FlashForward – God’s Sovereignty Vs. Free Will

Please note, this is not an endorsement for the ABC Television show "FlashForward."

"The ambitious ABC Studios’ series explores the aftermath of a mysterious and inexplicable phenomenon that renders everyone on the planet unconscious at exactly the same moment. Millions die. Destruction of property and infrastructure is enormous. Yet during those few moments of global blackout, every man, woman and child is given a rare and precious gift. They get to see a brief glimpse of his or her life exactly six months in the future.

Make no mistake, FlashForward is not even remotely a Christian TV series. But it is a series that at least dares to ask some essential questions that Christians have wrestled with since the founding of the faith. Questions like how much of our lives are determined by divine fiat, and how much of our lives are the result of acts of free will? And what effect does knowing the future (prophecy) have on our present actions? Is the future set (fate), or can we alter the future by our actions (free will)?

I don’t ponder these issues in a vacuum. During our recent morning devotions my wife and I studied the story of Isaac and Rebecca. You remember – Rebecca was pregnant and having a tough go of it. She went to inquire of the Lord and was given a glimpse into the future. “And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23).

The scripture goes on to talk about Isaac loving Esau while Rebecca loved Jacob. Now, my wife and I have twins – a boy and a girl. They are totally different personalities and we love them both – differently, but equally. It’s hard for me to imagine a mother loving one of her kids more than the other. In Rebecca’s case, she loved Jacob so much that she perpetrated a lie to her husband. The result was that the son she loved fled the country and she never saw him again. The son she had left, I suspect, never talked to her again because of her betrayal. Rebecca lost both of her sons on that day.

Perhaps, on that faithful day when Rebecca went to inquire of the Lord, she got a brief glimpse of the future. She knew Jacob was destined (fate) to be the child of promise. But rather than waiting to see how God would bring that to pass, she intervened (free will), perhaps trying to help God out.

I think perhaps God could have worked things out the way He wanted without Rebecca’s help; particularly since her way of helping involved scheming and deceit. But I’m pretty sure I do the same thing on a regular basis. I hear a word from God and then do everything in my power to make it come to pass, rather than waiting to see how God will bring it to pass.

So the questions remain – is God Sovereign? Do we have Free Will? I think the answer to both of those questions is “Yes,” but I’m willing to admit that I could be wrong. Still, it is interesting that even the world outside the church is asking those questions through popular television shows.

Just my thoughts. I’d love to hear yours." ~Mike Parker
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