Free Will?, Part 1

Shawn McCraney emphasizes the importance of assisting individuals leaving Mormonism to understand key areas for a genuine Christian walk, focusing on the nature of God and faith without religious constraints, and encourages sharing and utilizing their extensive free resources to support such journeys. He reads select biblical passages without commentary to provoke thought, and defines the "Good News" as the saving work of Jesus Christ, which offers salvation by faith and God's grace, apart from religious doctrine and rituals.

Jesus' teaching focuses on redemption, emphasizing that all who put their faith in His completed work are saved by grace, encouraging believers to focus on unity rather than divisions caused by differing doctrines. Alathea Ministries urges Christians to embrace diverse perspectives with love, prioritizing faith in Jesus over doctrinal differences and inviting all to participate harmoniously in their shared spiritual journey.

Shawn emphasizes that the core focus of any gathering should be the agreed-upon Good News, which states that Jesus' life, death, and resurrection save believers by God's grace. While individual beliefs on secondary issues are respected, everyone is encouraged to freely express their faith without judgment, allowing each person to decide what resonates with them spiritually and find a community that aligns with their personal convictions.

Shawn argues that the Gospel and the concept of free will must be understood through a framework that prioritizes the Spirit as primary, scripture as secondary, and church history as tertiary. He contends that the early church teachings supported the existence of free will and challenges the deterministic views, particularly those influenced by Augustine and later adopted by Calvinist theology, asserting that early non-canonical writers closer to the apostolic age provide a clearer perspective on the matter.

Synergism, a theological concept, posits that salvation involves both God's offer and human free will to accept it, contrasting with monergism, which claims that salvation is solely God's act without human input. Historical figures like Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, and early church writings such as the Epistle to Diognetus support the idea of free will, suggesting that humans have the choice to accept or reject salvation, challenging the monergist perspective endorsed by Augustine and later Calvinists.

Shawn teaches that while seeds of goodness exist in every soul due to the Creator's kindness, they need God's assistance to grow, reflecting the biblical principle that God ultimately provides increase in spiritual growth. Additionally, human free will plays a role in choosing to embrace or neglect God's grace, as shown by the exhortation to actively participate in one's own salvation, balancing human effort with divine aid.