THE DIVINE CREATOR GRANTED MAN THE GIFT OF FREE WILL

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

THE DIVINE CREATOR GRANTED MAN THE GIFT OF FREE WILL

Our Merciful and Loving Creator imparted to man three Great Gifts at his creation: FREEDOM, REASON, AND LOVE. These gifts are INDISPENSABLE FOR THE SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND BLESSEDNESS OF MAN.

Saint John Kronstadt writes: "Why did God allow the fall of man, his beloved subject? To this question one must reply thus: If man is not to be allowed to fall, HE CANNOT BE GRANTED FREE WILL, WHICH IS AN INSEPARABLE FEATURE OF THE IMAGE OF GOD; but he would have to be subject to the law of necessity, like the SOULLESS CREATION–the sky, the sun, stars, the circle of the earth, and all the elements–OR LIKE THE IRRATIONAL ANIMALS. But then there would have been no king over the creatures of the earth, no rational hymn-singer of God’s GOODNESS, WISDOM, CREATIVE ALMIGHTINESS, AND PROVIDENCE. Then man would have had no way to show his faithfulness and devotion to the Creator, his self-sacrificing love. Then there would have been no exploits in battle, no merits, and no incorruptible crowns for victory; there would have been NO ETERNAL BLESSEDNESS, which is the reward for faithfulness and devotion to God, and on eternal repose after the labors and struggles of our earthly pilgrimage" [Orthodox Dogmatic Theology]

After man’s fall into sin, God DID NOT REJECT MAN THE SINNER. He took away from him NEITHER HIS IMAGE, WHICH DISTINGUISHED HIM FROM THE ANIMAL WORLD, NOR THE FREEDOM OF HIS WILL, NOR HIS REASON, by which man was capable OF UNDERSTANDING SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES, NOT HIS OTHER CAPABILITIES. God acted toward him as does a physician and educator.

Saint John Damascene writes, "Of all the things that happen, the cause is said to be either God, or necessity, or fate, or nature, or chance, or accident. But God’s function has to do with essence and Providence; necessity deals with the movement of things that ever keep to the same course: fate with the necessary accomplishment of the things it brings to pass [for if fate itself implies necessity]: nature with birth, growth, destruction, plants and animals; chance with what is rare and unexpected…
"We ought to understand that while God knows all things beforehand, yet He DOES NOT PREDETERMINE ALL THINGS. For He knows beforehand those things that are in our power, but He does NOT predetermine them. For it is NOT His Will that there should be wickedness nor does He choose to compel virtue. So that predetermination is the work of the Divine command based on FOREKNOWLEDGE. But on the other hand God predetermines those things which are not within our power in accordance with His prescience. For already God in His prescience has prefigured all things in accordance with His goodness and justice."

Saint John Chrysostom writes: "All indeed depends on God, but not in such a way that our free will (τό αυτεξούσιον] be hindered…it is both up to us and up to Him. For we must first choose the things that are good, and when we have chosen, then He brings in His own part. He does not anticipate our acts of will, lest our free will should suffer indignity; but when we have chosen, then He brings great assistance."

The Almighty God is good and respects our freedom while cooperating with our good intent, working in every way possible to bring us to salvation. Likewise, because God is good He has foreordained from the beginning of time to extend salvation to both Jews and Gentiles.

Our Holy Orthodox Church teaches that humans have free will and must choose to work with God’s grace in order to be saved. This is known as the teaching of synergy, which means cooperating or working together. Saint John Cassian, a 4th century Church Father and pupil of Saint John Chrysostom articulated the view and all the Eastern Holy Fathers embraced it. He taught that "Divine Grace is necessary to enable a sinner to return unto God and live, yet man must first, of himself, desire and attempt to choose and obey God, and that "Divine grace is indispensable for salvation, but it does not necessarily need to precede a free human choice, because despite the weakness of human volition, the will can take the initiative toward God."

Some Orthodox Christians use the parable of a drowning man to plainly illustrate the teaching of synergy. God from the ship throws a rope to a drowning man, pulls him up, saving him, and the man, if he wants to be saved, must hold on tightly to the rope; explaining both that salvation is a gift from God and man cannot save himself, and that man must co-work (syn-ergo) with God in the process of salvation.

Here are some other Orthodox Christian view on free will:

1. God grants freedom of choice: God is the personification of agape (love), and without
freedom of choice, agape would be meaningless.

2. God does not anticipate human acts: God does not
anticipate human acts of will so that human free will
is not hindered.

3. God offers a gift: God offers a gift that humans can choose
to accept or reject.

4. Humans can choose to abide in virtue and follow God, or to stray
from virtue and follow the devil.

5. Humans are created in God’s image and likeness. "Then God said, Let Us
make man in Our IMAGE, according to Our likeness" [Genesis 1:26].

The Holy Fathers of the Church distinguish between IMAGE and LIKENESS. The IMAGE names those Godlike characteristics with which we began, such as RATIONALITY, FREE CHOICE, PERCEPTION AND THE CAPACITY TO DEVELOP AN EXCELLENT CHARACTER. These characteristics form the foundation of our human existence. By choosing to use them wisely, we can then acquire the Divine LIKENESS, namely perception of and COMMUNION WITH GOD, actualization of all the virtues, and Eternal Life. Though the two concepts ARE INSEPARABLE, the IMAGE is static and the LIKENESS is dynamic: we can become more and more like God (theosis, deification) over time.

The Protestant belief and concept of PREDESTINATION is considered by the Orthodox Church wrong and heretical. According to this concept "God, being OMNISCIENT, or All-Knowing and OMNIPOTENT, or All-Powerful, HAS ALREADY DETERMINED THE FATE OF THE UNIVERSE, INCLUDING THE FATE OF IMMORTAL SOULS. The term ELECTION is often used synonymously with predestination to refer to God’s process of choosing whichS souls will and will not be saved. According to this CALVINIST doctrine of predestination, SALVATION IS PREDETERMINED BY GOD’S ETERNAL WILL. This places limitations on FREE WILL and for some renders it meaningless due to the implication THAT NO MATTER WHAT ANY INDIVIDUAL DOES, THEIR FATE IS ALREADY SEALED."

CALVINISTS believe that, at the beginning of time, God SELECTED A LIMITED NUMBER OF SOULS TO GRANT SALVATION AND THERE’S NOTHING INDIVIDUAL PERSON CAN DO DURING THEIR MORTAL LIFE TO ALTER THEIR ETERNAL FATE. EITHER YOU WERE CHOSEN OR YOU WERE NOT CHOSEN, AND THAT’S ALL THERE IS TO IT.

One can clearly see how Protestantism has abandoned the authentic teachings of the Church and the numerous theological errors and heresies that it has produced over the centuries.

For those who may think the word HERESY is too strong or offensive, let us define the word. Heresy is "FOLLOWING ONE’S OWN CHOICE OR OPINION INSTEAD OF DIVINE TRUTH PRESERVED BY THE CHURCH, AS AS TO CAUSE DIVISION AMONG CHRISTIANS. HERESY IS A SYSTEM OF THOUGHT WHICH CONTRADICTS TRUE DOCTRINE. IT IS FALSE TEACHING, WHICH ALL TRUE CHRISTIANS MUST REJECT. [Matthew 7:15; 2 Peter 2:1]. Heresy must never be overlooked or tolerated by anyone because it is dangerous and evil.

__________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George