Free Will

Posted on February 15, 2021 by mitchteemley

Free Will (C.S. Lewis)

Thought for the Week

There are those who do not believe in free will, of course. And they are free to believe that, if they wish (see what I did there?). But I do believe in it. In fact, I believe choosing to believe in free will is, in itself, an act of free will. But I also believe it is, as C.S. Lewis implies, the hardest and gravest thing we shall ever do. And that in the end–no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in–how we choose to respond will define who we are forever. So, if I may offer this bit of advice (which you are free to ignore, if you choose): Never surrender your free will.

Choose to Choose.

⇔

About mitchteemley

Writer, Filmmaker, Humorist, Thinker-about-stuffer
This entry was posted in For Pastors and Teachers, Quips and Quotes and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

37 Responses to Free Will

  1. davidsdailydose says:
    February 15, 2021 at 12:03 pm

    Because when you don’t choose, someone makes the choice for you. And most like their own choices best.

    Liked by 7 people

    Reply
  3. kindfeelings says:
    February 15, 2021 at 1:02 pm

    The free will to believe in destiny or destined to believe in free will?

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
    • mitchteemley says:
      February 15, 2021 at 1:20 pm

      Not sure what you’re asking, Jaja. “Destiny” can be defined more than one way. If it means “everything that’s going to happen, including our responses, is pre-determined,” then there is no such thing as free will. If it means, “many things are pre-determined, but our responses are up to us,” then both destiny and free will may co-exist. “Destiny,” what it means and whether there even is such a thing, is understood differently by different people.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply
  4. U-man society says:
    February 15, 2021 at 1:23 pm

    “I believe choosing to believe in free will” Very true
    Thank you for the post:)

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  5. Len Freeman says:
    February 15, 2021 at 1:40 pm

    Love C.S. Lewis, and your point. Here’s clip from my Tontine chapbook:
    —————-
    “do the prophets and
    prophecies tell truth
    or are we whistling
    into the dark of no sense

    do heroes and gurus and
    avatars speak truth
    or are we reading what we wish
    into the mystery.

    it’s always a choice.”
    ——————-
    Best and Blessings
    Len Freeman

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  6. kentxsandersxwriter says:
    February 15, 2021 at 1:53 pm

    Absolute real truth . . .

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  7. Pingback: Free Will – "Musings To Enlighten Perspective"

  8. pastorpete51 says:
    February 15, 2021 at 1:59 pm

    And if we have no free will and are made in the image of God, then what does that say about our creator?

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  9. kentxsandersxwriter says:
    February 15, 2021 at 2:13 pm

    Hello, I reblogged your post although it did not show your words of reflection, so I did a screenshot to keep your text included, then reposted . . . I’d like to share the screenshot on other sites that I share to, if that would be ok with you ?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. revruss1220 says:
    February 15, 2021 at 3:26 pm

    Excellent! As I read your post, I was trying to imagine who the folks are who don’t believe in free will. Some of them are those who subscribe to the doctrine of predestination, but I am sure there are others. Praise God for this good gift!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  12. Steve Beckham says:
    February 15, 2021 at 4:39 pm

    Here’s what Martin Luther had to say about free will in the Heidelberg Disputation:
    13. Free will, after the fall, exists in name only, and as long as it does what it is able to do, it commits a mortal sin.
    14. Free will, after the fall, has power to do good only in a passive capacity, but it can always do evil in an active capacity.
    15. Nor could free will remain in a state of innocence, much less do good, in an active capacity, but only in its passive capacity.

    As a Lutheran pastor, I suppose I should toe the party line here, but I’m not sure I entirely agree with Luther. He was a pretty hardline Augustinian on this matter, insisting that the will is in bondage to sin. Well… yeah… but sometimes the angels win. Just sayin’.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  13. Nancy Ruegg says:
    February 15, 2021 at 5:54 pm

    I like the way A. W. Tozer explained free will vs. God’s sovereignty in his classic, Knowledge of the Holy. He compared free will to a passenger on an ocean liner, free to make numerous choices during the voyage about how she’ll spend her time. On the other hand, the shipping authorities, not she, are directing the ship to its predetermined destination. I for one am very thankful for a God who’s in charge of my voyage; otherwise I’d be terribly lost.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  14. Liz Gauffreau says:
    February 15, 2021 at 6:12 pm

    And this is why my dad was such a fan of C.S. Lewis!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  15. Valerie Cullers says:
    February 15, 2021 at 9:05 pm

    You are so right Mitch!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  17. Shaunelius Sterns says:
    February 15, 2021 at 10:35 pm

    I read this article, and it is good to have free will. We have the right to choose things that we want to do, or not do in our lives. When someone makes choices for us it may not be what we want, but what they want, so it is good to have free will, or whether to believe in it or not, because I for one believe in free will. Great article.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
      • Shaunelius Sterns says:
        February 18, 2021 at 3:55 pm

        If we did not have free will to do what we want to do, this would be as it was many years ago when our ancestors were living trying to make a better way for us. They came through things for us so we could be free and have free will. If it were not for free will we would all be living in bandage doing things that we would not want to do just to please others. I am thankful that God has given us free will, and I am thankful for those that made a way for us to have the freedoms that we have today. We are able to make our own choices in life, and how we want to live our lives. We only have to answer to our Creator for the choices that we make here on earth. Stay safe and be blessed.

        Liked by 2 people

  18. Ann Coleman says:
    February 16, 2021 at 6:19 pm

    Exactly! Free will is a gift that should never be wasted. May we always choose wisely, and with love.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  21. Ananda says:
    February 19, 2021 at 10:39 am

    Love is less a choice and more sn expression of who we are

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  22. Doug says:
    March 8, 2021 at 5:33 am

    We are manipulated by gods, by people, by propagandists, by our own nightly dream-maker, and by the wind and the rain, but if we have the knowledge to know what our possible choices are, and what powers we have to move against the Zeitgeist, then we can actively make changes of our own design. But even alone and standing still, we can imagine what we might do choosing between imaginary choices. Even an impossible, imaginary choice is an act of free will. Without free will, we would be a biochemical machine with predetermined outputs from a given input. The environment and experience are the input, and the output would be a clever calculation that is soulless.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  24. Free Fonts says:
    April 30, 2021 at 12:01 pm

    Freedom of choice needs to be prioritized so that no one feels forced

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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