Lesson Aim: To show man is not an automated being but that he is a free moral agent able to make choices which involve responsibilities and consequences.

Monday: Genesis 2:16-17, Romans 9:20 & I Corinthians 2:9-14
Tuesday: Micah 5:2, Habakkuk 1:12 & Hebrews 7:2-3
Wednesday: Ephesians 2:6-7, Isaiah 46:9-10 & Revelation 4:11
Thursday: John 3:16, Matthew 22:37-39, John 8:36, Galatians 5:1, I John 4:19 & Revelation 2:4
Friday: Joshua 24:15, Deuteronomy 30:15-17, I Kings 18:21, Ephesians 2:10, Ecclesiastes 12:14 & Romans 14:12
Saturday: Ecclesiastes 7:29, Romans 6:1,12-14, Hebrews 12:1, Luke 6:45 & James 4:17
Sunday: Proverbs 1:24-31, Galatians 6:7, Luke 12:48, Galatians 4-5 & John 3:18,36

LESSON OUTLINE

I. GOD’S UNAVOIDABLE DECISION REGARDING FREEDOM OF CHOICE FOR MAN.

A. When God made man, He had to either give him the capacity to make true moral choices or make him without the capacity to do so.

1. To give man the ability to choose regarding moral issues was to make him a free moral agent. To do that was to give man limited control over his own future and make him accountable for his direction.

2. To give man no ability to choose regarding moral issues would have made him an automated being. To do that would have given God total control over man’s future and make God solely accountable for every man’s direction.

3. The fact is that God did it one way or the other. In certain areas of life, there is no middle ground. One is either saved or lost, a believer or an unbeliever, forgiven or unforgiven. In the area of spiritual choice, man is either a free moral agent or an automated being. A free moral agent is a being with the personal competence to recognize good and evil, and with the power to choose one or the other regardless of the consequences. An automated being, though potentially able to recognize good and evil along with the consequences of each, has no personal power of choice, and thus, no control over his future. If God was going to make him at all, He had to make him one way or the other.

B. The issue is so critical to man’s condition that God addressed it very early in the scriptures.

1. God does not avoid the issues of life. How much choice does a man really have when it comes to what he believes about God? Is man already programmed to believe or disbelieve? When one "believes on the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior," is he exercising free will or is he really "just going through the motions" of that which was already determined by God? When one believes to the saving of his soul, could he really have done otherwise?

2. This is one of the most profound issues of life. God addressed it for our instruction as soon as He made the first man. (Genesis 2:16-17) To pass over it lightly here would be a serious mistake.

3. From verses 16-17 of Genesis 2, it is clear that Adam had a choice. He could either obey or disobey God. The choice was his; not God’s.

II. WHY DID GOD GIVE ADAM (AND THUS ALL OF MANKIND) A CHOICE?

A. The answer to this question would forever remain a mystery to us had God not seen fit to reveal certain insight into the matter.

1. Romans 9:20 makes clear that mortals could not know apart from divine revelation. "Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?"

2. Certain mysteries of life cannot be perceived by any natural means of learning. They can only be known by divine revelation, and such revelation was limited to the Bible writers. This is the argument of the apostle Paul in I Corinthians 2:9-14. "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

B. God explained that He made man for His own pleasure. It was His purpose to demonstrate His love and grace to man in an environment of mutual fellowship.

1. In view of His eternal pre-existence, it is certain that God did not need man. (Micah 5:2, Habakkuk 1:12, Hebrews 7:2-3)

2. Ephesians 2:6-7 explains that He "...hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." Knowing "the end from the beginning," (Isaiah 46:10) God foreknew that man would fail and need a Savior. In making man, God was fully prepared to provide the love and grace necessary to redeem him in spite of his sin. Revelation 4:11 further explains, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

3. God loves man (John 3:16) and wants man’s love in return. (Matthew 22:37-38) The desired relationship is expressed in I John 4:19. "We love him, because he first loved us."

It is self-evident that apart from the capacity to do so, man could never love God. Thus, for God to receive love from man, it was necessary for Him to give man the ability to love. Apart from that capacity in man, true and mutual communion and fellowship would be impossible. There can be no true love where the capacity to do otherwise does not exist.

III. BY ITS NATURE, TRUE LOVE DEMANDS FREE CHOICE.

A. Love must be voluntary and reciprocal.¹

1. Robots or recorders cannot love. They have no choice and no capacity to respond or to return love.

2. There can be no joy or satisfaction in love expressed where there is no option. An automated machine, a child or a loved one under involuntary duress stating or demonstrating love is empty, meaningless.

