God’s Sovereignty and Man’s Free Will
God’s Sovereignty and Man’s Free Will
Sovereignty, properly understood, creates no conflict between God’s sovereignty and man’s free will.
To be sovereign is to possess absolute authority. According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition, a sovereign is:
“One that exercises supreme, permanent authority, especially in a nation or other governmental unit …”
Under the adjectival form are included:
Self-governing, independent; having supreme rank or power; paramount; supreme…
From the Century Dictionary is cited:
“Supreme in power; possessing supreme dominion; not subject to any other…. one to whom allegiance is due…”
And from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English, we see:
“Independent of, and unlimited by, any other; possessing, or entitled to, original authority or jurisdiction …. predominant; greatest; utmost; paramount …. a state which administers its own government, and is not dependent upon, or subject to, another power …. the person, body, or state in which independent and supreme authority is vested …”[1]
With absolute authority, God may choose whatever process, principle, rule, or action that suits His will, with neither consideration for nor accountability to, the ideas, approval, or understanding of any other party. God exercises judgment and bases decisions on His sole judgement, without conference with anyone else. While He may reason with any individual, God does so to engage that individual with God’s thinking, rather than to gain insight or direction for His decisions. Scripture records multiple instances of God discussing or even disputing with other parties, but no instance is recorded of His seeking advice or approval for anything He says or does.
In God’s sovereignty, God chose to create a physical universe containing physical environments both amenable and useless to life. On the sole planet designed to support life, God placed three life forms: plants, which grow and develop but have no awareness or identity; animals, which possess identity and awareness along with growth and development, but do not have a spirit, and human beings, created “in the image of God”, with the physical attributes of life, the personal attributes of life (identity and awareness), and a spirit, which is that aspect of humanity which reflects the image of God Which is Spirit.
Within God’s nature are possessed personal and spiritual attributes excluded from animals, but possessed in humans, including the ability to reason, to analyse, and to will. (Further discussion and a more complete list can be found in the following article: https://truth-and-grace.com/the-image-of-god-in-humanity/ )
Scripture refers to man’s exercise of his will in the context of his interactions with God. Christ and His apostles, and other disciples whose writings contribute to our Bibles, whose words are said to have been “inspired by” God and are therefore part of the written “word of God”, all specify salvation based on a man being willing, and trusting (having faith toward) God:
And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the hearer say, ‘Come.’ And let him who thirsts come. And whosoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.’” Revelation 22:17
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’” John 3:16
If anyone desires to do His (God’s) will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it is of God, or I speak from Myself.’” John 7:17
And when he had called the people with His disciples also, He said to them, ‘Whoever desires to follow Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’” Mark 8:34
But go and learn what means: “I desire mercy and not sacrifice,” for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’” Matthew 9:13
Indeed, Isaiah in the Old Testament also records God’s invitation to “all” who desire:
Ho, every one who thirsts: come to the waters, and he who has no money; come buy and eat; yes! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. For what reason do you spend money for what is not bread? And your labour for what satisfies not? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. (abundance; richness)
Incline your ear, and come to Me; hear, and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you: the sure mercies of David.” Isaiah 55:1-3
which Jesus reiterated in His revelation:
And He said to me, ‘It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.” Revelation 21:6
Indeed, the invitational nature of Christ’s call to humanity, inviting us to come, and offering to receive us, demonstrates that He has given us individually the prerogative of response to His call. While His desire is that we come to Him in faith to receive forgiveness of sin, His gift of the Holy Spirit, and everlasting life, He has not commanded us to come, nor forced us to comply, but in His sovereignty and wisdom, has chosen to invite and allow each one the freedom of choice in our response. The outcomes of our choice are predetermined, but the choice itself is ours to make. This is reflected in His parable of the wedding feast, recorded in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 22. While the King sent his servants to call them to come, when the originally-invited guests declined, he sent them to call those not previously invited, all whom they would find. Christ’s purpose for the parable was to chasten the Jewish religious leaders who rejected the Messiah they claimed to await, showing them that the detested Gentiles would be called and would willingly attend the “wedding feast of the Lamb” in that last day, provided they came clothed in proper wedding garments (the righteousness of Christ; 2 Cor 5:21) But crystal clear is the fact that the call is an invitation rather than a command, with freedom to decline left with those called, evidenced by the fact that they did decline, for various personal, albeit trivial reasons, to their condemnation and rejection by that King. In the same manner, the “all” others were invited, and enjoined to attend, but were not forced to come, having been given the opportunity to respond. Since the illustration was intended to portray God’s work among humanity, we must properly admit its portrayal of God’s sovereign desire to allow men to respond as they will.[2]
Most New Testament instances of the word “will” are translated from the Greek word “thelo” or its derivatives. As shown below, thelo specifically means to want, to will, or to desire. It refers to the preference of the person referenced, and their decision on how to effect that preference. No other sense is possible when this word is used.
