Darkness is understood in the context of the absence of light. Cold is understood in the context of the absence of heat. Similarly, bondage is defined according to the absence of freedom, and freedom conversely by the absence of bondage or restraint. Freedom is defined not by the positive but rather the negative such that the levels of restraint or bondage define the extent of freedom.
What then is the freedom of God? Is he absolutely free or is His freedom bound by certain conditions?
Freedom is often misunderstood as not being conditioned upon anything. If man’s ability to choose good over evil is hampered in any way then, he is not free. If man’s ability to choose Christ over chaos is inhibited, he is not free. This is why, when speaking of the freedom of free agents, it is important to understand that freedom is contingent, governed, or bound by certain extraneous conditions. Humanity, no matter how determined they may be to express their freedom, cannot defy gravity or achieve flight without mechanical assistance. A worm, no matter how long it remains in the dirt, will not grow into a giant oak tree.
Everything in all of creation, living or not, is bound by the nature it was created with. Acting contrary to that nature is impossible. Therefore, nothing is truly free, not even a single molecule, for it is governed by both the atoms within and the conjoining molecules without. This is true of every created thing in the universe, everything is bound by its nature, but what about the Creator of all things in the universe?
Restraint by Character
Is the Creator indeed free? Are there any restraints on the actions of God? Certainly, there is nothing outside of God that places restraint upon Him so in this sense God is free. But there are restraints. It sounds strange, maybe even heretical, to say that there are restraints on the freedoms of God, but He is, in fact, restrained by both His character and His word. He will not act in any way contrary to His nature or the covenants He has made according to his nature. This is who He is, and it is impossible for him to act outside of the restraints of His character.
This is a reality that we take comfort in. He is not like Zeus, the Greek god of thunder, who was immoral and barbarous in his discipline of those who displeased him. Instead, His character is founded and steady. He cannot deny himself (2 Tim. 2:13) He cannot act in a way which does not accord with His character. In a similar way, as man cannot fly without the aid of mechanics, no matter how great His will to do so, neither can God act in a way that is unjust, unloving, or unholy no matter how great His will is to do so. However, we know that, unlike man, His will would never be contrary to the demands of His character.
Therefore, the restraint of God’s character is not a restraint upon the freedom of His will since it is perfect, but it is a restraint upon His actions since He can never act contrary to His character such that He cannot lie or be immoral. Just as man’s nature dictates the scope of his actions, so God’s nature and character dictate the scope of His actions.
Restraint by Decree
There is another restraint on God, a restraint He binds Himself with. This is, as already mentioned, His word and covenant. He has said that He will never again destroy the earth with a flood. We can be confident that such a statement is true because He cannot do that which He has said He will not. (Num. 23:19, Tit. 1:2) Abraham was sure that Isaac would not ultimately perish when God commanded him to sacrifice his son because he was confident in the promise of God that Isaac would be heir of the nations. (Heb. 11:19)
We can be certain that as God has been, so will He continue to be. (Mal. 3:6) More could be said about His specific covenants, (Jn. 6:39) but the point is that God binds Himself by his revealed word. This is to be a comfort to us because God is sovereign and all-powerful. If He was arbitrary in all He did, then we could not find refuge in Him – He would be feared but not trusted. But He isn’t arbitrary, He’s calculated and good. Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.
Agreement with Orthodoxy
These truths are not meant to go against the great confessions of the faith which highlight the freedom of God but to stand in agreement with them. The objective here is to be thought-provoking (and maybe a little provocative) to make a point. God certainly is free in all He does. He has restraints upon his freedom, yes, but those restraints are not placed upon Him by something other than Himself since there is nothing outside of Him. The restraints are not added to Him because He always has been and will eternally be the same.
God is not in a state of becoming nor has he ever ascended to anything. He just is. The restraints upon Him are part of His character – and He cannot act contrary to that which His character and covenant prescribes. God is free according to His will and bound in His actions in relation to His creation. This is all to our benefit and comfort. It allows us to know God and His actions through His revealed word and the nature of the universe. In this, we find rest because the restraints of His actions accord with the good and free nature of His will and covenant.
