The so called ‘paradox of free will’ in Christianity

I have just learnt that the Holy Bible is about 783,137 words long. Surely, a book that long has left a lot of unanswered questions to many, even seasoned believers. On my instagram, the most asked question is whether free will in christianity is a fallacy.

The Holy Bible is based on the theme of free will. It has emphasized over and over again that humans are “called to be free” (Galations 5:13 | GNT). At the same time, fate is also evident in the Holy Bible. We may have our plans but God directs our actions (Proverbs‬ ‭16:9‬ ‭| GNT‬‬).

It is difficult to comprehend how fate and free can coexist. “God made the game, its rules, and the players”, so are the players free or mere actors following a script?

It is possible for both free will and fate to co-exist without being logically inconsistent. Humans freely act according to their own motive (free will) but the nature of the motive is determined (fate). Simply put, God, through fate, brings us to the opportunities, and our decisions towards the opportunities determine our destination.

Back to the game analogy, God created, and is in charge of, the game, however, he lets us play the game freely. Our choices determine the game results.

The best example is how God gave his son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have an everlasting life (John 3:16 | GNT). God giving us his son is fate, but us having eternal life dependents on free will, our choice.

There is no paradox of free will in Christianity, both fate and free will co-exist superbly.