3. By its nature, love can not exist apart from choice.

B. With choice comes the potential for wrong choices and evil.

1. If man was made free to love, he was also free to not love. (Revelation 2:4)

2. If man could choose at all, he could choose evil as well as good. (Joshua 24:15, Deuteronomy 30:15-17, I Kings 18:21)

C. Thus, inherent in choice is the potential for sin.

1. Sin is a product of the free will of man. Sin was and is not the will nor intent of God. It occurs by man’s own choice. It cannot be blamed on God. He could have created man without the ability to choose, thus eliminating his ability to love or sin. God chose not to do it that way. He gave man the potential to sin or not to sin. "Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions," Ecclesiastes 7:29. (Romans 6:1,12-14, Hebrews 12:1 & James 4:17)

2. Some deny that man has a moral choice. If man does not make the real choice regarding man’s spiritual matters, then God does. Thus, those who deny man’s choice have no alternative but to accredit sin to God. God does just the reverse. (Proverbs 1:24-31)

D. With freedom of choice comes a great need for restraint.

1. Jesus said, "...unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more," Luke 12:48.

2. In his great discussion on Christian liberty in Galatians 4 & 5 the apostle Paul explained how we were in bondage to sin, but were made free in Christ. (Galatians 4:1-7) He urged believers to stand fast in their liberty in Christ. (Galatians 5:1) He also called for great restraint and warned that the great liberty be not abused. (Galatians 4:9-11 & 5:2-4,7) Listen especially to his appeal in Galatians 5:13, "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." In verse 25 of the same chapter, he said, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

 3. Failure by free people to exercise proper restraint ultimately results in chaos and loss of freedom, a fact observable in the world around us today. Such has been the history of mankind. Ultimately, even the lost man, in death, loses his freedom of choice.

IV. ADAM, THE PROTOTYPE OF ALL MEN, WAS GIVEN FULL FREEDOM OF CHOICE.

A. He was given permission to eat of every fruit except one.

1. He could eat the fruit of that tree or leave it alone. He could obey God or disobey God. God did not restrain him from doing even that which was evil and to his own destruction, even though God could have done so. Adam was a free moral agent. The choice was his.

2. To eat the forbidden fruit, which was within his power to do, was a clear violation of God’s stated will and constituted a deliberate act of disobedience and unbelief on Adam’s part. Such could be true only in view of Adam’s ability to choose either good or evil, to love or not love, to obey or disobey. I Timothy 2:14 states, "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression."

B. The sin that damned Adam and the sin that dooms men is unbelief. (John 3:18)

1. That sin came about because Adam, as do all men, had a choice.

2. The moral choice one makes regarding Jesus Christ will determine his eternal destiny. (John 3:36)

3. One’s actions and words are merely symptomatic of the choices he makes in his heart. "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh," Luke 6:45. As bad as they are, it is not lying, murder, immorality, drunkenness, or other such sins which condemn men before God. That which condemns is the wrong choice made in the heart, out of a free will, for which each one is directly accountable to God (Romans 14:12). "He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed...," John 3:36.

C. Wrong choice is not only the doom of all who reject Jesus Christ, whom they could have chosen as personal Savior; it is also the mortal ruin of many who have chosen Christ.

1. Those who are saved have freedom of choice as to whether or not they will obey Him in their daily walk. "...Choose you this day whom ye will serve...," Joshua 24:15. The commandments of the Lord are voluntary, given in full recognition of one’s ability to obey or disobey them. One can tell the truth or lie, live a holy life or be ungodly, forgive or hold a grudge, do what the Bible says or disregard it. Believers are "free" (John 8:36) in Christ, in a position of true liberty. (Galatians 5:1) They have been created by God with freedom of choice in relation to all he says. (Ephesians 2:10)

2. With such freedom comes the responsibility to do right and obey the Lord and the consequences of failure to do so. Adam and Eve could choose what they would do with the forbidden fruit, but they could not escape the consequences of the choice they made. No person can escape the consequences of his choices, not even believers. (Deuteronomy 30:15, Ecclesiastes 12:14, Galatians 6:7)

One’s spiritual state and condition of fruitfulness in the work of  God does not depend upon some arbitrary whim of God by which he unilaterally damned some to success and some to failure because of a belief beyond their power to change. To the contrary, one’s eternal or mortal success with God comes as a result of a right choice by that person.

