Libe r t y s e r m o n

by c Li F F O rD g O LD s t e i n

Free Will Versus Gods Will

One of the greatest, and longest-lasting, theological debatesone that that has roiled the best minds for centurieshas to do with the question of human free will. Do we, as human beings, really have free choice, or is the feeling, the sense that we do just an illusion? After all, as one of the arguments goes, if God knows the future, and knows our choices before we make them, then do we really have free choice to begin with when we make them? The issue became even more complex with the dawn of Isaac Newton and his great work in physics, in which Newton not only showed that so much of the universe works by physical laws, but he even came up with mathematical formulas that showed what those laws were. In fact, his work led one thinker to argue that if it were possible to know the position of every atom in the universe, then we could know, for sure, exactly what every person would do and every event that would happen because every atom in the cosmos would follow the precise laws that Newton revealed. And, if that were indeed truethen how could there be free will? Others, however, werent convinced. One person joked, I believe in free will. Why? Because I have no choice. Putting aside all the complex theology, philosophy, and even science, as Seventh-day Adventist Christians we believe in free will. Im almost tempted to say, We have no choice but to believe in free will. And thats because nothing in our religion makes sense without it. From the fall of Lucifer in heaven, to the fall of Adam and Eve in Eden, to the final crisis of the last days, when every person has to choose between getting the seal of God or the mark of the beast the Bible screams to us, from almost every page, about the reality of free will. Sure, Scripture doesnt directly address some of the deep philosophical and theological questions about free will and Gods foreknowledge. But so what? It doesnt directly address the deep philosophical and theological issues about the incarnation of Jesus into humanity, or the nature of the Trinity, or the resurrection of the dead at the end of time. The Bible just teaches us these things. We either accept them on faith or we dont. Its as simple as that. Thus, in this sermon we are going to talk about the reality of free will, especially when it comes to the issue of religious liberty, or religious freedom. Even the very use of the term religious freedom itself carries within it the idea of free will. After all, what is the sense of even talking about freedom, any kind of freedom, if we dont have free will to begin with? No question, as Adventist Christians we believe in free will, free choice, especially when it comes to matters of faith and religious liberty. In fact, Id like to read a famous quote from one of the Western worlds earliest advocates of religious liberty, a man named John Locke, an Englishman whose writings it is believed had a very powerful impact on our own Thomas Jefferson, who was of course one of the architects of the American experiment in religious freedom. Listen to Locke, who wrote these words at a time when you could be killed for reading out of what some considered the wrong version of the Bible. The year is in 1698, and it is from a booklet called A Letter Concerning Toleration. He wrote: I may grow rich by an Art that I take not delight in; I may be cured of some Disease by
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Remedies that I have not faith in; but I cannot be saved by a Religion I distrust, and by a Worship that I abhor. And what is most interesting is that he wrote this in the context of religious freedom: the idea that it is not the role of the government to enforce religion on people, because in the end, its not going to save them anyway. Who is going to be saved by a religion that they dont believe in, by a religion that is forced upon them by the power of the state? Thats Lockes essential message, and though it might seem obvious to us today, it wasnt so obvious back then. Of course, when I said that might seem obvious to us today, I was talking for the most part about Americans living in 2012, in the third century of the American experiment in religious freedom regardless of what the religion happens to be. But, as I said, it was not obvious back then, and, unfortunately, it is not obvious to many even today. For instance, with all this talk about last years Arab Spring, we shouldnt get too excited because a recent poll in Egypt showed that a majority of Egyptians believe in the public execution of anyone who changed their religion, meaning anyone who converted from Islam to anything else! No, these truths are not so obvious, are they? And yet, as Adventists we have proclaimed religious liberty for a long time, not just because of our own unique situation, where our seventh-day Sabbath-keeping has put us out of the mainstream of religious practice in most countries, with the exception of Israel. In fact, theres a delicatessen in Jerusalem called 24/6. (Think about it!) No, we have proclaimed religious freedom because we believe that its a biblical principle, a principle that goes to the heart of Gods government, to the heart of the character of God, and, even to the heart of Gods law. Yes, Gods law exists for us only because freedom does. What do I mean? Well, lets work through this for a moment. If we didnt have freedom, moral freedom, what would be the purpose of a moral law? Why would God have a law for us if we didnt have free moral choice? For example, what parent has ever said to his or her child, Sally, I dont want you going to the moon tomorrow. Its a law in my homeyou do not go to the moon? None. Why? The answer is obvious: It is impossible for the child to go to the moon, so why should the parent have a law stating that you cant go? Its the same with us, and with the moral freedom that God has given us. And that morality is defined by Gods law, right? Hence Paul writes: What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, Do not covet (Romans 7:7, NIV).* This makes no sense if we didnt have freedom, moral freedom, the freedom to covet, the freedom to choose to do right or to do wrong, to choose God or not to choose Him. As Seventh-day Adventists this is at the core of our position on religious liberty. In fact, let me quote Thomas Jefferson, whom I mentioned earlier, who himself had been influenced by John Locke. Here is what Jefferson wrote in one of the earliest statements of religious freedom in America. It was called the Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom, and Jefferson, who had been the president of the United States, still considered this act one of his greatest accomplishments. He wrote: Well aware that Almighty God hath created the mind free; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burdens, or by civil incapacitations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion, who being
