Concerning free will and Wesley, I believe he talked about free will not in the sense of being able to lose salvation, he refers to perfection (the higher calling) as a choice of will. We choose through this free-will, or self-will, to accept our next assignment (the upward calling), or reject it, this is what I see Wesley talking about.
We no longer have a free-will in the issue of our salvation because it has been accomplished; in other words, we died at that time, and was born new with a new spirit, (an anointed spirit, (Christ)), living in us. We cannot undo or give back what God has given, and what Jesus has done for us. I suppose there is a way that we could if we are not saved to begin with, or we delude ourselves into thinking we are gods.
Like or not our tow natures (outer man – inner man) wears us down if we rely on our own strength and power. Our energies are consumed by what is around us, while the life-giving spirit within us reminds us of what we have inherited through Jesus. We forget what Scripture tells us about our new life; “For it is not I who live, but Christ (the anointed one) who lives in us.” This has great significance in our thought, motives, and actions because we are driven to do good works, while our fallen nature (natural man) continues to avoid such work. We do the wrong things even when we know what is right and we need to comprehend that this is not to be confused with self-will, it is the result of sin, the fallen man.
A point here is that we KNOW right from wrong. Before we were saved, we knew right from wrong in the secular sense; however, we did not know right from wrong in a Godly sense. This not knowing the difference this leads to confusion for many people because their faith is based on remembrance of what was, not what is or what is to come. Because of our sinful nature (the natural man) our justified nature (the spiritual man), is constantly at odds and when the activities of the flesh are found out, we are questioned by this inner man which results in the flesh rearing its insults with indifference, shame, and anger. We argue with each other in semantics, because we focus on self- understanding, not God’s understanding, self-importance not that God is important, self-knowledge and wisdom, not God’s knowledge and wisdom. Our understanding of God is often clouded by the flesh because it seeks its own way not His way and the adversary (the devil) uses this weakness to deter us from understanding who we are in Christ Jesus. Our acceptance of God’s free gift through Jesus Christ empowers us to overcome the flesh and the wiles of the devil. Remember, through God having mercy on us by His giving of His only begotten Son for the sins of the world we are free of the law of sin and death.
In another instance we argue in defense of our beliefs, otherwise we have anything to argue about. We defend those beliefs because to ourselves differently shakes our self-centered world view and illusions of control to the breaking point. Here, again, we are confronted with WILL or OBEDIENCE. If we WILL ourselves to reject the correct of the Holy One, we end up criticizing everything anyone says if it does not fit our world view. We try, and try, and try to get others to accept our belief (us), systems instead of God’s, and when we fail, we become enamored. All of this in defense of self-made notions of who we think God is, and who we think we are to God. Bottom line! we are children of God not because of anything we have done, and surly not because we deserve anything from Him; we are His children because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross-through the shedding of his blood. Here is one thing that many cannot understand about the cross: the Jew and the Gentile did not kill Jesus of Nazareth, He was God’s sacrifice for the sins of the world. He was laid on the alter by God himself.
Therefore, He is called the “Passover lamb.” O folks, we have accused out of ignorance, we fail to see God’s purposes just like we fail to see ours. We act as gods by imposing our own will on others and by not surrendering all to Christ Jesus, who willingly gave up his rights and bought us with His blood.
My whole point is that we are either his or we are not, it’s that black and white. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, where we are not because of sin working in us. Understand that God’s Love is far above anything we can conceive, and the salvation we all received is far above any of our petty ideas and notions. We are His slaves, lock stock and barrel. He paid the ultimate price for us and
if we have His blood covering us, we no longer have any right to be self-willed. Yes, we venture off the path chosen by for us, to go astray and then to be reminded that by the Holy Spirit that our ways are not His ways, and His thoughts are not ours. No one can control God, for it is His will in us that is working for His purposes and Glory in Christ Jesus. If we try to be so bold as to control Him who created us, I fear that our soul is not right with Him.
Do I believe that Almighty God is the Source of my will? God not only expects me to do His will, but He is in me to do it. If we are to understand each other, we first must understand our insignificance to God. He is the potter, and we are the clay, it has never been otherwise, and this is my most heartfelt point.
God has finished all arguments with one single act, Christ death on the cross. Man however, calling themselves saved, prove through ignorance, maliciousness, anger, self-centeredness, conceit, vanity, and a lack of love for the brethren, that they are not. We are told in 1 John that we will know whose God’s by the love they have for one another. None of us must defend our lives, but we are to defend the faith with our lives, and this cannot be done by belief, knowledge or understanding alone. It can only be done if we are completely obedient to what God has said. You see, faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not yet seen. This can only mean what is before us, not what is behind us.
I am reminded of an amusing quote:
Marvelous things in the Bible I read, wonderful things put there by you and by me.
Let me close with a quote from Oswald Chambers.
“. . . work out your own salvation . . . for it is God who works in you . . .” (Philippians 2:1213).
Your will agrees with God, but in your flesh, there is a nature that renders you powerless to do what you know you ought to do. When the Lord initially encounters our conscience, the first thing our conscience does is awaken our will, and our will always agrees with God. Yet you say, “But I don’t know if my will is in agreement with God.” Look to Jesus and you will find that your will and your conscience are in agreement with Him every time. What causes you to say “I will not obey” is something less deep and penetrating than your will. It is perversity or stubbornness, and they are never in agreement with God. The most profound thing in a person is his will, not sin.
The will is the essential element in God’s creation of human beings-sin as a perverse nature which entered people. In someone who has been born again, the source of the will is Almighty God. “. . . for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” With focused attention and great care, you must “work out” what God “works in” you-not work to accomplish or earn “your own salvation,” but work it out so you will exhibit the evidence of a life based with determined, unshakable faith on the complete and perfect redemption of the Lord. As you do this, you do not bring an opposing will up against God’s will-God’s will is your will. Your natural choices will be in accordance with God’s will and living this life will be as natural as breathing. Stubbornness is an unintelligent barrier, refusing enlightenment and blocking its flow. The only thing to do with this barrier of stubbornness is to blow it up with “dynamite,” and the “dynamite” is obedience to the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion
“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Isaiah 1:18-20 (RSV)
There is no reason for us to argue about how, what, or why we believe. There should only be unity in being a service to one another and in the service of our lord Christ Jesus. It is this that we need to understand!
Copyright ©6 September 1998 Michael A. Kovach
Christian Underground Journal
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