Series 2 - Lesson 10 - Annotation 13
What has free will to do with expression?
13. Free will is essential to perfect expression of the divine qualities (ideas) that are man's birthright. Without free will man cannot bring forth fully the powers of his being, which function as faculties in his mind. When these powers are prevented from coming forth in natural unfoldment there is repression, which eventually manifests in a form that is less than good.
"The absolute freedom of the individual must be maintained at all hazards. God is the one principle; we are all as free to use God as we are free to use the principles of mathematics or of music. The principle never interferes, but if it is to be rightly applied we must develop understanding" (Charles Fillmore Christian Healing 112).
Sometimes we forget that free will is not necessarily doing what we humanly want to do, but it is allowing the faculty of will to carry out the plan of God. Unless there is freedom, we are unable to follow the guidance that God gives us during our quiet moments of prayer, so there is no ready channel through which this guidance may come forth.
Too often we confuse "free will" with "freedom of will." In the first case, the will is free within the laws of God; in the second case, the will faculty has freedom at the discretion of the individual. This may not always be in full understanding of the consequences should he use his will faculty contrary to the laws of life.
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Preceding Entry: Why is it unwise for one individual to dominate another?
Following Entry: Explain the text "the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force" (Matt. 11:12).
