Human Freewill and God’s Sovereignty

In one of my articles I made the point: Could God make a stone so big He couldn’t lift it? The answer is, yes, the human will. Someone responded by insisting that this rejects God’s sovereignty. No, it doesn’t. Allow me to explain…

The LORD is Almighty and indeed reigns supreme (Psalm 103:19, 93:1, Isaiah 37:16, Exodus 19:5 & Zechariah 6:5), but within God’s Sovereignty he allows humans (and angels) freedom of moral will. As such, although God could force us to make righteous choices, he instead grants us moral volition. This means he won’t make us to do what’s wise or right even though he has the power to do so.

Think about it in terms of something as mundane as choosing your clothes for the day. Does the LORD force you to wear a certain shirt or pair of pants? Obviously not, although He certainly could. In short, you choose what you’re going to wear. That’s freewill.

Here are a few examples of moral freewill from both the Old Testament and the New Testament:

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live

Deuteronomy 30:19

The LORD encouraged the Hebrews to make the right choice, but didn’t force them to do so. The point is, they had a choice.

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

John 1:12-13

People choose to receive Christ because they believe; they’re not forced to do so. It’s freewill.

Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the One who sent me. ¹⁷Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.”

John 7:16-17

People obviously have the choice to discern and carry out God’s will or not. No one is forced to damnation and no one is forced to eternal life (2 Peter 3:9).

However, freewill does not mean unaccountable. God’s sovereignty can be observed in the fact that everyone will stand before the Almighty and give an account of their lives, which includes answering for their impenitent choices, thoughts & actions – believers at the Judgment Seat of Christ and the unsaved at the Great White Throne Judgment (1 Corinthians 4:5, Romans 14:10-12 & Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). If the LORD didn’t reign supreme then we wouldn’t have to answer to our Creator. Even archangels and satan have to give account to the Almighty (Job 1:6 & 2:1).

Now, think about it, God wouldn’t hold us accountable to our actions if, in fact, we didn’t have freewill. If we had no choice in the matter and were forced to do this or that, how can we be held accountable for our actions? In other words, the very fact that we’re accountable to the LORD proves freewill.

Why does the Creator allow freedom of moral will? Obviously because God desires people (and angels) to serve & love their Maker because they want to rather than because they’re programmed to do so, like robots.

But, if the LORD is sovereign and reigns supreme, why is this world so messed up? Why is the devil currently “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4)? Doesn’t God care? These questions and more are answered in this article.

What Scripture Passages Disprove Calvinism?

The Fall of Man (Humanity) and Slavery to Satan

REDEMPTION — God’s Plan of Liberation for Humanity & Creation

RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS

Created in the Image of God — What Does it Mean?

The Basics of Christianity