April 10
MAN’S "FREE WILL?" VS. GOD’S SOVEREIGN LOVE
According to John Gavazzoni:
-"Everything that occurs, occurs within the sovereign will of God. Nothing is accidental. All has been foreseen
by Him because all things come to pass by His decision, so that everything has occurred by Him, either doing something
to make it come to pass, or by deliberately refusing to act so as, by that absence of His action, to trigger certain
consequential results. The truth is that the only One in the universe who has true free will is God Himself. As is true
of every good thing, free will is something found in God's very nature and we can only experience freedom of will by God
causing us to participate in His freedom by causing us to become "partakers of the divine nature" (II Pet. 1:4);
and that is His choice not ours." ( Free Will, John Gavazzoni )
-So … Is man able to make choices? OF COURSE HE IS! But that does not mean that they are totally free choices. To
say that we have a totally free will means that we are always able to make UNCAUSED CHOICES, and that is just not the case!
Take for example:
1. Jonah: Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three
days and three nights. THEN JONAH PRAYED … ( Jonah 1:17-2:1 )
2. Paul: But the Lord said unto him ( Ananias ), Go your way: for he ( Paul ) is a CHOSEN VESSEL unto Me, to
bear My name … ( Acts 9:15 )
3. Pharoah: Even for this same purpose have I ( GOD ) RAISED YOU UP ( Pharaoh ), that I ( God ) might show
My power in you ( Pharaoh ) … and whom He ( God ) will HE ( GOD ) HARDENS … (Romans 9:17,18 )
4. Esau: Jacob have I ( God ) loved, but Esau have I hated … THE CHILDREN BEING NOT BORN YET … ACCORDING
TO THE ELECTION … ( Romans 9:11,13 )
5. Israel: GOD HAS GIVEN THEM THE SPIRIT OF SLUMBER, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not
hear; … ( Romans 11:8 )
6. The Twelve Apostles: ( Jesus speaking ) You have not chosen Me, BUT I HAVE CHOSE YOU, … ( John 15:16 )
7. The Gentiles: But Isaiah is very bold, and says, I was found of them THAT SOUGHT ME NOT ( speaking of the Gentiles
); I was made manifest unto them THAT ASKED NOT AFTER ME … ( Romans 10:20 )
8. All Men: ( Jesus speaking ) And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, WILL DRAW ( DRAG ) ALL MEN UNTO ME …
( John 12:32 )
-Well … That about covers it! SO MUCH FOR FREE WILL! Yes … We are able to make choices, but we must understand
that our choices in some way or another are INFLUENCED BY GOD! They are choices WITHIN THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD!
-So … Is man a robot? NO!
According to John Gavazzoni:
-"Now some, completely indoctrinated by the dumbed-down notion of free will, upon being confronted with what I've
just shared, without any depth of thought at all, would accuse me of making man out to be a mere robot. But, I ask,
if God has a free will, and brings man into participation with that will, how can freedom be defined as robotic? Freedom by
definition, involves not being controlled by another. The relationship of God's will to us, is not one of making us do
something against our will, but by bringing our will into union with His. This is not coercion, this is causation,
and it is causation by the force of love which ultimately worked by God leaving us to ourselves to do what we
would do left to ourselves; which was to crucify His Son, and then to love such enemies back to Himself by the power of forgiving
love." ( Free Will, John Gavazzoni )
-WHAT A SOVEREIGN AND LOVING FATHER!-
