FREE WILL
A few modern philosophers, such as Bertrand Russell, denied that man has free will.
Some theologians, following Augustine, contend that man's enslavement to sin has destroyed his power to exercise free will. Accordingly, he can do nothing good, not even believe in God, until he is supernaturally empowered with a measure of the Holy Spirit.
But this is a false ideology. Every command given to man presupposes his ability to accept or reject it. Every warning in Scripture assumes that human beings have the power to change. Jesus said to certain Jews who were rejecting him, "You will not come unto me that you may have life" (Jn. 5:39; cf. Mt. 23:37). There is a vast difference between "will not" and "cannot."
The canon of Scripture closes with an affirmation of man's free will: "he that will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17).
Related Articles
Must you be “illuminated” by the Holy Spirit before you can understand what he wrote?
Does Free Agency Nullify Personal Responsibility?A critic writes that if human beings have true “free agency,” then God could not punish them for their “sins.” He sees a conflict between the ideas of freedom and responsibility. Let us briefly consider this matter.
Does “Free Will” Grant a License to Sin?A critic complains that if human beings have “free will,” they ought to be allowed to do anything they wish. How does the Christian respond to this foolish charge?
Richard Dawkins: God HaterRichard Dawkins’s book, The God Delusion, received laudatory praise from the press for his diatribe against religion. Does his arguments against faith in God hold merit? Wayne Jackson responds.
The Doctrine of “Determinism” — What Is It?“Determinism” is a popular dogma — both in the skeptical community and in the religious environment. It has no support in either logic or scripture. Study this topic with us.
