This is a tough one to answer. The Bible suggests that we have the freedom to make our own choices yet we are also told that God is sovereign (Ephesians 1). This means that God is in complete control of everything that happens. Nothing happens in this world that He does not have a hand in. However, God created us with the ability to make our own choices. For instance, in Genesis 1:26 God gives man the responsibility to rule creation. Inherent in this new role, man now has the freedom to make the necessary choices (both good and bad) to rule God’s creation within the boundaries God has determined. Two chapters later, man makes a choice that changes human history forever.
The sovereignty of God vs free will has caused many Christians much frustration. It’s difficult to reconcile the two because the Bible does not give us any clear direction on how the two concepts actually work. Some have tried to explain the two concepts resulting in long dissertations and books. Others have given up and assumed that the Bible contradicts itself. But this cannot be the case for if it were true, the Bible would not be a reliable, trustworthy guide (2 Timothy 3:16-17). So what are we to do? It seems that it would be best to rest in the fact that God is in complete control of all things, and the He has been gracious enough to create us with the freedom to make choices (although limited).
