Non-Christians and Christians alike believe in the free will of man. For many, it is the easy answer to the problem of evil and other questions such as "why does God save some and send some to hell?" But what is free will? Do we really have free will? Well, that depends on what you mean by "free will."

The common understanding of free will is that we are autonomous, having the liberty to either do something or not, to choose evil or good, to choose God or not. Man becomes the ultimate determiner of his future and his very own salvation. But is this understanding of free will truly biblical?

What the Bible actually teaches is that God is sovereign and has free will. He does what He wants according to His good pleasure and no one can thwart His plans. He is eternal and He declares the end from the beginning and he establishes our every step. He learns nothing from our ways and none of our actions ever change God's mind. He knows every intent of the heart and already knows the things we would ask in prayer even before we say it. He is sovereign over salvation and has appointed even before the foundation of the world who will believe and have faith in Christ and be saved. He is the one with libertarian free will and this is well-exercised in His sovereignty—NOT US. Libertarian free will of man is merely assumed based on common-sense experience but not proved anywhere in the Bible.

Instead of libertarian free will, I would argue that man has <strong>free agency</strong> (or limited free will)—meaning we have the ability to do whatever we want to do but only under the limitations and definitive end set by God's determination. We are by no means ultimate to determine our future; thus our existence, choices, and actions have pre-determined futures according to God's ordination. It's for this reason that Christ taught us to pray in such a way that we must recognize that the Lord's will be done in our lives, that He provides, He leads and delivers. One may ask, "how then should I know how I must live if God has already determined my future?" The answer: Turn to God's Word. The Scriptures reveal wise instruction, promises, holy commandments, warnings and judgments that would guide us with how we live our lives. Our disbelief in and rejection of His Word would give us a glimpse to our futures. His words surely come to pass, hence we must repent and worship God or else we perish.

With Adam's sin, all of mankind has been set to eternal damnation—and no, God was not surprised by Adam's rebellion. Thus, God already gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, before the foundation of the World; a sacrifice pre-provided to man's inevitable fall. Christ was not surprised about Judas' betrayal as well, but He has mentioned in multiple occasions that He came to fulfill the will of the Father. The only time in history where "bad things happened to a good person" was when Christ suffered unto death for the sins of the world. This statement does not apply to anyone of us. The only reason why we commonly ask why bad things happen to us is that we presuppose that we are good people. The Bible reveals the truth about our state before God: that we all have gone astray and have fallen short of God's glory. No one is good.

"Then if God is good, why would He allow me to sin? Why would He allow the holocaust and other evil events in the world?" The simple Biblical answer can be found in Genesis 50:20, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." Man was created in the image of God and He called it good. But due to sin, we have been corrupted and have been slaves to sin ever since. We get evil as a result when we operate outside of God's commandments. Evil, therefore, is the outcome of man's rebellion against God—a repercussion to sin. God is not the author of evil, but He permits evil for a good purpose. The Lord does not delight in the death of the wicked but He is pleased with the repentance of man. All things which He has given, done, allowed and set aims to bring glory to His good and holy name.

"Are we then responsible for anything if God is sovereign and we do not have libertarian free will?" Yes. We are created to exercise dominion over the earth, responsibly doing godly work according to God's standards. God has placed us in certain areas (family, work, church, etc.) to bring and establish God's kingdom there. Our restoration and sanctification is not only a spiritual thing, it also demands actual physical/practical proof. This is summarized in James 2:17: "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." Therefore, man is God's representative to bring forth God's good works in this world. Our willful denial of this calling does not discount the accountability that comes with it. Though the Lord chooses those who would come and believe, it does not excuse us from the original mandate for man. We must remember that man (in reprobation) never is forced to disobey God. Rather, the reprobate does it willingly. Truly, the only way for man to obey God is to have a renewed heart by and through the work of the Spirit.

"So if God elects who will be saved and He does as He pleases, if God holds the destinies of man, then is it not kind of unfair?" Well, we do not want fairness; for fairness would mean sending everyone to hell. God's justice would demand our eternal death—for the wages of sin is death. It's surprising that He even elects people to salvation. We should not want fairness, we should want mercy. God, being the One who is good, omniscient, and truly "free", has the authority to determine who gets to be saved and who gets to be punished. He determines this according to His good counsel. And who are we to argue with the Almighty? We're not God nor are we like Him. We're only His creatures. It would be prideful and insulting of a fallible, imperfect, foolish sinner to argue against an infallible, holy, wise God. The same argument was posed in Romans 9:14-16:

“What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’” “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’””
Romans 9:14-16 (ESV)

In conclusion, unless God opens man's eyes, he shall not see God. Unless God gives man ears to hear, he shall not hear God's voice. Unless God changes man's heart of stone into a heart of flesh, he shall not love God. Unless the Father elects, unless the Son atones for, unless the Spirit sanctifies and testifies of a man, he shall not be saved. God is sovereign over salvation. God works in our salvation. And the Lord has pre-determined those that will respond to the call of the Gospel to repent and believe; we just do not know who the elect are thus we preach the good news about Christ to all people. A simple acceptance prayer would never save us, but the acceptance of the Father of Christ's atonement for the elect would. Man's salvation is never about man's choice, nor his demands, nor his desire to be saved, it's about God's lovingkindness, mercy, and grace. We are in no position to complain. As Jonathan Edwards once said, "You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary." Let us be humble before the Almighty God.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.”
John 10:27-30 (ESV)