I was reading a book recently that asked the question, “Do we have free will? If you don’t think we do, please turn to page 3.” When you turn to page 3, it says, “Gotcha.” Point being, we all have a basic awareness that we are making decisions that are ours, and we have at least some significant measure of freedom.
The question becomes, how does this play into theological issues? On the one hand, you have the reformed point of view that says God chooses us. On the other hand, there is scripture that says that we choose God. If you believe that God chooses us, then that seems to deny a free choice on our part.
What is free will? There are three different categories. The first category is determinism. The second category is freedom. In the third category, you’re doing what you want, but you couldn’t have done otherwise.