🤔Why Did God Give Us Free Will?

In partnership with

Good Morning. One of life’s biggest questions is why God gave us free will, and you are about to learn why.

Do us a favor and check out our sponsor 1440. Sponsors like them help keep this newsletter free!

Receive Honest News Today

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

📖 Verse Of The Day

🧠 Devotion

It’s one of the oldest questions in the book: If God knew Adam and Eve would eat the fruit, if He knew Israel would wander, if He knew we would stumble daily, why on earth did He give us free will? Wouldn’t it have been easier for Him to program us to always obey?

The short answer is love. Real love cannot exist without the ability to choose. A husband forced to love his wife is not truly loving, he is complying. A child who has no choice but to hug their parent is not giving affection, they are performing. God did not want forced compliance. He wanted sons and daughters who freely choose Him.

Free will is risky. It means humanity can reject God, and we often do. That is why the world is scarred by sin, injustice, and pain. But God considered the risk worth it. Why? Because a yes that is chosen is infinitely more valuable than a yes that is programmed. When you pray, when you worship, when you forgive someone who hurt you, those are real choices, and they matter to the heart of God.

Think of it this way: free will is the stage where the drama of redemption plays out. Without it, there would be no need for the cross. Jesus’ obedience is only meaningful because He could have chosen otherwise. When He said, “Not my will, but Yours be done,” He was exercising the same gift of choice we carry, but He used it perfectly.

Free will also shows us our dignity. Genesis says we are made in God’s image. Part of that image is the ability to think, decide, and create. God rules the universe by His will, and He gave us a small reflection of that authority in our own choices. Every decision, from how we speak to how we treat the stranger on the street, carries eternal weight.

Here is the clever twist: even though God gave us freedom, He did not abandon us to wander aimlessly. He gave His Word as a guide, His Spirit as a counselor, and His Son as a Redeemer. Our free will is real, but so is His grace. Grace meets us when we choose poorly, and grace empowers us to choose wisely.

So why did God give us free will? Because He did not want robots. He wanted a relationship. He wanted your yes to mean something. Every day, He sets before us life and death, blessing and curse, and then gently whispers: Choose life.

🙏 Prayer (Guided by ACTS)

When you’re not sure how to pray, A.C.T.S. gives you a simple path to follow: Adore, Confess, Thank, and Ask.

Adoration: God, You are loving and wise, and You invite me to freely walk with you.
Confession: I admit I’ve often used my choices selfishly instead of choosing Your way.
Thanksgiving: Thank You for giving me freedom and for covering my mistakes with grace.
Supplication: Help me to choose life today and to use my freedom to honor You.