Those who speak or write English are very familiar with the word will.  It is very commonly used and most likely we use it at least once in our everyday speech. I am not certain, but I feel confident that a similar term exists in many or most of the languages we use in the world today.

Webster’s defines will as disposition, inclination, willingness, desire, choice, or consent. It is used to express the actions described by these words. It is used to express futurity or intent of action; also capability or sufficiency. It implies something desired, as in a choice or determination of one having authority or power over himself or others. I think it is safe to say those reading this have a decent grasp of the usage and meaning of the word will.

In the Bible, will is often used in terms of the expression of the will of God. The will of God is something that all believers desire to know intimately so that they may follow it in order to live the life God intends for them. When Jesus was in Gethsemane prior to His crucifixion, He prayed for His father’s will to be done as opposed to what His own will might be: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:9). Will is also used to express future intent or action. “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2)

I do not mean to belabor this, but besides the irrefutable facts that God’s love for us is eternal and everlasting, that He sent Jesus to earth–who was crucified and died for the sins of all men upon the cross, was buried, rose from the dead on the third day and then later ascended to heaven to rejoin his Father–the subject of free choice or free will plays a critical role in the events of the Bible and ultimately the eternal fate of all men, past, present and future.

The original sin was pride and it originated in Lucifer, whom is referred to as Satan since his fall. We find a description of him in Ezekiel 28:12-19, where he is described as one of the most beautiful created beings, having the soul of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, and every precious stone was his covering. He was in Eden, the garden of God. He was an “anointed cherub who covers,” or as one speaker referred to him, so powerful in the Kingdom of Heaven that he was as God’s “Prime Minister.” He was “blameless in his ways” from the day of his creation until unrighteousness was found in him and he sinned. His heart was lifted up because of his beauty–that is, filled with self-envy and pride, and his wisdom was corrupted by self-adoration of his own splendor and abilities.  In Isaiah chapter 14, Lucifer’s self-exaltation is revealed as well as his ultimate fate:

How have you fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of dawn! You have been cut down to earth, you who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” (Isaiah 14:12-14)

The second sin was disobedience. It was found in Eve and then Adam, who were lied to and tricked by Lucifer, who was by then cast from heaven and saw in the pair of the first humans two beings, created in the image of God, who also possessed free will. Lucifer in his wickedness and treachery recognized that he could lie to Eve and convince her that God had not been “truthful” with her about dying after eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He placed doubt in her mind, and she disobeyed God’s command and ate the fruit, and gave it to Adam to eat also. We know that they did not die immediately, but Lucifer left out the part that they would eventually die physically and, more importantly, because sin had now entered their heretofore blameless beings, they would die a spiritual death, cut off from the fellowship and glory of God.

Over and above the original sin of Adam through Eve, the nature of sin then became an inbred part or characteristic of all men that would be born in the future. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).

So back to “I will.” Satan’s original sin of pride and self-glorification was his decision–“I will be like God.” Adam and Eve likewise chose to disobey God, and each basically said by their actions, “I will choose to make my own decisions, to follow my own instincts, to disobey God by partaking of the forbidden fruit.” Each and every man and woman from that time on, born into the nature of sin, has had to make decisions regarding their earthly lives and their eternal destinies based upon two words—I will–or the counterpart, I will not. Because of man’s sin nature, man cannot be wholly righteous (that is without sin). Throughout history, mankind in general has rejected God and turned to his own ways. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 5:6).

The words will, pride, sin, dis- (prefix), obedience, trial, guilt and faith all have in common the letter “I”–the most important letter in sinful man’s self-important alphabet. By concentrating on himself–the all-important I–man lives in sin, follows his own will fueled by his own pride, and chooses disobedience rather than obedience to God, suffering all manner of trials as a result. Because our Lord is a loving God, He is continually striving to bring man back into fellowship with Him.

Now at this point many of you reading this may be asking, “Just where is he going with this? I already know about all of this.” I am quite certain you do. However, it has come to my attention that this little blog, started up by two sisters who love God and have dedicated themselves to Him and service to His will, has now reached readers in at least 26 countries worldwide and has had thousands of hits on the web. As I understand their mission in starting Holding Fast Now, the intention was to focus on Biblical prophecy as it pertains to events unfolding in present times and as related to how those events affect the lives of believers and non-believers alike.

