Listen to Nancy’s full response on Mornings with Kelli and Steve on Moody Radio, here:


Yes, we have been given the right to choose not only Jesus as our Savior but also whether or not to obey Him. Every person has the freedom to choose to accept or reject God. We also have the power and understanding to choose to do the right thing.

Free will does not mean that we can choose to do anything. We cannot choose to be righteous because we are all sinful and cannot cancel out our own guilt. We can have the ability and responsibility to choose wisely. We, as Christians, not only have chosen Christ as our Savior but also as our Lord. Obedience is a natural response of all true believers who want to bring glory to their Savior by the way they live. The power for good choices comes directly from the Holy Spirit.

From the Old Testament to the New Testament.

Joshua 24:15, “And if it is evil (disagreeable) in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Acts 3:19 “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,

1 John 3:23 “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.”

Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”

It is the Holy Spirit who works in and through a person’s will to regenerate that person (John 1:12-13) and give him/her a new nature “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).

Salvation is God’s work through or choice of faith in Him. At the same time, our motives, desires, and actions are voluntary, and we are rightly held responsible for them.