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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Dear Rev, Graham: Liberals and conservatives continue bickering about freedom of choice. It’s an endless and unwinnable controversy; something for the talking heads to debate and a tiring subject that has no purposeful outcome. History shows that people are going to do what they want, so we might as well learn to live with it and move on to something that can be more profitable. – F.C.

 

Dear F.C.: We hear a lot about “freedom of choice” these days. The very word “choice” presupposes at least two alternatives. When Joshua asked the Israelites to “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,” the choice he gave them was between God and the false god, Baal. Before waiting for their reply, Joshua announced his choice, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15, NKJV).

Choices are offered throughout the Bible as they are throughout our lives. Repeatedly throughout the Scripture, God commands men and women to make those choices, but only after providing them with sufficient information so that people’s choices will be informed ones.

We may say this is not fair, but this has always been. Consider truth in lending and truth in labeling laws; one cannot apply for a loan or buy a product in a supermarket without being furnished with certain information, necessary in making intelligent choices.

God has given us information about Himself, including His holiness, mankind’s sinfulness, and God’s provision for that sin through salvation found in Jesus Christ. God has given scores of promises to people about what will happen if they accept His Word and what will happen if they do not. God said, “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God … and the curse, if you do not obey … . Be careful to observe all the statutes which I set before you today” (Deuteronomy 11:26–28, 32, NKJV).

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)