FOOTNOTES

1. Morris, Henry, The Genesis Record, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1976,

SUMMARY

In the making of man, God was faced with an unavoidable choice. Man must either be made a free moral agent or an automated being. Either he must be given the capacity to make moral decisions or be made without that capacity. There was no middle ground.

The issue of choice is a very critical one. It personally affects every person. God does not ignore the fundamental and profound issues of life. This issue of moral choice was addressed immediately after the creation of man. God gave man freedom to eat of every tree in the garden except one. Man had a definite choice. He could obey or disobey God. He, and he alone, would decide which it would be.

Why God created man with the capacity to choose would forever remain a mystery except for the divine revelation of God on the issue. In His revealed word, the Bible, God explained that he created man for His own pleasure, that He might extend His love and grace toward him. Indeed, man is the object of God’s love as the cross of Calvary so vividly shows! God wants man’s love and true fellowship with him.

True love demands choice. If God was to have man’s love, that love must be voluntary. Stated love and affection given from one who could not do otherwise is empty. Whipping a child into stating love would mean nothing and be repulsive. Hearing a programmed recorder express love would not be regarded as genuine. No indication of love can be understood as legitimate unless the giver is free to do otherwise. Love can only emanate from a free will, out of freedom of choice.

With freedom of choice comes the potential for wrong choices. Where men are truly free, they can choose good or evil. That means that with freedom comes the potential to sin. Sin is the product of man’s free will. In fact, the arrival of sin was through Adam. He made the choice to disobey, not God. God is not to be blamed for sin. Those who deny that man has the ability to make true moral choices actually accredit sin to God. If man did not and does not have the power of moral choice, yet choices are made, then those choices are made by God. When man "chooses," he is really going through the motions of a choice already made by God. When such a one makes a wrong choice and thus sins, it is really God who made the choice to sin. The denial of choice is a serious accusation against God.

Freedom of choice is a great blessing. The greater the freedom one receives, the greater the responsibility upon him to restrain himself. Every believer is totally free in Christ. His salvation is eternally secured and he is free to act as he pleases. Salvation is totally of grace and none of works. Yet, every believer is held personally accountable for how he lives his life. Though free, his life is to be marked by restraint and control. Though it does not have to be so, his life is to be a model of holiness and godliness.

Those who fail to restrain their freedom ultimately lose it. Even nations are not immune to this principle of truth. The less restraint and control free men exercise, the more chaotic conditions become. Freedoms are lost. Such has been the history of the human race. Even lost men, who can freely accept Jesus Christ or reject Him, ultimately lose that freedom. Those who do not handle that freedom correctly lose the freedom altogether when they die.

Adam’s sin was in making the wrong choice. As is the case with all men, his sinful words and deeds were merely symptomatic of the choice he made in his heart. The root of his condemnation was the wrong choice he made. He chose not to believe God, and unbelief is the one sin which damns men forever. Unbelief can only occur where there is choice.

Choice carries great responsibility and grave consequences. Adam was free to choose right or wrong. He could eat the forbidden fruit or leave it alone. The choice was his and his alone, personally given him by God. He could and did make a choice, as every person always does, but he could not avoid the consequences of his choice. In the economy of God, right choices bring many blessings and wrong choices produce many sorrows and heartaches. What men choose to do with Jesus Christ means the difference in eternal damnation and eternal life. For saved men, the choices made regarding the commandments of God mean the difference in fruitfulness and the lash of God’s discipline.

QUESTIONS

1. What unavoidable decision did God have to make when he made man?

2. What is meant by a "free moral agent"?

3. What is meant by an "automated being"?

4. What other option did God have when it came to the issue of man’s choice?

5. Why is the issue of choice such a critical one to every man?

6. When did God address the issue of choice?

7. What did God decide regarding giving the capacity to choose to man?

8. What was God’s purpose in making man?

9. Why do we know that God had no need of man?

10. Explain why love must be voluntary.

11. Give examples of how expressions of love can be empty.

12. Why can’t true love exist without choice.

13. What negative potential comes with choice?

14. How did sin get here?

15. Who is responsible for sin?

16. How do those who deny moral choice in man accuse God of being responsible for sin?

17. Why does freedom demand restraint?

18. What happens to freedom where restraint is absent?

19. What was Adam’s sin?