After these things God tested
Abraham (Gen 22:1).
Though the same word in Hebrew can
be translated test or tempted, here it must be understood in the
sense of test, because God never solicits a person to sin (Jas 1:13).
Though testing comes from God, it is a very man-centered experience. Willis
describes this experience this way: “The suggestion in Deut 8:2; 2 Chr 32:21;
and Psa 26:2 is that the divine proving or testing of man is to bring out the
real feelings and motivations of the heart. According to Gen 22, God tested
Abraham’s faith to see if he really put God’s will above what seemed to be
logical, his love for Isaac, and the dreams of the future which God’s promises
had aroused in his breast” (Willis, Genesis, 291. See also Heb 11:17-19).
The tested individual, then, is being given the opportunity—the freedom—to demonstrate
by the choices he makes what sort of person he really is. Testing also
presupposes that the one giving the test is not at the same time compelling the
individual to act or decide in any given way.
If you turn at my reproof, behold,
I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. 24 Because
I have called and you refused to listen have stretched out my hand and no one
heeded, 25 because you have ignored all my counsel and would
have none of my reproof, 26 I also will laugh at your
calamity (Prov 1:23-26)
Describing this individual,
Bridges writes: “And think of his knowledge, instead of being a delight, being hated;
his fear not chosen; none of his gracious counsel regarded; all his reproof
despised. Is it not just, that the sinner, thus obstinately bent upon the
choice of his own way, should not only gather, but eat the fruit of
it?” (26) Awesome is the power of free choice—even against God himself. A
person who refuses the mercy and counsel of God does so to his/her own detriment.
As Bridges suggests, this verse seems to contradict the view that God causes
and determines all thoughts, actions, beliefs, and behaviors of all humans all
the time. . . .
If you obey the Lord your God and
keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn
to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for
you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that
you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us
so we may obey it”? 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you
have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may
obey it”? 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your
mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. 15 See, I set
before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For
I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and
to keep his commands, decrees, and laws; then you will live and increase, and
the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17
But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn
away to bow down to other gods and worship them. 18 I declare
to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in
the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 This
day I call the heavens and the earth as witness against you that I have set
before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you
and your children may live, 20 and that you may love the Lord
your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life,
and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers,
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Deut 30:10-20)
This passage is particularly
eye-opening because Moses seems to command the unregenerate Israelites to make
a genuine choice to follow God or not. He says they have options from which to
choose. They are to choose between life and death, between blessings and
curses. Moses pleads with them to choose life, making it clear that the
Israelites actually possess the ability to make this choice. That is to
say, this choice is “up to them” and not causally determined by things external
to them. Further, he makes it clear that this is not only something they
possess the ability to do, but moreover, it is not even too difficult for
them to make this choice. He says, “You may do it.” The ESV reads, so
that you can do it. This seems to be not only biblical support of
libertarian freedom to choose otherwise; but libertarian freedom regarding an
offer to choose God, or at the least, not to reject him. (Timothy A. Stratton, Human
Freedom, Divine Knowledge, and Mere Molinism: A Biblical, Historical,
Theological, and Philosophical Analysis [Eugene, Oreg.: Wipf and Stock,
2020], 25, 28-29, italics in original)