Does God have free will?
Free will is defined as "the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one's own discretion." God has volition; He has a mind and the ability to make decisions. He is His own authority, answering to no one, and has no external limitations. It is safe to say that God has free will.God created humans with free will, as well, but it looks different for us than it does for Him because we are subjected to external limitations. Our volition is at a lower level than God's; it enables us to make decisions within normal human limitations. For example, we are not able to choose to walk on water or flap our arms and fly. The law of gravity still applies to us, as do all other natural laws. However, we can make our own decisions about the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the cities we live in, the relationships in which we choose to engage, etc. We have free will within external constraints.
God is the One who created natural laws, so therefore, He is sovereign over them along with the whole universe. Revelation 4:11 says, "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." The creation of the universe was God's choice, not a requirement. The fact that the universe even exists showcases that God has ultimate free will over all. He chose to create the universe, and His power is absolute. God created and sustains our reality, so He will not create something absurd in its place.
God has totally free will and He is only limited by the constraints He has put on Himself. The things that God cannot do are things that contradict His nature. For example, God is unable to lie (Titus 1:2). This doesn't mean God is being controlled by someone else. Rather, because God is perfect, lying is impossible because it would contradict His own character by making Him imperfect. God cannot be ordered around by anyone and all He does is right: "Who has appointed Him His way, and who has said, 'You have done wrong'?" (Job 36:23 NASB). Psalm 115:3 says: "Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases." While we as humans have a measure of free will, God has the ultimate free will. The limitations He has do not diminish the freedom of His will, because there are no external influences or expectations being placed upon Him.
What are some of the key things to know about the nature of God?
The attributes of God, what are they?
Is there anything God cannot do?
Does humanity truly have free will?
What does it mean that humanity is created in the image of God?
Truth about God
