In modern evangelicalism, a concept dominates as the axiomatic given in any discussion concerning salvation: men's free will. For so many Christians, this is an intuitive matter, and even though it has never dawned on them that if that were truly the case, it would have serious ramifications for God, they persist in assuming this notion. We will look at these implicit, unavoidable effects on the deity later.

The trouble is that few Christians have taken the time and effort to improve their understanding of topics like free will. It is commonly believed that when it comes to the gospel, we are free to receive or reject without a hint of any entity, known or unknown, showing the slightest influence, let alone determinative sway.

Debates surrounding these important questions have been going on for centuries, and no doubt will continue for centuries to come as the Lord tarries. There are one or two questions we ought to ask of the proponent of free will to show the implausibility of it being true, and the impossibility of human knowledge of the same, even if it were.

Let me explain. Without getting into the niceties of philosophical distinctions, which are most helpful in themselves, let me assume the correctness of the free will advocate in his belief for just a moment. So, whether it is expressed as a contra-causal freedom, a freedom of indifference, libertarian freedom, or freedom to choose the other, let us see what this entails for the world and God.

First, the familiar refrain concerning those who are saved is that they have adhered to the "whosoever" offer, and in this free response of faith have secured their eternal destiny (unless they freely rescind the gift at a later stage, but that is another discussion best left for another time). So, the matter of election is understood in terms of God foreseeing the individual's free response to the gospel and, thereby, choosing them. If the certainty of God's knowledge is secured because of His omniscience, which is in no way a given for all free will advocates [there are those open theists that so redefine omniscience that it is hardly recognizable as the historic doctrine], that God infallibly knows who will and who will not receive Christ. 

These scenarios are often thought about as if the receiving or rejecting of Christ happens in a spiritual vacuum, which, of course, is nonsense. However, let us press on, despite not identifying the conditions under which one does receive Christ. The only surety in any of these scenarios is free will. If I ask a person who holds this view about the possibility of a particular individual getting saved, the answer will likely be "everyone has a chance to be saved!" 

And now I have him! 

Surely, God knows who will believe and who will not believe. Given this truth, how can those God knows will not believe genuinely have a chance to be saved? It is a simple question that demands a fair assessment and answer. If God knows, then what He knows is certain. Then, it is certain that some have no opportunity to be saved now.

Second, if one truly has the libertarian understanding of free will, then it seems that the reality of God's exhaustive knowledge of future free choices of humans must be given up. Indeed, one of the commendable facets of open theism is its facing this question head-on. In an awful conclusion, this theological stance must concede the reality of God having to forgo the privilege of absolute and unqualified omniscience as it would necessarily set the future, and thus destroy freedom. Hence, to hold to so-called free will as a meaningful and sensible position, one must abandon belief in God's foreknowledge of future free actions. At least here, the openness advocates are consistent!

Third, and most troubling for the free will advocate, is the glaring hubris required by this view. To acknowledge free will is the same as saying, "I have determinative knowledge that no force or power or influence has a decided sway over my will." The obvious problem with such a declaration, implicit for anyone who claims to know they have free will, is that it requires knowledge of all things; omniscience, no less, is a must! This is too steep a hill for a mere mortal to climb. No one has that ability, save God, [maybe!].

So, there we have it. These are a few questions to ponder. As Gordon Clark once noted, one's intuitive belief and knowledge of free will is, in reality, one’s ignorance of predestination. I heartily agree. Men have no free will, for salvation is by pure grace for God's eternal glory.

Theodore Zachariades, PhD.