How does God’s sovereignty work together with free will?
The question of how God’s sovereignty and human free will work together is one that has been pondered and debated for centuries. At first glance, the two concepts seem contradictory – if God is truly sovereign over all things, directing and ordaining everything that happens, then how can humans have any real free will to make their own choices? Yet the Bible clearly presents both concepts. So how do we reconcile them?
To start, we must recognize what Scripture says about God’s sovereignty. The Bible tells us that God reigns over everything and everyone (Psalm 103:19). He works all things according to the counsel of His own will (Ephesians 1:11). He directs the steps of men and nations (Proverbs 16:9, 21:1). Nothing takes God by surprise, nothing thwarts His purposes. His plans are accomplished without fail (Isaiah 14:24, 46:10). He declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). These verses and many others affirm the absolute sovereignty of God over all of creation.
At the same time, the Bible is equally clear that human beings have a genuine free will. We make real choices with real consequences (Joshua 24:15; Proverbs 1:29-30). We are held morally responsible for those choices (Ezekiel 18). Scripture issues repeated commands that would make no sense unless we have the ability to obey or disobey them (Luke 13:3; John 8:11; Acts 17:30). The whole concept of sin – which depends on humans choosing to rebel against God – only makes sense if we have free will (James 1:14-15). God’s dealings with people throughout Scripture also demonstrate His recognition of the fact that we make real choices (Genesis 2:16-17; Deuteronomy 28:1-2; Joshua 24:15; Ezekiel 18:30-32). So human free will is also clearly taught in Scripture.
So how do these seemingly contradictory realities fit together? The key lies in recognizing that God’s sovereignty does not eliminate or minimize human freedom, but rather establishes and enables it. God is so infinitely greater than us that His sovereign direction over all things need not impair the working of our wills. Rather, God created our wills and gave us the ability to make choices. He has full authority over our wills and can empower, limit, direct, restrain or otherwise influence our decisions – all without negating our ability to choose.
Philosophers and theologians refer to this as “compatibilism” – the view that God’s absolute sovereignty is compatible with genuine human freedom. This view sees divine sovereignty and human free will not as competitors but correlatives. God in His sovereignty has ordained that humans would have a will that is free, though limited in various respects. He has full authority over our wills and full knowledge of what our choices will be, yet we still make real, voluntary choices. He directs our wills through various means, yet the moral responsibility for the actual choice is still ours.
A key distinction that helps us understand how God’s sovereignty and human freedom work together is primary vs. secondary causes. God Himself is the primary cause who ordains and wills all that happens. Yet He carries out His will through secondary causes – including the humans who make free choices with willing hearts, minds and motives. Just because God wills and causes something to happen doesn’t mean human choices aren’t involved. As an example, God willed the death of Jesus and it was part of His predetermined plan, yet evil human choices were instrumental in carrying it out (Acts 2:23). In His sovereign direction over all things, God incorporates the choices – good and evil – of human moral agents who make those choices willingly based on their own motives and desires.
This understanding helps make sense of verses that connect God’s will to human moral choices. For example, Philippians 2:13 says “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” God works in us to incline our wills toward righteousness, using means consistent with our human nature. His sovereignty does not cancel out the reality of our choices. Proverbs 21:1 declares, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” God influences kings based on His purposes. Yet those kings still make real choices for which they are held accountable.
In summary, God in His sovereignty ordains human free will. His sovereign direction over all things – from giving us life to effecting salvation to orchestrating history – incorporates our human choices that fulfill His purposes. He works in and through human moral agents who make these choices willingly and responsibly. His foreknowledge of our choices does not negate the reality that we consider possibilities, use our minds, weigh motives, and make real decisions. These choices have real effects and consequences both for us and others.
