One of the most prominent culture battles in the USA today is the question of choice. Who has the power of choice and to what degree? Will the preponderance of choice go to the state or individuals? In other words, who has the authority to make decisions about life?
If one holds a Christian worldview, one must look to Scripture for guidance. After his resurrection, Jesus claimed that he had all authority.[i] This intimates that all power of choice resides with him and those to whom he delegates it. Though the world is in rebellion against his authority, ultimately Jesus will prevail, and all opposition will be defeated. His uncontested authority will be restored.[ii] But, until the restoration of the uncontested rule of Jesus, there is the question: Who has the authority, and to what degree, to make the choices—the state or individuals? Both the state and individuals will have some authority to make choices. The question is, how much authority should each have?
As Christians, we must seek guidance from Scripture to answer this question. When Jesus declared that he had all authority, he used the Greek word εξουσία, translated “authority” in English. The Greek word can also be translated “power of choice.”[iii] Choice is the right or freedom to make decisions regarding matters, such as, health care, education, economics, and public policy (including social norms). Some argue that the power of choice for these and other issues should be the purview of the state. Others favor that the preponderance of choice is the purview of individuals. So, what can we glean from Scripture regarding who has the power of choice and to what degree?
The predicate to the discussion about choice is the presupposition of freedom—the freedom to choose. How free is mankind to exercise the power to choose? For example, can a person choose to go to Mars without a spacecraft? Can a person choose to not die? Can a person choose to live without food or air? Can a person choose to change his or her place of birth or date of birth or biological parents? I think most would agree that these are examples of limitations of freedom and, therefore, limitations of human choice. So, in the absolute sense, a person is not free to do whatever the person might wish.
Therefore, there is no absolute freedom of choice for individuals, and, by implication, for the state since the state is simply a small group of individuals making choices for a larger group of individuals. There are, however, limited choices that a person makes, such as what to eat for breakfast or what clothes to wear or what time to get up in the morning. And in addition to these self-evident limitations on freedom of choice, there are other limitations. Given the biblical view of a created but fallen world, there is an innate bias to rebellion against the Creator. This rebellion has consequences that affect human freedom.
Scripture provides guidance in understanding the impact of this innate bias to sin on human freedom. This innate condition is called total depravity. Total depravity means that mankind can never do enough good works to meet God’s standard of righteousness. This means that mankind is so biased to sin in his mind, will, and emotions that no person can be good enough to meet God’s standard of perfect holiness. Consequently, mankind is unacceptable to God and will experience eternal judgment. If total depravity is true, human beings are impotent to self-save. Furthermore, Scripture reveals that this impotence includes the inability of humans to choose Jesus as Savior. Note the words of the apostle Paul:
There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. (Romans 3:10–11 CSB)
No one is righteous enough to self-save. And humans, without divine empowerment, do not seek Jesus. This is what the redoubtable Martin Luther called the “bondage of the will” in his book by that title.
This implies that the only sense of freedom of choice or free will for fallen mankind is the freedom to sin. There is no innate human potency to choose Christ. Therefore, when a person chooses Christ, the person must be empowered by the Holy Spirit, which is what Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3.
This truth is illustrated by the apostle Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Paul (known as Saul then) was a zealous Pharisee who was highly trained in Scripture and Jewish traditions, but he did not know Jesus as Lord and Christ. Paul actively opposed Jesus and his followers. This is the default state of every human regardless of their biblical literacy or theological convictions. No one can choose to change this condition. Therefore, the only way out of this bondage to sin is divine intervention.
Paul began his journey to Damascus on a mission to incarcerate followers of Jesus. He was an agent who opposed Christ, so he was allied with and regulated by the spirit of antichrist. But, on the way, Jesus intercepted him. Paul was not seeking Jesus and did not choose Jesus; nevertheless, Jesus chose him. The power of choice in this encounter rested with Jesus not Paul.
Paul’s encounter with Jesus was both physical and metaphorical. Physically, it really happened; metaphorically, it represented a transformation to a new road (a new way of life). Before his encounter with Jesus, Paul was regulated by the Old Testament Scripture based on the predicate that Jesus was not the Christ prophesied by Scripture. But after this encounter, Paul was regulated by Old Testament Scripture with the understanding that Jesus was (and is) both Lord and Christ.
As a result of this transformation, Paul began to live on a new road of life marked by a new destination. Before his encounter with Jesus, Paul was living for himself; afterward, he lived for Jesus. Therefore, a key marker of one who has encountered Jesus is a new road and a new destination.
When anyone makes a profession of faith in Jesus, the validation will be a lifestyle progressively aligned with Jesus. This is evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit. No human freely chooses to live this way; only God can effect transformation. It is Jesus who chooses us not we who choose Jesus, as Paul noted in these words:
But in the past, since you didn't know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not gods. But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God . . . (Galatians 4:8–9 CSB)
The story of Paul’s conversion to Christianity is an illustration that no fallen human has the power to choose Jesus. Furthermore, this implies that the power of choice for fallen humans is so impaired by sin that it limits the ability of humans to make wise choices. Consequently, humans must look beyond themselves for wisdom—they must look to transcendent truth. In a created universe, the best source of transcendent truth is the transcendent Creator. From a Christian worldview, the best source of truth from the Creator is Scripture. Therefore, submission to the authority of the Bible is an essential predicate for determining public policy and, specifically, answering the question, who has the power of choice and to what degree?
The question of choice cannot be answered with profundity unless the discussion can be conducted in the context of Christian thinking, which includes a robust understanding of the innate bias in mankind to sin. The only way for fallen mankind to consistently make wise choices is through Scripture as illuminated by the Holy Spirit. This means that the only way for the state to make wise public policy decisions is through divinely empowered government officials who are regulated by Scripture. Without this understanding, both individuals and the state will lack the ability to understand reality well enough to make wise choices—choices aligned with the intent and purpose of God. We must always remember that in God's universe, only choices aligned with the will and ways of the Creator will enjoy his favor.
Is there a willingness for gathering public policy officials around a Christian worldview to seek the answer to the question, who has the power of choice and to what degree? If public policy makers seek to answer the question from a Christian worldview, they can find wisdom. If, however, a Christian worldview does not govern the policy makers, whatever answers they concoct will be human wisdom that is not profoundly connected to God's wisdom. And without godly wisdom, there will be no sound answer to the question.