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Lord both of body and mind, yet chose not to propagate it by coercions on either, as was in his Almighty power to do. Notice, Almighty God hath created the mind free. Jefferson certainly believed, not only in free will, but the natural corollary to free will, freedom of religion as well. Though, as I have said, the Bible is filled with examples of the reality of free will, I want to focus on one Bible story, a story in which we can see with Jesus Himself the reality of free will. Because I think its crucial to remember that not only do we need to continually choose Christ, it is our responsibility to our fellow man to ensure that there are no earthly restraints to making that choice. That must be the essence of our religious liberty message because its what Jesus Himself has showed us to be true. After all, if God Himself wont force us to follow Him, how dare any human institution try to? Thats at the heart and soul of our religious liberty message. Our story is found in the book of Luke, chapter 18. Its the story of the rich young ruler, and it starts at verse 18. Lets read the whole section together and then go back over it, because its very instructive and teaches the main point in a very powerful and clear way: And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needles eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God (verses 18-25). Now, of course, we read this story primarily for a number of crucial spiritual truths about wealth, and the dangers thereof, or about idolatry, about putting anything before Christ, and so forth. And thats all there. That is the primary message of the parable. Its about anything that we dont want to give up for Jesus. Wait . . . What did I just say? Its about anything that we dont want to give up for Jesus? Want? How about if I expressed it like this: Its about us, as human beings, using our free will, our free choiceAlmighty God hath created the mind freein order to choose something other than Christ? Isnt that exactly what this rich young ruler did? Now, unless you are a certain kind of predestinarian, a fancy theological term for the idea that our choices are already predestined by God, you have to believe that Jesus, our Creatorfor the Bible is very clear that Jesus is the Creatorwanted this man to be saved. Right? Unless you believe, as some do, that God, even before the world began, predestined some to be lost, we have to believe that Jesus wanted this young man to have salvation. This is basic Adventist theology. Didnt Christ die for every human being? Wasnt Christ going to very soon go to the cross for that young man? Werent Christs words to himSell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow mean appeal for the man to have salvation? Why would Jesus have even bothered to say anything to the man if the man hadnt a chance, hadnt the freedom to make a choice for or against Jesus?
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Listen carefully to these words from Ellen White, because they are powerful. Jesus saw in this ruler just the help He needed if the young man would become a collaborator with Him in the work of salvation. If he would place himself under Christs guidance, he would be a power for good. In a marked degree the ruler could have represented Christ; for he possessed qualifications, which, if he were united with the Savior, would enable him to become a divine force among men. Christ, seeing into his character, loved him. Love for Christ was awakening in the rulers heart; for love begets love. Jesus longed to see him a co-worker with Him. He longed to make him like Himself, a mirror in which the likeness of God would be reflected. He longed to develop the excellence of his character, and sanctify it to the Masters use. If the ruler had then given himself to Christ, he would have grown in the atmosphere of His presence. If he had made this choice, how different would have been his future! (The Desire of Ages, p. 519). How much clearer and plainer could it be? She wrote that Christ longed for him to become a co-worker, Christ longed for him to develop the excellence of his character, Christ longed to make him like Himself. Thus, what was Gods will? Gods will was for this man to come and follow Jesus, and yetfrom what Jesus saidits pretty clear that this young man didnt do it. That is, He went against Gods will, which was for him to be saved. That is, if you think about it, pretty heavy. And yet what other conclusion can you come to, unless you accept the egregious theology that teaches that God had already predestined this young ruler to be lost? If you dont accept that, which we as Adventistsand many other Christiansrightly dont accept, what other choice is there than to see here a powerful example of religious liberty, of free will, of free choice? Though this is not the primary message of the story, the primary message of the story makes no sense apart from the reality of free choice, because the primary message is dont choose anything above and before Christ. Dont choose the wrong thing. That is, using the gift of freedom and free choice that God has bestowed upon us, choose Jesus, not anything else. This isnt a new message. This didnt start with the Gospels. What did the Lord say many centuries earlier to His people? I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live (Deuteronomy 30:19). Choose life. Choose, as in free will. Or here, when the people of Israel were told: And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15). How can anyone make any sense of these, and so many other verses, apart from the reality of free will? You cant. Theres another example, from Jesus, that so powerfully expresses the reality of free will in the face
