Do I Have Free Will or Fate?

Have you ever looked up and wondered, "Does mankind have free will or is it just fate?" What is being asked is, "Do I get to make my own choices, or is my life in someone else's control?" Oftentimes, this question is posed with regards to God and eternity. People want to know if they can choose to go to heaven or if God just sends people to hell. Which is it? Could it be both? Neither?

People have looked into these questions but they can get surrounded by them, disoriented and then completely lost. If we are going to travel down these same unfamiliar paths, we will need a guide. The best one anyone could get is the Bible. There is no better way to find answers. The Bible is "completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place," (2 Peter 1:19). It is a firm foundation on which people can orient themselves (Matthew 7:28-29). So, with Scripture as our guide, let us explore and find out what God's Word says about free will and fate.

Starting this journey, without pause, the Bible shows humans have free will. Consistently, Scripture teaches that people can make choices. Joshua spoke for the Lord and told the people to "choose for yourselves this day" whether they will follow God or not (Joshua 24:14-15). It was their choice, as it is ours. Jesus says anyone who believes in Him "will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Him will never die," and He then asks, "Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26). People have a choice to trust or reject. If anyone rejects, then God will respect their choice. He says, "Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them," (Luke 9:26). Conversely, God will respect the choice of anyone who chooses to believe in Him, for "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved," (Joel 2:32). Everyone has a choice.

When God created you, He gave to you an ability 

that He did not give to any of his other creatures. 

He gave you the ability to choose. You can 

live any kind of life you want to. 

And I say this reverently, there is nothing 

God can do about it, because you 

have a will of your own.

- Billy Graham

Further along, again without pause, the Bible shows humans have a fate. God has said this, from the beginning of Scripture. When the Lord called on Abraham, God promised He would shape Abraham's future, (Genesis 12:1-3). He said, "I swear by Myself," meaning nothing Abraham could do would change it (Genesis 22:16). God made a promise that Abraham's descendant and His children would bless the whole world (Genesis 22:18). Further Scripture makes it clear that this promise about Jesus (Galatians 3:16) still holds true and is "an anchor for the soul, firm and secure," (Hebrews 6:17-19). Jesus, Himself, says that those whom God blesses receive it as an "inheritance," (Matthew 25:34). For anyone to receive an inheritance, they must be a member of the family. No human, though, has been directly born into God's family (Psalm 51:5), so God's children must all be adopted. When does God decide to adopt someone? Scripture says that before the creation of the world, before anyone could make a choice, "God predestined us for adoption," and this was done "in accordance with His pleasure and will," (Ephesians 1:4-5). Everyone has a fate.

This is common truth in the early church. He will 

sustain you to the end guiltless in the day of our Lord 

Jesus Christ. God is faithful by whom you were 

called, meaning if He called you, it's done! 

You will be kept. This is what it means to 

have a faithful God.

- John Piper

"WHOAH!" Some of you might say. "Did we go down a wrong turn? Is Scripture contradicting itself?" No, Scripture can never contradict itself. When someone contradicts themself, one or both of the things they have said must be a lie, but God "cannot lie" (Titus 1:2). God's Word will lead people to the truth (John 17:17). "So, which is it?" Some could ask. "Is it free will or is it fate?" Simply put, Scripture guides us to both, so both must be true.

Human beings are incapable of fully grasping a concept such as this. Yes, God is absolutely sovereign and knows all. Yes, human beings are called to make a genuine decision to place faith in Christ unto salvation. These two facts seem contradictory to us, but in the mind of God they make perfect sense.

- GotQuestions

Usually at this juncture, people can throw themselves off-balance: They can seek help from things distant from God's Word. They can trust in their knowledge of how the world is supposed to work. This would be a mistake. People should not trust in their own understanding (Proverbs 3:5) and should focus on heavenly standards over earthly ones (Matthew 6:33). So, let's see how Scripture can clear up some common misconceptions about Biblical free will and Biblical fate:

The Bible can be difficult to understand, but a
misconceived view of it will lead to destruction
(2 Peter 3:16), so people should put effort and time
into seeking out the Bible's wisdom. "Though it cost
all you have, get understanding," (Proverbs 4:7).

• Misconception - "When I chose to follow Christ, I was good enough to make that choice."
• Truth - "No one is good—except God alone," (Mark 10:18). Everyone desires to turn away from God, because "we all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way," (Isaiah 53:6). Anyone who is crooked cannot make themselves straight (Ecclesiastes 1:15), but God can make things crooked or straight (Ecclesiastes 7:13). No one is good enough or wise enough to follow God, without God coming to them first (Romans 5:10). He makes people good, for "every good and perfect gift," including the gift of salvation, comes "down from the Father of the heavenly lights," (James 1:17).

