MAN’S 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.

MAN’S FREE WILL

"The Holy Fathers of the Church write that man bears the image of God in the higher qualities of the soul, especially in the soul’s immortality, IN ITS FREE WILL, in its reason, and in its capability for pure love without thought of gain.

a) The Eternal God gave immortality of soul to man, even though the soul is immortal not by nature but only BY THE GOODNESS OF GOD.

b) God is completely free in His actions, and He gave man FREE WILL AND THE ABILITY TO ACT FREELY WITHIN CERTAIN BOUNDARIES.

Having raised man above all the earthly world, having given him REASON and FREEDOM, having adorned him with His own image, the Creator thus indicated to man HIS ESPECIALLY HIGH PURPOSE. God and the spiritual world lie before man’s spiritual gaze; before his bodily gaze lies the material world.

a) The first purpose of man IS THE GLORY OF GOD. Man is called TO REMAIN FAITHFUL TO HIS BOND WITH GOD, TO STRIVE TOWARD HIM WITH HIS SOUL, TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AND HIS CREATOR, TO GLORIFY HIM, TO REJOICE IN UNION WITH HIM, TO LIVE IN HIM. For if all of creation is called, according to its ability, to glorify the Creator, (see Psalm 148), the of course man, AS THE VERY CROWN OF CREATION, IS ALL THE MORE INTENDED TO BE THE CONSCIOUS, RATIONAL, CONSTANT, AND MOST PERFECT INSTRUMENT OF THE GLORY OF GOD ON EARTH.

b) For this purpose, man should be worthy of his Prototype. In other words, he is called TO PERFECT HIMSELF, TO GUARD HIS LIKENESS TO GOD, TO RESTORE AND STRENGTHEN IT; HE IS CALLED TO DEVELOP AND PERFECT HIS MORAL POWERS BY MEANS OF GOOD DEEDS. This requires that a man take care of his own good, and his true good lies in BLESSEDNESS IN GOD. Therefore one must say THAT BLESSEDNESS IN GOD IS THE AIM OF MAN’S EXISTENCE."

The theology of the Orthodox Church emphasizes that humans possess genuine free will, a Divine Gift crucial for salvation, which is achieved through SYNERGY–the COOPERATION of human free will with God’s grace. Instead of the heresy of predestination, Orthodoxy teaches that OBEDIENCE IS A WILLING, LOVING RESPONSE TO GOD, NOT a forced servitude. SALVATION INVOLVES HARMONIZING ONE’S PERSONAL WILL WITH GOD’S TRANSFORMING THE INDIVIDUAL INTO A STATE OF UNION WITH HIM.

Salvation is A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS where God offers grace, but humans must choose to accept it. As Saint John Chrysostomos said, "All indeed depends on God, but not in such a way that our fee will be hindered." Orthodox teaching on salvation is based on the Doctrine of FREE WILL. In his fall man did not lose his free will. Man could still choose to be with God or without Him–he just could not move himself back toward God, as the path was closed by the "ancestral sin." Our Lord Jesus Christ cleared that path, and now our salvation is the matter solely of our choice. God honors our choice–whatever it is. This is the reason God does not make demons disappear: God respects their free will, as free will is a feature of divinity (that, unfortunately can be misused). We are saved THROUGH SYNERGY (cooperation of our will with God’s. Saint Athanasius the Great wrote: "God does not save us without us." On the other hand, God does NOT FORCE SALVATION ON ANYONE: otherwise, this would not be "salvation" but rather His re-making us into something that contradicts His Own original design of us.

Saint John Chrysostomos 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 (έφ ημίν) and up to Hin (εφ αυτώ). 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."

There can be no Christian spiritual life and relationship without complete obedience to our Divine Creator and God. The Christian must always examine and scrutinize all of his/her actions objectively and honestly before he implements them. The good Christian always turns to the Holy Scripture and the sacred writings of the Holy Fathers of the Church to seek guidance and inspiration before he or she makes serious decisions. It is important to avoid as many decisions as possible which may lead him or her to disobeying God’s commandments. The Orthodox Christian has many spiritual tools given to him/her by and through the Church to live an authentic spiritual life e.g., Holy Scriptures, prayers, worship, fasting, repentance, mysteries (sacraments), the lives of the Saints, writings of the ascetics, and holy Fathers and Mothers of the Church. It is therefore up to the individual Orthodox Christian to be willing to practice his or her faith daily with faith and genuine sincerity and commitment to our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. (Resources: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology and Orthodox Study Bible)

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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George