This is a republish of a post I wrote on June 18, 2017. I have been thinking a lot about the concept of choice over the past couple of years and will likely add to this topic soon.

There is a ironic paradox that is created when we exercise our free will in submission to the will of God. With any given list of options, one could imagine that they might be sorted in order from best to worst. Let us presume that some criterion exists which perfectly distinguishes any option as better or worse than any other. We often make choices based on what seems best in the moment or based on emotions or peer pressure or convenience, but seldom do we make the best choice because we can only see so far. In every decision, it would be ideal to pick the best option according to that perfect criterion. There are two ways to progress towards that ultimate state: 1) that the decision maker becomes familiar with that perfect criterion and selects the best option through reason or 2) that the list of options is narrowed by removing the inferior selections until only the best remains. If both of these happen simultaneously, then the decision maker fully embraces the best and only option. But does he really have a choice anymore? Do you have to have more than one option in order to make a choice? This paradox that can be really confusing in Christianity. As God transforms us into His likeness, we become familiar with what is best for us. We exercise our free will by choosing to submit to His will. This submission removes all other options so that the only choice left is God. You could argue that at this point, you have lost your ability to choose. In reality, this is choice brought to perfection.