The Responsibility of Choice
The sermon emphasizes the importance of human choice and freedom in making moral decisions, highlighting that God will not coerce our choices.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the profound responsibility of human choice in his sermon 'The Responsibility of Choice.' He illustrates how Jesus respected the rich young ruler's decision to walk away, highlighting that true humanity requires the freedom to make moral choices without coercion. Tozer argues that while God offers grace and guidance, the act of repentance must come from the individual, as forcing it would undermine the essence of free will. He asserts that without the freedom to choose, neither sin nor righteousness can exist, as moral actions must be voluntary to hold true significance.
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Our Lord Jesus looked after the rich young ruler as he walked away, but He did not follow him or attempt to coerce him. The dignity of the young man's humanity forbade that his choices should be made for him by another. To remain a man he must make his own moral choices; and Christ knew this and permitted him to go his own chosen way. If his human choice took him at last to hell, at least he went there a man; and it is better for the moral universe that he should do so than that he should be jockeyed to a heaven he did not choose, a soulless, will-less automaton. God will take nine steps toward us, but He will not take the tenth.
He will incline us to repent, but He cannot do our repenting for us.
It is of the essence of repentance that it can only be done by the one who committed the act to be repented of. God can wait on the sinning man; He can withhold judgment; He can exercise long-suffering to the point where He appears "lax" in His judicial administration; but He cannot force a man to repent. To do this would be to violate the man's freedom and void the gift God originally bestowed upon him. Where there is no freedom of choice there can be neither sin nor righteousness, because it is of the nature of both that they be voluntary. However good an act may be, it is not good if it is imposed from without. The act of imposition destroys the moral content of the act and renders it null and void.
Sermon Outline
- The Dignity of Human Choice
- The Nature of Repentance
- The Importance of Moral Freedom
- Freedom of choice is necessary for sin and righteousness
- Imposed acts lack moral content
Key Quotes
“God will take nine steps toward us, but He will not take the tenth.” — A.W. Tozer
“If his human choice took him at last to hell, at least he went there a man;” — A.W. Tozer
“Where there is no freedom of choice there can be neither sin nor righteousness, because it is of the nature of both that they be voluntary.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must make our own moral choices, rather than having them imposed upon us.
- Repentance must be a voluntary act, not something forced upon us by God.
- Freedom of choice is essential for morality, as it allows us to make decisions that have moral content.