God’s sovereignty verses our ‘free will’?
Q: God is SOVEREIGN, and we know this from Scripture, then, how does MY Free Will come into play?
A: [Thanks for the question.] First, we have to determine, what is meant by the statement, “God is sovereign.” For me, no one answers that question better than the 19th century Bible scholar, A. W. Pink, by his statement, “We mean the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the god-hood of God. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in the army of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay His hand or say unto Him what doest Thou? (Daniel. 4:35). To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in Heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will (Psalm. 115:3). To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is “The Governor among the nations” (Psalm. 22:28), setting up kingdoms, overthrowing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as pleaseth Him best. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the “Only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15). Such is the God of the Bible.”
We know that human beings are given the ability to make free choices, but according to scripture, it is a limited freedom of choice, because, we live in a fallen state, and when needed to make a choice, mankind will not always make the right choice; he will make the choice of what his mind is inclined to choose – what is desirable. Two excellent resources on the subject of Free Will, were written by Jonathan Edwards (deemed America’s greatest scholar by Encyclopedia Britannica), entitled, The Freedom of the Will, and the German Theologian, Martin Luther, entitled, Bondage of the Will. In his book, Edwards wrote, “Free moral agents always act according to the strongest inclination they have at the moment of choice.”
Conclusion: we have the ability to make free choices and so does God, and that’s where our differences STOP! We are not sovereign but He is! In Genesis 2, God said to Adam and Eve, “You may eat of all of the trees in the Garden.” But, of this tree you may not eat. If you do, you will surely die.” They both were given free will, even though it was limited, because God’s will was/is greater. Man has ‘TOTAL’ Free Choice: Free choice says, you and I are walking down the street, and a person jumps out from behind some bushes, with a gun, and says, “Your life or your money!” The crook gave us a ‘choice’. In theology, we like to say that all Believers have ‘Partial Free Will’; What this means is that, in every situation presented to a Christian, he/she won’t always make the right choice, given the fact, our physical bodies haven’t been eradicated of the original SIN nature – we haven’t received our glorified bodies that would assure us of ‘always making the right choice’; thus assuring us of ‘Total Free Will.”