Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

The Bible says that God wants everyone to be saved, but, at the same time, God gives humans free will that allows them to reject that salvation. God respects that free will (just as human parents want their children to obey them, while at the same time giving them the freedom to disobey them), but also (as loving parents do) warns of the consequences for rejecting salvation, and then imposes those consequences when rejection occurs.

God wants our love and service to Him to be genuine (and, therefore, voluntary), rather than forced or compulsory. How much would we as humans value a person telling us they loved us, if that person normally wanted nothing to do with us, and would only profess their "love" when a loaded gun was pointed at their head? Would we take such a statement to be genuine?

God in love and grace has taken the initiative for our redemption by becoming human Himself in Christ, and undergoing on our behalf the temporal and eternal punishment that each of us deserves because of our sin. But to appropriate that salvation for ourselves, we have to recognize our inability to achieve it through our own effort, and accept it solely by faith.

As C. S. Lewis said, the person who refuses to say to God, "Thy will [i.e., that I be saved] be done" at any moment up until their last earthly breath, will then hear God say, "THY will [that is, the person's choice to be separated from God] be done," for eternity.

May 12 2017 • 4 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Ryan A

God wants his creation to love Him. God is not a dictator, he has given us free will to choose to love him. Forced love is not love. As such, to force salvation on everyone would be to take away our free will and our ability to respond to his loving kindness and grace, creating a fake, unsubstantial relationship.

May 13 2017 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report