How Does Our Free Will Work in God’s Plan? (Part I)

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: Christian Questions Bible Podcast
Episode: How Does Our Free Will Work in God’s Plan? (Part I)
Hosts: Rick, Jonathan, Julie
Date: May 11, 2026

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Overview of the Episode

This episode explores the challenging question: How does our free will work within God’s plan? The hosts, Rick, Jonathan, and Julie, examine biblical accounts—especially the lives of Joshua, Adam, and Eve—to illustrate the coexistence of God's sovereign will and human free will. The discussion considers whether God's foreknowledge negates our autonomy, how our choices carry consequences, and how we navigate godly decision-making amid real-world challenges.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. God’s Plan and Human Free Will: A Biblical Tension

• Theme Scripture (00:31): Joshua 24:15, “...choose for yourselves today whom you will serve...But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
• God’s grand plan was established “even before the earth was created” (00:53), yet humanity is still granted free will.
• Hosts pose the challenging question: “Wouldn't his foreknowledge by its very existence make all of us puppets in his hands?...Actually, nothing could be further from the truth.” (00:53)

2. Joshua as a Model of Free Will Within God’s Will

• Joshua’s transition to leadership (03:14): Chosen by God, but accepted by the people—a clear interplay between God’s choice and human acceptance.
• Metaphor: Free will is like holding the steering wheel of a car—God provides the road, but we determine how we drive. (05:48, 24:11)
• Human free will does not create the path but determines how faithfully we walk it.

3. God’s Promises and Human Choices

• When God speaks, “that is his will, that which he says he does. Period. God's will is perfect and his will accomplishes his plan.” (05:25, Rick)
• Joshua’s choices to put God first made him usable for God’s purposes.
• Assurance: “No man will be able to stand before you...I will not fail you or forsake you.” (08:28) – God’s commitment underpins our security, but challenges remain.

4. Protection Doesn’t Mean an Easy Path

• “Freely doing God’s will opens us up to freely receiving his protection. But define protection. Faithful people still suffer.” (09:58, Julie)
• Protection is not the absence of trouble but “God’s guidance through...the trouble and the trials...” (10:31, Rick)
• The benefit: even when we fall or face setbacks, God enables us to rise again.

5. Character, Courage, and Obedience

• God’s repeated advice to Joshua: “Be strong and courageous…” (11:27, 16:03).
• Strength and courage: Not brute force, but “grasping firmly” (active strength) and “standing firm” (steadfastness) (12:20, 12:43).
• True obedience is active, not automated: “Without [active participation], there’d be no character development, no faith, and no genuine obedience. We’d be automated.” (11:50, Julie)

6. Anchoring Our Will to God’s Word

• God instructs: “Do not turn from it to the right or to the left” (11:27)—moral courage is needed when pressured.
• “God requires strength and courage when guiding us in his will, as his character drives his will.” (14:14, Jonathan)
• Our choices must be grounded in “a godly, well-rounded character and an intellect anchored in God’s word.” (20:21, Jonathan)

7. The Fall: Adam & Eve's Free Will in Eden

• In Eden, humanity was given full freedom—the “steering wheel” and the “map” (God’s word). (24:11)
• Adam and Eve’s failure was not from lack of information, but choosing suspicion (another voice—Satan) over trust in God (29:45–30:56).
• The first exercise of free will in history, with no precedent or cautionary tale (21:49).

8. The Purpose and Testing of Free Will

• God’s intention was for “the human will to learn to fully embrace perfection,” “godly commitment,” “be provable and faithful at all times,” and ultimately to harmonize with God’s will. (26:43–27:36)
• The test (the forbidden tree and Satan’s influence) was necessary for growth, not arbitrary. “Free will is everything in God’s plan... to learn and master as he has.” (29:03, Rick)

9. Consequences, Redemption, and Real-Life Parallels

• Sin leads to a sense of exposure, hiding, and fear—mirroring Adam and Eve’s experience after their choice (32:32–33:20).
• Rick shares a vulnerable story about his daughter to illustrate the pain and redemptive potential bound up in freely chosen separation and reconciliation (34:19–37:15).

