Will" is so very imperative in the grand scheme of things where a relationship with God is concerned. But it is...
     If we backed everything up to the first account of human interaction with God, we'd see how the story of Adam and Eve appears to have "free will" written all over it. After all, didn't they disobey God and eat of the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil of their own "FREE WILL"? Most would emphatically respond, as I used to, with a hearty "YES!" No one forced their hands in the decision, or twisted their arms. Temptation was genuinely a considerable factor in the story, but doesn't that play into everyone's life situations? We get tempted... we choose the wrong response, at least one time or another? Always with regrettable consequences.
     Many teachers will give us an explanation of Adam and Eve's pre-sin condition as "perfect." Thereby justifying that the doctrine that "free-will" to sin within the context of this "perfection" is the reason that God was justifiably angered and judged the situation as sinful, and prescribed the corresponding punishment of broken relationship and loss of right-standing before Him. Not to mention exile from the paradise called Eden. However, I'm no longer in agreement with this perspective. First of all, God never proclaimed Adam and Eve to be "perfect" after creating them. He said his creation was "good." He liked it. But that's all.
     Jesus told the people who approached him and referred to him as, "Good Rabbi..." by saying, "Only One is good, the Father in heaven." It is a part of most Christian's fundamental doctrines that only God is truly "righteous." By being TRULY righteous, it seems to me that such a position of perfection in character produces that capacity for that which Jesus is best known for. Sinlessness. We would, not for a minute, consider that Jesus was without "free will" and we use that fact as a pillar for our reasoning to base our foundational beliefs that we are the same. You know, created in God's image. Possessing a "free will" to use and choose as we so independently desire, never once thinking that our wrong choices are a sign of something more seriously grave and tell-tale about OUR nature, as opposed to God's.
     Like God, Jesus lived his life fully righteous and without sin. His righteousness gave him the power to make ALL choices and decisions based upon the freedom that comes with such unflawed divine character. Divine holiness and perfection doesn't have the capacity for error. Therefore the WILL of God is ALWAYS perfect and without blemish in the choices he makes. To be any different would make us more... like us! However, that can never be implied of humanity for a moment. Though God referred to his creation as "good", Adam and Eve lived in a place of divine provision under God's purpose and jurisdiction in Eden, yet without capacity for perfection. Had they never sinned, THAT might have come as a surprise to God, because the Bible clearly states that Jesus is the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." God was already ahead of the game and aware of the "choice" that Adam would take with the "free will" given to him. It seems more like Adam was created WITHOUT the capacity to make all choices righteous, and that God was ahead of the game, making provision for Adam AND future humanity, who would suffer with the same dilemma. Being born without the ability to CHOOSE righteousness, because we are NOT inherently righteous. It seems by reading the stories of Biblical characters, that all were somewhat flawed and made poor choices at one time or another. Adam and Eve broke the ONE law that God gave. Although it didn't END their relationship with God, it only CHANGED it, the same fact has been humanity and their creator has been no different since.
     Later we see that God gave Moses ten commandments to deliver to that Hebrews, and before Moses could come down from Mt. Sinai to reveal them, Israel was already caught up in every kind of sin, idolatry and debauchery that broke each of the commandments God had given. What was Moses to do? A few years later, Moses also gave the Law of God to Israel as a means of bringing a social and religious order to the newly emerging nation. About six hundred and thirty or so... the likes of which probably no previous civilization had ever seen. The Law was used to measure and judge and order every aspect of life and worship. It demanded an adherence of PERFECTION from those it was issued to, also to which a punishment and condemnation were also firmly prescribed. People did their best to give application to the Laws demands. But NEVER, and may I reiterate, NEVER did anyone accomplish it with perfection. The Law even made it clear that when a person breaks ONE of its tenets, they were guilty of having broken ALL of it, and would bear the just consequences. Pretty stiff, I'd say.
     The New Testament makes it clear in Paul's writings that NO ONE has ever met the standard of righteousness required by the Law of God, and that it provides no ability to give righteousness to its adherents. All it is, at best, is a reflective mirror that attests to the fact that, those who look to it as a standard of uprightness, will only see their deficit. THAT should make ANYONE who takes it seriously either run for cover, or fall before God and beg for mercy. The latter is actually the reason it was given. God has gone to great lengths to make his mercy known and revealed, along with his desire to make it absolutely clear that we have no currency to afford right relationship with Him based on our best intentions and self-efforts. When I consider this, I have to ask myself... If we are given a "free will" from God, why does no one use it, except to do what comes naturally to humanity? To sin. It's not that human beings never make any admirable "choices" in their lives, but the dilemma seems to be that our nature, where "will" is concerned, is held captive by something greater than ourselves. If that's the case, how can it be truly "free."
     The Bible teaches fundamentally that ALL humanity from Adam forward are dead in trespasses and sins. Implying that we have no free will of our own to change that dilemma. Doesn't it seem plausible that, if given half a chance, if we had been given a legitimate "free will" that someone, somewhere, somehow would have made the "free choice" to do something about their predicament? But who ever did? As I mentioned earlier, because God is righteous, his will is FREE, allowing him to NOT make unrighteous choices. We don't have that luxury. Because we are unrighteous, we make unrighteous choices, we choose unrighteous deeds. We follow the path of least resistance and suffer the consequences. Romans 3 tells us this about our "will." "No one is righteous, not even one, there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless, there is no one who does good, no even one... there is no fear of God before their eyes."
No wonder verses before and after in these passages give light to the fact that we are not "free" but "slaves" to a will that is broken and incapable of responding to God, loving God, seeking God, taking God's side, or emulating Him. Adam and Eve couldn't keep ONE law. Israel broke ten, then on to break over six hundred. And so it goes for humanity in general. We are without the capacity to use this so-called "free will" for any means of self-help where God is concerned. If there had been a person born with a legitimate FREE WILL... don't you think that at some point in history they would have CHOSEN righteousness, holiness, peace, truth, mercy, grace and love? And though we know this to be true, we still insist that it's by our "FREE WILL" that we suddenly come from death to life, darkness to light, sinfulness to righteousness?
Seriously?
I just can't see it.
The kind of righteousness that it takes to make such decisions is nowhere to be found in humanity.
Not according to scriptures. No one possessed it in the Old Testament stories of our patriarchs.
If they had, Romans 3 would be a lie.
But it's not a lie. No one has the resources or currency of a "free will" that is capable of doing what is necessary to engage God in a right relationship. All were enslaved to a will of sin and disobedience.
Until Jesus.
But how does that change things from that point forward?
Maybe next time...

Drink deeply.