Having established this overall framework, we can further clarify how God’s sovereignty and human free will work together by looking at some specific areas of life where both are at work:
Salvation
The interplay between God’s sovereignty and man’s free will is perhaps most evident in the realm of salvation. Scripture makes it clear that salvation is entirely by God’s grace, not human effort (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). God predestines believers to be saved and conformed to Christ (Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:5). Yet Scripture repeatedly calls people to repent and believe in order to be saved (Mark 1:15; John 3:16; Acts 2:38). Man has a responsibility to believe in Jesus for salvation (John 3:16-18). God takes the initiative in salvation and humans must freely choose to respond in repentant faith. Both realities are presented by the various biblical writers under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
So in salvation, we see God’s sovereignty operating through human free will, not eliminating it. God draws us to Himself, opens our eyes to the truth of Christ, grants us repentance, gives us the gift of faith – yet we must choose to repent and believe (Philippians 1:29; Acts 11:18). He ordains the means as well as the end. The absolute certainty and meticulous planning of divine sovereignty work hand-in-hand with the voluntary, personal faith of individuals. An example of this interplay between God’s sovereignty and man’s free will in salvation is seen in Paul’s testimony in Galatians 1:15-16: “But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles…” Here we see God’s meticulous sovereignty in setting Paul apart before he was born, combined with God then revealing His Son to Paul so that he could voluntarily respond in faith.
Everyday Choices
In the mundane decisions of daily life – what to eat or wear, which route to take to work, whom to marry, where to live – God’s sovereignty and human choice work together in similar though less overt ways than in salvation. God is sovereign over the circumstances He places us in and the range of options available to us (Acts 17:26). He guides our thoughts, impressions, and desires – which influence our choices. His providence arranges connections, timing of events, and opens or closes doors (Proverbs 16:9). Yet we have freedom to seek wisdom, weigh options, and choose how we will respond. Our choices are real and have consequences. Yet God is ultimately in control, working out His purposes through the billions of human choices made every day.
Spiritual Growth
The same principle holds true in our spiritual growth as believers. God commands us to pursue Christlikeness, kill sin, develop godly habits and character, be filled with the Spirit, set our minds on heavenly things (Colossians 3:1-17; Romans 8:13; Ephesians 5:18; Philippians 4:8). So we are responsible to train ourselves spiritually with diligence and discipline. Yet Scripture also teaches that God Himself works in us to will and act according to His purpose as we submit to Him (Philippians 2:12-13). He gives us desires to obey Him, conviction of sin, love for His commands and power to carry them out (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Hebrews 13:20-21). He prunes us, chastens us, leads us in paths of righteousness (John 15:1-5; Hebrews 12:4-11; Psalm 23:3). God sovereignly works to accomplish our sanctification, incorporating our choices in the process.
Evil
A significant category in which God’s sovereignty and human free will interact is the realm of evil and suffering. Scripture makes it clear that God is not the author of evil (James 1:13) and does not directly cause moral evil by tempting people or encouraging them to sin. Yet He allows evil, refusing to restrain the free choices of moral creatures who sin. He also uses evil choices and situations to bring about His sovereign purposes (Genesis 50:20; Acts 4:27-28). God judged evil when His own Son was crucified, yet it was through this greatest of evils that God sovereignly accomplished the greatest of goods – the redemption of sinners (Acts 2:22-24). Even in dire situations, believers can trust God is sovereignly working to use everything that occurs for our growth in Christ (Romans 8:28-29) as we choose to respond in faith.
In all these areas, we see that human free will and God’s meticulous sovereignty work hand-in-hand rather than in competition or contradiction. God graciously gives us freedom to make willing choices as moral agents created in His image, for which we are responsible. Yet as Creator, He retains full sovereign direction over our wills and everything else in the universe. His foreknowledge of our choices from eternity past does not negate the reality that we weigh motives and make decisions. And His working in and through our choices does not absolve us of accountability for those choices.
There is mystery here, to be sure. Our finite minds cannot fully grasp the working out of God’s infinite sovereignty and omniscience along with human freedom. But we can trust that both realities taught in Scripture are true. As A.W. Tozer said, “God sovereignly decreed that man should be free to exercise moral choice, and man from the beginning has fulfilled that decree by making his choice between good and evil. When he chooses to do evil, he does not countervail the sovereign will of God but fulfills it, inasmuch as the eternal decree decided not which choice the man should make but that he should be free to make it.”
In summary, God’s absolute sovereignty and human free will, properly understood, do not negate one another. Rather, they work in concert as complementary truths taught in Scripture. God ordains human freedom and holds us responsible for choices while also working out His sovereign will through those choices. His sovereignty establishes our wills and carries them along even as we make real decisions. Seen rightly, divine sovereignty is not in conflict with free will but is the sure underpinning for why our choices matter.