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Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “When God speaks, that is his will, that which he says he does. Period. God's will is perfect and his will accomplishes his plan.”
  —Jonathan (05:25)
• “Free will is like holding the steering wheel of a car. God provides the road. That’s his plan... Joshua’s free will didn’t create the road, but it determined how faithfully he would travel upon it.”
  —Julie (05:48)
• “Protection... doesn’t keep us from getting hurt. It walks us through getting hurt in a godly fashion.”
  —Rick (10:31)
• “Do not turn from it to the right or to the left... That adds another layer. That’s moral courage. Joshua would face pressures, obstacles, discouragement. God was preparing him to stand firm in obedience.”
  —Julie (13:43)
• “Why is intellect so important here? Isn’t just the way we feel enough?” “Not even remotely close. The way we feel... inevitably doesn’t mean much of anything.”
  —Julie & Rick (18:52–19:04)
• “Complete obedience saves later regret. That’s something to think about.”
  —Julie (33:20)
• “Our steering wheel is our free will. Our map, God’s word... Anything that doesn’t align with biblical principles is counterfeit, no matter how convincing it looks or how good it feels.”
  —Julie (37:36)
• “God’s will always eventually prevails when it comes to human free will.”
  —Rick (38:20)

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• 00:31: Theme Scripture introduced and foundational question raised
• 02:18–03:14: Joshua’s life as a model: transition of leadership and pivotal decision
• 05:48: Metaphor of free will as a steering wheel; God lays out the road
• 09:58–10:31: The nature of God’s protection and challenge for the faithful
• 11:27–13:43: Strength, courage, moral steadfastness—God’s requirements for Joshua (and us)
• 16:03: Anchoring will to God’s Word—meditating on the “book of the law”
• 20:21: The necessity of intellect aligned with God’s Word
• 21:49–24:11: Adam and Eve—first human choices, the test of free will
• 29:45–30:56: Satan introduces an alternate voice; temptation and fall
• 32:32–34:19: Consequence, hiding from God, and the redemptive impulse
• 34:19–37:15: Rick’s personal story about consequences, love, and restoration
• 38:20: Preview for Part II—applying these lessons

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Structure of God’s Will vs. Human Will

God’s Will (various hosts, threaded throughout):

• Perfect
• Committed
• Time-tested
• Harmonious

Human Will (as intended by God):

• To learn to fully embrace perfection
• To develop godly commitment
• To be tested and proven faithful
• To harmonize with God’s plan—requiring choice, character, and intellect

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Takeaways and Next Steps

• True free will exists within God’s plan; we choose, but our choices have shape and meaning only when aligned with God’s revealed will.
• God seeks not programmed obedience but character developed through trial, intellect, and moral courage.
• Every deviation from God’s will brings consequences, but God’s ultimate goal is restoration and unbreakable righteousness in humanity.
• Upcoming in Part II: Applying these lessons to contemporary Christian life and the world’s future.

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For more resources, study notes, and referenced Q&As, visit christianquestions.com—see CQ Rewind for notes on questions like “Why did God let Adam and Eve sin?” and “Why put the forbidden tree in the garden?”

Transcript

[A]

Think about the Bible like you never have before. You're listening to Christian Questions. Access more audio videos and Bible Study [e-mail] Our topic is how does our free will work in God's Plan? Here's Rick, Jonathan and Julie.

[B]

Welcome everyone. I'm Rick. I'm joined by Jonathan, my co host for over 25 years, and Julie, a longtime contributor, is also with us. Jonathan, what's our theme scripture for this episode?

[A]

Joshua 24:15 if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers serve, which were beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

[B]

The Bible plainly teaches us that God, in His unfathomable wisdom and power, has a clear plan for the destiny of all humanity. We also know, according to First Peter 1:20, that his plan for the sacrifice of Jesus was clearly in place even before the earth was created. Now, if God's plan was clear to him even before humanity existed, how does that fit into our understanding that each and every one of us has free will? Wouldn't his foreknowledge by its very existence make all of us puppets in his hands? If he knows how it will all turn out, then aren't we just playing a predetermined role? Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. As we dig into these questions, we will see that God's plans and purposes are firmly built around the free will of all of his intelligent creation. Understanding this is life changing.

