Do We Really Have Free Will?

As we're studying through the life of Moses, let me address a passage of Scripture I've received a number of questions about over the years.

God said concerning Pharaoh in Exodus 4:21, "...I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go." This has understandably caused some to question whether or not we as humans really have free will. The line of reasoning goes like this: If God caused Pharaoh's heart to be hard, Pharaoh didn't really have a choice in the matter, did he? This leads some to conclude they don't really have a choice either. That being the case, they toss all moral caution to the wind, concluding: God made me this way. Why fight against God?

Not wanting anyone to believe they don't really have free will and not wanting anyone to believe God has made them stubbornly sinful, I write this blogpost.

When the Bible says that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, it's speaking of the effect God had on Pharaoh's heart, not that God forced Pharaoh to be stubbornly sinful.

We know this because of the following verses...

• Exodus 7:14 says "Pharaoh's heart is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go." 

• Exodus 8:15, "But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen..." 

You see, the problem resided in Pharaoh, not in God. It was his stubborn nature that caused his heart to harden, not our Heavenly Father. Let me illustrate what's happening here...

As the sun in the sky shines down upon wax, the wax melts. As the very same sun in the sky shines down on clay, the clay hardens. The sun doesn't determine what happens to the objects it shines upon. The nature of the object is the determining factor. The nature of Moses' heart was as wax. As God gave Moses his commands, Moses' heart melted in obedience. The nature of Pharaoh's heart was as clay. As God gave Pharaoh his commands, Pharaoh's heart hardened in disobedience. God didn't determine what happened to Moses or Pharaoh. The nature of each person was the determining factor.

God has indeed given us free will. We can choose to obey or disobey. We can choose to melt in obedience or harden in rebellion. The choice is ours. So when we stand before God on judgment day He won't accept "But You made me this way!" as a valid excuse. 

Key to Writing

This past weekend I was at a convention in Worcester, MA and one of the keynote speakers said something I found insightful and true: The key to writing is re-writing. 

The context of her speech had absolutely nothing to do with writing a sermon, but the statement is so applicable nonetheless. What's the key to writing a good sermon? The key to writing is re-writing. When I initially print out my message each Thursday it's nice and clean, but after reviewing my message over and over prior to Sunday, it eventually looks like this (see picture below).

Rewriting isn't necessarily about changing the content, just discovering a clearer and better way to communicate it. Here's (basically) how this looks for me...

• First draft includes the basic message, but lots of superfluous material 
• In the second draft I start seeing what parts I could eliminate 
• In the third draft I start seeing better ways to communicate the content that made the cut 
• In the fourth draft I'm reviewing the core essence of the message 

Note: I don't personally re-type my message. As I read it over and over I cross stuff out and make lots of notes. It's in that sense that I re-write. 

Whether you're writing a letter to the editor or a sermon, the key to writing is re-writing. Re-writing brings clarity and focus and increases the chances your audience will understand what is is you're trying to communicate. 

Called or Invited?

I think a very important question worth taking some time to answer is: As Christians, are we called by God to serve or invited? Let me explain...

If God invites us to serve then "yes" or "no" are equally acceptable answers. But if God calls us to serve, if it's more a command than an invitation, then a "yes" equals obedience and "no" disobedience. Since so many Christians show by their actions they believe we're invited and not called, I think it's worth the time to answer this question biblically.

Let's first look at the passage I was originally reading that made me ask the question we're now trying to answer. In Exodus 3:10 God says to Moses, "So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." Notice the command "...go." This is not a suggestion. There's only one answer here that is pleasing to God. A "yes" or "no" are not equally acceptable responses. God called Moses to serve. He didn't invite him.

As I thought about this Old Testament example and it's implications ("no" equals disobedience) I wondered what I might find in a New Testament example, and who better to look to than Jesus. In John 13:14-15 he said, "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." Notice again the command. This is not a suggestion. There's only one answer here that is pleasing to God. A "yes" or "no" are not equally acceptable responses. Jesus calls us to serve, making how we respond a matter of obedience or disobedience. A "yes" is not the same as a "no".

