Will people still have free will in heaven?

TL;DR:

In heaven, we retain free will, but it is perfectly aligned with God’s will, allowing us to only choose what is good and right. Unlike earthly life, there are no temptations or tests, and our desires will be fully transformed and pure.

what does the bible say?

We know that heaven is a place where we will be with God physically. The only other place we know of where that was the case was the Garden of Eden, and clearly Adam and Eve had free will there. So, we can deduce that we will have free will in heaven—but not to the extent that we can choose to sin and get evicted from heaven. Free will means we have choices to make between two or more options according to our desire. We are not limitless, as we are limited by our nature as humans, but we are free within our nature to make choices that have an effect on our lives. We are limited not just by being human but also by our sinful nature. Before we are saved, our free will is restricted in that it cannot choose righteousness. After salvation, we struggle between a desire to sin and a growing desire to please God with help from the Holy Spirit. In heaven, our free will is limited against choosing what is wrong. Our free will in heaven will supernaturally always choose what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable (see Philippians 4:8).

from the old testament

The ancient writer of Proverbs described the fact of our sinful nature in this way: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death" (Proverbs 14:12).

from the new testament

Apart from Christ, we are not free to choose righteousness. The Bible describes a person who is not saved as "a slave to sin" (John 8:34). This isn't something new. Paul writes, "Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin" (Romans 7:24–25 [NLT]).
Jesus was tempted, but He never wavered (Hebrews 4:15). This is the way we will be in heaven (Romans 8:28–30; 1 John 3:2), and it is the culmination of our salvation. We will have free will but no desire to rebel against God. Also, unlike Adam and Eve, who were with God but had opportunities to disobey Him, we will face no such testing.

implications for today

Those who believe in Jesus Christ for salvation are set free from the bondage of sin because the Holy Spirit works within us to enable us to choose righteousness, forgiveness, and the lordship of Christ. As we grow in maturity and learn to listen and respond to the Holy Spirit, our desire for righteousness deepens. Though we may still choose sin at times, we are also empowered to choose righteousness. Instead of being driven by our sinful nature, we can battle against it with the help of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit also gradually transforms our hearts (Romans 6:18; 8:5–6; Galatians 5:16–18). Believers are "new creations" in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). While on earth, we live with tension between our sinful natures and this newness in Christ. In heaven, we will be glorified; transformation will be complete, and we will have no sin. In heaven, our desire will be completely for God and His desires for us. This is pure freedom (Romans 8:21). Our desire to sin will be eliminated, so our choice to sin will no longer exist.

understand

Heaven will retain free will, but we won’t have the ability to sin.
Before salvation, our free will is constrained by our sinful nature. In heaven, this struggle is eliminated; our desires are fully transformed.
Along with a sanctified will, we will not face tests or temptations in heaven.

reflect

How does the reality of having free will in heaven impact your understanding of God’s plan for humanity?
How do you see the tension between your sinful nature and the new desires God has given you on earth? How will this change in heaven?
How does the assurance of a completely transformed will in heaven encourage you to live a more intentional life on earth?

engage

How does free will in heaven challenge our current understanding of free will on earth?
What implications does having free will in heaven have on our sense of accountability and responsibility?
How might our relationships with others change in heaven when sin and rebellion are no longer possible?