Children have the capability to obey or to disobey their parents. The parents have the right to reward or award with favors, gifts and/or praise, OR with instruction, admonishment and/or corrective punishment consequences. This is because those specific children belong to those respective parents.
Similarly, if you have believed in Jesus Christ, you belong to Him; you belong to God your Heavenly Father. John 1:12 says it well,
"Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in his name, He gave the right to become children of God..." (NIV).
God has the right to discipline His children. As followers of Jesus Christ, you have the capability to obey or disobey Him. Keep in mind His right to mete out consequences for good and for correction.
The question was asked, "If God is so powerful - ominipotent - then doesn't He have control over people to stop them from sinning?"
Time travel back to the Garden of Eden and the newly minted Adam and Eve. They were in a state of never having ever sinned. I believe that's termed, "innocence," like a new born baby.
One theologian, St. Augustine of Assisi, once named this state,
"able to sin".
This insinuated that they had not yet sinned but they have the potential to do so. God had given them 'free will' as He did not want to make robots that He could program to do or not do certian functions, that only He could control. No, God is all about gaining our hearts of trust and willing obedience because He loves us and wants and waits for us to reciprocate. He leaves the choice up to each individual.
So saying, you could say, God gives human beings control through our free will. However, He reserves the right to decide consequences. There is good news though. He also provided the way of salvation for us through Jesus Christ.
In many ways Jesus has taken the consequences and punishment for our sins upon Himself when He died on the cross. Sin has to be paid for but Jesus paid it all for you and for me.
Once Adam and Eve sinned, we term the time, "The Fall" and all the consequences of that fell into place. From those thousands of years ago until now, St. Augustine calls our state,
"not able not to sin."
We are compulsive sinners.
Jesus' sacrifice for mankind upon the cross, interjected the potential for this state to be altered per individual. The man, woman, boy or girl who accepts Jesus Christ as Savior will then be
"able not to sin"
because he or she then has the Holy Spirit of God indwelling aiding, abetting, guiding and convicting him or her to choose to do what is right and pleasing to God, producing willing obedient hearts because of His act of love for each of us. You can still sin but now you are empowered to not sin. This again, is something to praise the Lord for. Give Him your praise and thanksgiving.
There is one further state St. Augustine categorized and this he termed,
"unable to sin".
Praise God for this as when we get to Heaven to live with our Heavenly Father for all eternity to come, we will no longer sin. That is something to look forward to and even sing about.
Believers will have a new imperishable body which will last for all eternity. No more suffering or death. At The Fall, because of Adam and Eve's disobedience, every living thing, including human beings began to die. Sin brings death. Sinlessness brings life - everlasting life. Jesus got the victory, conquering death with His resurrection. Thus, we will be unable to sin.
Until then, we still have free will to choose to do what's right or even what's wrong in His eyes (He is the believer's standard, not society's). He does not control us. Nevertheless, be reminded, that number one, He controls the consequences much like a judge in a court room. Number two, He is gracious, He has provided the way of salvation for us. We are left to accept or to reject.
He gives us the freedom to choose.
~ERC April 2023~
Based on questions from a Bible Study group.
Sing, Free Will, along with Pensacola Christian College.
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