To argue that anyone would desire only as God causes them to, is to eviscerate the meaning of the word outside of any proper understanding. To be forced is not to be willing; to comply with force is not willingness but powerlessness. God did not re-purpose words to drive a meaning that would be completely unknown in the normal use of them. His writers told us that what was written was for our education and example;[3] veiled meanings of simple messages would serve only to confound and confuse, not instruct and encourage. Such accusations of caprice are blasphemy against the living God, Which is wholly separate from malice or wickedness; He has declared through His prophets and apostles His intention that we read, learn, believe, and grow, based on what He has directed to be recorded. His words were chosen for their known meaning, and clear in their intended message. When God used the verb “to will”, God meant the desire of the subject named, and gave that party the prerogative to exercise their preference, with outcomes of that choice made known: salvation to all who choose to come to Christ for forgiveness and eternal life, condemnation to all who choose to refuse Christ and His death for their sin. We who choose Christ have our sins atoned. He is our advocate before the eternal Judge, Which Judge He also is; we cannot lose our “case”. Those who refuse Christ, will stand alone in judgement at that last day, and serve their own sentence for their sins: everlasting separation from God, Who is the source of all good, light, hope, joy, peace, and love. They will eternally experience darkness, turmoil, torment, fear, hopelessness, agony of guilt, and all other absence of the Source of all that is right. Not because God desires or delights in their destruction, but because they must receive justice for their wrongs if they refuse the mercy offered in its place.
Jesus declared that He “…stands at the door and knocks.” That portrays His invitation. “If anyone hears My voice and opens the door…” portrays the willing and voluntary response of the one who hears Him outside. “I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me,” is the outcome of responding “yes” to Christ’s call. (Revelation 3:20) It is God’s sovereign pleasure that:
… He who hears My word, and believes on Him Who sent Me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death to life.’” John 5:24
2309 θέλω thelo or ἑθέλω ethelo; in certain tenses θελέω theleo and ἑθελέω etheleo which are otherwise obsolete
apparently strengthened from the alternate form of 138; v;
AV-will/would 159, will/would have 16, desire 13, desirous 3, list 3, to will 2, misc 4; 210
1) to will, have in mind, intend
1a) to be resolved or determined, to purpose
1b) to desire, to wish
1c) to love
1c1) to like to do a thing, be fond of doing
1d) to take delight in, have pleasure
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[1] cited at: https://www.wordnik.com/words/sovereign, retrieved October 11, 2025.
[2] Eze 18:23 ‘Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?’ says the Lord GOD, ‘and not that he should return from his ways, and live?’”
Eze 33:11 Say to them, ‘[As] I live’, says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live…”
Lam 3:33 For He does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.”
2 Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Titus 2:3-6 …God our Saviour, Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For one is God, and one is mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”
[3] John 20:31; 1 Cor 10:11; 1 Cor 9:10; Romans 15:4; Rev 1:3; 22.7
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