[A]

We face this every day. We pray for guidance but still have to decide. We feel the pull of temptation and the pull of God's spirit and our will chooses the direction. And when life goes wrong, we wonder, was this God's plan or my mistake? You know, these are real questions and understanding free will gives us a steadier perspective.

[C]

So the account of Joshua is so important because his life shows how free will operates within God's will through through real decisions, real pressures, real consequences. And our theme Scripture with its well known phrase, but as for me, in my house we will serve the Lord. That comes from Joshua speaking to the Jewish nation. God had chosen him to lead the people after the death of Moses, and the people accepted that choice. Earlier in his life, Joshua and Caleb were the only spies who returned from the land of Canaan with complete faith and confidence in God's ability to further deliver his people. So now, many, many years later, at the end of his Life. Joshua calls for that nation to remain faithful. He had done all he could for them by leading, teaching, modeling, faithfulness. He already made his own choice to serve God, but he couldn't force that choice upon them. The decision was now theirs alone.

[B]

And that's a real important baseline for us to look at. So now let's figure out how Joshua got there. Let's go back to the beginning of Joshua's leadership, as that beginning reveals many principles of how human free will works within the context of God's will in this present age of sin and death. So going back to the beginning of his life is going to teach us principles that we can look at our own lives and see God's ways and our ways and put them in perspective. So as we go back to the beginning, the people had wandered in the wilderness. Israel had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years and were now ready to receive what, what God had originally promised them. God chose his faithful servant Joshua to be their new leader because Moses was now off the scene. So let's look at how that happens, what God says to Joshua, and what we can learn about free will. Joshua one, one, two.

[A]

Now it came about after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, the son of nun Moses, servants saying, moses, my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.

[B]

So you have the transition of power. Moses has died. Joshua is being raised up in his place. So Joshua is being in a position of having responsibilities for piled upon his shoulders. And this is an important lesson in the beginning of understanding free will in the context of God's will. When we've made choices to put God first and follow through on them, just like Joshua did, God can use our standing before him as a tool to further accomplish his will. So now what we want to do is take God's introduction to Joshua's leadership and look at the principles of godliness involved in what's happening and look at the principles of human free will that come out of that. So we're going to start with the God part, Jonathan.

[A]

When God speaks, that is his will, that which he says he does. Period. God's will is perfect and his will accomplishes his plan.

[B]

So when he tells Joshua, you are going to be taking charge, I'll be with you. You know that that is true. We've seen God's perspective on his will. Now let's look at the human free

[C]

will principle for the human we're free to choose a path and to live by our choice. You know, we might think of free will like holding the steering wheel of a car. God provides the road. That's his plan. It's already laid out before us. Joshua stepped onto a road that God had prepared long before he was born, and God promised to walk that road with him. So Joshua's free will didn't create the road, but it determined how faithfully he would travel upon it.

[B]

Okay. And that's important to think about that steering wheel as we go through this whole approach to human free will in relation to God's plan.

[A]

Rick, I remember when I first came to you with the idea of starting Christian Questions as a weekly radio program.

[B]

Okay, wait, wait, wait. Here we go.

[A]

Yeah, it really.

[C]

What did Rick do wrong?

[A]

Hey, it really came down to two paths. Keep looking for a witness opportunity that felt familiar and manageable, or step into a weekly radio program we had no idea how to do. Now, Rick, you dismissed the idea a few times before we finally aired that first episode in June of 1998, I believe. And honestly, it was one of the hardest and scariest decisions we've ever made. You know, we were stepping into something completely unfamiliar, but it became one of the most spiritually rewarding things we've ever done. That was a moment where we had to put our hands on the steering wheel and choose a path.

[B]

Yeah. And you're driving in what felt like completely uncharted territory. What are we doing behind these microphones in this radio studio? I mean, come on, really? So it was. It was a very important free will decision. Could have chosen not to. And I did say, yeah, you know, I don't know who's going to do that. That was my, like, who?

[A]

We.

