‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ (John 8:32)

The Greek word for freedom is ἐλευθερία eleutheria, specifically manumission, the freedom from slavery, and it is of this context Jesus speaks and to which his audience takes offence:

“We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free?”’  (ibid 8:33)

God created heaven and earth; having done so he populates both realms with creatures who share a common characteristic; both angel-kind and humankind are autonomous beings.  And each human being, not just the Israelite above, that takes their autonomy very seriously; indeed, it is the root of pride.

This means in simple terms that angels and humans have free will.  In effect, this amounts to one freedom, to relate to God (and on his terms) or to rebel and reject Him.

Jesus makes this truth very clear to those who would be his disciples, who thought themselves free (nobody’s slaves).

‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.’ (ibid 8:34)

The irony is that without the truth Christ offers, all think themselves free to do as they wish but are under deception, and can only sin; whereas, with Christ through his word, all are constrained to a new law, that of the Law of Righteousness.  His disciples must give up the illusion of freedom for the truth to be free of that illusion.  There is no ultimate freedom.  This from the Apostle Paul:

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. (Romans 7:25)

Jesus would have his disciples relinquish chasing and satiating their heart’s desires, in order to submit themselves to God’s desire.

Therefore, free will renders down to just one choice; for the angels, who dwell in righteousness with God in heaven, it is to opt out – this was the decision of Satan and a third of the heavenly host (Revelation 12:3-4).  While Adam also opted out, each of his offspring is given the chance to opt in, via Christ, if any would abide in him.

Abiding in Jesus carries the sense of a continuous process, yet this decision to opt in is seen by some as a one-off, citing that nothing can undo his, quoting:

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:38-39)

Here Paul reassures all of God’s sovereignty.  There is no external cause or power that countermand Jesus.  Paul does not question the depth of love of Christ; however, if the state of free will pertains, then there remains one being that can cause separation, and that in oneself.

And although this can only be an assertion, but given the angels have free will in eternal realms, then we may consider that humans retain autonomy after death.  What does that look like?

For those that have rejected the salvatory offer through faith, God honours that decision.  It is possible to imagine hell, therefore, where each individual retains their desires without any means to consummate them.

However, for all who have chosen to abide with God, there remains the decision.  If the angels who saw God’s glory and experienced the perfection of his presence can reject him, why should any disciple of Christ think himself immune in eternity?

To avoid the experience of the fallen angels, for whom there is no redemption, it is better to realise that breaking one’s own autonomous will, in submission to Christ and his word, is practice that is better perfected in this life where there remains forgiveness for repentance, than risk one’s soul where no imperfection is allowed.

The Apostle John’s is given a vision of the outworked Kingdom and its eternal city:

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practises falsehood.  (Revelation 22:14)

The word ‘wash’ translates the present tense of πλύνω pluno to wash, which means a continual action, something that is the process of happening that is not completed or finished (that is the aorist, simple past tense). Abiding in Christ, is a practice that transcends the grave.