Sunday, September 20, 2026

Is there really FREE WILL?

 




21 For from within, 

out of the heart of men, 

proceed evil thoughts, 

adulteries, fornications, murders,

22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, 

deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, 

blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

23 All these evil things come from within, 

and defile the man.


One of the toughest questions raging in a man's heart, and mind, is the subject of free will.

Does it really exist?

Do we really have it?

Are we really free to choose?

This being a born again blog, after GOD's heart, naturally the HOLY SPIRIT will turn us to Scripture.

What does the Bible say?

Let's start in the Book of Genesis.

It's always the best book to start from, for that's where GOD created everything.

That's where we got to know GOD first.

It just makes sense we listen to what GOD told Adam, the first time around:


15 And the Lord God took the man, 

and put him into the garden of Eden 

to dress it and to keep it.

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 

Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, 

thou shalt not eat of it: 

for in the day that thou eatest thereof 

thou shalt surely die.


Notice the the freedom given:

"Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat."


Notice the command given:

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it;"


Notice the consequence given:

"for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."


What happened next?

Did Adam follow GOD's command?

Let's see what the Bible reveals:


3 Now the serpent was more subtil 

than any beast of the field 

which the Lord God had made. 

And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, 

Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, 

We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree 

which is in the midst of the garden, 

God hath said, 

Ye shall not eat of it, 

neither shall ye touch it, 

lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, 

Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, 

then your eyes shall be opened, 

and ye shall be as gods, 

knowing good and evil.


The "die" was now cast.

The "thought" was "planted".

What would the woman do?

Who was she anyway?

How did she come about?

Notice the circumstances:


18 And the Lord God said, 

It is not good that the man should be alone; 

I will make him an help meet for him.


The animals were first created, then GOD gave Adam, his companion.



21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep 

to fall upon Adam, and he slept: 

and he took one of his ribs, 

and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 And the rib, 

which the Lord God had taken from man, 

made he a woman, 

and brought her unto the man.

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, 

and flesh of my flesh: 

she shall be called Woman, 

because she was taken out of Man.


What did the woman do, after the devious serpent tempted her?


6 And when the woman saw 

that the tree was good for food, 

and that it was pleasant to the eyes, 

and a tree to be desired to make one wise, 

she took of the fruit thereof, 

and did eat, and gave also 

unto her husband with her; 

and he did eat.

What happened after?


7 And the eyes of them both were opened, 

and they knew that they were naked; 

and they sewed fig leaves together, 

and made themselves aprons.


How did GOD know their defiance of His command?


8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God 

walking in the garden in the cool of the day: 

and Adam and his wife hid themselves 

from the presence of the Lord God 

amongst the trees of the garden.

9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, 

and said unto him, Where art thou?

10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, 

and I was afraid, because I was naked; 

and I hid myself.

11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? 

Hast thou eaten of the tree, 

whereof I commanded thee 

that thou shouldest not eat?


How did they reason?


12 And the man said, 

The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, 

she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, 

What is this that thou hast done? 

And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, 

and I did eat.


The consequence?


Unto the serpent:


14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, 

Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed 

above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; 

upon thy belly shalt thou go, 

and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, 

and between thy seed and her seed; 

it shall bruise thy head, 

and thou shalt bruise his heel.


Unto the woman:


16 Unto the woman he said, 

I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; 

in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; 

and thy desire shall be to thy husband, 

and he shall rule over thee.


Unto Adam:


17 And unto Adam he said, 

Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice 

of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, 

of which I commanded thee, saying, 

Thou shalt not eat of it: 

cursed is the ground for thy sake; 

in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; 

and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, 

till thou return unto the ground; 

for out of it wast thou taken: 

for dust thou art, 

and unto dust shalt thou return.


Sin had come to the "land".

Now, they're both aware of good, and evil.

Something GOD warned Adam about.

And with sin, follows "death".

That's why GOD said Adam will "die", if he disobeys the LORD.


23 For the wages of sin is death; 

but the gift of God is eternal life 

through Jesus Christ our Lord.


For those curious about "Eve", here's where, and how, she was named:


20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; 

because she was the mother of all living.


So, as you can see, we had, and have, free will.

What we do with it is a different story.

For a true born again, we honor, and obey, GOD's laws.

We follow a nonnegotiable gospel.

We don't make excuses for sin.

Through JESUS, SPIRIT, and Scripture, we know what sin is.

We know what displeases GOD.

And we are not about to fail the LORD.

Thanks to the LORD JESUS CHRIST, Who paved the path to righteousness.

That we may know how to live, love, and worship.

If you love JESUS, it's really simple.

He taught us how to live:

Luke 9:23
King James Version


23 And he said to them all, 

If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, 

and take up his cross daily, and follow me.


GOD gave us free will.

In a very good example JESUS shows:


34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 

which killest the prophets, 

and stonest them that are sent unto thee; 

how often would I have gathered 

thy children together, 

as a hen doth gather 

her brood under her wings, 

and ye would not!


And if you now know about good, and evil, pay attention to these verses:


21 But as for them whose heart 

walketh after the heart 

of their detestable things 

and their abominations, 

I will recompense their way 

upon their own heads, 

saith the Lord God.



16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: 

all such rejoicing is evil.

17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, 

and doeth it not, to him it is sin.


Related material:

Man's TRUE nature

The HUMAN heart

LIVE by the BIBLE

Sin AWARENESS

HOLINESS

GOD's GLORY blogs

BORN AGAIN classics


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Is there really FREE WILL?

  Mark 7:21-23 King James Version 21 For from within,  out of the heart of men,  proceed evil thoughts,  adulteries, fornications, murders, ...