[B]

We don't know how to do that. And that was true, but it ended up not being the direction. So we can have a truth, but it doesn't put us in the direction. And we've got to understand what's God's will going to do with us. And that really fits into the Joshua experience, because Joshua had not led the people before. He was always behind Moses, always doing what Moses told him. And now all of a sudden, he's out in front. So let's go a little bit further with the Joshua introduction to his leadership and his free will in relation to God's will. Joshua, chapter one. Let's go to verse three and five.

[A]

Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you. Just as I spoke to Moses. No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. I will not fail you or forsake you.

[C]

Now we're right at the moment when his leadership begins. God would be with Joshua just like he had been with Moses. What a powerful message. Joshua could step forward knowing that he wasn't stepping into the unknown alone.

[B]

And that's important. God is giving him the assurance. When we have freely chosen to do God's will as Joshua had done, we have chosen to be in his care as Joshua had done. God will oversee all that comes to us. This is an important principle for us to look at as we watch Joshua take the reins and run with the responsibility. So again, let's look at God's perspective on this.

[A]

God's promise is his will. That which he has promised, he will deliver. Period. God's will is committed, and his commitment accomplishes his plan.

[B]

And you know, when you say God's will is committed, it says, I will be with you. I will not fail or forsake you. His promise is his will. That's something we can really, really hold on to. So that's what we see from God coming to us. Now, what about the human free will principle?

[C]

Freely doing God's will opens us up to freely receiving his protection. But define protection. Faithful people still suffer. Trials aren't miraculously removed. And even with these incredible assurances from God, Joshua's was anything but easy. By the time we reach our theme text in chapter 24, he has faced battles and setbacks and failures within the camp. And the weight of leading a nation that didn't always want to follow God's presence didn't remove the challenges. So, Rick, define protection.

[B]

Joshua still had a hard life, and you went, what? And here's the protection. The protection is, yes, leadership is going to be hard for you. The decisions are going to be difficult. You're probably going to fall down and you're going to have to get up. And God's protection is just look to me in all of that and I will guide you through the falling down and the mistakes and the trouble and the trials and the tribulations and the things going backwards. Just think of King David, for instance. His protection is we can go back to him and be standing on our own two feet because we're doing his will, his way. So that's where the protection comes. It doesn't keep us from getting hurt. It walks us through getting hurt in a godly fashion. Let's go A little bit further now and see what else comes into play in terms of God's will and the principles of our human free will. Let's look at Joshua, chapter 1, verses 6 and 7.

[A]

Be strong and courageous for you, Joshua shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous and be careful to do according to all the law which Moses, my servant, commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.

[C]

This was a massive responsibility for one man. Joshua was carrying the weight of an entire nation's future. And he had to do it as good or better than Moses had. So why does God demand courage if he's in control? Joshua still had to step into the promise with obedience and faith. God requires our active participation. Without it, there'd be no character development, there'd be no faith, and there'd be no genuine obedience. We'd be automated.

[A]

The Hebrew word for strong here doesn't mean be tough or try harder. It means to grasp firmly, to seize with resolve. You know, Joshua had to take hold of the strength God was providing. The Hebrew word for courageous here carries the sense of standing firm, remaining steady when pressure comes.

[C]

So strong and courageous equals active strength plus steadfast courage. And a simple way to illustrate this is strength is like taking hold with our arms, grasping firmly what God provides. Courage is like standing firm with our legs, remaining steady when obedience is tested.

[B]

So it's a whole body experience. And Jonathan, going back to the experience that you talked about earlier, when Christian questions started, we had to learn to grab hold of, and then we had to learn to stand firm in. We had to learn that. And it was not easy and it took a long time. So these are important principles that were being shown here with Joshua. When we've freely chosen to do God's will, we by necessity will need to, like you said, stand firm with courage. Doing his will is not easy in this world. It's not supposed to be easy. His protection doesn't. Doesn't shield you. It helps you walk through. That's the key.

[C]

And I noticed the Scripture said, do not turn from it to the right or to the left. That's verse seven. That adds another layer. That's moral courage. Joshua would face pressures, obstacles, discouragement. God was preparing him to stand firm in obedience. So strength seizes what God provides. Courage holds steady when that obedience is tested.

