Predestination vs free-will

For millenniums, theologians have been debating predestination verses free-will. Has God a specific plan that we follow whether we know it or not, or has He given us authority to do whatever we want?

The way I have come to grips with this question is to think of it in musical terms. If we are predestined to lead a very specific life, life would be like a symphony orchestra. The score has been carefully written out by a composer. The musician’s role is to play the notes as written. There may be some room for interpretation, but very little. The composer knew what he wanted the music to sound like and the musician’s role is largely passive.

If we all had total free-will, life would just be noise with no form or purpose. Instead, I believe that life is more like jazz. Don Miller talks about this in his book “Blue Like Jazz.” There are key signatures, time signatures, chord progressions, and melodies and variations. In other words there are forms and guidelines to follow, but beyond that we are free to be as creative and wild as we want.

To me life is like blues and jazz. I need to be in the right key, I need to know where the chords are going, I need to stay in time, or at least remember where the beat is, but beyond that I can be free to be as creative as I dare. I think God smiles every now and then and says, “Nice lick,” “Tasty solo there.” Other times He might say, “That didn’t fit so well, do something different on the next chorus.”

That’s the fun and adventure to life. I don’t care for scripted music or music that is too well rehearsed. Life is not like that. We need to work on our chops and be ready to take a solo when it is tossed our way. God intended for life to be an adventure – like jazz.