The question of whether we have free will has been debated by Christians for two millennia. But what does the Bible say? Can we find any help in God’s Word to answer how we can freely choose our actions and be responsible for them? Many Christians, sometimes known as free-will theists (including Arminians), have answered this question one way, embracing what is called libertarian free will. Other Christians associated with Reformed theology (Calvinists) have answered the question another way, embracing what is called compatibilism.
Proponents of libertarian free will believe that for any choice to be truly free, it must not be constrained by any outside causal forces. God and other sources can influence our choices, but they cannot decisively determine the outcome of our choices. Furthermore, libertarian free will affirms that we have the power of contrary choice. Suppose you drive your car to a T-intersection and choose to turn right. However, if the clock could be rolled back and the conditions were the same, you could have equally chosen to turn left.
Proponents of libertarian free will believe this model of human freedom allows for moral responsibility and the opportunity for meaningful relationships. For example, some argue that if God determines our love for Him, then our freedom would be constrained and our choices coerced, taking away our moral responsibility. We must possess the ability to freely love God or reject loving God. Free-will theists believe this model of human freedom is assumed by the Bible, citing the “whosoever” passages such as John 3:16. At first glance, these passages seem to support libertarian free will, but this view faces insurmountable problems.
For example, this brand of free will undermines the sovereignty of God over all things (see Isa. 45:5–7; 46:9–11; Dan. 2:20–21; 4:34–35; Eph. 1:11). It also does not square with the doctrine of human depravity, as the Bible makes clear that unbelievers are in bondage to their sin (Rom. 3:10–18, 23) and have no power within themselves to escape this bondage (Rom. 8:7–8). Furthermore, libertarian free will cannot account for divine foreknowledge. How could we have the power of contrary choice when God already knows with certainty what we will choose?
The compatibilist view of human freedom and responsibility better corresponds with Scripture. It teaches that every human choice has a dual explanation. First, God has ordained in eternity past and providentially ensures in the present all the choices human beings make without coercing us to act against our will. For example, the book of Exodus says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Ex. 7:3; 9:12). Yet simultaneously, it says Pharaoh freely and sinfully hardened his own heart (Ex. 8:15, 32; 9:34). Second, God’s sovereignty is compatible with what we voluntarily, unconstrainedly choose as dictated by the condition of our hearts, whether good or evil. Corrupted hearts can only make corrupted choices (Matt. 7:17–20; 12:33–35). To make God-pleasing choices, the heart must be transformed, regenerated by the Holy Spirit (John 3:5–8).
God exercises His sovereign plans through the freely exercised wills of His creatures.
Solomon understood this mysterious intertwining of human and divine wills, saying,
The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps. (Prov. 16:9)
He also said,
Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. (Prov. 19:21; see also Prov. 16:33; 21:1)
These proverbs indicate that God is the remote but primary cause of human actions, whereas humans are the immediate but secondary cause of their own actions. Thus, we are not helpless puppets dangling from some grand puppeteer’s strings. Our choices are real and meaningful.
The Bible is full of specific examples of compatibilism. Consider how Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, an act for which they bore moral responsibility. Yet simultaneously, God brought about their actions (Gen. 45:4–9; 50:15–18). Joseph declared to his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Gen. 50:20). In Acts 27, an angel reveals to Paul that he and his sailing companions shall all be divinely rescued from a fierce storm. He tells the sailors, “Take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told” (Acts 27:25). God will sovereignly ensure their safety. Yet, when some of the sailors tried to escape from the faltering ship, Paul urged the centurion in charge, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved” (Acts 27:31). Thus, God’s providence is not fatalism in which human choices do not matter. Rather, God exercises His sovereign plans through the freely exercised wills of His creatures.
The most significant example of compatibilism is the death of Christ. Scripture is clear that God sovereignly ordained the grand plan of redemption that required Him to send forth His Son to be our crucified and risen Redeemer. Peter declares to the inhabitants of Jerusalem that Jesus was “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). And yet, Peter does not exonerate the Jews of their moral responsibility here: “You crucified and killed” Jesus “by the hands of lawless men” (see also Acts 4:27–28).
There is tension and mystery in the relationship between the divine and the human in the choices we make. Scripture usually emphasizes the divine or the human side of the equation. Sometimes both perspectives are placed side by side. In either case, the two always go together. God is completely sovereign, and we are responsible for our voluntarily (freely) made choices.
