5th Gear: Freed Up Free Will

5th Gear: Freed Up Free Will

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To live in Jesus’ 5th Gear we must harmonize in our minds several dichotomies. Perhaps
the most confusing and troubling is the “Free Will vs God’s Sovereignty” debate. On the
surface, or at least in the kingdom of this world, the two are diametrically opposed. They
simply cannot co-exist.

Yet in Jesus’ Kingdom, they can, and do. But outside the Kingdom, that is in your little
kingdom, or the kingdom of this world, you actually have no free will.

What??

Okay, I know this is counterintuitive, to say the least. But until you surrender your free
will to Jesus, you simply do not have any free will. Oh, you think you do. But I maintain
that what you think is your independent free will is polluted by your nature, your
emotions, feelings, and selfishness.

You are a product of your upbringing, the bad or good day you are having, perhaps the
current state of the country, your politics, or the state of … you. Yes, you, with all your
emotions and prejudices, your aversions and your little idols. They all play a role in
ruling your will.

The Apostle Paul speaks for all of us when he laments,

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I
do. …  17  As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. …  For I
have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
19  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I
keep on doing. (Romans 7:15,17,19)

Does that sound like free will? The great and holy – at least a whole lot holier than us –
Paul the Apostle is frustrated beyond frustration that he cannot seem to control his own
free will. Paul blames his sinful nature; I call that nature “Self.” So again, until you
surrender Self, you are controlled by your Self.

There’s a New Boss in Town

In Romans 8, the Holy Spirit, through Paul, gives us the absolute perfect “harmonizing”
of this tension between what we think is our free will, and my insisting that we do not
have free will until we surrender our free will. Then and only then can we finally begin to
live with the Energy-Clarity-Creativity, that now flows freely through our inner being,
through the Holy Spirit’s power and presence within us:

Those who live according to the flesh – in slavery to their Self in control – have
their minds set on what the Self desires; but those who live in accordance with
the Spirit – now freed from the control of Self – have their minds set on what the
Spirit desires.
6  The mind controlled by the flesh is death, but the mind freed by the Spirit is now
finally free to live with the life and peace of the Spirit.  7  The mind controlled by the
flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. (i.e. it
has no free will to act freely)
8  Those who are controlled by the flesh cannot please God – they have no free
will to do so. (Romans 8:5-8 Bold added and italics added and changed by Sam)

Next Week: Giving up your Free Will Driver’s License