Reconciling God's Sovereignty and Human Free Will
(Or: How God runs the universe without turning us into puppets)
Molinism is a theological framework developed by Jesuit theologian Luis de Molina in the 16th century.
It tries to answer a big question:
The answer? God has something called middle knowledge (scientia media).
Here's the key insight: God knows the truth of all counterfactuals—statements about what would happen in hypothetical situations.
For example:
"If you had taken that job offer, you would be living in Seattle right now."
"If it had rained yesterday, the game would have been canceled."
These aren't just guesses—they're truths about what would actually happen in those scenarios, even though they didn't occur.
In Molinism, God knows all such truths about every possible situation involving free creatures—before He even creates the world. This means God knows:
What could happen (all possibilities)
What would happen if you were in any specific circumstances (counterfactual knowledge)
What will happen in the actual world He chooses to create
Think of it like God having the ultimate “Choose Your Own Adventure” book, but He knows every possible path, every decision you would make at each fork in the road, and every ending—all before writing the first page.
Counterfactual Logic and Reasoning
Now let’s explore counterfactuals in more depth, since they’re the foundation of Molinism.
We already saw a couple of examples, but counterfactuals are everywhere in daily life:
“If I had studied, I would have passed.”
“If I had a million dollars, I would buy a Lamborghini.”
“If I had taken that job, I’d be living in New York.”
These are statements about what would happen if something else were true—even though it’s not describing actual reality, just a hypothetical scenario.
Counterfactuals help us reason about possibilities and consequences. They’re basically mental “what-if” simulations we run constantly.
What Are Counterfactuals in Theology?
In Molinism, counterfactuals aren’t just mental exercises—they’re considered truths about what free creatures would do in any given situation.
For example:
This isn’t just a guess. Molinism says these statements are contingently true—they describe what someone would freely choose, even though it hasn’t happened yet.
Why Counterfactuals Matter in Molinism
Here’s the big picture:
God knows all possible choices you could make.
God also knows what you would freely choose in any situation—even before creating the world.
This helps God choose which world to create, one where His purposes are fulfilled without violating human freedom.
So counterfactual reasoning matters for:
Human decision-making (we do this daily)
Moral responsibility (we’re accountable for what we would choose)
Divine providence (God uses this knowledge to guide history without making us robots)
Middle Knowledge
Here’s the heart of Molinism: middle knowledge.
God knows:
Everything that could happen (natural knowledge)
Everything that would happen if free creatures were in specific circumstances (middle knowledge)
Everything that will happen in the actual world He chooses (free knowledge)
Middle knowledge is logically prior to God’s decision to create the world. It lets God:
Pick a world where His plans succeed without forcing anyone’s hand
Be sovereign without being controlling
Be all-knowing without making us robots
Think of it like God being the ultimate chess master—He knows every possible move and counter-move, but you still get to play your own game.
Libertarian Freedom
Libertarian freedom means:
You’re free if you could have done otherwise in the exact same circumstances
Your choices aren’t determined by prior causes or divine coercion
Molinism affirms this by saying:
God knows what you would do without causing you to do it
His foreknowledge doesn’t erase your responsibility
Divine Decrees and World Actualization
Once God knows all possible outcomes, He makes a divine decree to actualize a specific world.
This involves:
Which creatures to create
What circumstances to place them in
God’s decree is:
Informed by middle knowledge
Executed through free knowledge (what will happen in the chosen world)
Result?
God’s plan is perfectly wise and sovereign
Human freedom is preserved
What Are Possible Worlds?
A possible world is a complete description of how reality could be.
Think of it as:
Every detail of history from beginning to end
Every choice, event, and outcome fully specified
Philosophers use possible worlds to talk about modal truths (possibility and necessity):
“It’s possible that I could have chosen differently” means there’s a possible world where that happens.
God’s natural knowledge includes all possible worlds—every way creation could exist.
What Are Feasible Worlds?
Not every possible world is feasible for God to actualize.
Why?
Feasibility depends on counterfactuals of creaturely freedom.
If God knows that in circumstance C, Peter would freely deny Christ, then any world where Peter freely affirms Christ in C is not feasible.
So:
Possible world: logically coherent scenario.
Feasible world: a possible world that fits with the truths of creaturely freedom God knows via middle knowledge.
Why This Matters for Molinism
God doesn’t just pick any possible world—He picks a feasible world where His purposes succeed without violating freedom.
Middle knowledge acts as the filter between all possibilities and actualization.
Summary of the Logical Order in Molinism
Natural Knowledge – God knows all possibilities
Middle Knowledge – God knows all counterfactuals of creaturely freedom
Divine Decree – God chooses a feasible world
Free Knowledge – God knows everything that will happen in that world
The Course of All Events: From the Temporal Beginning
When we talk about God’s providence in Molinism, we’re not just looking at isolated moments in history. We’re considering the entire chain of events—starting from the very first instant of creation—that leads to every free choice creatures make.
Why start at the Big Bang?
Because Molinism teaches that:
God’s divine decree actualizes a world where His purposes will be fulfilled.
That decree sets in motion all of history, beginning with the Big Bang.
Every cosmic, biological, cultural, and personal event unfolds in such a way that, when a creature faces a decision, they would freely choose exactly as God knew they would.
Think of it like this:
How does this work in practice?
God’s decree doesn’t override freedom; it arranges circumstances.
From the formation of galaxies to the rise of civilizations, every event contributes to the context for future choices.
