On Free Will

During last week’s study on Genesis 45 we grappled with the topic of human free will against the backdrop of God’s sovereign control. We noticed from Joseph’s declaration to his brothers, who sold him to Egypt into slavery, that it was God and not his brothers who sent him to Egypt for the purpose of preserving life (Gen 45: 5-8). The brothers willingly acted with evil intent, but God overruled such evil for good (Gen 50:20). This raises an important question: if God is sovereign, does that mean people are not free to act according to their will, and if so, are they still accountable for what they do? Let us consider these questions.

It is often asserted that Reformed theology denies human responsibility and free will and thus make God responsible for sin. However, this is certainly not the case. This year in our Chinese Equip Class we are studying the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. A few weeks ago we looked at chapter nine that addresses the question of human free will. The Confession emphasises that humans have been imbued by God with free will. In other words, the first point that we want to make is that Reformed theology does not deny human free will at all but underscores the doctrine as an essential element of Christian belief. The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith is one representative or classical expression of Reformed theology (other classical examples of Reformed theology includes The Heidelberg Catechism of Faith, The Belgic Confession of Faith and the Westminster Confession of Faith; they all affirm free will and human responsibility).

Chapter nine, entitled Free Will, contains five sections, and summarises the biblical teaching on the doctrine of free will. The first section or paragraph provides a definition of free will. Then the following four sections describe the state of human free will before the Fall, after the Fall, under the New Covenant (i.e. in Christian believers) and in the final state of glorification.

In paragraph one, according to the Confession, “God has endowed the will of man with natural liberty and power to act on choices so that it is neither forced nor inherently bound by nature to do good or evil.” Free will was bestowed on man as a gift from God at creation. In other words, free will comes under the framework of God’s sovereignty. It does not operate independently of or in opposition to God’s control. Then, the main point of the Confession is that man is able to make free choices, i.e. his choices are not forced upon him from either an external or internal source. Man is not a robot, nor has he been programmed to act in only one predetermined way. It is important to understand this definition of free will; basically, God has given man the ability to choose what he wants.

The second paragraph describes man in the Garden of Eden. “Man in the state of innocence had freedom and power to will and to do what was good and well-pleasing to God. Yet this condition was unstable, so that he could fall from it.” Man could make a choice without any external or internal constraint to obey or disobey God. It was possible for man to sin (Latin: posse pecarre); it was also possible for man not to sin (Latin: posse non pecarre). However, we know that man chose to disobey God and follow Satan.

The third paragraph describes the state of man after the Fall. “Man, by falling into a state of sin, has completely lost all ability to choose any spiritual good that accompanies salvation. Thus, natural man is absolutely opposed to spiritual good and dead in sin, so that he cannot convert himself by his own strength or prepare himself for conversion.” Note here that free will relates to man’s spiritual state. Man after the Fall makes choices every day but never chooses the “spiritual good” (cf. Gen 6:5; Psalm 14:3). In fact, he is not able to do so because of his fallen spiritual nature (Latin: non posse non pecarre). However, it is important to emphasise that even after the Fall, man is free to choose what he wants. The problem is that he only and always wants to oppose the will of God (cf. Jer 17:9; Matt 7:17-18; Rom 8:7-8; Eph 2:1-3). People reject the true God and the gospel not because they are forced to do so, but because they want to do so. Fallen man is not morally or spiritually neutral; he has a bias towards wickedness. This does not mean that he is absolutely depraved and incapable of doing beneficial things (e.g., helping the poor and nurturing children). Just as God placed boundaries on the oceans to prevent them from submerging the earth (Gen 1:9; Job 38:11, Prov 8:29), so too God restrains or sets a limit on human depravity (cf. the doctrine of common grace). The doctrine of total depravity does not mean that man has become as evil as possible but that every human faculty and intention are tainted by sin. It means that after the Fall man is incapable of pleasing God or attaining to God’s righteousness.

