Will man’s will ultimately triumph over God’s?  Most would say, “No.”  But if one sinner spends an eternity in hell-fire, then that one man has defeated the will of God.  Doesn’t it say “…God wills all men to be saved?” (1 Tim 2:4)  The usual response is that God only “desires” men to be saved and ultimately, it is man who decides where he will spend eternity.  Those who advocate the free will of man say that God created men with a will.  And although God desires all to be saved, most will not because of their freedom to choose.  They say that God did not create men to be robots and therefore He will not force them to accept His free gift through Jesus Christ.

A simple question to think on is this:  Who opened your eyes to see the truth?  Were you in control of this or was God?  All of us would say, “God, of course!”  So what if God hadn’t opened our eyes?  The very simple answer is that none of us, then, would come to salvation.  It is God who calls and God who opens the eyes of the blind (Deut 29:4).  Salvation is simply our response to God’s call.

Skeptics will ask, “If all of mankind will be saved one day doesn’t that mean that God must force all to submit to His will like some harsh dictator--we have no choice in the matter whatsoever?”  No, God does not force us to submit to His will.  God patiently draws all men to Himself (John 12:32).  And it is in God’s time when this will happen.  For some men, it will happen in this age.  For most, it will happen in the ages to come.  But one day, all men will willingly bow their knees and confess with their mouths “Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil 2:10,11).”  And in the end, every man will give thanks to God and acknowledge Him as their God.  Some will do this more easily than others.  Some will be beaten with few stripes while others will be beaten with many (Luke 12:48).  But God’s judgment will bring all men to an end of themselves so that they will willingly choose Him.  This is the extent of man’s “free will.”  God has given man an ability to make choices.  We make them every day.  However, our choices are never independent of the Creator.  We may not recognize that our choices are ordained and directed by God, but they are nonetheless (Prov. 16:9).  Every breath we breathe, every step we take is ordained by a holy God.   I like the analogy of likening God to a Great Puppeteer.  We, the marionettes are onstage—acting, talking, and making choices.  It seems like we are in charge of what’s going on.  But the whole time God is pulling the strings to bring His play to His conclusion.  God is the Author and not only does He know the outcome of the play, but He writes, directs, and produces it!

A most difficult thing for us to grasp (and sometimes accept) is that God chooses some to be vessels of His wrath for His purpose (Romans 9).  God has a purpose for sin in this world.  We don’t like to associate God with sin,
but He does use it in our lives to bring about His purpose.  We know that God is light and in Him there is no darkness (sin).  But without sin, how could we ever really know the love of God?  How could we ever know the sweet joy of restoration if we were not estranged?  It is God’s will that sin exist so He can show forth the fullness of His character.  When sin has finished its purpose, God will make all things right again.  His will shall be accomplished (Col 1:20, Eph 1:11)!

One last question, and be really honest here:  Do you really believe that eternal torment ultimately glorifies God?  Is God really in control if most of the people that He has created burn forever?   You see, God’s will (or desire if you wish) must ultimately triumph otherwise He is not sovereign. (Isaiah 46:10 says that God will do all His desire).  It is God’s will (or desire) that “none should perish but that all men come to repentance.”  If death is allowed to exist forever, then man, sin, and the devil have won.  Oh, sure you might be able to say that God wins because He casts everything in opposition to Himself into eternal flames, but is this the type of victory a loving, all powerful God wants?  Milton says, "Who overcomes by force hath overcome but half his foe,"  How much more glorious, how much more victorious would it be if God brought every living thing (good and bad) into reconciliation, not by brute force but by lovingly chastening and drawing every last opposing force to Himself.    The good news, beloved, is that this is exactly what the Holy Scriptures teach.

Today, the Church worships a “golden calf” just like the Israelites in the days of old.  Our “golden calf” is free will.  It is the same spirit that caused Lucifer to fall when he said, “I will be like the Most High God.”  It is the same lie that was told to man—“You can be like God.”  It is the same lie that caused the building of the tower of Babel.  You see Satan has always wanted to exalt his will above God’s.  And this is exactly what he wants man to do.  And unfortunately, the Church has fallen right into his trap.  The teaching of eternal torment really has its root in the false doctrine of free will.  It exalts man above God.  Man has now become a god just like God Himself.  We control our own destiny—good or bad.  We decide if we go to heaven, and we decide if we go to “hell.”  John exhorts us in the last verse of his first epistle, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols, Amen.”  We would do well to listen to the Apostle.

My prayer is that God opens our eyes to the truth that there is “…no god like unto Him.”  “His ways are higher than our ways; His thoughts above our thoughts.”  My dear saints, let us “lean not to our own understanding.”  Let us study together “to show ourselves approved.”  And may God bless us with an abundant measure of His wisdom and Truth.