John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
One of the greatest gifts God has given to man is the freedom of choice by which we are free moral agents, to make choices, either good or bad, with consequences. Everything that pertains to this life, our health and wellbeing is centered in the freedom to choose, and even our eternal destiny would also be determined by the choices we make.
We must never lose sight of this fact, for we are not creatures of circumstances, and at the end of the day the choices we make greatly affect what would transpire in our lives. And even though it is true that there are choices that are made by others that will affect us, yet, the freedom to choose and decide is a God given gift, and as such it should be preserved as much as possible.
Our salvation through Jesus, the work of character building, the battles fought and the victories won, and even the work of The Holy Spirit in our hearts, are all accomplished, while leaving our freedom of choice intact, for Christ never forces His grace upon unwilling hearts, and at every step of our advance or retreat, the buck stops with persons.
There are certain situations where a curtailment of our freedom to choose might seem warranted, but we should be very careful in following God’s lead in such matters because the restricting of our freedom to choose, even for seemingly good reasons, would ultimately produce by-products and consequences downstream that are antichrist in nature.
Case in point is the situation which transpired with Cain, when he chose to bring fruit instead of a lamb, as God had required. God lay before Adam’s family what He required as a sacrifice for sin, but He left them free to choose to comply or not, with natural consequences to follow.
The use of force in coercing the conscience, even if it is for something good, is an antichrist principle, and even though it may be introduced under cover of darkness, as something for the greater good of the human family, yet it will produce repercussions downstream, which will then become quite difficult to reverse.
Several very important points are to be observed in the episode with Cain, for there are very important lessons for governments, nations, and families as it pertains to safeguarding that God-given freedom of choice because when The Son makes us free, choice is always left uninhibited. Let’s read:
Genesis 4: 6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou do well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou do not well, sin lieth at the door.
[1] First and foremost is the fact that God left every member of Adam’s family to make their individual choices.
He would encourage, exhort, warn and counsel, but God never tampers with the freedom of choice, for it is a sacred right He has given to each member of the human family, and as such it must be jealously guarded.
Some persons may accuse Cain of being foolish in his decisions, and that might very well be the case, but God has granted us the right to be foolish, if we so choose. And therefore, just because Cain insists on doing some nonsensical thing, it does not mean that his freedom to choose must be curtailed.
Parents often encounter this conundrum with their offspring who have reached an age of accountability and who might track a different course other than that which is sensible.
Persons might, like the prodigal son, waste their substance on riotous living, and the son or daughter may burn cash on such things that do not satisfy, much to the chagrin of the parents.
Yet, because they are free moral agents just like the parents in question, if they are not living under the parent’s roof, their freedom of choice should not be interfered with for any reason, even though parents may be grieved at their wayward course in life.
This is a red line that must never be crossed, even if the temptation to do so may be very strong. When parents have jurisdiction over their kids, they are responsible for their training and upbringing, as The Lord clearly demonstrated in the episode with Eli.
But when the children have reached adulthood, and are no more under the watch-care of parents, their right to choose must be honored, even if they may do some stupid things. God has granted to all men and women the freedom to be wise or stupid as one may so choose, with consequences.
God respects the choices of the righteous and the vile, and we should too. Like God, in His overtures to Cain, we may counsel, exhort, encourage, and we may even urge a change of direction.
But at the end of the day, their choice must be left untrammeled, for we are never authorized to step ahead of God in such matters of conscience. Some parents would be grieved and others may have a righteous indignation, but the choices of persons are to be respected. Let’s read:
If a Christian and a Buddhist decide to get married, contrary to the directives given in the scriptures, God respects their choices thus made, and in the books of heaven they are recorded as husband and wife. The gospel never compels anyone to serve or obey God. Never! Let’s read:
Joshua 24:14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Hebrews 11: 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
Being loaded with The Holy Ghost does not prevent anyone from choosing either good or bad. If we are inclined to choose good, The Holy Spirit will enable us to do so. But if we deliberately choose to do evil, God does not prevent us from doing so.
