Christians: What is the importance/meaning of free will?
In the next life, in heaven on earth, does the free will of one person extend to his being allowed to harm or make miserable another person? Will God still allow us the freedom to hurt each other in any way or to damage the joy of another? (Please don't answer "We won't want to"; You would be correct, but that's not the point of this question.)
Will people in hell have the ability and power to damage the happiness of one another or of the people in heaven?
If you answered "No," which is a reasonable answer, please think of the person you love best, and who is not following Jesus. Maybe a parent or a child or grandchild or a dear friend or lover. If you were to get a phone call in the next five minutes telling you that person (perhaps a professing and vehement atheist) had died suddenly in a car accident. If there is no reason to believe that she had the opportunity or the inclination to repent in her last few moments, can you imagine your agony? And God loves her MORE than you do. Think of His agony. Think of the agony of those who love you as they watch your agony. That's a lot of pain, and of course it is a domino effect amongst those who truly love one another. In the next life, it would be an INFINITE domino effect, since we will all know and love one another and love those beloved by our loved ones. Think of all those souls in agony over their own loved ones in hell, over one another's agony, and not least at all, over the very agony of God, who cannot but experience it ALL at once.
But will God's agony over losing this dear one diminish or wink out when He regretfully consigns her to hell (whatever that looks like)? Will He forget His love for her? Will it turn to hate? God does not change. His faithfulness endures forever. And if His pain does not diminish, will yours? In a place where love is all, will you refrain from loving this person whom God COMMANDED you to love? Does she still have free will? Will God allow her to hold out for all eternity, a "successful rebel" to her own detriment and causing the sorrow and agony of all those who love her and who love those who love her, including God Himself?
And should this dear one, seeing a true picture of God, who He really is, and seeing and experiencing His agony over her sins and her loss, fall to her knees and from her heart repent and believe the gospel, would He refuse her -- His own dear child?
What do you think? Where does free will end and protection of its victims begin? And how great is the mercy of God, which endureth forever? Is it even possible that our tradition has been misguided?
(BTW, I can back all of this up scripturally, but if you search you'll find many articles that will do it better than I could do here.)
Bryon, Thanks; that clears it all up. ;)
Slave, Study for yourself and then answer this (and don't mistake me for unitarian). I said the same as you only several months ago, but I am eager for the truth from God and willing to go WHEREVER He takes me. I would never have answered your question so definitively without at least some thought.
***Guys!*** I know you're in a hurry, but please either read the whole question or don't trouble yourselves with an answer sans thought. It isn't really THAT long, and I promise it's fairly well-written and non-academic.
Thanks for reading the question, Seek 1st (and Slave). I appreciate your honesty and that you are a sensitive soul who is troubled by the image of a creator who would create thousands upon tens of hundreds of thousands who will go on to experience nothing but torment forever and ever and ever and ever . . . . if you will look, you will discover there is more to the goodness of God (scripturally supported, too) than you ever even imagined.
Final Trump, Thank you for an honest and thought-out answer, Brother, though I must disagree. Still, if we were sitting down over coffee I think we could enjoy one another's conversation on the subject and perhaps even learn together whether we ended up in agreement or not. ;)