Free Will and the Image of God
"I am fearfully and wonderfully made." The Psalmist declared.
Each and every one of us has been hand-crafted by God. He
shaped us and formed us while we were in our mother's womb. We are made in his
image and likeness. We are like scale models of God, we don't quite live up to
the original, but we can see the similarities. This is one of the most
important and amazing truths revealed in the Bible.
In a previous post we discussed that this image has several
aspects, we looked at just three: we are moral, relational, and rational.
Underpinning these three is another important aspect that is
just as important, if not more important. Because we are created in God's image,
we possess a free will. The other three aspects do not work unless the engine
of our free will is driving them.
We are the only creatures on earth that God made with a free
will. We can choose. We may choose to obey him, and we may choose to disobey
him, we can choose to do right or to do wrong. We can love God, or we can hate
him. We may choose life, or we may choose death.
Animals may make choices, but their choices are not based
off of free will or conscience. Their decisions are based on instinct and
environmental factors.
This means that we can and should be held morally
accountable for our choices. Our free will gives us the ability to do good and
to do evil.
Man was created in the image of God so that he could relate
to God in a unique way. He wants us to participate in the communion of love
that has existed within the Trinity throughout eternity. Out of the
overabundance of love and joy that is shared within the Trinity, God decided to
pour out that love on us. He created us for no other purpose than to receive
that love and give love in return.
We can choose what we think about, "Finally, brethren,
whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are
just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever
things are of a good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any
praise, think on these things."(Philippians 4:8) The Scriptures give us specific instructions
about what to think about and what not to think about, this would not be
possible if we did not have some volition over our minds.
In Genesis chapter two we find Adam by himself after he was
created. Adam is alone. God says that this is not good thing, so he summons all
the animals and has Adam give them names in hopes that he might find a helper
suitable for him. Adam recognizes that the animals are in many ways like him,
but none are suitable to be a partner for him to give his life to.
So, God puts Adam into a deep sleep, pulls out his rib and
creates Eve. Adam sees her and sings the first love sone, "This is now
bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!" (Genesis 2:23)
God then encourages them to be joined to one another, to become "one flesh," and enjoy the sexual union.
What I am seeing here is that as much as Adam and Eve each
individually are created in God's image, that image, somehow, is not quite
whole, not "very good" until the pair is complete, until there is
communion and fellowship between the two.
Embedded in the call, the invitation, to become one flesh
and be joined as man and woman, husband and wife, is the understanding that
Adam and Eve had a choice. Adam could have chosen to reject Eve, and Eve could
have chosen to reject Adam. Adam and Eve were called to love each other, in
order to truly and freely love each other, they must have been able to say no
and reject each other. The dignity of love requires the dignity of choice. Adam
and Eve had the free will to love or not love one another.
We also see the dignity of choice given to Adam and Eve when
they are told to eat of all the trees of the Garden, except the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. They could choose to demonstrate their love for him
by their obedience or reject his love and eat the Forbidden Fruit. We know how
that went. Adam and Eve were kept in a tension, suspended between the Tree of
Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil. They could choose God and
eternal life, or they could choose sin and death.
As a result of Adam's sin, all of humanity has been born in
sin and with a broken will. Our will has become bound by sin. But, from the
beginning, God wanted to restore that free will (we talked about God's desire
to restore the image of God in a previous post as well, and this ties into
that) so that we could freely choose to give ourselves to him as a free gift of
love, and he did this through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through the redemption we find in Christ, we
have our free will restored, and we can freely choose to love and obey God, to
fellowship and commune with God if we want to. We are no longer bound by sin
and unrighteousness.
God fashioned us and shaped us as his image bearers so that
we have the capacity to choose. The most important choice that we can possibly
make is to love and follow Christ. To choose life. This is why we were created,
to love God and to enjoy him now and forever.
Comments
Post a Comment