Free Will, Loving God, God's Nature, and the Certaintly of His Promises

  

Free Will in Matthew 22:37 and Deuteronomy 6:4-5  

- Matthew 22:37 (ESV): “And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”  

- Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (ESV): “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”  

Both of these passages emphasize the command to love God fully and completely. Love, by its very nature, must be given freely—it cannot be coerced or forced. These verses suggest that humans have the capacity to choose to love God with their whole being, reinforcing the reality of free will. If love were not a choice, then such a command would be meaningless.  

 God’s Nature and the Certainty of His Promises (Hebrews 6:17-18, Titus 1:2)  

- Hebrews 6:17-18 (ESV): “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.”  

- Titus 1:2 (ESV): “In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.”  

These verses highlight that God's nature is unchanging and truthful—He cannot lie, and His promises are certain. This ties into the concept of free will because:  

God’s promises are trustworthy, meaning that the free will He grants us is real, not an illusion. If God asks us to love Him, it is because we genuinely have the ability to choose whether or not to do so.  

God does not manipulate or deceive—if He calls people to follow Him, it is because they are truly free to accept or reject Him.  

The consistency of God's character assures us that He will always honor the freedom He has given, never forcing obedience but desiring genuine love and devotion.  

Matthew 22:37 and Deuteronomy 6:4-5 affirm human free will in the command to love God wholeheartedly. Hebrews 6:17-18 and Titus 1:2 reinforce that God, who cannot lie, has granted this freedom genuinely and does not revoke it. Together, these passages show that God desires true, willing love from His people while remaining faithful and unchanging in His nature.

More: Sabbath School Lesson 8: Free Will, Love, and Divine Providence