I read just this morning, "George Gallup once took a survey and discovered that only ten percent of American church members are active in any kind of personal ministry. He also discovered that 50 percent of all church members have no interest in serving in any ministry. No matter how much a church promotes involvement in lay ministry, half of its members will remain spectators." Clearly there is great confusion in the body of Christ over whether serving is a command or a suggestion!

Listen up New Day...I'm your pastor and I love you so I need to tell you the truth...The Bible teaches if you're not serving, you're sinning. To not serve is to ignore the example set for us in Scripture and disobey a direct command of Jesus. To summarize: Saints serve, sinners don't.

We are in the midst of our bi-annual ministry fair where we've been showcasing the various ministries of our church, the needs we have and how you can get involved. Let me ask you...Have you responded as if Jesus invites us to serve, or have you responded as if Jesus calls us to serve? 

If you'd like to sign up to serve online, just click here. 

Our Highest Authority

Romans 13:1-2 says "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves."

As Christians we're to submit to the governing authorities. The only exception is when the governing authorities command something God forbids. This is the clear teaching of both the Old and New Testaments.

For an Old Testament example we look to Exodus 1:15-17 where "The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, "When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live." The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live." And because the midwives feared God more than Pharaoh the Bible records "...God was kind to the midwives..." (Exodus 1:20). God didn't condemn the midwives for disobeying. In this instance, God blessed them for recognizing Him as their Highest Authority.

We see the same thing in the New Testament. The book of Acts makes clear the fact that Scripture must be our highest authority. When Peter was ordered by the rulers of his nation to stop preaching the gospel, he responded: "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:19-20). As a result God blessed the church and "the word of God spread" (Acts 6:7).

Again, as Christians we're to submit to the governing authorities. The only exception is when the governing authorities command something God forbids. Here's a couple more examples...

• The Bible teaches children to obey the authority of their parents. The only exception is when the parents command something God forbids. 
• The Bible teaches employees to obey the authority of their employer. The only exception is when the employer commands something God forbids. 
• The Bible teaches wives to obey the authority of their husband. The only exception is when the husband commands something God forbids. 

How do I apply this principle practically in my own life? Here's two examples...

• I might not like that since I own less than five acres of land I'm not allowed to have chickens or honey bees on my property (which I personally think would be pretty awesome). But since this town ordinance doesn't require me to break any of the Christian teachings in the Bible, I'm required to submit to it. And I have. As much as I want to, I haven't (and won't) buy any chickens because the Bible says I'm to submit to the governing authorities. 
• I might not like that speed limits are posted that regulate how fast I drive. But since this law doesn't require me to break any of teachings of Scripture, I'm required to submit to it. 

As long as we aren't required to disobey God, we're required biblically to obey the government (and all authorities God has placed over our lives). With that said, if the day comes (and I believe it's on its way) where legislation mandates I disobey a teaching in Scripture, I will have every right to disobey with a clear conscience. As Christians, our highest authority is not the government, but God (and His will as revealed in His Word).

This Will Not End in Death

In John 11 a man named Lazarus is on his death bed in a town called Bethany. Jesus is 20 miles east near the Jordan River when he gets word from Mary and Martha (Lazarus' sisters). Listen to Jesus' response after hearing the devastating news...

"When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4, NIV).

It's easy to read this real quick and skip over it and miss it's significance. This is a truly amazing response! How would YOU respond if you got news that:

• Your best friend was about to die 
• A family member was in a car crash that might prove to be fatal 
• The diagnosis is cancer and it could be terminal

Most people would respond:

• In fear - that the bad thing will happen 
• In anger - that something bad happened in the first place and might get worse 
• In doubt - that anything will change/get better 

But not Jesus! Jesus responds in faith, not fear; in anticipation of God's intervention, not in anger; and in definite trust that God would move, not in doubt. His first response was to speak something faith-filled and positive. I love that! May God grant me the ability to be more like Jesus in this area of my life. Instead of assuming the worst until something good happens, why not assume something good until something bad happens. This would definitely be the wiser approach as research shows the vast majority of things we worry about actually don't happen.

When faced with opportunities or obstacles, may God help us to respond with faith and not fear! May we say with confidence "This will not end bad. No, it is for God's glory so Jesus may be glorified through it."