I don’t know who is reading this article at the moment. I don’t know what faith or religion, if any, you ascribe to. If I may address the reader personally, I do not know what your relationship with the one true living God of the Bible is at this very moment in time. However, just as Revelation, Daniel, Isaiah, and various other Old and New Testament books of the Bible prophesy about future coming events giving us a glimpse of what is to come, the Bible also foretells very clearly the future outcome of each of our lives depending on our relationship with Jesus Christ as our Lord, Savior and Redeemer. Whereas the Scripture speaks many times in generalities and symbolic language or messages whose meaning is not altogether clear about future events that will take place on the earth, the Scripture is crystal clear about what will happen to each and every one of us who either know or do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior. To those reading who know Jesus as their personal Savior, I say “Hallelujah! Spread the gospel!” To those who do not, please read on.

Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you.” Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:13-14)

And in Jesus’s own words He tells us who He is when He said:

• “Most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58)
• “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:48)
• “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
• “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me, will never die.” (John 11:25, 26)
• “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6)
• “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:9-10)
• “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:11, 27-30)

Man’s condition is sinful and God’s love for all men and His plan of salvation is that men might not suffer the consequences of a life of sin:

• For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
• For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
• For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:17-18)
• For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Salvation is not earned, it is the free gift of God, but it was paid for by the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross:

• For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God not works lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
• But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
• That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ, all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 21-22)

In order to accept and gain God’s free gift of salvation, one must repent of their sins, confess them before God and in faith call upon the name of Jesus to ask for this forgiveness and salvation from sin:

• For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9)
• Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15:10)
• Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which you must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
• For whoever calls on the name of the Lord (Jesus) will be saved. (Romans 10:13)
• For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…. For in it the righteousness of God to salvation is revealed from faith to faith as it is written, the just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:16-17)

The decision to accept or reject the salvation offered by God through the death and resurrection of Jesus is serious. The consequence for the rejection of Jesus results in eternal judgment and separation from God:

• In this is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Romans 20:14-15)
• The Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution (judgment) to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9)
• For He says, “In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

“Now is the accepted time.” We have no guarantee that we may live another minute or another 20 years. No man knows when Jesus will return to gather His church unto Himself at the Rapture, and all people remaining on earth will be left to face the horrors of the tribulation. One cannot bargain with God. His requirements to enter into His kingdom are absolute. Do not listen to the lies and false promises of Satan, the deceiver. He will delude and trick you just as he did with Adam and Eve. “Then Jesus said unto His disciples, ‘If any man will come after Me let him deny himself take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?'” (Matthew 16:24-26)

“Now is the day of salvation.” Which “I will” will you choose for yourself? Either, I will follow Jesus Christ, or I will deny Him and choose to follow my own way and see where that leads. Will you believe in the true God, the great “I AM” as Lord of your life, or will you choose “I am the lord and master of my own life”? Jesus said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I also confess before my Father which is in Heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in Heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33)

Do not delude yourself. Jesus said that a man has no greater love than that he would lay down his life for his friends. Jesus gave His life for you. Do not deny or refuse His precious gift. As Adrian Rogers says, it does not matter what you are right about, if you are wrong about Jesus. If you have never trusted Jesus to become your Lord and Savior, you can pray a simple prayer in your own words and do that right now.

Confess to God that you know you are guilty of sin, that you cannot save yourself and ask for your sins to be forgiven. Proclaim to God that you have faith in the fact of the death, burial and resurrection from the dead of Jesus and that by faith you know God will save you from your sin and eternal death and separation from Him. Ask Jesus to come into your life as your own personal Lord and Savior and that from this day forward you will dedicate your life to serving Him and honoring Him above all else. Thank Jesus for dying for your sins and praise God for sending His Son Jesus to die in your place for redemption of your sins. Thank Him for His grace and mercy. Pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

“Behold what manner of love the Father bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God”! (1 John 3:1)

Holding fast,

Mark

This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life. (2 John 2:25)

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17

^{Photography by: Author Unknown}