On Free Will and Election

 Freedom is one of the Four Ideals that we are given as primary interests in the Bible. In our quest to follow God, He promises to teach us about Truth, Freedom, Wisdom, and Love. These are the values that we want because they show us how to live authentic and meaningful lives, and because it pleases God to give them.

But there is some debate over an apparent contradiction between our freedom and God choosing particular people to save, especially because He is both eternal and omniscient. If He loves us all, how can He create some whom He knows will eventually be rejected? Is his work faulty, or is something else going on here?

God created us "very good." We are meant to be his agents in this world, created in his image and likeness. Thus, we have free will to follow the desires of our hearts, but God gives us those desires of our hearts. 

However, the lesser "elohim" are also supernatural beings, whom we know as "angels." They serve in Heaven and sometimes carry messages to Earth. Their messages can influence how we think, since they often bear revelations about God. 

The trouble began because Lucifer, a Seraph who looks like a winged snake, decided he was dissatisfied with his position in Heaven. When he rebelled against God's order, he lost his name, and now we call him Satan, or the Devil. But as an elohim, he is still able to influence how humans think. The Rebel influenced Eve to think that God might be keeping secrets, so she decided to test Him. Now, the desire to know God is good, and Adam was created to lean his desires toward his wife, so he listened to her suggestion. Satan used our natural desires to corrupt God's wholly good creation. God didn't create evil. Satan sabotaged creation.

Why the first people misused their free will is not a "mystery." It's in the Bible. 

So, where is your contradiction between free will and sin, and the command to Choose Life? God does not predestine some of us for Hell, but He knows which of the people He created will choose to make their own rules. He does, however, select those who don't like to hurt others and want rather to do what is right, even though it calls for obedience. We have the free will and desire to Choose Life, even after all of creation was warped by the rebellious influences of the fallen angels.

So, what is wrong with our world? The problem is three-fold. The Bible hints at these issues, without telling the whole stories, as they were already familiar to the original audience from the ancient tales of Mesopotamia. It's only in the inter-testamental period that we get some popular Jewish versions.

Genesis 3 - Eden: the entry of sin and rebellion against obedience, so that God allows us to pull away from Him.

Genesis 6 - Mount Hermon: the rise of demigods teaching uses of technology for violence and selfishness. 

Genesis 11- Babel: the turning of the nations to other gods and the despair of false worship.

So, what was the plan that God devised to fix all of these problems? He decided to raise up his own people, a new nation that would, in time, demonstrate to everyone his goodness and power, so that they would freely choose to come back to Him. We see this plan developing throughout the rest of the Bible. It begins with Abraham, then the people of Israel, and comes finally to Jesus. And all He ever asks of us is to be faithful and obey his commands. 

Even while we are still living in the world, among the nations, we can choose Life and see that the world is corrupt. We still have that power. Then, if we will repent, we have been given the desire to follow God's plan to save us. We will be given the opportunity to hear about his Son, Jesus. God chooses whom He wants to save. He calls us, and it is up to us to pick up our crosses and follow.

So, you see? There is no contradiction between Free will and Election. God is giving us the choice to use our freedom in positive ways, so that we don't abuse it to our own destruction. But what are the wrong ways that use it, as against the the right ways we should follow? What are the traps that God will free us from, and the promises He offers us instead?

Freedom from: 

     1. false gods & idols.

     2. slavery & compulsion. 

     3. ignorance. 

     4. deception. 

     5. worry about needs. 

     6. sin & guilt. 

     7. fear. 

     8. selfishness. 

Freedom to: 

     1. Know the Creator. 

     2. Follow the Way of Kindness.

     3. Seek Truth. 

     4. Be honest. 

     5. Trust in providence. 

     6. Obey good & wise laws. 

     7. Embrace adventure. 

     8. Give Love. 

And yet today, we still have to struggle against "the World, the Flesh, and the Devil" because the rebellion caused our Paradise to pull away from Heaven. We failed to trust God, so now we have to prove that we can be faithful. We don't have to be perfect, but we have to want to keep trying. 

Jesus is our standard. He reveals God's love for us and his plan to save us. 

Choose Life and follow Him. 

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