The will of man is a gift given to us by our creator. It is one of the things that makes us like God - in that we have the ability to make choices. It also has been a point of it seems like an everlasting conflict between mankind and worse, between man and God.
What I would like to do is compare the two wills, how they differ from one another, and how they operate in the area of our salvation.
Man has free will in every area of his life, but tragically because of our sinful nature inherited from Adam and Eve, our will is in bondage to our sin. Herein lies a paradox - we are free to choose, but at the same time, our freedom to choose is hindered because of our inherent wickedness. As a result, the choices we often make are evil.
Comparing our will against God's will is important because it reveals His perfect will versus our flawed will. God's will is autonomous. What that means is God is sovereign and He can do whatever He wants to do. We may think we can do anything we want, but we know (or should know) by now that will end tragically. Adam and Eve decided way back in the Garden of Eden to do what they wanted and you see how that ended up.
Whatever God decides is just and righteous because He is just and righteous. As someone said, "God doesn't see something as just and does it, rather the thing is just because God does it."
In the area of salvation, who chooses whom? Does man choose God, and in turn God chooses man? Many believe that to be the case. I will argue from scripture that that is not the case. The order is reversed. Man cannot choose God unless God gives man the ability and the willingness to choose Him.
In Psalm 14:1-3 we read, The fool has said in heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
Paul repeats this truth and more in Romans 3:10-18.
The Bible has just described the lost and hopeless condition of every man born into this world. Mankind is this way because they have chosen to be.
Jesus said it this way, "Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil" (John 3:19).
So, with all, I just mentioned, how can man choose God when man is full of wickedness and loves that wickedness? Remember, we cannot serve two masters. We either will serve God and righteousness, or Satan and unrighteousness.
I have described the will of man. Now let's turn to the will of God.
As I have said in the past, I must say again God has to choose us first in order for us to choose Him. The Bible says in Ephesians 1:4 that we were chosen before the foundation of the world. 2 Timothy 1:9 says we were called before time began.
The Bible makes it clear, we who are the chosen by God were chosen for salvation before He created anything.
Can those chosen before time began reject God's sovereign choice in time?
This is the heart of the matter. I will try my best answer the question clearly.
Those whom the Father gave to the Son to come and redeem will most assuredly come to saving faith. How do I know this? Because the Bible tells me. Jesus Himself said in John 6:37, "All that the Father gives to me will (italics mine) come to me, and those that come to me I will never cast out."
So in order for one to come to Christ, that person has to be among the chosen by the Father who gives the chosen to the Son. This was done before time began. Jesus knew along who the chosen were by the time he began his public ministry. He also knew they would believe in Him.
This is where we run into a problem from a human perspective. If God has already predetermined that certain people would believe in Jesus before they are even born, how is their choice a real choice?
Just because God chooses us for salvation does not invalidate our choice being real. God must overcome the stubborn of resistance man, activate his freedom so that he chooses God and be saved. God must supersede the evil will of man and empower us by His benevolent omnipotent will so that we will be willing to make the right choice in choosing Him. If God does not lovingly intrude in our lives in this way, we will never come to saving faith. Why? Because natural man is a dead man spiritually (Eph 2:1; Col 2:13). He must be born again (John 3:3) in order to see the kingdom of God and enter it.
Many will object to this line of reasoning and say that God is dragging people into the kingdom of God "kicking and screaming! He is violating their will!"
God has never violated the will of man and He never will. If man is left to himself to believe, then he never will. Without God's power enabling him to come to Christ, he can't come. (John 6:44, 65). That is why it is essential that God is proactive in choosing man instead of reactive. In God being the aggressor in salvation, He gives the chosen the willingness, the desire and ability to repent and believe in Christ through the gospel message and be saved. This ensures that God's plan of redemption is successful and Christ's humiliating death on the cross and shed blood was not in vain.
Those chosen by God will not reject the choosing of God because it is the will of God they believe in time because they were chosen before time. God's love shed abroad in our hearts will ultimately be too irresistible to refuse (Rom 5:5). This love will bring the chosen sinner to the point of brokenness and contrition of their sins. They will genuinely repent. Although man's sin is great (negatively), God's grace is greater (Rom 5:20).
Hopefully, the reader understands now why the will of God in salvation is the way it is. We will not on our own incline ourselves from unbelief to belief when we hear the gospel message. If we could, we would boast about it and God would not get the glory for saving us. God has made it clear that He will not share His glory with anyone (Isa 48:11; Acts 12:21-23).
Once again, we choose God because He chooses us first. Although some may argue and say that our choice of God is invalid because we are chosen for salvation before the foundation of the world, does not mean our choice is not real because the Lord navigates our will to choose Him. Remember, we have a will, but it is not autonomous like God's. God's will in divine election is His decretive will meaning that it always comes to pass regardless of what man does. God's decrees are fulfilled providentially through the free and even sinful choices of mankind.
Redemption was God's decree before time began. All those chosen by God will be redeemed. Not against their will, but in accordance with God's will.