Free Will, the Basis for Love

Read 1 John 4:7–16. What does this passage tell us about free will as

a condition to cultivating love?

Artificial flowers can be gorgeous, but they do not grow and bloom

as do real ones. Robots are preprogrammed to talk and to perform

many tasks, but they have neither life nor emotions. In reality, life and

free will are indispensable conditions for someone to receive, cultivate,

and share love. So, our loving God created angels (including Lucifer)

and human beings with freedom to make their own choices, including

the possibility of following a wrong path. In other words, God created

the whole universe as a perfect and harmonious environment for His

creatures to grow in love and in wisdom.

In 1 John 4:7–16, the apostle John underscores that “God is love,” and

that He manifested His love to us by sending His own Son to die for our

sins. As a result, we should express our gratitude for His infinite love by

loving one another. Such love, divinely originated, would be the most

convincing evidence that God abides in us and that we abide in Him. This

appeal to reflect God’s love to one another makes sense only if addressed to

creatures who can choose to cultivate and express that love or, in contrast,

to live a self-centered life. However, freedom of choice can easily be mis-

used, a sad fact demonstrated in the tragic rebellion of Lucifer in heaven.

Even recognizing the importance of free will, some people still wonder,

If God knew that Lucifer would rebel, why did God create him? Does the

creation of Lucifer not make God ultimately responsible for the origin of sin?

That can be a very difficult question to speculate about, because it

depends upon many factors, including what exactly is meant by the

word “responsible.” The origin and nature of sin are mysteries that no

one can fully explain.

Even so, God did not ordain sin to exist; He only allowed its existence,

and then, at the cross, He took upon Himself the ultimate punishment for

that sin, thus enabling Him, ultimately, to eradicate it. In all our painful

musings about evil, we must never forget that God Himself paid the high-

est price for the existence of sin and of evil (see Matt. 5:43–48 and Rom.

5:6–11), and that He has suffered from them more than any of us ever will.

Free will, a gift from God, is sacred, but comes heavy laden with

powerful consequences, not only for yourself but also for others,

as well. What important decisions are you, using this gift, about

to make, and what will be the consequences of whatever choices

you make?