On November 5th 2017, a sick minded lunatic charged into a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and opened fire. The shooter managed to kill 26 congregants and injure 22 others before Stephen Willeford, a former NRA firearms instructor, heroically confronted the shooter with his own firearm, injured the shooter, and chased him down until the shooter shot himself.
Here, we have an example of good vs. evil, even to the extent where the shooter was a radical atheist, whereas Willeford is a Christian. The shooter is in Hell, the hero will be in Heaven. But here's my question: Where will their guns be?
This question seems silly, and indeed it would be, but for one small element: There are actually Christians in the world today who do not believe free will exists. Asking where the two men's guns will end up eternally is a good question, not because it would ordinarily make sense to ask it, but because the complete lack of sense it makes shows the utter folly of denying free will.
Free will is absolutely essential for accountability. Both men, because of their free will, can be judged according to their works. The shooter's mind will be in Hell, because he used it to reject the Lord, promote atheism, and formulate his plans to kill God's people. The shooter's feet will be in Hell, because he used them to approach a place of worship and end the lives of 26 people. The shooter's hands will be in Hell, because he used those hands to wield offensive weapons against the children of the Lord. But though he used a truck to travel to the church, though he wore military grade body armor to prevent retaliation, though he used firearms to wound human beings, none of the inanimate objects he used will be condemned.
Stephen Willeford will be in Heaven. His mind will be in Heaven, because he received the Gospel with joy, and endures in the faith to this day. His feet will be in Heaven, because when he was called upon to rush into action, he did not take the time to cover them in shoes. His hands will be in Heaven, because the Lord trained them up, and he used them for good. But once again, none of the inanimate objects on his person will be held accountable for what happened that day.
The shooter's gun will receive no punishment. Willeford's gun will receive no reward. Accountability lies solely with each man, because each man, unlike their firearms, had a choice about what they would do that day. The shooter could have chosen to stay home. He could have chosen to attend a church, hear the Gospel, and even accept it, to the saving of his soul. That day, his choice was made, and it was a choice that cost him his life, temporal and eternal.
Choice is what makes accountability a possibility. But for free will, these two men would be as accountable as their firearms. But because they had free will, they can be punished and rewarded accordingly.