Do We Really Have Free Will?

One Christian’s perspective on the concept of “free will.”
It’s an interesting topic for discussion. Do human beings truly have what is often termed a “free will.” Do we as humans, and Christians, make decisions entirely of our own “will.” Is this even possible? Many Christians would answer that it is, many would answer with what is termed “predestination theology,” still some would respond thoughtfully that they are unsure of the place of free will in the Christian life.

So let’s take a closer look at the concept of “free will” from a philosophical and religious perspective. If God expects us to make a decision regarding a belief to eternal life, then it follows suit that if God is fair, he would allow us the free will to make such a decision. But maybe it’s not quite so simple. The previous statement makes some large assumptions: that an afterlife exists, that God decides who goes to which afterlife based solely upon belief, and that God does in fact decide who does and does not go to each afterlife. I’m not saying that all of these assumptions are wrong, rather it is imperative that we look at the whole question to best be able to answer it.

First of all, it is important to think in a universal way about this subject. Does every single human being have a free will? Many would say that they do, but upon careful consideration, it would be quite simple to come to an entirely different conclusion. The first group of people that come to mind as an exception to this concept are the mentally ill. Many of these people do not have the capacity of thought above that of a young child and are unable to make even simple decisions, such as what they will eat or wear. That being said, the next group that immediately comes to mind is children. Until a certain age, parents are required to make decisions on behalf of their children as children are mentally unable to reason on a mature level. Then there are those in many countries who lack education in a crippling way, such that they are unable to make informed decisions as to their health and well-being. All things considered, I believe it is quite safe to say that these groups, and probably many more, do not in fact have a free will.

Moving on… What about the rest of us? Do we have a free will? Each of us are only able to view situations through our own lens of perspective. One might ask what forms this perspective. Such elements include upbringing, location, biological makeup, and many other factors, almost all of which we did not choose. So while we are able to, in a sense, make decisions, they are hardly our own. From this perspective, it seems that absolutely no one has a truly free will. This is a concept many have probably never questioned, and to do so may cause unease at first consideration.
You may be asking where this leaves us as Christians. Well, that brings us back to the first part of our examination of free will.

The idea that God would only allow certain people to find truth that would eternally save or damn them is preposterous, and if we are considered to have truly free will, this is where we are left. But if we do not in fact have free will, it seems that maybe this isn’t how God decides fate, if God in fact does directly decide fate. That leads to two entirely different discussions, those of fate and the afterlife, one which I have covered in my article “What to Think about Life after Death”.
That leaves us of the question of our responsibility as Christians.

I think Jesus silenced any question we could have regarding our responsibility as his followers when he gave us two simple commandments, to love God and love our neighbor. So long as we work in love, philosophical concepts seem to become of less concern. And this should be a comfort to Christians who have spent time stressing over the correct perspectives and beliefs about concepts such as “free will.”