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Number 3
Free Will
Introduction
The role of free will in the Bible is perhaps the most basic definition of how God wanted to relater with mankind. The sole purpose of giving humankind free will was to crate that sober atmosphere where the people would not feel pressured to abide by God’s laws. The book of Genesis narrates a various instances where the free will was bestowed on mankind and its implications on the final relationship with God. Key individuals like Adam, Cain, Abel who forms the early stages of God’s creation are the best persons to show how free will operated and its impact on man-God relationship. Another way Scripture reveals that humans are free is by depicting them as the originators of their own free actions. Free will was a major element tat was pinned on the core relationship that Gid wanted to establish with man.
The Bible is emphatic on its teaching that humans possess free will and are capable of originating evil. One of the key aspects of the noted elements in the Bible is the way God perceived sin and his will in defining man as a being with the capacity to choose right or wrong (Kahn 102). The concept of sin is what is defined within the told stories that depict how man and God related and the core reason for the free will. The early days where God wanted that close relationship with man has always been the pillar of the mercies and pardon on sin that is found in almost all key characters in the book of Genesis. The major aspect of sin and its scope and impact on the man-God relations is best described through Adam’s story (Peters 8). In the beginning, God pout Adam and even in the garden of Aden where he was truly seeking that personal relationship with his first creation.
God was not interested in punishing sin but forgiving and reconciling with man. Human free will is manifested in the fact that, throughout Scripture, God gives us choices and calls on us to choose the way he knows is best (Westbrook 13). This is clearly narrated in the way Adam was given free will to choose whether to do right or wrong in God’s eyes. Although the two chose to sin, God was still offering them a room for confession that defines God’s approach to sin. Free will manifests in the way Adam was permitted to choose what to do and even given the right to control and subdue all other creations. The excessive freedom given to Adam and Eve is what defined and paved way for sin and abuse of free will (Sölle 12). The early Biblical stories in Genesis define how free will was the cordial bond that allowed man to access God and focused less on sin. God was trying to show mankind that his major focus was the strong relationships the two would have to be sure they moved together with a strong relationship. The bible thus narrates a vital aspect of the role of man in God’s creatin where he was placed at the top and given free will. Many religious scholars have stuffed and found that free will the pillar to God’s perception on man and the nature of sin (Kahn 109). Free will therefore was God’s own choosing to allow man to act freely and have the liberty to choose the right things in life.
The major debate that lies within the whole Biblical setting is God who is all-knowing give man free will (Peters 15). The answer to this question lies in analyzing the nature of sin and what God counts as an offense to his holiness. The Bible is clear on how sin has been the barrier that exists between man and God that derives the need for repentance. However, whole idea of free will is far-fetched when looking at key stories like Cain’s arrogance and murder of his brother Abel. These elements of sin that are defined in the early stories in the Bible have been a major stepping stone in understanding how God relates with man. The other aspect of God’s free will on man is to look at both the nature of sin and the power to overcome it in all environments (Westbrook 7).
Looking at God’s place and holiness, it is clear that there existed a huge difference in what man saw as right or wrong. Free will was a major element that was pinned on the core relationship that Gid wanted to establish with man (Kahn 119). One of the key aspects of the noted elements in the Bible is the way God perceived sin and his will in defining man as a being with the capacity to choose right or wrong. The concept of sin is what is defined within the told stories that depict how man and God related and the core reason for the free will. To be precise, the nature of free will was always relative and dependent on man’s intellect ability to choose between right and wrong (Westbrook 3). Most importantly is the way the book of Genesis as the foundation to God’s creation defines right and wrong. The aspect of temptation that is the root to sin when mankind gives shows that free will was a recipe to allowing mankind choose the path to take. However, God did not interfere with free will and allowed mankind to choose right or wrong in all his ways. The book of Genesis narrates very interesting instances where man deliberately chose to test God by acting contrary to his laws(Sölle 7) . For example, Cain chose to murder his brother knowing that God would not put up with such sin.
Free will and the liberty given to mankind in the early days of creation was greatly abused. Cases of sin and ignorance to God’s instructions and laws is noted throughout the book of Genesis. For example, Adam chose to disobey God by eating from the forbidden tree that sparked the barrier of sin between mankind and God. The Bible points key areas where man was deliberately acting on free will but unfortunately chose the easier path that led to sin. Free will was therefore abused and those whom it was accorded failed to take advantage of God given freedom to choose right and wrong. The free will did not mean that God would overlook sin but it was a chance to allow mankind to act freely and develop that culture of avoiding sin and copying his creator in goodness. The Bible thus points that mankind abused free will and tested God’s patience and response to sin by choosing the wrong in place of right or righteousness.
Works Cited
Kahn, Victoria. “What Original Sin? Political Theology, the Jewish Question, and the Work of Metaphor.” Telos 178 (2017): 100-120.
Peters, Ted. God in Cosmic History: Where Science & History Meet Religion. Winona: Anselm Academic, 2017.
Sölle, Dorothee. Thinking about God: An introduction to theology. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2016.
Westbrook, Perry D. Free will and determinism in American literature. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2020.