There is a passage in the Bible which goes like this: “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling”. This passage must never be understood to mean that God keeps persons from sinning against their will, for if He were to do this, like Balaam, when the restraining power of God left him, persons will just go back to doing what they had purposed originally, and in certain instances, they may even go deeper into sin.
God keeps us if we choose to be kept, but in most cases, He does not put a righteous bridle on us so that if we decide to sin, an angel would stand in the way with flaming sword drawn in his hand, to block or prevent us from doing so. This isn’t how it works!
When David fell for Bathsheba, God did not stop him from having that rendezvous, even though he was alerted to the dangers through some of his advisors. Jesus also did not prevent Peter from cursing out the maid in the courtyard.
Jesus warned, He encouraged, and He prayed for Peter that his faith would fail not, but to actually prevent Peter from using bad words is an absolute non-starter for everyone who serves and obeys God must do so from their own free will. Any forced, or robotic obedience is absolutely rejected. Let’s read:
Deuteronomy 11:26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day.
28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.
This leads us to a very important consideration as it pertains to the freedom of choice for it is a fact that that the choices of some can adversely affect others in ways that can be quite difficult to reconcile.
[2] Freedom of choice also brings the risk of collateral damage.
In the current environment in which we are living, there are some persons who have chosen not to be vaccinated, and by so doing it is stated that they are endangering the lives of others by their choices. So, what should be the next move in such a situation.
Should such persons be cut off from society, from goods and services in an effort to “Cause” them to buckle? Should mandates be instituted against such since as the experts say, they are a risk to society?
And what about their basic needs, such as food and drink? Should they be deprived in different ways of their jobs, access to the amenities of life, and goods and services, that are readily available to all others who may choose differently? Let’s read:
Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Psalms 68:18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.
Who is the “US” being referred to in the previous passage? Is it only God-fearing Christians who are trying their best to serve and obey God, or does the passage include the Taliban and Vladimir Putin?
Now, it is truly understandable why those in high places are under pressure to take mitigation efforts since our backs are against a wall, and even though we are trying to beat the virus, it keeps lingering on and on. We understand this.
But there is another follow-up question: If society decides on a particular course of action as pertains to a religious matter that is touted as being for the greater good, should the conscience of those who beg to differ be coerced into compliance through very stringent economic sanctions?
Freedom of choice produces the risk of collateral damage, and as we move forward decisions would have to be made as to how far we are willing to go in the mitigation of such circumstances. Just for your information, sin produces collateral damage in both man and beast, because of the bad choices some may make, and it continues to do so to this very day.
Therefore, the issue of our freedom of choice, with all of its inherent risks of collateral damage and the appropriate mitigation efforts would be a matter of grave concern for all, sooner or later, according to the scriptures. Let’s read:
Genesis 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
But even this adverse consequence must not move persons to restrict the freedom of choice. Justice is to be meted out where warranted, and the rights of others ought to be respected but as we observe the model given in Genesis, we see that God refrained from making make Cain a robot of obedience, after killing Abel.
Not only does God leave Cain’s freedom of choice intact, He also does not level economic sanctions against him by cutting off his access to resources and services, enjoyed by other human beings. God lets Cain know of the natural results of his sin, but He permits sunshine and rain to fall on Cain’s land.
We ought to be wary of anything that savors of the forcing of one’s conscience, even if it be something that is good. Salvation has been made free to all on our planet, and it is an indisputable fact that society will greatly benefit if all were to follow Jesus.
But just because this is the case, believers should not compel anyone else to serve Christ. Let every person be persuaded in their own minds, but never should the practice of coercing the conscience be made a part of any evangelizing efforts, for this will ultimately lead to persecution of some sort. Let’s read:
Daniel 3:28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
The tendency to level economic sanctions against a person in the attempt to coerce their freedom of choice is a tactic that savors too much of the beast system of Revelation 13. Even though such action may be touted as being for the greater good of the people, yet at its core is the use of force, a principle that is mostly opposed to Christ’s kingdom.