• Misconception - "God is a bad man, because the Bible says He predestines people to hell."
• Truth - "This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all," meaning everyone apart from God will "join the dead" and be "in the realm of the dead," (Ecclesiastes 9:3,10). This destiny is in accordance with everyone's choice to continue in sin (Genesis 3:19). However, Jesus can overwrite this destiny. He did this for Jonah. While he was inside the fish, he proclaimed "the earth beneath barred me in forever," but "God brought my life up from the pit," (Jonah 2:6). God can place a new destiny in front of (or preceding) our natural one. It's similar to how He writes someone's days before they are alive, (Psalm 139:16). This is why believers can be predestined by God (Romans 8:29), but those without God are destined by their sin (Ephesians 2:1).

The fullness of eternal life in heaven is a
marvelous mystery, but God sees it as one of
the multiple beautiful trees He created for us
to enjoy (Genesis 2:15-16, Revelation 22:1-2).

• Misconception - "You have to choose whether you believe in free will or predestination."
• Truth - "Everyone who believes in God will not perish but have eternal life," (John 3:16) and "Jesus gives them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of His hand," (John 10:28). Since Scripture affirms that God's children have free will to choose and are predestined to receive, then no one should be ashamed of this Gospel, "because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes," and in it "the righteousness of God is revealed," (Romans 1:16-17). One day the children of God will be described as those who have "triumphed over the devil, by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony," (Revelation 12:11). They will be honored because of Jesus' fated sacrifice (Ephesians 1:11) and for their free will to testify to this sacrifice (1 Corinthians 15:2).

Sometimes, Christians who believe in free will call 

themselves Arminians (promote Arminius' teachings) 

and those who believe in predestination say they 

are Calvinist (promote Calvin's teachings). The 

assumption is that Arminians and Calvinist have 

to oppose each other, however these schools of 

theology are not opponents but are different 

focuses on the same salvation.

• Misconception - "Someone can only preach on free will or predestination."
• Truth - "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus...I give you this charge: Preach the word," (2 Timothy 4:1-2). The Bible teaches about decisions and destinies, so anyone who preaches Scripture must be willing to preach from all of it (2 Timothy 3:16). Along with this, Jesus' followers need to teach what their audience needs to hear "so that by all possible means they might save some," (1 Corinthians 9:20-22). They could preach to a western culture that believes in freedom and "every man for himself," or to an eastern culture that believes in fate and "the whims of the spirits." In both cases, Jesus' children are to "preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block" that trips up everyone (1 Corinthians 1:23). When people let Jesus' teachings shake up their common understandings, then that stumbling block can become "precious" to them, and they can see that what they originally rejected is "the cornerstone," (1 Peter 2:7).

After seeing what Scripture shows about fate and free will, it could be hard for someone to have peace with it. There may be a part of it that they want to change, but what human being could "talk back to God?" (Romans 9:20). They may want to stay longer and wrestle out their thoughts, until they are just right, but no one should try to become "overwise—why destroy yourself?" (Ecclesiastes 7:16). At this point, it is considerably best to take what has been gained and return back to what is familiar. Except now, some familiar things might appear different.

It may have been confusing, earlier, to hear that the seeming opposites of fate and free will could be conjoined. Yet, a quick look at many common things Christians say and do shows that this truth has been present all along. Look at how a believer prays. They ask God for things from their own desires and then say, "In Jesus' name," submitting their request to the Lord's preordained approval (James 4:2-3). Check out what people say when they quote Psalm 23. They state that God leads them and prepares a reward for them (verses 1-3,5). In the same Psalm, they also say they walk through dark valleys and they choose to accept God's offer to live in His house (verse 4,6). Even in worship music, decisions and destiny continually go hand-in-hand. Believers can sing about their choice to follow Christ as well as their need for God to carry them. This is rarely questioned as a puzzle, but is shown as something wonderful and powerful.

When You call to me, I will run to You.

When You reach for me, I lift my hands to You.

When I'm tired and weary, You lift me up.

You place me on the wings like eagles.

That's where I'll find my freedom.

I'll find my freedom in You.

- Martin Kolb

Humans have a fate, as well as a free will. Both are necessary to fulfill God's plan for salvation. When this salvation comes, people will see that the Children of God "follow the Lamb [Jesus] wherever He goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb," (Revelation 14:4). God will give them a crown of victory (Revelation 2:10), and they will hold onto it throughout their life (Revelation 3:11). But, when they get to heaven, then "they lay their crowns before the throne," (Revelation 4:10) and say, "Salvation belongs to our God," (Revelation 5:10). We will not be able to make perfect sense of this now, but one day everything will clear up (1 Corinthians 13:12). For now, though, the nature of this is an unknown environment. But not so for God. It is His garden.

Sources

• The Bible (New International Version)
• Billy Graham: Ability to Choose
• John Piper: Called and Kept
• GotQuestions: Calvinism vs Arminianism
• Martin Kolb: You Are My Hope