When you make a decision today, it’s in a web of prior events that God knew would shape your options and desires—without forcing your hand.
Key Molinist Insight:
Visualizing It:
Big Bang → cosmic development → Earth forms → human history → your circumstances → your free choice
Each link matters. Remove one, and the choice might change. Keep them all, and the choice is freely made—just as God knew.
This perspective helps us see why Molinism emphasizes weak actualization:
God doesn’t coerce; He orchestrates history so that free choices align with His sovereign plan.
What Is Weak Actualization?
In Molinism, weak actualization refers to how God brings about His plan without overriding human freedom.
Definition:
God does not force or determine anyone’s choices.
God does not remove the ability to do otherwise.
Instead, God arranges the circumstances of history—from the very beginning—so that, given those circumstances, creatures freely choose what He knew they would choose.
Why “Weak”?
Strong actualization: God directly causes a choice (removing freedom).
Weak actualization: God sets the stage so the choice happens freely.
Think of it like this:
Why It Matters:
Preserves God’s sovereignty (He governs history).
Preserves human freedom (choices remain genuinely free).
Preserves moral responsibility (we own our decisions).
Key Insight:
Weak actualization is the bridge between God’s middle knowledge and our free choices. It explains how God can guarantee His plan without turning us into robots.
A Practical Biblical Example: Joseph and His Brothers
Text: Genesis 37:18–28; 45:5–8; 50:20.
What happens:
Joseph’s brothers plot to kill him but end up selling him instead. Later Joseph says:
How this fits the ‘course of all events’ idea:
From God’s decree to create this world, countless prior events—from the Big Bang to family dynamics—converge on a moment where, given who the brothers are and the incentives in front of them, they would freely refrain from murder.
Scripture highlights several providentially aligned pieces:
Family dynamics: Jacob’s favoritism → the brothers’ jealousy (Gen 37:3–4).
Immediate setup: Joseph arrives alone; the brothers see him from a distance (37:12–18).
Human interventions:
Reuben urges, “Let’s not take his life” (37:21–22).
Judah proposes selling Joseph instead of killing him (37:26–27).
Timed contingency: A caravan just “happens” by at the right moment (37:25–28).
Molinist Read:
God weakly actualized this outcome—not by overriding their wills, but by arranging history and circumstances such that, given their character and the situation, they would freely choose the non-lethal path (sale, not murder).
Result:
Humans remain morally responsible for their choices; God remains sovereign over the story’s arc (cf. Genesis 45:5–8; 50:20).
Common Objection: The Grounding Problem
One of the most frequent criticisms of Molinism is called the Grounding Objection.
It asks:
In other words:
If God knows what you would freely choose in any situation, what “grounds” that truth?
There’s no actual world yet, no actual choice yet—so what makes the statement “If Peter were in circumstance C, he would deny Christ” true?
Critics argue:
Truth needs a basis in reality.
If there’s no reality yet (because creation hasn’t happened), these truths seem “baseless” or arbitrary.
Why This Matters
If counterfactuals have no grounding:
Middle knowledge collapses.
Molinism loses its explanatory power for divine sovereignty and human freedom.
Refuting the Grounding Objection
1. Truth Doesn’t Always Require Actualization
Many truths are about possibilities, not actualities.
Example: “If I had rolled a 6, I would have won the game.”
This is true even if the game never happened.
Similarly, counterfactuals describe what would happen given certain conditions, not what does happen.
2. Truthmakers Can Be Essences and Natures
Molinists argue that the grounding lies in the essence or nature of free creatures.
Example: Peter’s character, dispositions, and libertarian freedom make it true that he would deny Christ in circumstance C.
These truths are contingent but not arbitrary—they reflect the way a creature would freely act given its nature.
3. God’s Omniscience as the Ultimate Ground
God’s perfect knowledge doesn’t depend on external reality to be true.
If God knows a counterfactual, its truth is grounded in His infallible understanding of creaturely freedom.
This avoids arbitrariness because God’s knowledge is logically prior to creation, not causally dependent on it.
4. Philosophical Precedent
Similar reasoning applies to modal truths (truths about possibility and necessity).
Example: “2+2=4” is true even if no physical world exists.
Counterfactual truths are contingent, but their grounding can be in God’s intellect and the essences He knows.
Key Insight
Molinism: Complete Wrap-Up
Molinism reconciles God’s sovereignty with human free will through the concept of middle knowledge.
Here’s the essence:
Core Framework
Natural Knowledge – God knows all possibilities (what could happen).
Middle Knowledge – God knows all counterfactuals of creaturely freedom (what would happen if X).
Divine Decree – God chooses which feasible world to actualize.
Free Knowledge – God knows everything that will happen in the chosen world.
Why It’s Important
Maintains God’s sovereignty without determinism.
Affirms libertarian freedom (real ability to choose otherwise).
Explains providence as orchestration, not coercion.
Practical Picture
From the Big Bang to your next decision, history unfolds as God foresaw.
God uses weak actualization: arranging circumstances so free choices align with His purposes.
Biblical example: Joseph’s story shows God’s plan through human freedom.
Objection & Response
Grounding Problem:
Answer:
Truth doesn’t require actualization.
Grounded in creaturely essences and God’s omniscience.
Similar to modal truths (possibility and necessity).
Key Takeaway
One-Line Summary
Molinism teaches that God governs history by knowing every possible choice and every counterfactual of freedom, then actualizing a world where His plan succeeds without violating human freedom.