Sin by its very nature will cause collateral damage, some more some less, for as the Bible states, death came upon us all as a result of Adam’s choice. Yet, it is a sacred right, and even Adam would make some mistakes later on in life, but his freedom to choose was never revoked. Let’s read:
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression.
15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
This is one of the downside risks to our freedom of choice, because, either knowingly or inadvertently, the bad choices we make, do take a toll on others.
For many years second hand smoke from cigarettes has caused untold damages to both the living and the unborn, to the tune of approximately forty- something thousand deaths each year. Persons who never touched a cigarette have been laid to rest as a result of the habits and choices of others.
Like Abel, some innocents have died in the process, and many more will succumb for years to come, yet the smoking of cigarettes has never been absolutely prohibited in this country, and even though it is well documented that such a practice is harmful to one’s self and others, it remains a free choice for persons.
In the current environment where the issue of some putting others at risk, is the reason why economic privileges are being restricted and persons are being fired from their jobs, it is important for us to have some context, so as to better understand the issues at hand. Let’s take a look:
CDC: Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. Cigarette smoking kills more than 480,000 Americans each year.
In addition, the United States spends more than $300 billion a year on smoking-related illness, including more than $225 billion in direct medical care for adults and $156 billion in lost productivity.
Question: Should smokers then be sanctioned, lose their jobs, and be deprived of certain privileges that are available to all Americans because they do harm to themselves, to others, and to the economy?
Now, the surgeon general might choose to put the image of a coffin on each box of cigarettes, and the health experts may lecture to persons until they are blue in the face, yet, while tobacco remains legal, persons do retain the freedom to choose to smoke or not.
Thus, we must ascertain why God does not inhibit our freedom of choice, even though at times it may cause real grief to ourselves and others. The reason is that choice is the key that opens the door for man to depart from God, but it is also the same key that reopens the door, if man chooses to return to God.
The same David who deliberately chose to do what he did with Uriah’s wife, also used that freedom of choice to request a clean heart and the renewal of a right spirit within himself.
Nebuchadnezzar chose to defy the God of heaven, by building an image of gold, but he used the same freedom of choice when he acknowledged that God was right, and that his way was perverse. It was the very same freedom of choice at work in both cases.
Saul, before he became preacher and prophet had deliberately chosen to persecute the newly formed Christian churches, but when he was accosted on the road to Damascus, he used the same freedom of choice to utter those memorable words: “Lord what will thou have me to do?”
Therefore, even though the freedom of choice given us by God as a sacred gift, carries with it the risk of potential evil, it could, and is often used to restore our relationship with God and man, and for this one reason, our freedom to choose should be jealously guarded under all circumstances.
Thus, it is a solemn statement that we make, that our freedom to choose will come under increasing pressure from various forces and entities, claiming to be working for the greater good of humanity.
This might actually be true, for no one is to judge the motives and intentions of another, but those verses of scripture, written in Revelation 13 warn of a time, in the not too distant future, when freedom of choice will be upended, for all those who desire to retain access to goods, foods, and services.
This is not the case just yet, but we are seeing the sprinkling of what has been predicted, that would surely metastasize into heavy showers as mandates for the greater good, become the springboard for restricting our freedom of choice.
Such actions will then put the true Christian in a predicament where he or she will have to decide whether the freedom of choice given us by God is worth surrendering in exchange for our economic privileges, or whether it is worth it to retain our freedom of choice at all costs. Let’s read:
Revelation 13:16 And he “causes” all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Momentous scenes are at hand, and the battle for the mind continues, and in various ways and in very ingenious methods, and for seemingly good reasons it is predicted that our freedom of choice will be at stake in the final conflict just before Jesus puts in His appearing.
Let us therefore be wise, understanding what the will of The Lord is, and let us hold fast to the faith in Christ that is to sustain us during these difficult days of earth’s history. We will close with a passage of scripture which should alert us to the urgency of the moment, because the days are coming soon, when the just shall live by faith alone. Let’s read:
Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
16 The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
God Bless!