The Purpose of Free Will
Opening Prayer
Father, open our hearts to understand the gift of free will and the beauty of Your grace. Help us see how You desire relationship, not robots. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Free will is one of the most profound gifts God has given humanity. It allows us to choose—including what to believe.
But here's what Scripture reveals: that same free will naturally inclines toward sin. The law couldn't cure that. This is why God established the sacrificial system under the old covenant—grace shown through sacrifice despite our disobedience.
Key Truth
Grace isn't something we receive after forgiveness. Grace is unmerited favor toward us despite our failure.
The old covenant pointed forward to Christ, who entered in ONCE, perfecting the saints forever. No more yearly reminders of our inability to keep the law.
Now obedience flows not from willpower but from grace and the Spirit working in us. By His works, not ours, are we justified.
What You'll Learn
Free Will & Sin Nature
God created humanity with the ability to choose—essential for genuine relationship.
"And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve."
— Joshua 24:15But Scripture is equally clear about something else: our free will has a natural inclination toward sin.
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?"
— Jeremiah 17:9Paul describes this struggle vividly in Romans:
"For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing."
— Romans 7:19The Human Condition
This is the human condition: we have the ability to choose, yet that ability consistently leads us away from God, not toward Him. We are free but not free from our nature.
"There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God."
— Romans 3:10-11The Diagnosis
This isn't pessimism—it's diagnosis. And proper diagnosis leads to proper cure.
👑 Check Your Understanding
1. Why did God give humanity free will?
2. According to Jeremiah 17:9, what is the heart?
3. Paul's struggle in Romans 7 shows that we are:
The Law's Limitation
If free will inclines toward sin, couldn't the law fix it?
No.
"Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
— Romans 3:20The law was never designed to save. It was designed to reveal—to show us our need.
What the Law Could Do
| The Law Could | The Law Could Not |
|---|---|
| Show us what sin is | Remove the desire to sin |
| Reveal God's standard | Give us power to meet it |
| Condemn sin | Transform the sinner |
| Point to our need | Be the solution to that need |
"For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son."
— Romans 8:3The Mirror
The law was a mirror, not a cleanser. It showed us the dirt but couldn't wash it away.
"Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
— Galatians 3:24A tutor leads a child to the teacher—then steps aside. The law led us to Christ. He is the cure the law could never be.
👑 Check Your Understanding
1. What was the law designed to do?
2. According to Romans 3:20, what does the law give us?
3. Galatians 3:24 calls the law a:
Grace Through Sacrifice
How did God deal with sin under the old covenant?
Through the sacrificial system—grace shown through sacrifice despite our disobedience.
"For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls."
— Leviticus 17:11Understanding Grace
Grace isn't something we receive after forgiveness. Grace is unmerited favor toward us despite our failure.
Every sacrifice under the old covenant was grace in action. Israel didn't deserve atonement—they received it because God is gracious.
The Pattern of Grace
- Man sins and falls short of God's standard
- God provides a way of atonement through sacrifice
- Blood covers sin—not by man's merit but God's grace
- Relationship is restored despite the rebellion
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
— Romans 5:8The old covenant sacrifices pointed forward to something greater—Someone who would deal with sin once and for all.
👑 Check Your Understanding
1. What is grace?
2. What did the sacrificial system demonstrate?
3. What did the old covenant sacrifices point toward?
Christ's Once-for-All Work
The old covenant required yearly sacrifices—reminders that sin wasn't finally dealt with.
"But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year."
— Hebrews 10:3Then Christ came.
"Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption."
— Hebrews 9:12The Difference
| Old Covenant | New Covenant |
|---|---|
| Repeated yearly | Once for all |
| Blood of animals | Blood of Christ |
| Covered sin temporarily | Removed sin eternally |
| Reminder of failure | Declaration of victory |
| Priests stood continually | Christ sat down—finished |
"For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified."
— Hebrews 10:14Perfected Forever
Not "working toward perfection." Not "hoping to be perfected someday." Already perfected by His one offering.
"But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God."
— Hebrews 10:12He sat down. The work is finished.
👑 Check Your Understanding
1. What were the yearly sacrifices under the old covenant?
2. According to Hebrews 10:14, Christ's one offering has:
3. Why did Christ sit down after His sacrifice?
Obedience by the Spirit
If Christ has done the work, what about obedience?
Absolutely we still obey. But here's the transformation: now obedience flows not from willpower but from grace and the Spirit working in us.
"For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."
— Philippians 2:13Under the law, we tried to obey in our own strength. We failed. Our free will, inclined toward sin, couldn't sustain righteousness.
Under grace, God Himself works in us—giving us both the desire and the power to obey.
"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."
— Galatians 5:16The New Dynamic
| Under Law | Under Grace |
|---|---|
| Obey to be accepted | Accepted, therefore obey |
| Human willpower | Spirit's power |
| External commands | Internal transformation |
| Fear of punishment | Love for the Father |
The Source
By His works, not ours, are we justified. Our effort flows from a new source—the Spirit of God living in us, producing fruit we could never manufacture.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."
— Galatians 5:22-23👑 Check Your Understanding
1. Under grace, obedience flows from:
2. According to Philippians 2:13, who works in us?
3. Under law we obey to be accepted; under grace we:
Free Will for Relationship
So what is free will actually for?
Not for earning salvation. For relationship.
Think of the prodigal son.
"And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood."
— Luke 15:12The father never forced his son to stay. He allowed him to choose—even knowing the outcome.
The son made his choice. He squandered everything. He ended up feeding pigs.
"But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!'"
— Luke 15:17And when the son returned?
"But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."
— Luke 15:20The Father's Response
- No condemnation — only celebration
- No lecture — only embrace
- No probation period — immediate restoration
- No earning his way back — robe, ring, and feast
That's Grace
Unmerited favor toward His creation despite the rebellion.
"He is our Father, and free will is the very thing that makes our relationship with Him covenantal and personal."
Without free will, we would be robots. With it, we can be sons and daughters who choose to come home.
👑 Check Your Understanding
1. Free will exists for:
2. When the prodigal son returned, the father:
3. What makes our relationship with God covenantal and personal?
Comprehensive Exam
Test your complete understanding.
👑 Final Examination
10 questions
1. Free will allows man to choose, but naturally inclines toward:
2. The law was designed to:
3. Grace is:
4. Christ entered the Most Holy Place:
5. According to Hebrews 10:14, Christ's one offering has:
6. Under grace, obedience flows from:
7. We are justified by:
8. The prodigal's father illustrates grace by:
9. Free will exists not for earning salvation but for:
10. What makes our relationship with God covenantal and personal?
Study Complete
You completed Free Will & Grace
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for the gift of free will and the greater gift of grace. Help us walk not in our own strength but by Your Spirit. We choose You—not to earn salvation, but because You first chose us. In Jesus' name, Amen.
"He is our Father, and free will is the very thing that makes our relationship with Him covenantal and personal."
The work is done. Grace is given.
Now walk in it. 👑
"For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified."
— Hebrews 10:14Further Study
- 📖 Romans 3:10-20 — The universal need for grace
- 📖 Romans 7:14-25 — The struggle with sin nature
- 📖 Galatians 3:19-25 — The purpose of the law
- 📖 Hebrews 9:11-14, 10:1-18 — Christ's once-for-all sacrifice
- 📖 Galatians 5:16-25 — Walking by the Spirit
- 📖 Luke 15:11-32 — The Prodigal Son