The Paradox of Divine Determination and Human Free Will

The coexistence of God’s sovereign will, humanity’s free will, and the call to faith is is a profound mystery that has challenged theologians, philosophers, and believers for millennia. Scripture reveals that God is both omniscient, knowing all things, and omnipotent, orchestrating the course of history according to His purposes. Yet, humanity is endowed with free will, the ability to make choices that shape individual and collective destinies. At the center of this dynamic is faith — the trust in God’s plan even when it is incomprehensible. This essay explores how God’s plan encompasses pivotal moments in history, reconciles His love with the existence of evil, and how faith sheds light on humanity’s purpose in the grand narrative by sustaining humanity through it all.

Faith in the Face of Divine Determination

The story of Abraham and Isaac exemplifies how faith enables humanity to trust in God’s sovereignty even when His will seems incomprehensible. In Genesis 22, God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, the very child through whom God’s promises of a great nation were to be fulfilled. Abraham’s willingness to obey — despite the apparent contradiction between God’s command and His covenant — reflects a profound faith. Hebrews 11:19 explains that Abraham trusted that God could even raise…