Does God have free will?
Does God Have Free Will?
A Graduate-Level Theological Study on Divine Volition
To ask whether God has free will is to ask whether the Creator of all things has the power of self-determined choice. In biblical theology, and especially within the framework of historic Baptist doctrine, the answer is a definitive yes—but with important qualifications grounded in God's nature, attributes, and sovereignty.
1. Defining Free Will Properly: Human vs. Divine Volition
In philosophy and theology, free will is generally defined as the ability to make real choices that are not determined or coerced by any external force. When applied to human beings, free will is creaturely—finite, bound by natural law, morality, and limitations of knowledge and power. Our choices are often influenced by internal desires, external pressures, or limited options.
In contrast, God’s free will is absolute, unbounded, and intrinsic. His decisions are never constrained by external forces, competing authorities, or deficiencies in knowledge or ability. God always acts in perfect alignment with His own holy nature, and nothing outside of God compels Him to act.
Job chapter 36, verse 23 asks:
"Who has assigned Him His way, or who has said, 'You have done wrong'?"
This rhetorical question affirms that no one instructs or limits God. His will is self-determined, flowing from His own perfect wisdom, goodness, and purpose.
2. God’s Will as the Ultimate Cause of All Creation
One of the clearest expressions of God's free will is seen in the act of creation itself.
Revelation chapter 4, verse 11 declares:
"You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created."
This verse makes explicit that the universe exists by God's will alone. Creation was not necessary; it was not forced upon God by lack or need. Rather, it was a sovereign act of volition, consistent with His nature and purpose to glorify Himself.
3. God’s Free Will and His Moral Perfection
Some may object that if God cannot sin, lie, or fail, then He is somehow limited in His will. But this misunderstands the nature of divine freedom.
Titus chapter 1, verse 2 says:
"In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began."
Hebrews chapter 6, verse 18 affirms:
"That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie..."
These texts do not indicate that God is restrained by an external law. Rather, His inability to sin is due to His own perfect and unchangeable nature. God’s holiness does not limit His freedom—it defines it. God always wills what is right, wise, and good because His nature is perfectly righteous and wise.
Just as it is not a flaw that a morally perfect being cannot commit evil, so it is no limitation that God cannot contradict Himself or act contrary to His holy essence.
4. God Is the Standard of Reality and Logic
Sometimes, absurd hypothetical questions are posed: “Can God make a rock so heavy that He cannot lift it?” or “Can God create a square circle?” These are not genuine limitations—they are linguistic or conceptual contradictions.
Exodus chapter 3, verse 14 records:
"And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And He said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you."'"
This declaration points to God’s self-existence and unchangeable essence. God is the very foundation of all reality and logic. Therefore, He does not engage in incoherent or self-negating acts—not because He lacks power, but because He is the source of all coherence and truth.
5. Human Free Will Is Subordinate and Dependent
God’s free will stands in sharp contrast to human free will. As finite creatures, we make real choices, but always within the framework of God’s sovereign providence.
God's sovereignty over human will is clearly taught:
Proverbs chapter 21, verse 1 says:
"The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes."
And Philippians chapter 2, verse 13 states:
"For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."
Though we exercise real decision-making, we do so within the limits of our created natures and under the ultimate authority of God’s will.
6. The Freedom of God’s Will in Election and Redemption
Nowhere is God’s free will more evident than in the doctrines of election and grace.
Ephesians chapter 1, verse 5 says:
"Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will."
Ephesians chapter 1, verse 11 adds:
"In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will."
God's choices in salvation history are not driven by human merit or necessity, but by the sovereign counsel of His own will. This does not negate human responsibility; rather, it exalts the grace and freedom of God.
7. Practical Implications of God’s Free Will
Assurance of God’s Faithfulness: Because God's will is self-consistent and morally perfect, His promises cannot fail. What He decrees, He accomplishes.
Confidence in Prayer: We pray not to inform God or bend His arm, but to commune with the One who wills all things wisely and responds in love.
Humility in Salvation: We owe our redemption to God’s free and gracious choice, not to our own merit or effort.
Hope for the Future: God’s free and sovereign will governs history to a determined end—the consummation of all things in Christ (cf. Ephesians chapter 1, verses 9 through 10).
Conclusion: God's Will Is Supremely and Perfectly Free
God indeed has free will, in the fullest and highest sense of the term. He acts freely, without compulsion, fully consistent with His righteous nature, and always in accordance with His wise and sovereign purposes. There is no greater freedom than this.
As Psalm chapter 115, verse 3 declares:
"But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases."
His will is not reactive or contingent—it is eternal, self-determined, and absolutely sovereign.
To know that God wills what is good and always fulfills what He decrees is the foundation of all Christian confidence.
