The greatest gift mankind has ever received from God is free will — free to make choices, free to do good or do wrong.
It is greater than life or intelligence itself, because without choice, neither would have meaning. If we could not choose, we could not love. Love that is programmed is not love. God could have made perfect servants who never disobeyed, but He made sons and daughters who could say no, so that when they said yes, it would mean something. All real love, toward God or toward each other, is only real because it is freely given.
Moral weight requires freedom. Without the option to lie, honesty is not a virtue. Without temptation, there is no goodness. One man uses his freedom to die for a stranger. Another uses the same freedom to kill without cause. History isn’t fate. It’s choice after choice. Free will is a heavy gift. It’s the only gift that can injure the Giver — and the only one that allows us to truly love God.
That freedom also gives us dignity and responsibility. We cannot say, “I couldn’t help it.” We are free, and so we must answer for what we do with that freedom. God, who is all-powerful, makes Himself vulnerable to our rejection. He knocks at the door, but He will not break it down — the handle is on the inside. In that terrible, beautiful freedom lies our greatness, our danger, and our hope.
“God will never send anybody to hell. If man goes to hell, he goes by his own free choice.” – Billy Graham
Being About The Journey 