The question touches on one of the most profound mysteries in Christian theology: the union of divine and human natures in Jesus Christ and how that union relates to free will. In Christian thought, Jesus is both fully God and fully man. As a human being, He possesses a will and the capacity to choose. Yet, His divine nature means that His will was perfectly united and aligned with the Father’s will. In passages such as John 10:18, where Jesus says, “I lay down my life of my own accord,” we see a demonstration of a will exercised freely and intentionally, but one that never diverged from the Father's plan [^2^].
The inherent nature of free will implies the possibility of choosing otherwise. For ordinary human beings, this means the freedom to choose between good and evil—a freedom that, due to the entrance of sin, often results in disobedience. In contrast, Jesus’ human will was without sin. His perfect obedience was not the result of coercion but the natural outworking of a will that was entirely in harmony with the divine. Even when Jesus experienced temptation—as seen in His time in the wilderness or the anguished prayers in Gethsemane—He always chose obedience. His free will was real, yet it was so perfectly conformed to God’s nature that the possibility of disobedience was never actualized [^3^].
Some theologians have discussed the idea that if free will is genuine, then logically there must be the capacity to choose contrary to God’s will. In Jesus’ case, while He did indeed have free will as a human, His unique union with the divine ensured that His nature did not incline Him toward sin. Rather than a mechanical inevitability, His obedience was a freely made, loving choice—a model of perfect submission. His decision to obey reflects not a lack of freedom but an exalted, redemptive freedom that serves as an example for believers who struggle with the challenge of aligning their own wills with God’s perfect design [^4^].
In summary, Jesus Christ had free will in the human sense, yet His sinless nature and perfect unity with the Father’s will meant that He would—and always did—choose obedience rather than disobedience. This dynamic doesn’t diminish the reality of His free will; instead, it points to what is possible when one’s will is completely transformed by divine grace.
Exploring further, you might consider how this understanding of Christ’s perfect obedience has shaped Christian views on salvation and the nature of discipleship. How might our own struggles with free will and temptation find resolution in the example set by Christ’s harmonious submission?
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=126255.0
