Free will or robots…
There is a common saying/belief that God had to give humans “free will” or we’d be automatons. Is that really true? I think this view is
flawed for a couple of reasons.
First, it assumes the “will” is truly free. However, this can be tested by simply asking, “Why does a person do something?” (what is their motive?)
The reality is, the “will” (volition) is subject to something, either intellect (cognition) or heart (affection), as demonstrated by motive (why do you do what you do?). The will isn’t free because it is directed by motive. Motive, in turn, comes from affection/desire (“heart”) or cognition.
Without going into all the details, I would argue that affection is the driving motive, and not cognition. There is a body of research that shows why this is true, but I’ll leave that for another post. A brief example of this assertion though is the power of marketing. Businesses sell products based on our affections and not intellect. They appeal to our desires and not statistics. Why? They understand that motive (based on affection) drives the purchase decision (volition).
Therefore, intellect (cognition) provides information to affection, but in the end affection determines action. In short, there is no such thing as “free will” because it is captive to (driven by motive, our affections).
Second, “free will” is not the same thing as freedom of action. I think what people mean is that God, within His sovereignty over everything, allows for freedom of action. This means God does not proscribe a specific action, and is fine with a range of actions. Based on the notion that there is no free will because it is subject to motive, then affection/love is the source of action/behavior. For example, as a husband I want to show love to my wife. I can choose how to express love in a variety of ways — go on a date, give her time alone by taking all the kids, bring her flowers, etc… Likewise, God allows us to see Him for who He is (1John 4:19, Romans 5:5, Ephesians 2:1-9). We are in a love relationship with Him, initiated by Him, and we are “free” to express this love in any way we wish.
God wants us to love Him and express this love in the way we would choose — freedom of action.