[B]

So we've got this example of what God has commanded Joshua to do. So let's look at it from the godly perspective here.

[A]

God requires strength and courage when guiding us in his will as his character drives his will. God's will is time tested. And that test of time proves his plan.

[B]

There is a very important principle in the fact that his will is time tested. Because sometimes it doesn't look like his will makes any sense whatsoever. None. You're like, no, this can't possibly be. Just wait. You have to see the bigger picture. You have to see the time testing of what his overall sense is. So that's important to know. God knows the big, big picture. Now let's look at our human free will principles of our human free will in relation to that.

[C]

A God driven character is required to appropriately do God's will.

[B]

That's simple. God driven character is required to appropriately do God's will. And you say, okay, that's great. How well are we time tested in that? When you look at the history of Christianity, how many times have we seen preachers and get involved in money scandals and moral scandals? Why? Maybe they start out with energy and enthusiasm and focusing on spirituality. But over time, what happens? That's the key. Over time, do we stand up with that courage, hold onto and stand firm, not turn to the right or to the left, or do we waver back towards other things? Our human free will principle can choose. We can choose to waver because we're feeling too comfortable, or we can choose to stand firm in what we know to be the truth according to God's word. Let's go a little further. Let's go to Joshua, chapter one. Now verses eight and nine.

[A]

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be dismayed. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

[C]

More strong, more courageous. And remember, Joshua is stepping into Moses's role. Big sandals to fill, and God is commanding him. Actively grasp that strength that's needed for leadership. And Joshua could do that because he held God's law. And as that straight line standard, anything that didn't align with God's law and therefore God's will was counterfeit. His strength came from anchoring every decision to God's revealed truth.

[B]

So you can see that as God is preparing Joshua for leadership, he's telling him everything he needs to know everything he needs to rely upon everything he needs to watch out for and everything he needs to be assured in. Because God is presenting himself to him as like you are not alone. Having freely chosen to do God's will when we choose like Joshua did, it obligates us to continually check ourselves against God's word. Continually check ourselves against not what I think, not what I feel, against God's word. So we can continue to follow his leading at every turn. Our continuous following continues to keep God's presence in our lives. We don't want to end up a scandal, we want to end up faithful. We need to continue to keep his presence in our lives. So now that we've got this piece from God to Joshua, let's look at the God perspective of it.

[A]

Well, God's will is plainly reflected in His Word. His Word reflects His plan and his character. God's will is harmonious and the harmony of God's word and actions display the glory of his plan.

[B]

Sometimes we can see God's Word and then the actions don't seem to add up. And that's when you have to be able to be willing to step back and say, just wait. Wait for it to continue to unfold. Because the harmony of what he has said and what he does in its entirety show you a glorious, magnificent, overwhelmingly powerfully loving and just plan for all humanity. That's who we are working with now. What's the human free will principle along these lines?

[C]

Freely doing God's will requires our intellect to be in harmony with His Word. So I'm going to ask a question. Why is intellect so important here? Isn't just the way we feel enough?

[B]

Not even remotely close? The answer is no. Look, the way we feel is great, but it inevitably doesn't mean much of anything. And here's why. Because God makes decisions based on justice and wisdom and love and mercy. We need to be in that mold. We've been created in his image. We're going to see that in the next segment. We need to understand that that's how we need to make decisions. How you feel is not going to get you there. What is true and what you understand of what is true, that's what drives Godly decisions. So no emotion. How we feel. It's nice, but please don't rely on it.

[C]

The emotions are good, they're just not. We can't always rely on them. Right? They're not dependable enough.

[B]

I would say oftentimes if you really feel strongly, you gotta pause and say, do I see intellectually as strongly as I feel. And if I don't, then why not call it into question? Be careful, be careful, be careful with emotions. Okay, so let's look at our free will within the context of God's will.

[A]

We truly do have choice. And every choice carries consequences. When our decisions grow out of a godly well, well rounded character and an intellect anchored in God's word, we are far better equipped to withstand the challenges that inevitably will come. With that strength in place, we can continue to walk in God's ways.

