Why we cannot make our own choice or freewill decision to accept Christ? 

Morally Corrupt

Romans 8:3-8 (ESV) By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those, who are in the flesh, cannot please God.

We cannot respond to God’s love, salvation, from our hostile mind towards God 

To judge sins, God must condemn sins in the flesh of mankind. But to do that, there will be no end of destruction of mankind, because, on their own strength, no man can measure up to the righteous decree of God. Eventually God sent his own Son, and condemned sins in the flesh or body of his own Son Jesus Christ!

Before knowing Christ, we all were living according to the flesh, meaning to our human desires, nothing to do with God. And if that’s so, as we lived or live in the fleshly human desires, devoid of God, v5 says that we would set our minds on the flesh or human desires, and v6 says that the consequence of setting our minds on the flesh is death! V7 The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, and it does not submit to God, indeed cannot.

That’s the key words here: the minds that’s set on the flesh, cannot submit to God. This explains why humans on their own, cannot submit to God, and hence never be able to accept Christ as Lord and savior, because his/her mind is hostile to God! You can see why free will of yours can never bring you to accept Christ! Because without God, our minds are hostile to God, and our minds will not, and indeed cannot submit to God.

You can forget about on our own will ever can submit to God and therefore accept Christ into our lives. The notion that we can do that on our own free will is now swept away! Simply not biblical!

But some may argue that when we are moved by the Holy Spirit, we will submit to God and accept Christ! That moved by God, is God drawing us to Christ first, and then we respond to what God is doing in us. 

Okay, I think we can be clear that we cannot respond to God’s love, salvation, from our hostile mind towards God as clearly expounded above from Roman 8:6-7. 

Now do we have free will to choose God, to choose Jesus Christ? 

When we say yes Lord, “I receive you into my life, and accept you as my personal Lord and Savior,” is that from our free will? I would say it’s our will power to choose Jesus after God moved our heart, or the Holy Spirit moved our heart. On our own, we will not, and cannot submit to God on our own as our minds are hostile towards God as per the point apart.

We only choose God after God moved our hearts. Jesus says in John 6: 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” If the Father doesn’t draw you, you won’t be coming to Jesus on the first place. Do you see that? It’s God who makes the first move, not you. Now, God only draws those who are pre-determined by God. 

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…..4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. 

God chose us BEFORE the foundation of the world.

God predestined us for adoption.

The drawing of souls by the Father is chosen by God before the foundation of the world! Before the world was created!

God predestined us for adoption! 

So you can see if its free will to choose after God has done the choosing and predestination. We are responding because God moved us in his predestination before the world was even created.

Amen.