Double Agency: A Theological Analysis of Free Will and God's Will

This essay delves into the theological debate surrounding double agency, which explores the complex relationship between human free will and the will of God. It examines how the concepts of God's omniscience and omnipresence intersect with the idea of human autonomy, addressing the apparent conflict between divine predestination and individual choice. The essay references scholarly works to discuss how theologians and philosophers have attempted to reconcile these seemingly contradictory forces, considering the presence of evil, the role of divine intervention, and the importance of faith in understanding the nature of God's influence on human actions. Ultimately, it argues that while the existence and nature of God's will remain a subject of theological inquiry, the belief in free will underscores the importance of human agency and moral responsibility.

Running head: DOUBLE AGENCY
Double Agency
Name of the Student
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Author Note

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The freedom of action in God and man has long been topic of debate among theologians.
The idea of free will of man and God are argued to be in contrast with each other as God is
viewed to be the one who has destined the lives of man. The concepts relating to the double
agency of existence between will of God and free will of man also focuses on the ambivalence
that is existent in human mind owing to religious and scientific reasoning.
Hien and Henderson states, that the omniscience and omnipresence of God in this world
cannot be defined by the presence of his will power in the life of the people. The search for truth,
according to Farrer, is one of the main reasons behind asking for explanations for the divine
actions. Moreover, it has been noticed that certain incapability on the part of the theological
interpretations have also led to the loss of faith in humankind. According to Hien and Henderson,
to elaborate it furthermore it can be said that scientific explanations have narrated the evolution
process and has pointed out facts that human evolution is a series of accidental events that has
taken place and has positively impacted the process of evolution1. However, it has been argued
that even with scientific evaluation the existence of prime mover cannot be denied. The authors
say that God is capable of intervening into every human activity. However, he allows the will of
a human being to provide them with a chance to practice their free will. This, in turn, will open
the path of human redemption.
One of the main aspects, relating to the ideology of individual perspectives of social
interactions in the society, focuses on developing ideas in the existence of God. God and his will
have been held with importance in understanding the social constructs that guide human
decisions. The free will and will of God cause a fallacy in the fact that the evil exists in the
presence of all-knowing God. It will beat the purpose of existence of free will in society as evil
1Henderson, Edward Hugh, and David Hein, eds. Captured by the Crucified: The Practical Theology of Austin
Farrer. Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2004.

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exists in presences of a ubiquitous power. Hien and Henderson state in the article that God has
the knowledge of all human actions and is capable of knowing all good and evil that exist in the
community, he should not let evil exist.
The fallacy and the existence of God can be explained by one of the explanations of
theism, which takes into account the existence of God in the form of nature as shown by Helseth
et al. The presence of God in the form of nature will help in understanding the movements of
nature as the interferential ways in which God affects the actions of humanity in society. God
and his methods are one of the most critical questions that reposed in the presence of free will of
human beings. It is said that human beings have free will to choose their actions and the
consequences may depend on it. This also questions the all-good, ubiquitous God, who governs
the works of man in the society as shown by Hien and Henderson. The authority of God is
challenged through these ideals; one of the major explanations and definitions of free will also
explains the same. God gave human beings free will so that they can choose and also freedom of
their redemption through repenting their actions.
Helseth et al. state in the article that the sovereign presence of God can be felt by the
units of activity where he is the prime mover of the actions of man. The power to disobey God
has been given by God himself. How he intervenes in the activities of men are a matter of
discourse amongst the theologians. Since God is the creator of the universe, he does not need to
emphasise his power in the form of causality. According to Farrer, faith is the way to understand
natural presence of God. The question here is about causation and his existence that is to be felt
by humankind and can only be answered by the faith that humanity holds according to Helseth et
al.

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The incarnation of the son of God to repent for the sins of man and the overall assertion
of the fact that God intervenes in the actions of man through nature is one of the prime concerns2.
As pointed out by Helseth et al., the concept of free will that God gave human beings shows that
he would not affect in any way the decisions that the human make, whether good or evil. The
presence of God cannot be proved or denied in this context. It can be said that he may exist in the
world and oversee not meddling in the decision making that human does through their free will.
However, when human beings may ask for the divine intervention in the decision making from
God, it may also be his free will to intervene in the form of nature and cause the streamlined flow
of situation that goes on further as shown by Hien and Henderson.
In understanding divine interventions, one of the common mistakes that human beings
make is that they relate it to magical realism. On the contrary, Helseth et al. state that divine
interventions may occur to ensure the overall wellbeing of the earth as well as the creatures
dwelling on it. One of the other contentions to the dualism of the presence of God and human
free will is the presence of death, loss, evil and unfortunate accidents. Since God exists in nature
it does not mean that he will, or he should stop the free will of evil. God has given free will and
allowed both good and evil to co-exist to help the conscience of man decide the path that they
should choose. However Hien and Henderson, say that God still may exist in nature as an
essential moving factor in the decision making of humans. God does not cause evil he permits it
is in the light of free will which is a gift to the humankind. God cannot be held responsible for
the deaths in war because it is human evil and vices that make them choose to go to war and
commit atrocities. The logic behind individual choices and power of God is in redemption of
2Helseth, Paul Kjoss, William Lane Craig, Ron Highfield, and Gregory A. Boyd. Four views on divine providence.
Zondervan, 2011.

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humankind irrespective of their actions or decisions. The authors say that God allows human
beings to choose their path and redeem.
Therefore, it can be said that the existence of God and his will is questioned in some
theological theories, but the existence of God cannot be measured and justified in a physical
form. Though many argue that nature is a form of god and his existence and lies in the evidences
of scientifically unexplainable occurrences, faith and believe in man is what has kept god alive
among human beings. One of the essential questions of the presence of evil in the society also
explains God’s will to grant human free will. The cause and effect are not will of God but
somewhat rational choices based on their free will in which he does not intervene while existing
just as a prime mover.

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References
Helseth, Paul Kjoss, William Lane Craig, Ron Highfield, and Gregory A. Boyd. Four views on
divine providence. Zondervan, 2011.
Henderson, Edward Hugh, and David Hein, eds. Captured by the Crucified: The Practical
Theology of Austin Farrer. Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2004.