[B]

And that's the reason you have to have it all together. And that's why God was so specific with Joshua about all of the things he needed to know, understand, look for, and then do. Just by looking at one experience with Joshua, we can begin to grasp the great power and responsibility of our free will.

[A]

Now that we have a basis understanding of free will in our world, the next question is, has free will always worked this way?

[B]

We can freely choose our path. When we choose God's way, we open up ourselves to God's protection. And continuing in his providence requires a godly character and a God driven intellect. You have to have both of those things. Veering away from any of these things can easily redirect our free will to an alternate path that will draw us away from God. How do we know this? Adam and Eve were faced with these very challenges.

[A]

And remember, this was the first time in human history that free will was being exercised. There was no past failure to learn from, no cautionary tale, no example of what happens when you choose against God.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. So this is important. This is where it starts. And so now that we've learned the things that we've learned from Joshua learning how to lead, let's go back to the beginning. Let's go back to Adam and Eve. God in that context would introduce humanity to their responsibility. And it was in an environment that was designed for success. It was truly designed for success. This environment had everything they needed. And it was all presented in a perfect package. Literally, it was in a perfect package called the Garden of Eden. Let's look at Genesis 2, 8 and 9.

[A]

The Lord God planted a garden toward the east in Eden. And there he placed the man whom he had formed out of the ground. The Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food and the tree of life also in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

[B]

So you have all of the pieces having been put there. The only thing not present in that whole perfect environment. Was an example of what happens when human free will goes against God. And Jonathan, you alluded to this. Why? Why was that example not there? Because it had never happened. It never had its opportunity. So here is part of the wisdom of God that we generally don't look at when we understand that it was a perfect package with everything they needed and it was built on and built around their free will. Now, God laid out the rules and the consequences of obedience and disobedience. They were plainly disclosed. There would be no question. Let's look at Genesis 2, 15, 17.

[A]

Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and to keep it. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, from any tree of the garden you may freely eat, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. For in the day that you eat from it, you will surely die.

[C]

Clear boundaries, clear consequences. Free will was real, but so were the outcomes. And think back to our steering wheel metaphor. Free will is the steering wheel. In our hands, this was the map. So in Eden, God placed the map directly in Adam and Eve's hands. His literal word would tell them exactly where safety was and where danger was. And their free will was meant to follow that map with trust.

[B]

So they were put in a position to know everything, understand everything in their perfection and being created in God's image. Adam and Eve actually had received God's protection because there was this test. And he told them, don't do this because that will happen. They received God's protection and they at this point had their godly characters and they had their God driven intellects because that's how they were created. They didn't know anything else but to be God, honoring God, following God worshiping. They didn't know. And it was a beautiful environment. And so you've got all of these pieces there and you've got the rules clearly laid out.

[A]

We're often asked, how could Adam and Eve sin if they were perfect? Check out this week's CQ Rewind show notes for the complete answer. Our website ChristianQuestions.com has an entire Q and A section to check out as well.

[C]

Yes, and another question we get asked a lot is since God knows the future, why did he put the forbidden tree in the garden knowing it would ultimately bring sin, sorrow and death? Again, check out the CQ Rewind show notes this week.

[B]

Let's get to that. Human free will would be tested. Why? Why do you have to test it? Why can't you just give Them everything they need and they live happily ever after. They could have lived happily ever after, but they chose differently. Why? Why allow that? Well, let's get into that. The end result of God's plan. The end result again, sometimes when you look at the moment in God's plan, you don't see the sense of it. The end result of God's plan was and always will be to have human free will work within the same parameters as God's own will because we were created in his image. So what we're saying is God was teaching his human creation to learn to choose correctly, appropriately, justly, lovingly and wisely every single time. Let's look at how God's will worked in all of this.

[A]

Well, God's will is perfect.

[C]

His plan was always for the human will to learn to fully embrace perfection.

[B]

Okay, to learn to fully embrace perfection. You had it. You had to learn to embrace it. What's next?

[A]

God's will is committed.

[C]

God's plan was always for the human will to learn godly commitment.

[B]

So they understood God, but they needed to learn godly commitment through all kinds of experiences.

