There’s a well-known phrase that gets repeated often in sermons and Bible class lessons. It’s not a phrase found in the Bible, but it’s one that’s used so often that I’m sure many people think it’s in there. I myself, use it fairly often in my Bible study classes and because of that, I got to thinking that perhaps we should delve into this phrase a little deeper than just repeating it all the time. Sorta shake it apart, tear it down, and see just what we’re talking about when we use it.
The phrase of which I speak is - "free, moral agent." How many times have you heard that phrase used? Don’t burn up your brain trying to count them, just suffice it to say - lots of times. Usually in the form of "Man is a free, moral agent." Well, let’s just take a few minutes and see exactly what this means when we hear it used.
To do so, we’ll start almost at the beginning where, in the 1st chapter of Genesis we read where God created mankind. You’ll see there that man was made different from all the other "creatures" God had made up until then. We know this because God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness....." (Vs. 26)
Two of the major differences between man and the other creatures is that we possess both an intellect and a conscience. In other words, man can assess a given situation, make a decision as to what he wants to do and then act on that decision. When that "action" turns out to be wrong (as it many times does) we then suffer some mental anguish (perhaps even some physical) and we recognize this as our "conscience" working in us.
Okay, let’s take a moment and break down our phrase "free, moral agent" into the three parts readily seen there. First the word "free." When this word is used as a adjective, as it is in the phrase, it means things like "unbound" or "loosed" or "unfastened." By looking at those definitions we can see that God released man from the "instinctive" characteristics He created in the other animals.
We might even say that God "programmed" the animals to do and behave in the manner for which they were created. But, man is "free" to choose his own paths, yet with this "freedom" comes the responsibility for the paths we choose. We are "loosed" from being programmed to follow a set path, but we’re not "loosed" from the responsibility of our choices.
Now let’s take the word "moral" and see what we can learn from it’s definition. Again, it’s used as an adjective here because it is describing something. What it’s describing is the nature of a person’s character. In this case, it means things like "dutiful, conscientious, honorable, law-abiding or ethical." Basically, it’s describing a person’s principles. So then, how does this relate to our "phrase?" Simply that we’ve been given the "freedom" by God to choose the type of person he or she will be.
Now we come to the last word of our "phrase" - "agent." Out of several definitions available I think the best fitting of them to our "phrase" is "doer, performer or practitioner." Someone who is "doing" or "practicing" the things which God has allowed them to "freely" choose to do in their lives.
Now that we’ve defined our "phrase" let me cite you something said by William H. Prescott back in the 1800's that might help us better understand this "phrase" and better understand why God made man to be a "free, moral agent." He wrote: "Where there is no free agency, there can be no morality. Where there is no temptation, there can be little claim to virtue. Where the routine is rigorously proscribed by law, the law, and not the man, must have the credit of the conduct."
Throughout all of our studies of the Bible we find that man has always had the freedom to act on his own initiative. We’ve also seen in those studies that many times man has chosen the wrong path to follow, haven’t we? Not because they had no other choice available. Not because there were no alternatives for them to choose. But, mostly because, they weighed what GOD said was best for them versus what THEY thought best and made their choice and then acted on that choice. Isn’t that what man is still doing today?
When we think about "God’s Way" versus "Man’s way," here’s something you can take to the bank, so to speak. No matter how smart or intelligent a man is, and no matter how much education or degrees he can amass, his little "finite brain" can never come close to matching the "infinite" mind of God. Especially when it comes to knowing what is best for him. What path will be more beneficial for him to take.
And also from our Bible studies and all the examples there for us to see and learn from, you’d think that we’d make a lot better choices than we do, wouldn’t you? Just look at ancient Israel, the beneficiaries of countless blessings by God, and some of the choices they made. From being miraculously saved from Egypt, miraculously saved for 40 years in the wilderness and then being given a land flowing with "milk and honey" in which all they had to do was move in and occupy. After all they witnessed of the power and majesty of God, they constantly seemed to make poor choices that resulted in much misery for them.
The worst of their choosing was to forsake Him for false gods. In other words, to take all of His blessings and then ascribe them to man-made idols. Do you have any problem in understanding how their choices "provoked Him to anger." Good old Moses knew his people well for, just before his death, he predicted they’d "do evil in the sight of God...through the work of your hands." (Deut. 31:29) The "work of your hands" is just another way of saying "the choices you make."
As I mentioned earlier, they "chose new gods" and worshiped them instead of Jehovah God. "New gods" in today’s world equals anything man chooses to put before, or in place of, God. Do you think that God appreciates this today anymore than He did back in the days of old Israel? Well, we don’t have to guess or surmise what He thinks about this situation because we can look at something he told Israel in regards to them not choosing to follow His Way and know that our God is the same God and His words are just as applicable today and always. As long as there are those who, in the exorcism of their "free, moral agency," choose their "way" over Gods "Way" they can know exactly what God thinks about their situation, because He tells us this in these words:
"Yet ye have forsaken me and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the god which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation." (Judges 10:13-14)
In closing, let me give you one more passage letting us know the awesome responsibility we have when making our choices of following "God’s Way" or our own "way." In Prov. 1 we read about the end result for those who "did not choose the fear of the Lord," rather they "despised all my reproof, therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices." (Vs. 29-31)
Respectfully submitted,
Ron Covey
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