Free Will is one of those phrases that most Christians take to be a central truth of their Christian faith. For most of us the idea of "free will" was preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in Sunday School and assumed whenever Christians gathered. But I'm here to say that no one really believes that men have free will. And the Bible teaches in fact that man's will is not free.
So if you are still reading this post, let us examine the words Free Will. In order for a will to be free their must necessarily be No limitations on it. If the Will is Free, it must be able to accomplish whatever it sets out to do. But we all understand that to be false just from our own experience. To start with an extreme example: If a man wills to fly can he accomplish it? No, not unless he is in an airplane. So then can a man marry any woman he wills to marry? At 5' 6" and 42 years old can I dunk a basketball if I will to do so? (No I can't)
Ok, so we would all agree that man's will is limited in many ways. One of those ways is that our bodies can only accomplish things that are phyically possible. Are there other ways that the human will is limited? Yes, man's will is limited by his desires. A man will make choices that he thinks are best. He may choose to forgo pleasure for a time in order to reap greater benefits later. But men won't do what doesn't make sense for them to do. Unless of course they are insane.
So what is it in man that forms his desire? Here is where I will turn to scripture. The Bible tells us that man was created from the dust of the ground. Therefore part of man is his Flesh. The Bible then tells us that God breathed into the man and he became a living being. Or as the King James says, a living soul(Gen 2:7). So here we see that man has an eternal part to his being, his soul, or his spirit. So man has a spirit and a flesh. Those inform his will as to what is the right thing to do. So when a man is faced with a decision he does not make a choice in a vaccum. Whatever his spirit and his flesh tell him he then chooses.
So now what does the Bible tell us is the state of man's flesh and his spirit? In Genesis 3 we see the sin of Adam and Eve and that their punishment was death. That death was not only their eventual physical death, but also their spirit died as well. And by die, I mean that it ceased to be able to do what God commanded it to do. Romans 5:12 tells us that through Adam sin entered the world, and through his sin, all his descendants faced the same consequence that he did. We inherited a spirit that was dead in terms of being able to obey God. Our spirit was tuned to sin, and our flesh was tuned to sin. Jesus termed this truth in this fashion: in John 8:34, "everyone who sins is a slave to sin." And Paul echos this truth concerning our flesh. In Romans 7:14 Paul says "...but I am flesh, sold into bondage to sin. So if the spirit is a slave to sin, and the flesh is in bondage to sin then what will be the choice that man makes on his own? He will always choose to reject God's gospel. He is a slave to sin, nothing in him desires God. He is an enemy of God and the gospel message and his messangers are the stench of death to him (2 Cor 2:14-16)
In Romans 3: 10 - 18
as it is written,
"THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,
THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.
THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE,
WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,
THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS;
WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS;
THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,
DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,
AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.
THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES."
So does a man who hears the gospel choose to accept it or reject it? Yes he does. And everytime he exercises his will, he chooses to reject! His will is NOT free, it is a slave to sin because his spirit and his flesh that inform his will are slaves to sin. Without the supernaturual work of regeneration by God himself all men would be lost, always rejecting God's invitation of the gospel.
So then where do people get the idea of "free will"? One place is a verse like John 3:16 In that verse, scripture says: "that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
The logic that follows is that since God gives a choice (whoever believes) then man must have the ability to believe. But this verse does not state that everyone is able to make the positive choice for faith in Jesus. It only states that whoever does believe will be saved. If I said, whoever runs a mile in less than 4 minutes will make the Olympic team. That, in no way states that you have the ability to run a sub 4 minute mile.
So then who does make the positive choice for faith in the Gospel? Earlier in John 3 Jesus says that it is those that are Born Again who will see the kingdom of heaven. So what occurs in the act of being born again? The Holy Spirit removes the man's dead spirit, and puts in a spirit that is free from sin. Thatman with a new spirit hears the gospel and then is able to exercise his will and always chooses to believe in Jesus Christ.