[A]

God's will is time tested.

[C]

God's plan was always for the human will to learn to be provable and faithful at all times, not just at the beginning.

[B]

You see the common denominator to learn God's will was there so they could learn, so we could learn, so we would know, because experience was teaching us.

[A]

God's will is harmonious.

[C]

His plan didn't always outwardly reveal this important trait though.

[B]

And that's why when we look at the experience in the Garden of Eden, a lot of us say, why would God do that? Because the harmony of what he was doing was not yet to be revealed. It would unfold over time. But the harmony was always there from the beginning. That wise father who knows it was there. It just needed to be put in place. And human free will needed to be exercised. So now the test. Now the test. Enter Satan misusing his God given influence. Satan was given influence from God and he misused it. Let's look at Genesis chapter 3, verse 1.

[A]

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, indeed has God said, you shall not eat from any tree of the garden.

[C]

And then further in verses 2 and 3, Eve repeated God's command back to him. She knew the rules, she knew the consequence, but her character and intellectual were as of yet untested.

[B]

So you've got Satan giving that challenge And Eve responding. She knows. She knows what the story is.

[A]

And one more Bible Q and A we'll add to the CQ rewind show notes. Why didn't God stop Satan from deceiving them?

[B]

Okay, and again, let me just give a hint. Because free will is everything in God's plan. Free will is everything. God's free will is expressed in how he does things. Because humanity is created in his image. Free will is everything for us to learn and to master as he has. So what do we have? Satan next introduced a second choice. And Satan next introduced an alternative ending. This is key. This is key in the test and the understanding of free will. Let's look at Genesis 3, verses 4 and 5.

[A]

The serpent said to the woman, you surely will not die, for God knows that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you'll be like God, knowing good and evil.

[C]

Okay? So the serpent's lie planted a seed of doubt. It was a subtle suspicion that God might be withholding something good. And that tiny shift in thinking opens the door for Eve to step outside of God's boundaries. But when Eve listened to another voice, she set the map aside. She steered by her own understanding. And without the map, even a perfect human can drift off course.

[B]

And so Eve essentially is saying, huh, I now have new information. Yeah. And that new information was contradictory to the information that he chose first. But that new information was very enticing. This is free will working? Not in a good way, but it's working according to God's plan. Genesis 3. 6.

[A]

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was desirable to make

[C]

one wise, her perspective changed. So now she's evaluating God's command through self interest instead of trust. And suspicion brought doubt. So Eve ate the fruit. Adam ate it with her. And we know how that ended up.

[A]

Eve. And now Adam clearly had a choice and weighed their options with human free will. The problem was that they started to put themselves before God in the deception. Eve had chosen to see God as limiting and not protective. And Adam simply chose to disobey, just as Satan had already done.

[B]

You see how much happened with that one little choice? Because they took what was perfect, what was sound, and what was given to them by their creator for their ultimate good. And because of quote, unquote, new information, which was a lie, but nevertheless, it was new information, their whole perspective changed. And now look at what had happened. God knew that that was an important test. He knew it he knew it had to happen. So when we look at ourselves, when our free will is exercised and we have chosen against ultimate good, the results will put us out of harmony with God and we will rationalize hiding from him. And that sounds very familiar to what happened there in Genesis. Let's go to Genesis 3, verses 8 through 13.

[A]

They heard the sound of the Lord walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man and said to him, where are you? He said, I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself. And he said, who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? In their sin, their characters and intellects had responded to another voice. Suddenly, they felt exposed before God. Of course they hid. They were vulnerable. They were guilty. They were afraid of God, who had only ever protected them.

[C]

You had said earlier, Rick, about how we are in his image, and when we follow God's instructions, we reflect his image in us. His laws are the framework for the best possible life, the life that our designer created us to live. But our fallen nature pushes back something in us, whispers that God is holding back from us, something that's better. And that suspicion is the same seed of deception that Eve faced. It still tempts us today. There's a phrase that one of our friends says that I really like. Complete obedience saves later regret. That's something to think about. So take a moment of emotional reflection. Every time we choose suspicion of God over trust, or self over God, or shortcuts over obedience, we replay a tiny version of that moment in Eden. And yet God's response to Adam and Eve, seeking, calling, covering them, it reminds us that his plan always includes redemption.