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of Gods will. Or, as the title of the sermon says, Free will versus Gods will. Come with me to Luke 13, the chapter where Jesus, knowing the end is coming, knowing what is soon going to happen, says to Jerusalem, with tears in His eyes: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! (verse 34). What was Gods will here? How can you read it as anything other than Gods will being to have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings? Thats exactly what He said. That was Gods will. But what happened? And ye would not! That is, many of these people, using their free will, rejected what God had tried to do for them. In other words, Gods will versus free will. However often our churchs religious freedom is primarily addressed in an end-time church-state context, we must not neglect Christs overarching example of liberty and choice. The fact that our Creator allows us to serve Him, to choose not to serve Him, is an incredible giftand no earthly impediment (government or social) should ever deny us the right to exercise that gift. If the Lord Himself wont, then I ask, What makes any civil government think it has the right to do differently? Theres one more example from Jesus, by far the greatest example, of the sanctity of our free will, our free choice, of our religious freedom and how much God respects it. Let me read it to you. Its only four words: And they crucified him (Matthew 27:35). What am I saying? I am saying that the cross is the greatest and most powerful example of how sacred our religious freedom is, because look what it cost God! Think about it. If God hadnt created us with free will, with moral freedom, with the capacity to choose to do right or wrong, we could never have sinned. Isnt that correct? Unless you want to say that Gods will was that we sin, and that He arranged from the start for us to sinand I dont think we as Adventists want to go therethen we have to believe that sin arose only from our free choice, from our free will. To quote Mr. Jefferson again: Almighty God hath created the mind free. How else can we explain the rise of sin, of evil, of the great controversy, apart from free will? Not only human free will but angelic as well? The fact is, we cant explain it, not without making God Himself the author of evil, not without making Him responsible for itand, as I said, we dont want to go there. Now, the Lord could have spared Himself the hassle and the agony of the cross by doing one simple thing, and that wasnot create us as free beings. Just as simple as that, right? Yes. He could have made us as non-moral agents. Not immoral, as in bad morals, but non-moral, or amoral, in the sense of not having moral freedom at all. Like Paro, the white seal. Who is Paro? Paro is a cute and cuddly little white seal that functions as a companion to elderly people. Paro has one purpose: to be a lovable friend, like a pet, but without allergies, biting, scratching, running away, chewing furniture, or accidents on the carpet. What am I talking about? Paro is a robot, and it has been programmed to behave as much as
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possible like a real animal, showing love and affection to its owners. And the strange thing is, to some degree, it works. These robots have been known to be able to actually cheer you up, which is why models are being more and more used as companions for the elderly. There are more advanced versions on the assembly line for Paro, which has been called (by the Guinness Book of World Records) The Worlds Most Therapeutic Robot. Of course, and unfortunately, the idea of robot companions doesnt end with cuddly seals designed to comfort and entertain grandpa. The sex industry has already created a female robot made to do more than just that. Now, the point is, God didnt want to create robots, because whatever Paro can do, whatever it doesit does not love. It cannot love. It is not a moral entity. It is not a free entity. Whatever it does, it does because it has to. It might be cute, it might be cuddly, it might be nice, but it does not and cannot show love because it is not and cannot be a free moral agent. Thats what God could have created us as, and had He done so, then He never would have gone to the cross. But, instead, God created us as free beings, moral beings, as beings who could love. He had to make us free, and that freedom came with risks, and though He knew the risks, knew what would happen, our freedom was so sacred that He chose to go to the cross rather than deny it to us. Yes, if you want to see how sacred, how fundamental, how basic religious liberty is, even to God look at the cross. Again, Jesus could have spared Himself all this had He done one simple thing: created us like Paro, created us without true moral freedom. But He didnt, though He knew way beforehand what would happen. Look at what Paul wrote to Timothy. He talked about the power of God; who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began (2 Timothy 1:8, 9). Before the world began, the plan of salvation was put in place because God knew, before the world began, what our free will would lead to, but rather than deny it to us, He went to the cross to spare us what the penalty of our abuse of that free will and freedom would bring. Thus, in short, our message is simple: If thats how crucial freedom is to God, how dare then any earthly government force what God Himself wont? And thats the message of the gospel and the message of religious liberty, which is at the heart of the gospel. The gospel is the good news of what Jesus had done for us on the cross; that is, He paid the penalty for our violation of the free will that He had given us. Its a very scary world out there, is it not? So many things are happening, so many things could happen, so many things could come and, in an instant, persecution could arise. Thats why we believe our work is so important. We need to let people know what the principles of religious liberty are, what the principles of freedom are. For more than 100 years, Liberty magazine has been doing just thatall thanks to your support. Many groups teach and promote religious liberty. We are the only ones doing it under the aegis of the gospel in the three angels messages. Use your free will, your God-given gift of free will, this sacred and costly gift, and continue to support this work that we have been called to do.
* the text credited to niV is from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, international bible society. used by permission of Zondervan bible Publishers.

an editable version of this sermon is available for download under the campaign resources section of Libertys website: www.libertymagazine.org.
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