Chosen But Free

The Book “Chosen But Free” by Norman L. Geisler gives a detailed look into the two opposing views of freewill and predestination. Geisler uses many references from scripture to dissect and relate these two theological ideas as he moves through the tough questions of whether humans have free will or not.   Geisler enters the discussion of these two ideas by explaining that all ideas have varying degrees of consequences depending on how big the idea is. Since God is a big idea, God is also the cause of the biggest consequences in our lives. After the explanation that God is not only the biggest thought humans could ever have but also holds the most significance, Geisler moves onto explaining the ideas of God’s sovereignty and free will and the relation between these two ideas.

There are a few points that Geisler makes in his book that intrigued me the most about God’s sovereignty and how human free will plays a role in that. These points are mainly addressed in questions that Geisler asks so that he can better explain the two ideas. He begins by defining Gods sovereignty and what impact that has on human nature and our free will. Since God is sovereign that means that He is ultimately in control of all of our decisions. Geisler backs this statement up by using scripture that not only demonstrates God’s sovereignty over good human decisions but also over the bad decisions humans make. Through this explanation of God’s sovereignty Geisler is asking the question of how we can make evil or bad decisions if God is in control. I agree with the viewpoint that Geisler takes when trying to answer this question. He states that God cannot be the cause of any evil. God made only good creatures and ultimately it is our decision when we make evil or wrong decisions.  We make evil or wrong decisions because of our sin nature. Geisler states that both sides the freewill argument agree that “God holds free creatures morally responsible for their free choices”.

Another one of the points that Geisler makes that I agree with is his idea on the balanced approach to free will and predestination. In this approach Geisler stresses the importance of having a good balance between the sovereignty and free will ideas so that we can solve the dilemma that they produce.  I agree with Geislers statement that he makes about the basis for any analysis of free will and predestination being the study of scripture.  He goes on to give examples that affirm that God’s sovereignty and human responsibility can be related and are expressed together in many passages.

Ultimately, Geislers book is a great overview and relation of two opposing views that are normally seen to only be contradictory. He relates these views not just by his own knowledge but by pulling examples straight from the scripture itself. “Chosen But Free” is a balanced book that gives insight and explanation into the biggest idea that humans can comprehend, God.