[B]

His plan, though, to get to redemption had to have consequence. Just a quick personal story about a father and a child. Okay, I want to give you an experience, very hard experience from our past. Many of our listeners know that our daughter, our youngest daughter, Amy, was raped when she was only 15 years old. And that created a lot of very, very, very hard experiences in our lives. And in the process of recovering from all of that, she and I, now I'm the father figure here, and that's my child, are working through things, and we have to work together. And there was one period of time where this had really, really set her off, and she was spiraling downward, and she got Into a situation where she essentially told me a series of lies, several of them to cover, so she could go do something that she was absolutely not supposed to do. And, you know, as parents, you tend to. Sometimes you find out, sometimes you don't. This time we found out. I remember very vividly. And this. This is the child going off. You know, this is an experience. I was home. I was. I was downstairs in our family room, and I told Trish, I said, when Amy gets home, send her down. And she starts coming down the stairs. And I looked at her and I just said, you lied to me. And she knew, and she just nodded her head. I said, and you lied to me more than once. And she nodded her head. I said, after all we've been through and what we agreed, See, because we had agreed, no matter how difficult it is, the truth is going to get us through it. We had agreed and we'd worked on that, and that was a betrayal of that agreement. And so as her dad, I needed to make a statement. And look, I was really upset. And so I said, okay, I'm done. And I got up, I walked up the stairs, I walked out the house, and I drove down the road because I just needed to think. She was mortified. I did that for two reasons. One, I needed space because I was really upset because my daughter was too close to being lost. She was too close. The second reason I did it was I wanted her to feel the pain of separation. I wanted her to feel what it was like for me to walk out. Now I was obviously going to come back. And when I did later, it served as a tool for saying, we got to work together. The experience in Eden, this little experience that we had, reminds me of the importance of our free will staying in the context of our Father's wisdom. And it was a great learning experience for both of us. And it turned out to be one of the turning points that actually saved her life. So it's important for us to recognize why free will needs to be there and what the consequences sometimes need to be. So let's put this together. Our free will within the context of God's will.

[A]

Adam and Eve had a choice, and they each, in their own way, chose sin. In spite of these choices, God's love provided an eventual way to reclaim them. After all, God's plan has always been to ultimately develop an unbreakable righteousness within humanity.

[C]

So we have the picture of our steering wheel as our free will. And our map, of course, is still God's word. It's the Bible Whose voice are we listening to? Eve listened to the wrong voice and so can we. And today it's scary because deception is everywhere. So much is fake or engineered to mislead so that we can't always tell what's real. So our only protection is that same one that Adam and Eve had and the same one Joshua had. Staying close to God's word. Anything that doesn't align with biblical principles is counterfeit, no matter how convincing it looks or how good it feels. But that means we must be firm in our biblical principles or our free will can be steered by the wrong voice.

[B]

This we've looked at the experience of Joshua and we've looked at the experience of Adam and Eve. Folks, we're just getting started. We need to do a second part to all of this because as we've looked at these things, these are tremendous learning tools. But now we need to get to the core of how to apply it all. So as we wrap up part one of this two part series, we need to remember that God's will always eventually prevails when it comes to human free will. We learned from Joshua that our choices to serve God belong to us. We just need to realize that while serving God with those choices brings us his protection, we also need to develop and apply godly character and a God driven intellect. Adam and Eve showed us how easily it is to be distracted from our highest purpose by doubts and suspicions which alter our perception and lead to compromised choices. Now in part two, we're going to apply these lessons in two ways. First, to our lives as Christians. How do we attain and maintain enough Godliness to make the right choices? Second, we're going to apply all of these free will lessons to the rest of the world in the context of the Day of Judgment. Will it be an end for them or will it be a new beginning? Human free will is important. Think about it folks. We love hearing from our listeners. We welcome your feedback and questions in this episode and other [e-mail] as we said coming up in our next episode, how does our free will work in God's Plan Part two?