Padlangs Waarheid –
Vrye Wil bepaal jou Ewigheid –
Free Will determinants your Eternity :
Indien “vrye wil” beteken dat God aan mense die geleentheid gee om keuses te maak wat hul bestemming beïnvloed, is dit wel ‘n ja. Die gevalle en sondige wêreld is direk gekoppel aan die keuses wat Adam en Eva gemaak het. God het die mens na Sy eie beeld geskape en dit sluit die vermoë om te kies, in.
Dit beteken egter nie dat die mens enigiets wat hom plesier kan doen nie. Ons keuses word beperk tot binne die grense van ons natuur. ‘n Mens kan kies om oor ‘n brug te stap of nie; wat hy nie kan kies nie, is om oor die brug te vlieg, want sy natuur laat hom dit nie toe nie. ‘n Mens kan nie kies om homself regverdig te maak nie – sy sondige natuur weerhou hom daarvan, om sy skuld te kanselleer (Rom 3:23). Dus is vrye wil beperk deur die mens se natuur.
Hierdie beperking versag nie ons toerekenbaarheid nie. Die Bybel is duidelik daaroor dat ons nie net die vermoë het om te kies nie, maar ook die verantwoordelikheid om met wysheid te kies. In die Ou Testament het God ‘n volk (Israel) gekies, maar individue van daardie nasie het nog steeds die verpligting gehad, om gehoorsaamheid aan God, te kies. Individue buitekant Israel was ook by magte om te kies en God te volg (bv. Rut en Rahab).
In die Nuwe Testament word sondaars oor en oor gemaan om te “bely” en te “glo” (Matt 3:2; 4:17; Hand 3:19; 1 Joh 3:23). Elke oproep om te bely, is ‘n oproep om te kies. Die vermaning om te glo, veronderstel dat die hoorder kan kies om die opdrag te gehoorsaam.
Jesus het die probleem van sommige ongelowiges geïdentifiseer, toe Hy aan hulle gesê het, “Tog wil julle nie na My toe kom sodat julle die lewe kan kry nie” (Joh 5:40). Dit is duidelik dat as hulle wou, kon hulle kom; hulle probleem was dat hulle gekies het om dit nie te doen nie. “Wat ‘n mens saai, dit sal hy ook oes” (Gal 6:7) en vir hulle wat nie by redding ingesluit is nie, is “daar dus geen verontskuldiging nie” (Rom 1:20-21).
Hoe kan die mens, wat beperk word deur ‘n sondige natuur, ooit kies wat goed is? Dit is slegs deur die genade en krag van God dat “vrye wil” werklik “vry” kan wees, in die sin van “ in die vermoë wees” om positief ten opsigte van redding te kies (Joh 15:16). Dit is die Heilige Gees wat in en deur ‘n persoon se wil werk om daardie persoon op te wek (om wedergebore te wil word) (Joh 1:12-13) en hom/haar ‘n nuwe natuur gee “lewe as nuwe mense wat as die beeld van God geskep is: lewe volkome volgens die wil van God en wees heilig” (Ef 4:24). Redding is God se werk. Terselfdertyd is ons motiewe, begeertes en aksies vrywillig en ons word tereg verantwoordelik daarvoor gehou. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
If “free will” means that God gives people the opportunity to make choices that affect their destiny, then it is a yes. The fallen and sinful world is directly linked to the choices Adam and Eve made. God created man in His own image and this includes the ability to choose.
However, this does not mean that man can do anything he pleases. Our choices are limited to within the limits of our nature. One can choose to walk over a bridge or not; what he cannot choose is to fly over the bridge, because his nature does not allow him to do so. A person cannot choose to make himself righteous – his sinful nature prevents him from canceling his debt (Rom 3:23). So free will is limited by man’s nature.
This limitation does not mitigate our attribution. The Bible is clear that we not only have the ability to choose, but also the responsibility to choose wisely. In the Old Testament, God chose a nation (Israel), but individuals of that nation still had the obligation to choose obedience to God. Individuals outside of Israel were also empowered to choose and follow God (eg Ruth and Rahab).
In the New Testament, sinners are warned over and over to “confess” and “believe” (Matt 3:2; 4:17; Acts 3:19; 1 John 3:23). Every call to confess is a call to choose. The exhortation to believe presupposes that the hearer can choose to obey the command.
Jesus identified the problem of some unbelievers, when He said to them, “Yet you do not want to come to Me that you may have life” (John 5:40). It is clear that if they wanted, they could come; their problem was that they chose not to. “What a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal 6:7) and for those who are not included in salvation, “there is therefore no excuse” (Rom 1:20-21).
How can man, who is limited by a sinful nature, ever choose what is good? It is only through the grace and power of God that “free will” can truly be “free”, in the sense of “being able” to choose positively regarding salvation (John 15:16). It is the Holy Spirit who works in and through a person’s will to resurrect that person (to want to be born again) (John 1:12-13) and gives him/her a new nature “life as new people who were created in the image of God: live fully according to the will of God and be holy” (Eph 4:24). Salvation is God’s work. At the same time, our motives, desires and actions are voluntary and we are rightly held responsible for them.
