Free Will in Heaven? (reject, Satan, God, devil)

[bartdanr]

Hi All,

Do you believe we will have free will in heaven? If so, what is to prevent evil from coming into heaven? Will people be so changed so that though they will be free, they will never choose evil? If it is possible to be free and never choose evil, then why weren't we made this way to begin with?

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Peace

[jorylore]

Great question. My understanding is that free will is a gift from God. Even the angels have it and they live in heaven. There has been no rebellion since Satan and his demons. If the angels can live with free will, using it responsibly to do God's will, than I would think the humans that go to heaven can as well.

[standing_on_one_foot]

What's there to do in heaven that would be evil? Can't kill, can't steal, can't do any of the evils that involve having a body and worldly possessions, really. I suppose you could think nasty thoughts?

[Original Freak]

Originally Posted by standing_on_one_foot

What's there to do in heaven that would be evil? Can't kill, can't steal, can't do any of the evils that involve having a body and worldly possessions, really. I suppose you could think nasty thoughts?

It woudln't be heaven to me if you couldn't.

[jonny]

God has given us agency in this life - I don't see how it could be heaven if he took it away from us in the next life.

We qualify for entrance into Heaven by proving our commitment to God in this life. We will have our free will, but there will not be evil there because those who are in heaven will have already rejected evil.

[Aqualung]

Good points, jonny. Another thing I could think of is that most of the Evil today comes from not knowing what God's will is, or not having the strength to follow it (because we don't know that he exists, for example, or through the Devil's temptations). Once we are in heaven, we will know that God exists, there will be no devil to tempt us, and we will know what he wants. That pretty much takes away all the reason we have today to be evil. And the people who are truly evil, who, knowing God's will, have purposefully rejected it, won't be in heaven.

[bartdanr]

Originally Posted by standing_on_one_foot

What's there to do in heaven that would be evil? Can't kill, can't steal, can't do any of the evils that involve having a body and worldly possessions, really. I suppose you could think nasty thoughts?

Hi Standing,

Do you believe in a satanic fall, or that angels (if they exist) could sin?

I'm not sure that incorporal existence would mean freedom from evil. What if someone looked at all the attention and worship that God was getting and wanted some for him/herself?

Peace

[bartdanr]

Originally Posted by jonny

God has given us agency in this life - I don't see how it could be heaven if he took it away from us in the next life.

We qualify for entrance into Heaven by proving our commitment to God in this life. We will have our free will, but there will not be evil there because those who are in heaven will have already rejected evil.

Thanks for the reply, jonny.

Good answer--except it brings up two questions: (1) we know in this life we can choose good, then choose evil again, and waffle back and forth. In other words, not only are none of us perfect, but none of us become perfect in this life. If we just happen to die waffling on the side of good, is that really a choice for "good"? What happens to us in heaven where we become perfect and no longer chose evil?

(2) Why didn't God set things up like that eventual state to begin with, rather than go through the messiness of the current world? Was God unable to create us perfect, yet free? Was it necessary for us to actually experience choice in order to chose good?

This leads to a third question: (3) Now, if you are a universalist, then this isn't applicable: but why did God bother making the people who would not eventually chose good?

Peace

[bartdanr]

Originally Posted by Aqualung

Good points, jonny. Another thing I could think of is that most of the Evil today comes from not knowing what God's will is, or not having the strength to follow it (because we don't know that he exists, for example, or through the Devil's temptations). Once we are in heaven, we will know that God exists, there will be no devil to tempt us, and we will know what he wants. That pretty much takes away all the reason we have today to be evil. And the people who are truly evil, who, knowing God's will, have purposefully rejected it, won't be in heaven.

Thanks for your reply, Aqualung.

If all (or most) evil comes from the temptation of the devil, then why does God allow him to exist now? Does he serve a necessary function this side of heaven? In other words, unless the devil existed for this time, a heaven full of free but good beings could not exist?

Peace

[bartdanr]

Originally Posted by jorylore

Great question. My understanding is that free will is a gift from God. Even the angels have it and they live in heaven. There has been no rebellion since Satan and his demons. If the angels can live with free will, using it responsibly to do God's will, than I would think the humans that go to heaven can as well.

Thanks for the reply, jorylore.

Your reply brings up another question: if God could make angels with free will but yet good, why then does he not do so with humans? (Sub-question: why did God creat Satan--or anyone evil--with the perfect foreknowledge that they would freely chose evil? Was it somehow necessary to create beings who would chose evil to create an eventual heaven filled with free but good beings?)

Peace