Makin' Choices

Much of Christianity puts an enormous emphasis on the will of man in their theology. The ability to make choices (generally referred to as freewill) is viewed as one gigantic blessing. Sometimes, it's seen as the biggest blessing God has given us; the ability to choose.

The Joy Quartet at Pensacola Christian College even canonized it in song...

 

If you want to listen to the song, go ahead. But it's pretty brutal.

 

Anyhow, this notion of freewill is given primary importance in most of Christianity, especially American evangelicalism.

 

A few things can be said about this however. First, most of Christianity is flat wrong about this topic. The freedom of our will is not a blessing in the fact that our will is in bondage. To be sure, we all have the ability to make choices. I don't think anyone denies that. The problem is, we are sinful by nature, and we choose according to our nature. Since our nature is to be an enemy of God, our will never chooses God. We just don't. But why not? Well, it's precisely because we do not want to choose God.

 

Therefore, exhorting people to make a choice for Jesus really doesn't save people. Like at all. That's why we need a completely one-sided divine rescue, wrought by Christ at Calvary and His subsequent rising from the dead.

Given to you as a divine gift in Word and Sacrament. Hear the Gospel. Baptism now saves you. Take and eat, this is My body. Take and drink, this is My blood.

Not us. Not our choice. We choose wrongly.

+Pax+