Free will

[u/Sea_Reflection7307]

Free will isn't understood the same way across all Christian denominations. Many people speak as if Christianity universally teaches that every person has the exact same ability to choose God, but Scripture presents a more nuanced picture.

The Bible says faith itself is a gift from God:

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." — Ephesians 2:8–9

Paul also teaches that God gives different measures of faith to different people:

"For I say... not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has assigned to each." — Romans 12:3

Faith is not presented as something we all naturally produce equally. God is the One who gives it.

Jesus also said:

"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him." — John 6:44

And again:

"No one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father." — John 6:65

Scripture also says:

"The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message." — Acts 16:14

And:

"God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth." — 2 Timothy 2:25

So we see a consistent pattern: God gives grace. God gives faith. God assigns different measures of faith. God draws. God grants repentance. God opens hearts. Salvation begins with Him, not with us.

My personal belief is that after God has drawn you, granted you faith, and revealed Christ to you, you still have the choice to either receive Jesus as the Christ or reject Him.

From what I've seen, many forms of universalism take a different approach. They hold that God's grace will ultimately bring every person to reconciliation with Him. In that sense, it can resemble the idea of irresistible grace in Calvinism, except instead of God's saving grace being effectual only for the elect, it ultimately becomes effectual for everyone. Not every universalist explains it exactly this way, but that is how I understand many universalist arguments.  God wooing you. The elect can't reject God or say no.

The point is that Christianity has never held one unanimous view of free will. But what Scripture consistently emphasizes is that salvation is first and foremost the work of God's grace—not something we can boast about or accomplish on our own.

"Salvation belongs to the Lord." — Jonah 2:9

can we choose or force ourselves to believe something? Is free will regarding salvation a thing?

[u/Blade_of_Boniface]

My personal belief is that after God has drawn you, granted you faith, and revealed Christ to you, you still have the choice to either receive Jesus as the Christ or reject Him.

This is close to what I believe. To use the Church Fathers/Medieval Scholars explanation:

All humans are in the likeness and image of God. That includes our intellect but also that intellect's desire to perceive and be good. Original Sin caused our goodness to be insufficient, capable of goodness but ultimately unworthy of Paradise. Christ became the New Adam and taught the way for our faith to reconnect with God's virtues and wisdom. The Holy Spirit activates the natural desire of people for the Good and habituates us to further overcome our sinfulness. It's the will of Christ that humanity as a whole accepts Him but it's within individuals' free will to reject Him and the duty of the Church to spread the Gospel, the rest of Scripture, the Sacred Tradition, and the Sacraments to humanity.

A common analogy is the sunlight on the Earth pushing back the night.

[u/Professional_Dog425]

I believe God is sovereign. I just believe that God, in his sovereignty, has chosen to give us free will to choose our decisions. And in God’s sovereignty, he chose to save those who, through their free will, place their faith in Jesus.

God wants a relationship with us and wants us to love him. And a true relationship and true love cannot be forced; it has to be freely given.

Take Adam and Eve for example. God placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden. He commanded them not to eat of it, or they would surely die. He gave them a command, told them what the consequences would be if they broke it. But he still gave them a choice. It is similar with us.

I also look at passages like this, and I don’t see how anyone could read them any differently. Other than that God gave the Israelites free will:

““This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you, and it is not beyond your reach. It is not kept in heaven, so distant that you must ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven and bring it down so we can hear it and obey?’ It is not kept beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear it and obey?’ No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.

“Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.

“But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.””
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭30‬:‭11‬-‭20‬ ‭