Really anticipating reading this series. I for one struggle with the concept of "free will". I was raised in the Presbyterian Church of America and it is not a concept i hugely welcome when I look at doctrine and scripture and theology, but I always keep my mind open and like to hear the debate about this issue.
I will reserve my comments until the conclusion of this series. I have a feeling you will at least touch on a number of things that I would say anyway.
I like your definition of free will. I think it goes even deeper, though. In John 2:24-25 we are told: "But Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, for He knew them all. He did not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man's heart." God knowing what is in a man's heart is not subverting that man's free will, but is simply using what He already knows is there for His good purpose. "For we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His good purpose." (Romans 8:28) We also know, there is a point of no return - a result of a freedom of will: "It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age— and then have fallen away—to be restored to repentance, because they themselves are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to open shame." Heb 6:4-6
I think Christians make a mistake when they see "free will" as also "successful result of man's free will". Free will is only the concept of choice, as you pointed out. God has defined a best way to live and the consequences of not living in that manner. Man only has two choices: either do things within the guidelines of God's way or do things in Man's own, self-centered way. Either way, there are resulting consequences. The "free will" is not found in the outcome/consequence but in the simple fact of choice. Just as an example, God created the physical reality of Gravity. It is a finite concept. Man has the free will to either live under the reality of gravity or to choose his own way. If he lives under the reality of gravity, accepting that gravity must be respected, treated correctly, etc. , then God blesses Man's knowledge and Man can actually fly in an airplane or space ship, always aware that gravity may raise its specter with a malfunction. However, if man chooses to defy gravity and jumps off a tall building, God curses that choice and he will die as a splat on the pavement. The outcome did not mean that a man had lost his free will. It means that his freedom of choice had consequences one way or the other.
God knew Pharoah's heart. Pharoah was never going to let the Israelites leave Egypt. He toyed with them, but God knew Pharoah's true thoughts and intents. The Hebrew word we translate as "hardened" actually means, "Make heavy, weighty or burdensome". It wasn't that Pharoah MIGHT have made the choice to let the Israelites go if God had just left him alone. It was that Pharoah was not going to let them go, God knew that, and so God made firm that resolve, establishing it an entrenched, weighty, heavy decision in its resolve. Pharoah had gone past the point of no return. He still had free will, but his freedom of choice to go against God had an everlasting consequence. God knew Jonah's heart too. Jonah had not gone past the point of no return and God knew that. God knew Jonah's heart was not hard and would change. He provided the catalyst for that change and used Jonah accordingly, both in a witness to the crew on the ship and then to Ninevah. That did not subvert Jonah's free will in any way. It simply let him experience the consequences of that free will, both bad and then good.
God does not manipulate outcomes and neither should we. He simply uses what is already true and real in order to bring glory to Himself in His purpose. He knows the hearts of men and doesn't have to change a thing in order to use them. He lets their free will put them into the position where He can use them for His good, either way. But then, that may be where you are going with this in the long run. :-)
Really anticipating reading this series. I for one struggle with the concept of "free will". I was raised in the Presbyterian Church of America and it is not a concept i hugely welcome when I look at doctrine and scripture and theology, but I always keep my mind open and like to hear the debate about this issue.
I will reserve my comments until the conclusion of this series. I have a feeling you will at least touch on a number of things that I would say anyway.
I like your definition of free will. I think it goes even deeper, though. In John 2:24-25 we are told: "But Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, for He knew them all. He did not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man's heart." God knowing what is in a man's heart is not subverting that man's free will, but is simply using what He already knows is there for His good purpose. "For we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His good purpose." (Romans 8:28) We also know, there is a point of no return - a result of a freedom of will: "It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age— and then have fallen away—to be restored to repentance, because they themselves are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to open shame." Heb 6:4-6
I think Christians make a mistake when they see "free will" as also "successful result of man's free will". Free will is only the concept of choice, as you pointed out. God has defined a best way to live and the consequences of not living in that manner. Man only has two choices: either do things within the guidelines of God's way or do things in Man's own, self-centered way. Either way, there are resulting consequences. The "free will" is not found in the outcome/consequence but in the simple fact of choice. Just as an example, God created the physical reality of Gravity. It is a finite concept. Man has the free will to either live under the reality of gravity or to choose his own way. If he lives under the reality of gravity, accepting that gravity must be respected, treated correctly, etc. , then God blesses Man's knowledge and Man can actually fly in an airplane or space ship, always aware that gravity may raise its specter with a malfunction. However, if man chooses to defy gravity and jumps off a tall building, God curses that choice and he will die as a splat on the pavement. The outcome did not mean that a man had lost his free will. It means that his freedom of choice had consequences one way or the other.
God knew Pharoah's heart. Pharoah was never going to let the Israelites leave Egypt. He toyed with them, but God knew Pharoah's true thoughts and intents. The Hebrew word we translate as "hardened" actually means, "Make heavy, weighty or burdensome". It wasn't that Pharoah MIGHT have made the choice to let the Israelites go if God had just left him alone. It was that Pharoah was not going to let them go, God knew that, and so God made firm that resolve, establishing it an entrenched, weighty, heavy decision in its resolve. Pharoah had gone past the point of no return. He still had free will, but his freedom of choice to go against God had an everlasting consequence. God knew Jonah's heart too. Jonah had not gone past the point of no return and God knew that. God knew Jonah's heart was not hard and would change. He provided the catalyst for that change and used Jonah accordingly, both in a witness to the crew on the ship and then to Ninevah. That did not subvert Jonah's free will in any way. It simply let him experience the consequences of that free will, both bad and then good.
God does not manipulate outcomes and neither should we. He simply uses what is already true and real in order to bring glory to Himself in His purpose. He knows the hearts of men and doesn't have to change a thing in order to use them. He lets their free will put them into the position where He can use them for His good, either way. But then, that may be where you are going with this in the long run. :-)
.
Well, there's more to come. Not gonna give it all away just yet. :)