This month I taught a 3-week seminar at Village Church entitled “Fate and Free Will.” The question we explored in that seminar is “As human beings, are we genuinely free to make authentic choices that affect what comes to pass? Or has God already determined the fate/destiny of every human being?” The topics and recordings can be found here, for those interested.

As an addendum to that series, I wanted to share a recent observation. In my latest reading of the book of Acts, I noticed an interesting section that relates to this topic. In Acts 21, Luke is recounting a particular leg of the journey that he and other companions were taking with the Apostle Paul:

When we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. ² When we found a ship bound for Phoenicia, we went on board and set sail. ³ We came in sight of Cyprus, and leaving it on our left, we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, because the ship was to unload its cargo there. ⁴ We looked up the disciples and stayed there for seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.

So some of the believers in Tyre warned Paul not to go on to Jerusalem, and according to Luke this instruction was given by the Spirit. After staying in Tyre a few days, Luke, Paul, and the others continued their southward journey, eventually arriving in Caesarea Maritima:

While we were staying there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. ¹¹ He came to us and took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands with it, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and will hand him over to the gentiles.’ ” ¹² When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem.

So again, according to Luke, Paul receives a warning from the Holy Spirit through a respected prophet regarding what will happen if he continues on to Jerusalem, and he is again urged by the Christian community around him not to go.

Astonishingly, however, despite these multiple warnings that come in the form of a prophetic word as well as the united voice of the Christian community in Tyre, Caesarea, and from among Paul’s own traveling companions, Paul sets all of this aside, and chooses to continue on to Jerusalem (which will lead to his arrest and eventual execution). Here’s how Paul responds to their warnings:

“What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” ¹⁴ Since he would not be persuaded, we remained silent except to say, “The Lord’s will be done.”

Luke has already told us the Lord’s preference on the matter, if we take the text seriously. Numerous times, God has clearly expressed the desire for Paul not to enter Jerusalem (at least, not at this time). However, God apparently allows Paul the freedom to make his own decision, which he does. And the perspective of the believers around Paul appears to be: (1) God has clearly spoken, (2) Paul is resolute on going to Jerusalem anyway, therefore (3) given that Paul has chosen this direction, may God continue to flexibly work out God’s purposes within the parameters of Paul’s own decisions.

I’m convinced that the mystery of how our own wills and God’s will interact will always be somewhat of a mystery beyond our full comprehension. But what is also apparent to me is that all of our neat, pat, “Sunday School” answers for how these things work are woefully inadequate.