Mr. Roboto

So, my 10 year old son often likes to drop spiritual bombs on me right around 8:00 p.m. What is happening around that time? Preparations for bed of course. So what better time to bring out the big guns than right before bedtime because he knows he can expect at least a short conversation to occur. A few nights ago, we were just getting home from sports practices and piano lessons and he was under strict instruction to take a quick shower and then get his book for nightly reading when... BOOM! "Mom, why didn't God just kill the snake if He knew it was Satan and that Adam and Eve would sin? Why doesn't He just get rid of Satan all together so we can all live perfectly and be happy all the time?" Now I have heard variations of this same question from both of my children at times, but this time the question was thought out and very specific. Why didn't He just kill that darn snake before Adam and Eve could even be temped by it? As I did my best to answer fully (but also keep the bedtime train rolling), the best example I could come up with on the spot was robots. God didn't create humankind because He wanted a bunch of non-thinking robots toddling around His garden all day. He created humankind to be in a closely bonded relationship with Him and what kind of a relationship could you have with a robot? One that would be pretty one-sided for sure. I explained to my son that God created us with wonderfully functioning brains that can think, learn, remember and choose. That last one is the real kicker, right? It's that last one that humankind gets wrong... a lot. And so just like with Adam and Eve and the first ever sin that started them all, God wanted them to choose to obey Him and not be forced to because they otherwise had no brain-power. No, He created them in His image with the power of choice and He created us the exact same way.

Free will is wonderful and terrible all at the same time, isn't it? Your children can clearly see that you have spent time and prepared a wonderfully delicious meal for them, but yet their will says, "I am NEVER going to eat that!" Your girlfriend can clearly see that her (once again) ex-boyfriend is a slime ball with no intention of ever treating her the way she deserves, but her will says, "He'll be different this time." And that friend or family member who is an addict can plainly see the damage he's inflicting on those around him, yet his will says, "I'll just have one drink tonight and I'll be done." These are obviously all examples from the terrible side of free will, but there are plenty more from the wonderful side! A child who sees another child being bullied could easily ignore it, but instead their will says, "I won't stand by and let that happen any longer." Your girlfriend who still loves that guy with all her heart could just as easily stay in the same broken-down pattern of behavior, but instead her will says, "Enough." And maybe the most important of all; the individual who clearly feels the call of Jesus in their heart to turn away from the world and turn to Him for salvation could all too easily disregard it, but their will finally says, "Yes, Jesus. Here I am." Choosing is something that we literally do all day long. We make enormous decisions sometimes that take months and months of brain power, but other times we don't even realize we are choosing because our brains are on auto-pilot to the small and mundane things we do everyday. Either way though, ultimately what we choose to do (or not do) is on us. And God desperately wants us to choose to love Him so much more than anything else that is right in front of our faces so that when we are confronted with our own snake, obeying Him instead of taking that delicious bite of sin becomes a no-brainer.

As believers, we have been given the power of the Holy Spirit that resides within us to help guide our thinking and our behavior. So when we choose to go our own way with a decision, be it big or small, rather than allow the Spirit to give us wisdom and direction on the matter, it makes God sad. It's funny to think that mere humans would have the ability to make the Creator of the Universe sad, but it says so right in the bible. "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30) The definition of grieve that I found online is "to cause to be sorrowful; distress." I mean, I don't know about you, but God's about the last person that I want to be responsible for making feel distressed on any occasion ever. Do I sometimes do it anyway? Of course. God knows I'm a human and I mess up. And when I do, the Holy Spirit that resides within me gives me that little nudge that says, "Maybe that one wasn't the best choice. How about you just fess up to it and you'll feel a ton better." Let me just interject for a moment here about the power of confession. So you screwed up big this time, hu? There is no possible way you can "look" God in the eye and tell Him what you've done. He's going to be so angry! Well, let me just encourage you with this verse: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," (Romans 8:1). This means that if you are a true believer, there is literally NO sin that God won't forgive when you confess it to Him. Actually, when Jesus took all of our sins upon Himself to the cross, that meant past, present and future sins. So, technically you're already forgiven. But, here's the thing. Believers living with the unconfessed sins of their poor choices are not enjoying the kind of relationship that they could and should have with Jesus. Remember that close bond we were created to have with Him? While that sin just sort of lingers out there un-checked, we aren't able to fully benefit from that fellowship. You know that feeling we've all had when God just seems distant and we feel like He has withdrawn from us? In truth, it is never Him that withdraws from us. It is always us that withdraws from Him and with unconfessed sin in our lives, we are essentially building up a wall between ourselves and God. The higher the wall gets, the less and less we will feel God's presence all because we refuse to admit our wrongdoing and ask for restoration. But, oh how quickly the warmth of that close bond returns literally the second we decide to just open our mouths and confess. Does it sound like I am speaking from experience? It definitely should. Here is a verse that backs me up: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) Bottom line, we just can't hide from God. When we make poor choices, whether the first or the hundred and first time, we hurt our relationship. But, full and complete cleansing and restoration of the relationship is available every single time which is the power of honest confession.

