How to Reconcile the Sovereignty of God and the Free Will of Man?

Learn why the sovereignty or omniscience of God does not nullify the free will of human beings.

[robertoesquivel]

Not my favorite explanation but, probably the fastest way to deal with that issue! You're definitely right about discussing this for centuries though haha

[USAFdude]

Answering questions like this with God-breathed Scripture (e.g. Eph 1:4, 5; 2:1-10; Rom 8:29, 30; 9:14-18; John 6:44, 65, etc.) gives so much more weight, credibility, and truth than man-made analogies.

[solas]

The Bible never attempts to explain exactly how the two work together. It simply affirms both. God is completely sovereign and man makes real choices and he's responsible for those choices. But man is not morally free. He's enslaved to sin.

[mtpta]

Knowledge doesn't imply Involvement or Involvement in Causation. If you think so, you have a heck of a long way of proving so..Great Video Frank.

[theodoremyers]

God does will that all will be saved!!! AMEN

[brianjohnson]

Frank - I wish I could ask you some questions on this topic. You have had such a positive influence on me.

[Apologia]

The question was about God's Sovereignty and free will and notice how Turek right of the bat twits it and makes it about free will and God knowing everything, "foreknowledge." He also says that God doesn't cause you to believe....So who gets the glory in salvation, God or man? He then said that the reason why some people aren't saved is because they reject God. In other words man is the one who gets the final say in salvation, the ball is in their court and not God, which makes God small. In Frank's Arminian view, God is reaching out to everyone and trying to draw everyone to himself by the holy spirit. But we know that not everyone will be saved, and therefore God fails at what he sets out to do. I believe in a God who chooses to saves someone dies for that someone and accomplishes what He sets out to do.

[Shabeck]

Not a great "short answer" on this one Frank. The analogy was somewhat helpful if perhaps one wanted a philosophical answer to the "free-will/Sovereign God" question" (fallen human responsibility being a separate issue to "free will" I think). The Biblical answer to this question (which, most importantly, concerns man's ability to choose the highest good - trust in Jesus Christ/God Himself, not merely which toothpaste to use) is that man without God's Spirit is dead in sin, unable to see the light, at enmity with God, not seeking after Him. In other words, man is "free" only in as much as he can do what is consistent with his nature. And unfortunately for man, because Adam is our federal/covenant head, the way that seems right to us (our own way ultimately) is the way that leads to death. We would always be subject to God's justice - death and hell - if He gave us what we deserve. But for God's powerful, electing, and free grace in Christ Jesus for a great number of undeserving people from every tribe, nation, people and tongue. Keep up the otherwise great work Frank! :-)

[raulcastro]

Dr. Turek can be quite the card/comedian, but he was predestined to be so.

[ErynQuentery]

Chosen But Free by Norman Geisler is excellent

[gabehill]

"He doesn't cause you to believe".... then how do you explain John 6:65 “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
Free will isn't scripture, let's stop preaching like it is. Free will doctrine takes away from the sovereignty of God. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves, including the choice to be saved. It's time we started praising God in full understanding of this reality.

[christophercorbett]

I like Frank, but don't think he gave a great answer here. It actually isn't how Geisler (his coauthor of I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist) answers it in Chosen But Free, which Frank recommended. The very short answer is that God has foreordination, not just foreknowledge, and God both knows and predetermines how space-time history will go, down to the last detail; otherwise Bible prophecy would not be true. That said, it is also true that humans have free will and are totally accountable for their choices, with their evil choices separating them from God. What are we to make of this? (1) God did not create evil, but did create the potential for evil, because that potential resides within free will. (2) This is the best possible universe, partly because without free will there would be no true love. (3) The exact mechanism describing how sovereignty and free will coexist is not comprehensible by the human mind; we simply know that both exist because the Bible, a reliable source, says they do. (4) The comprehensibility of this tension probably lies in the fact that God exists outside time, since He created space-time. Thus, in some way that is incomprehensible to us, God foreordains what He foreknows, and foreknows what He foreordains; neither foreordination nor foreknowledge have logical precedent in God's timeless mind.

[lucasleal]

The answer is completely wrong. Because he said that God is like a outside watcher who knows the result before the show ends, therefore he isn’t the one make things happen like he wants, he is basically just let things happen naturally (which isn’t true) when in actuality, he is the one controlling every single move, to make the outcome that he wants, like the Bible say “not one single leaf falls without God’s permission” in other passage says “When the gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord. Meanwhile, all who had been destined to eternal life believed” acts 13:48 English standard version.

[agrumpymonkey]

I always understood the concept of God’s sovereignty and free will, because God is outside of space and time. This analogy explained it in a simple way

[dmeek]

Here lies the problem in philosophy informing theology. The Bible is our first authority. The Bible is clear that God knows every single thing that will ever happen, and He's known it since before He created. If this is true (it is) and He continues to create anyway, then He is completely sovereign.

If He is sovereign in any one single area, then it follows that the ripple effect created by His sovereignty in that area means He is sovereign in ALL areas.

The honest apologist should say, "Is God completely sovereign? Based on the Bible, yes. Is man responsible for his sin? Based on the Bible, yes. How do those two work together? I don't know, but God does."

[SamOwenI]

I think a biblical answer would be to talk about key biblical passages that demonstrate God's sovereignty and man's moral responsibility, like Acts 4:27-28, Genesis 50, and Isaiah 10. The analogy is really bad, and taking 2 Peter 3:9 out of context or encouraging the person to read Chosen but Free which is a very bad book on the subject is not helpful, and could only confuse people further.

[timelmore]

A hindsight philosophy really isn't adequate. It ignores the fact that God, with foreknowledge, was the creator of persons, personalities, and circumstances. Although it is true to say he knows the end, it must also be true to say that he knew the outcome at every point in time. This would, necessarily, include the point in time when he created persons, personalities, and circumstances. In other words, he knows the end because he designed it and set it into motion. Mr. Turek's presentation is short and simple because it essentially ignores the dilemma by answering only part of the question. Sorry, Mr. Turek. I love your work, and I'm greatful for your ministry.

[nicholasviall]

The only way I can make sense of both ideas is that we intellectually acknowledge God having sovereignty, but live practically with a knowledge that we have a responsibility, if that makes sense.

[ChrisTheKing]

Frank's analogy is a bit off....someone watching a DVR game with knowledge of the outcome is watching something that has already happened.... God is watching things that have not happened yet, even though He knows every possible outcome....so I dont see the analogy there

[jonathankotyk]

And Frank's entire argument is blown out of the water by a couple things Jesus said in John 6:44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day." and 6:61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”