Norman Geisler’s “Chosen But Free” was a really good book and emphasized greatly the fact that God really is in control of everything. He talks about many touchy subjects in this book like the idea of free will and predestination. He also talks about evil and where evil comes from if God is all good. A great thing about this book is the fact that there are verses used all throughout. This was encouraging to see because Geisler would make a point about something, and then prove it was in the bible with a verse. Some authors just talk and write about ideas but don’t have the bible to back them up on their points. By using this, it really made me understand what he was saying better.
God is in control, plain and simple. In Genesis it clearly states that God created the universe. If he created everything then he should be the one in charge of everything. In Chapter 3, Geisler talks all about the characteristics of God and how he has power and upholds all things. He has been here forever and will be everlasting, “before the beginning of time” (2 Timothy 1:9). No one else will be or can be everlasting, which even more proves the point that God should be the one in control and is in fact the one who is.
Geiesler also discusses the big topic of free will. In the beginning, God gave Adam and Eve a choice, proving the fact that we are given a choice, and it is up to us to choose. We as humans have the free will to do what we want. Salvation is literally given to everyone and it is our human choice to decide whether we want to accept it or not. Here on earth, we are truly free. We are truly free because we are given a choice to do what we want, and are not bound to making a decision that we don’t want to make. I like the quote on page 21, “In heaven we will be free from evil; here we are free to do evil.” We are free to choose good or evil here on earth, but once we make our choice, we are bound to it when we die. God gave us the gift of salvation, not the gift of faith (pg. 229). Faith is what we have the freedom to choose. Basically, we all have salvation, it our choice whether we want it or not.
The devil and evil is a major topic in this book. Where did evil come from, since God is essentially good. All good desires come from God, so where do the evil ones come from? This goes back to the idea of free will, “God made a good angel called Lucifer, who became the devil by his own free choice to sin (1 Timothy 3:6). The devil had a free choice inside of him, and evil is what he choose, God did not give him that desire because he is good, he got it from his own free will. God is good and he gives us all salvation, it is our free will whether we choose it or not.
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