I can't wrap up a Blog post about our God-given ability to choose our own path without mentioning a few other things. Admittedly, I am no expert on theology and don't even pretend to be. But... there are several verses I want to share that, in my opinion, sort of speak for themselves when it comes to free will and the power of choice.

First and foremost: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15)
I don't think I can say it any better than this quote I found from an online article I recently read which states, "A desire for holiness is a hallmark of those who know God." That is as plain and simple as it gets folks. Those of us whose lives have been truly regenerated by Jesus Christ will strive to please Him with the way we live our lives. Period.

Second: "We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." (Hebrews 5:11-14)
This admonishment from the writer of Hebrews about believers who continue to make immature choices is so right on. There are people out there who have been believers their whole lives, but instead of growing and maturing in their walk with the Lord, they have chosen to stay completely stagnant. Enough time has passed where they should be leading and teaching others, but yet like brand new believers, they are still having to be spoon-fed the basics of faith themselves. Y'all, come on! If you claim to be a Christ-follower, then do it! Do the necessary things to grow and mature in your faith. Learn to discern good from evil and make your choices reflect that knowledge. It's time to move up to solid foods!

Third: "Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God." (1 John 3:9) For born-again Christians, the thought of continuing in our old ways is repulsive. Once God does a true transforming work in your heart, your life will never look the same. Of course we still sin, no one is immune from that. But when the verse says "So they can't keep on sinning," I personally believe this to mean that the thought of returning to my old habits is so revolting that it literally seems like an impossibility to me. That part of me is dead and by the grace of God it will stay dead.

Fourth: "This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth." (1 John 1:5-6)
This one makes me feel a bit afraid because of the great many people I know who may say they have fellowship with God, but literally not one thing about the way they live their lives gives any evidence of that. Again, I am no theology expert, but I do think this is worth consideration if your mouth says one thing, but you continue to lead a life chock full of selfish, immoral choices.

Finally: "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Does your life in any way, shape or form reflect the life of Jesus? Do you ever stop to ask yourself what Jesus would think about your choices? Are you pursuing any sort of relationship with Him at all (reading your bible, praying, attending church and Sunday School regularly)? If you said "no" to these questions, it is vital that you also examine yourselves to see whether you truly are in the faith. Oh sure, true Christians everywhere can get verrrrry spiritually lazy at times and let their choices slip, no doubt. But, I am more concerned with those who may have never truly admitted out loud that they are in fact a sinner in need of salvation by faith in Jesus alone and therefore are currently without the Holy Spirit's dwelling within them. There could be any number of reasons for this. Pride is a big one. Thinking there's plenty more time to get to it is another. Sadly, this is the ONLY choice a person will ever make that God can not forgive. Everything else... everything else... can be forgiven except the blatant refusal of Jesus Christ. So, my plea to anyone who may be reading this who now recognizes that they have never truly admitted that they're a sinner and asked Jesus to forgive them and make a way for them to join Him in heaven one day, is that reading these words might be a wake up call. Please don't leave it to chance. Remember, you have the power to choose your own path and I pray that you will choose Jesus because in His own words He said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)