WHAT DOES FREE WILL MEAN?
In general terms, free will means that a person can make choices and is not being completely controlled like a robot.
Jehovah's Witnesses teach that God created humans with free will. On JW.org, free will is described as a gift from Jehovah. According to this teaching, a person can choose for himself whether he wants to serve Jehovah. God wants people to do this voluntarily.
The basic idea is:
God gives humans free will
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Humans can choose whether to serve God
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God wants that choice to be made voluntarily
However, within Jehovah's Witnesses’ teaching, free will does not mean that every choice for God has the same value or the same consequences.
FREE WILL WITHIN JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES' TEACHING
Jehovah's Witnesses teach that human freedom has limits. A person can choose for himself, but is encouraged to use that freedom within what, according to the Bible, are God's laws and principles.
Adam and Eve are used as an example here. They were given freedom, but also a limit.
The idea can be presented simply as:
You have free will
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You can choose for yourself
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God has shown what is right and wrong
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According to the teaching, the right choice is to serve Jehovah
JW.org therefore encourages people to use their free will to serve Jehovah.
JW.org - What are you doing with your free will?
WHAT DOES 'SERVING JEHOVAH' MEAN?
This is important to understand.
Within Jehovah's Witnesses, God's will is not interpreted solely on an individual basis. Members are given explanations through the Bible, publications, meetings, and the organization about what is considered Jehovah's will.
For example, JW.org speaks of guidance through 'the Bible and his visible organization'.
The idea then becomes:
I have free will
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I am allowed to decide for myself
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I learn what Jehovah expects of me according to the Bible and the organization
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I decide whether I want to live accordingly
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Spiritual consequences are attached to my choice
Jehovah's Witnesses will usually not see this themselves as taking away free will. From their perspective of faith, Jehovah is actually giving guidelines that help people make the right choice.
JW.org - The freedom enjoyed by worshippers of Jehovah
FREE WILL AND THE EARTHLY PARADISE
An important difference from many other Christian traditions is the expectation for the future.
Jehovah's Witnesses do not teach that all faithful Christians will eventually go to heaven.
They believe that a limited group has a heavenly destination and that obedient people have the opportunity to live forever on a paradise earth.
An important Bible text for this is:
Psalm 37:29
“The righteous will possess the earth, and they will live forever on it.”
Jehovah's Witnesses therefore also connect human choices with the hope of everlasting life.
God gives free will
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Humans can choose whether to serve Jehovah or not
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Serving Jehovah is seen as the right choice
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That includes obedience to God's will
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Everlasting life is held out as the reward
JW.org - What do Jehovah's Witnesses believe?
BIBLE TEXTS THAT FIT WITH FREE WILL
Genesis 2:16, 17
Adam and Eve were given freedom, but God also set a limit on what they were allowed to do.
Deuteronomy 30:19
Here, humans are presented with a choice between life and death, followed by the encouragement to choose life.
John 8:31, 32
Jesus speaks about the truth that sets people free.
John 17:3
Coming to know God and Jesus is linked with everlasting life.
Psalm 37:29
According to this text, the righteous will possess the earth and live on it forever.
Romans 8:21
This speaks about the future freedom of God's children.
BUT HOW FREE IS A CHOICE WHEN THE CONSEQUENCES ARE SO GREAT?
From Jehovah's Witnesses' perspective, the answer is clear:
No one is forced to serve Jehovah. Every person has free will.
At the same time, the faith teaches that how someone uses that freedom has consequences for their relationship with Jehovah and their future.
This gives rise to an interesting philosophical and psychological question:
When do people experience a choice as truly free?
For example, is there a difference between:
“I am allowed to choose.”
and:
“I feel free to choose either option.”
When one choice is linked to God’s approval, eternal life, and paradise, and another choice to very serious spiritual consequences, someone may wonder how much freedom they personally experience in making that choice.
That is not a question that applies only to Jehovah's Witnesses. Within religion and philosophy, people have been reflecting for centuries on the relationship between free will, obedience, punishment, reward, and God’s authority.
HOW DO OTHER CHURCHES VIEW FREE WILL?
There is no single Christian view of free will.
Many other Christian churches also teach that people have free will and that God expects people to choose what is right.
The Roman Catholic Church, for example, teaches that people can act freely and are responsible for their choices. There too, freedom does not mean that good and evil are equally valid. True freedom is linked to choosing the good and ultimately to choosing God.
Catechism of the Catholic Church - Freedom and Responsibility
An important difference lies, among other things, in the hope for the future. Catholic teaching speaks of eternal life with Jesus in heaven.
Within Protestant traditions, there are also different views. Some place strong emphasis on human freedom of choice, while others place more emphasis on God’s grace and predestination.
So it would not be correct to say:
Jehovah's Witnesses believe in free will and other Christians do not.
Many Christian denominations believe in some form of human freedom of choice. The differences lie mainly in how free will, God’s grace, obedience, church authority, salvation, and life after death are connected.
QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT
• What does free will mean to me personally?
• Is being able to choose the same as feeling free to choose?
• What consequences were attached to certain choices during my upbringing?
• Which choices did I make because I truly wanted to?
• Which choices did I make out of love for God?
• Which choices did I make out of fear of possible consequences?
• What role did the opinion of family or the faith community play?
• Can a choice be both voluntary and strongly influenced at the same time?
• How would I choose if no one else would ever know my choice?
• What does freedom of conscience mean to me?
IN SHORT
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jehovah gave people free will. He wants people to choose him voluntarily.
Within their faith, however, that freedom does not mean that every choice has the same spiritual significance. Serving Jehovah and obeying his will is seen as the right choice and is linked to God’s approval and the hope of eternal life.
Many other Christian traditions also recognize free will, responsibility, and obedience to God, but differ greatly in their ideas about grace, salvation, church authority, and what happens after death.
So free will can ultimately lead to an interesting personal question:
Am I free when I can choose — or does freedom also mean that I feel free to explore, to doubt, and ultimately to make a different choice?