What a great God He is. In His mercy and through His grace, His Spirit brings new life to men, who then call out in faith and are redeemed. If you are a Christian today you are so because of God's work in your life. Not because you had something extra in your "free will" that decided to choose God. In fact, He chose you.
So if you are still reading this post, let us examine the words Free Will. In order for a will to be free their must necessarily be No limitations on it. If the Will is Free, it must be able to accomplish whatever it sets out to do. But we all understand that to be false just from our own experience. To start with an extreme example: If a man wills to fly can he accomplish it? No, not unless he is in an airplane. So then can a man marry any woman he wills to marry? At 5' 6" and 42 years old can I dunk a basketball if I will to do so? (No I can't)
Ok, so we would all agree that man's will is limited in many ways. One of those ways is that our bodies can only accomplish things that are phyically possible. Are there other ways that the human will is limited? Yes, man's will is limited by his desires. A man will make choices that he thinks are best. He may choose to forgo pleasure for a time in order to reap greater benefits later. But men won't do what doesn't make sense for them to do. Unless of course they are insane.
So what is it in man that forms his desire? Here is where I will turn to scripture. The Bible tells us that man was created from the dust of the ground. Therefore part of man is his Flesh. The Bible then tells us that God breathed into the man and he became a living being. Or as the King James says, a living soul(Gen 2:7). So here we see that man has an eternal part to his being, his soul, or his spirit. So man has a spirit and a flesh. Those inform his will as to what is the right thing to do. So when a man is faced with a decision he does not make a choice in a vaccum. Whatever his spirit and his flesh tell him he then chooses.
So now what does the Bible tell us is the state of man's flesh and his spirit? In Genesis 3 we see the sin of Adam and Eve and that their punishment was death. That death was not only their eventual physical death, but also their spirit died as well. And by die, I mean that it ceased to be able to do what God commanded it to do. Romans 5:12 tells us that through Adam sin entered the world, and through his sin, all his descendants faced the same consequence that he did. We inherited a spirit that was dead in terms of being able to obey God. Our spirit was tuned to sin, and our flesh was tuned to sin. Jesus termed this truth in this fashion: in John 8:34, "everyone who sins is a slave to sin." And Paul echos this truth concerning our flesh. In Romans 7:14 Paul says "...but I am flesh, sold into bondage to sin. So if the spirit is a slave to sin, and the flesh is in bondage to sin then what will be the choice that man makes on his own? He will always choose to reject God's gospel. He is a slave to sin, nothing in him desires God. He is an enemy of God and the gospel message and his messangers are the stench of death to him (2 Cor 2:14-16)
In Romans 3: 10 - 18
as it is written,
"THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,
THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.
THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE,
WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,
THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS;
WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS;
THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,
DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,
AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.
THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES."
So does a man who hears the gospel choose to accept it or reject it? Yes he does. And everytime he exercises his will, he chooses to reject! His will is NOT free, it is a slave to sin because his spirit and his flesh that inform his will are slaves to sin. Without the supernaturual work of regeneration by God himself all men would be lost, always rejecting God's invitation of the gospel.
So then where do people get the idea of "free will"? One place is a verse like John 3:16 In that verse, scripture says: "that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
The logic that follows is that since God gives a choice (whoever believes) then man must have the ability to believe. But this verse does not state that everyone is able to make the positive choice for faith in Jesus. It only states that whoever does believe will be saved. If I said, whoever runs a mile in less than 4 minutes will make the Olympic team. That, in no way states that you have the ability to run a sub 4 minute mile.
So then who does make the positive choice for faith in the Gospel? Earlier in John 3 Jesus says that it is those that are Born Again who will see the kingdom of heaven. So what occurs in the act of being born again? The Holy Spirit removes the man's dead spirit, and puts in a spirit that is free from sin. Thatman with a new spirit hears the gospel and then is able to exercise his will and always chooses to believe in Jesus Christ.
What a great God He is. In His mercy and through His grace, His Spirit brings new life to men, who then call out in faith and are redeemed. If you are a Christian today you are so because of God's work in your life. Not because you had something extra in your "free will" that decided to choose God. In fact, He chose you.
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