Sam's Biblical Insight, Exploring the Word, Faith, Theology, Doctrine, and Christian Life in the Spirit

You must not eat from the tree… for when you eat from it you will surely die.” (Gen. 2:17)
“Choose this day whom you will serve.” (Josh. 24:15)
“Repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

The Question That Matters Most

Few questions strike more deeply at the heart of Christian faith than this: Does God treat us as free people, or as programmed beings?

While Christian traditions differ on how God’s sovereign will relates to human will, the Bible’s language is unambiguous. The gospel, as proclaimed by Jesus and His apostles, is not a message of coercion or the programming syntax of automatons. Rather, it is a series of explicit commands addressed to people capable of real choice and responsibility. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture consistently portrays God extending an invitation that requires a human response.

Jesus’ Core Message of Salvation

Jesus’ teaching consistently highlights the necessity of human response:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15; cf. Matt. 3:2; 4:17)
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
“Whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life.” (John 5:24)
“If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” (John 8:51)
“The one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matt. 24:13; cf. Rev. 2:10)

Each statement presupposes the freedom to repent, believe, keep, and endure—because God has created humanity as His free-will counterpart agents on earth.

The Apostolic Witness

The disciples carried forward the same message.

Peter

“Repent and be baptized… for the forgiveness of your sins.” (Acts 2:38)
“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.” (Acts 3:19)

Paul

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31)
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom. 10:9)

The apostolic gospel was the same as Jesus’: a call that requires free-will response.

The Grammar of Choice

The verbs in these passages underline this reality:

• Repent and believe → present, imperative, active.
• Keep → aorist, subjunctive, active.
• Endure → aorist, participle, active.

These are not passive or coercive terms. They are prescriptive commands, calling for deliberate and ongoing human action.

These are not the words of coercion, nor the programming syntax of automatons, but commands given to people capable of real choice and responsibility.

Conclusion: The Binary Pattern of Scripture

Free will is not incidental but essential to salvation. God has made us His free-will counterpart agents on earth, called to reflect His image in obedience, faith, and love..

From Genesis to Revelation, the pattern is consistent:

Keep God’s command and live, or turn away and forfeit His blessings.

This truth is reinforced at every stage of redemptive history:

• In Eden: “You must not eat from the tree… for when you eat from it you will surely die.” (Gen. 2:17)
• To Israel in the wilderness: “Keep the commandments… so that it may go well with you and that you may prolong your days in the land.” (Deut. 5:33; cf. 30:19)
• Through the prophets: “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword.” (Isa. 1:19–20)
• In Christ’s teaching: “The one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matt. 24:13)

God’s respect for human free will is so great that He allows people to bear the consequences of their choices—even when those choices grieve His heart. Moreover, out of His love for humanity, and with full knowledge of the cost, God decreed a plan of redemption through the sacrifice of His only Son to fulfill His foreordained purpose of establishing His Kingdom on earth.

Thus, the invitation remains: God’s grace opens the way of salvation, but it becomes real only when it is freely received through a willing human response to the gospel call—“Repent and believe in the gospel!” (Mark 1:15).

Solar Scriptura!