Free Agency
Let me begin by suggesting that you read the previous posts first. Each contributor carefully communicated discernable, biblical life lessons to the reader, lessons which are transformative to any who would apply them. So far on the LIFE|Line blog, we have read about tribulation, about joy, about worship, about obedience and so much more. In each post, we have seen that God is able to transform us in our brokenness, is able to sustain us in our circumstances, and is able to lead us in lives of worship and peace. We have seen over and over that God is able.
There is, however, something unusual and easily overlooked about the nature of the God who speaks galaxies into existence: God places limits on himself.
It stands to reason that God might limit himself to only doing good things. Abraham, while speaking to the Lord, correctly notes, at the end of Genesis 18:25:
Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
Obviously, he shall do right, so that kind of limit makes sense. I can get behind that. Also, God is “holy, holy, holy,” as the cherubim shout day and night, so it is logical to assume that the thoughts and words of God are only good ones, just like his actions. All of that is totally understandable. None of that is strange.
No, the weird part is that he allows his creation to limit his movement. It feels odd to say, but it is nevertheless true. Remarkably, the Almighty God allows the choices of men to limit the effectiveness of his perfect word, as well as the implementation of his perfect will, in their lives. He even allows himself to be quenched, like a doused flame, unable to shine light into the life of the quencher. In the infinite wisdom of the Most High God, he chooses to impart an agency, an ability to act, to his creation, and that agency is able to stop God from doing what he desires to do. Is God still sovereign then, as some like to say? Certainly, he does accomplish his purposes, and he does keep his promises, regardless of our decisions. But still he allows the will of man to dictate, to a degree, HOW he accomplishes those purposes and keeps those promises. So for this entry, I just want to focus on the issue of our own responsibility, or I guess, our biblical “response-ability.” We should take a look at an example.
In Deuteronomy Israel is about to cross the Jordan River and enter the land of Canaan. In chapter 9, Moses is reminding the children of Israel that God has promised them a good land, but he is careful also to remind them that they are a bunch of punks (9:6):
Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.
There it is. God is definitely still God, still in control, still sovereign. God promised them the land of Canaan hundreds of years ago, and he means to keep that promise, even though the Israelites are genuinely terrible at obeying him.
And the promise, as we see in Deuteronomy 11:24, is a pretty sweet one:
Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.”
Now that is an awesome promise for a people without a land! Did you catch it, though? There is an interesting caveat attached to the promise. Yes, God plans to give Israel the land, but he is only giving them the land on which they actually tread. Back to chapter 9, Moses reminds the people (9:3):
. . . the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face:
Here is an amazing promise to accompany the one about the land itself. You see, there are dreadful and powerful nations inhabiting the land meant for the Israelites, but God himself is going to destroy them. Plus, Israel will see it with their own eyes. Super cool. That is not the end of the verse, though. Here is how it ends:
. . . so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.
Um. . . is God destroying the nations in the land, or are the Israelites destroying the nations in the land? Well, yes.
It turns out that God has given a promise to his people, and everywhere they walk within the bounds of that promise, God will give freely to them. Moreover, there are enemies in their way, greater and mightier than they (9:1), but God has promised to be the fiery instrument of destruction to every enemy his people actually have the courage to face, guaranteeing them victory in every battle.
But what happens if the Israelites walk nowhere and face no one? Does God still move on their behalf, if they refuse to move themselves?
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Does that same agency apply to people God has not “chosen?” Yes, it does. Look at Exodus 14. The Israelites have just left Egypt, and God tells Moses to instruct them to set up camp at a dead end in the wilderness. Why? Here you go (14:4):
And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.
That does not sound like agency, at first blush; that sounds like the fix is in. But hang on a minute.
So Israel does it, okay? They set up camp in a wilderness cul-de-sac of sorts, and Pharaoh hears about it. Either out loud or in his heart, Pharaoh says (14:3):
They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.
And check out what happens in verse 5:
. . . the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people. . .
Oh, so the Lord hardens Pharaoh’s heart at that time? No! Pharaoh hardens his own heart. God waits another couple of verses before he settles the issue (14:8):
And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel:
The Lord hardens Pharaoh’s heart AFTER Pharaoh makes his choice.
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This post needs to end at some point. Laying out all the biblical examples of man exercising his will, either in obedience or opposition to God’s own will, would keep us here for way too long. The point is simply that we have a choice to make. As Moses puts it, in Deuteronomy 11:26-28:
“Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, . . .”
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For Christians today, our task is simple. We are to preach the gospel to every creature. To do that with a success of eternal measure, we must remain in the Vine, given to prayer, spending quality time in the word of God. Have you been fruitful in ministry lately? What about in your home? Or at work? Have you cracked open a Bible this week, for any reason beyond a sense of obligation? Have you prayed, for any reason beyond simply wanting something God has not given you?
God already has given you something incredible: the choice to follow him with your whole heart. If you feel unfulfilled or unfruitful, check the softness of that heart. Maybe you are limiting God’s movement in your life, through an improper response to the word of God. You see, when the Lord speaks to you through his word, you can respond however you please—you are a free agent, but know that the fulfillment and the fruitfulness are found in obedience to what he says.
Jared Prewitt is a member of LIFE Fellowship, a husband, and a father of three. He is involved in the LIFE A/V, LIFE Clean Team, and LIFE|Line ministries. He also serves in the Café at Midtown Baptist Temple.
LIFE|Line is a ministry of Life Fellowship, a fellowship of Midtown Baptist Temple.