In the fourth paragraph the Confession describes the wonderful change that has taken place in the heart of the believer with the coming of the gospel. The Christian has been transformed into “the state of grace” and is able “to will and to do freely what is spiritually good”. The Christian is now no longer totally depraved but has been born again (John 3:3; 1 Pet 1:22-23; 1 John 3:6). Through the power of the Holy Spirit the Christian can begin to live according to all God’s commandments in holiness of life (Latin: posse non peccare). Christ has saved the sinner not just from the penalty of sin but also from the power of sin (Rom 6:14). However, the Confession also points out that “because of their remaining corruption, they do not perfectly nor exclusively will what is good, but also will what is evil”. The Christian is not perfect and will still stumble and fall (1 John 1:8-9). This is why we, as Christians, regularly humble ourselves before God to confess our sins and ask for forgiveness and renewed strength to live according to God’s will.

Finally, in paragraph five, the Confession describes the condition of believers in a state of glorification or in eternity. It says, “Only in the state of glory is the will made perfectly and unchangeably free toward good alone.” The Christian will be perfect and unable to sin again (Latin: non posse peccare). Whereas before in the Garden of Eden, man’s condition was “unstable”, after the second coming of Christ, the saved will be “unchangeably free toward good alone”. In other words, there is not going to be a second Fall. The New Covenant and Christ’s presence with his people in the New Heaven and the New Earth will guarantee eternal perfection and peace.

In conclusion, we teach human freedom and responsibility. God will hold all people accountable for their actions because they alone are responsible for their life decisions. The Lord Jesus commanded us to preach to gospel to all creation and exhort people to make a choice for God. People will be condemned not because God callously assigned them to hell but because, despite much evidence and pleading, they wilfully rejected God’s truth and the gospel (John 3:18-21; Rom 2:4-9).

Eight Statements on the Biblical Doctrine of Free Will

1) The doctrine of free will or human responsibility, and associated ideas, appear frequently in the Holy Scriptures, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament (Deut 30:11-20; Josh 24:15; Ezek 18:19-32; Gal 6:7-8).

2) By the freedom of the will we mean that man is able to make decisions and act according to his desires. Man is free to choose what he wants. Even the sinner has not lost the ability to choose. The sinner is not a robot but still does what he wants to do (Matt 17:12; John 8:44; Jam 1:14).

3) Free will is the biblical doctrine that explains, not why some people are saved, but why many people are condemned. They are judged because of their evil deeds and for wilfully rejecting the message of the gospel (Psalm 28:3-5; Rom 1:18-32; John 3:19-21; Rev 20:12).

4) After the Fall all human beings have become depraved, sinful and evil  (Gen 6:5; 18:25; Jer 11:20; Ezek 18:23; Rom 1:32). Fallen man is not neutral; he has a bias towards wickedness. According to his sinful nature, man not only opposes God’s truth but enjoys opposing God’s truth (Rom 2:3-5; 3:10-18; 8:3-8; James 4:4). He wilfully rejects God’s goodness and therefore deserves condemnation according to God’s righteous judgment.

5) Sinful man still makes many natural choices that may be beneficial for society, but he never chooses to follow God’s commandments from a sincere heart, nor is he able to obtain God’s righteousness by his actions. He always prefers to do what seems right in his own eyes (Gen 3:6; Judges 21:25; Prov 14:12; Isa 64:6; Mark 7:21-23).

6) Those who have been predestined unto salvation, the Holy Spirit regenerates so that they are able to understand the gospel and respond with repentance and faith. Since God granted them a new heart, they now desire to please God and choose to walk in God’s ways (Ezek 36:25-27; John 1:12-13; 3:5; Acts 16:14; Gal 2:16; Phil 2:13; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet 1:23).

7) Believers have been born again and are now no longer totally depraved. However, believers still sometimes stumble and fall as they yield to the flesh and the temptations of the world Therefore, believers must live watchful and humble lives always seeking to follow the Lord fully. Only at glorification will they be perfect and totally free from sin (Rom 6:11; 7:15; Gal 5:16-17; Col 3:5; 2 Pet 1:5-11; 1 John 1:8-9).

8) The constant desire of fallen man to defy God’s truth does not negate the need to call all people to repentance and faith. God has commanded the church to preach the gospel to all creation and uses the preaching of the Word to regenerate the heart, granting faith to those who have been predestined for everlasting life (Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 13:48; 16:14; 17:30; Rom 10:9-17).