Whose Choice – Ours or God’s?

The debate has raged and will continue to rage after we’ve all come and gone. The debate is over whether or not human beings really do have a free will and can make their own decisions freely in life and set their own destiny versus the other side of the coin – whether or not God has already determined a course ahead of time so no one really has a say in the matter since everything’s already laid in stone. This person will get saved and go to heaven. And this other person won’t get saved and go to hell.

“So why even try?” You may have come across someone like this who – they have all their eggs in the basket that God has already decided to exclude certain persons from heaven, and so – I always wonder why these think that God has decided that they’re excluded – but some people come down on this side that God decides and no one else has a choice but to go along. Do you think that’s true? Or do you think that somehow we choose aside from God’s plan and we can alter “fate” by our choices?

By the way, the answer is BOTH are true at the same time as crazy as it sounds. And it makes your head spin to try and get your mind around it! Both are true at the same time!

We do indeed have a free will and can make our own decisions freely in life, like Naomi in the Old Testament book of Ruth (Ruth 3:1-18) comes up with this bold idea to get her daughter-in-law Ruth (whose been widowed) and Boaz together in marriage, while at the same time God has already determined this course ahead of time that Naomi should make this proposal and Ruth will follow along, so things are moving in that direction according to God’s plan in the story. (My head is spinning just from that sentence. How ’bout yours?)

HUMAN WILL COOPERATING WITH THE DIVINE PURPOSE

The entire book of Ruth is an illustration of this truth (for that matter, the entire Bible is): the human will cooperating with the divine purpose.

Ultimately, the divine purpose in the book of Ruth is that King David would be a descendant of Ruth and Boaz (and then Jesus will come through this relationship, too!). But both Ruth and Boaz must cooperate with the divine purpose and decide to participate of their own free will. (Romans 11:33-36)

But how can you cooperate with the divine purpose when you don’t necessarily know what it is?

I mean, it’s not like God necessarily sends you an email – at least, I’ve never received one! – that says, “Okay, now Ruth, this is what I have in mind. So now you need to do this, this and this so it’ll take place. But if you don’t do this, this and this, you’re gonna mess it up.” God, could do that and sometimes He does give us information that’s helpful to keep us on track through supernatural means (Jesus’ dad, Joseph, was given dreams telling him what to do! – marry Mary and go to Egypt; Herod will try to kill the boy), but most often, instead, the answer to the question, “How can you cooperate with the divine purpose when you don’t necessarily know what it is?” – well, you do it – the answer is: through obedience!

A good question to ask here is: Are you obeying God in your own life?

And this is why preachers harp so much on the subject of obedience. Because God has set it up that way. You’ll find His will and walk in His purposes on the path of obedience. And there’s just no way you’re going to fulfill God’s plan for your life and receive all God has for you and be able to say when you find yourself in heaven someday, “Wow, that was something, what God did with my life and how He blessed me,” unless you obey what He says. It’s God’s means to keep us on track – obedience is!

I’m talking about choices: ours or God’s? It’s both!

(Picture above in the public domain: click here. PD-US)