Depravity and Free Will
The question of free will frequently comes up whenever depravity is discussed, as it has in the last post (see comments for the last post). It is a vast and complicated topic and can by no means be handled by one post. I will share some brief thoughts and then leave some links to helpful resources.
It is certainly true that if the entirety of our understanding (heart and mind) is plagued by sin, then the will is also plagued by sin. We have to carefully define what we mean by "free will." If by "free will," we mean that humans are sort of morally neutral, with a blank slate, equally able to make choices of good and evil, the Bible does not describe our sinful state this way (not to mention that it is philosophically impossible). If by free will, however, we mean that we are able to choose whatever we want, then we do indeed have free will.
The problem, of course, is obvious. If we are able to choose what we desire, and our natures are fallen in such a way that we desire sin, then we will incessantly choose sin. Simply put, there is no fallen person who will, without a previous work of grace on the heart and mind, choose Christ. The person will not choose Christ because the person does not want Christ, because Christ is all holiness, and we are all sin.
Of course, the common grace of God in the world does indeed restrain the extent of our sinfulness, and as God "gives us up" (Rom. 1) to our debased mind, our sinful desires take stronger hold, and greater and more frequent sin does occur. But this, of course, is no fault of God's since He is merely giving us over to what we already want and, indeed, already are.
The following is a few links that might be helpful in trying to work on the issue of free will:
Monergism'section on Depravity
Mongerism's section on Free Will
Those are just a few off the top of my head. I'll post more when I have more time. Monergism, by the way, is an excellent resource with tons of articles on almost any topic imaginable.
It is certainly true that if the entirety of our understanding (heart and mind) is plagued by sin, then the will is also plagued by sin. We have to carefully define what we mean by "free will." If by "free will," we mean that humans are sort of morally neutral, with a blank slate, equally able to make choices of good and evil, the Bible does not describe our sinful state this way (not to mention that it is philosophically impossible). If by free will, however, we mean that we are able to choose whatever we want, then we do indeed have free will.
The problem, of course, is obvious. If we are able to choose what we desire, and our natures are fallen in such a way that we desire sin, then we will incessantly choose sin. Simply put, there is no fallen person who will, without a previous work of grace on the heart and mind, choose Christ. The person will not choose Christ because the person does not want Christ, because Christ is all holiness, and we are all sin.
Of course, the common grace of God in the world does indeed restrain the extent of our sinfulness, and as God "gives us up" (Rom. 1) to our debased mind, our sinful desires take stronger hold, and greater and more frequent sin does occur. But this, of course, is no fault of God's since He is merely giving us over to what we already want and, indeed, already are.
The following is a few links that might be helpful in trying to work on the issue of free will:
Monergism'section on Depravity
Mongerism's section on Free Will
Those are just a few off the top of my head. I'll post more when I have more time. Monergism, by the way, is an excellent resource with tons of articles on almost any topic imaginable.
posted by Travis Prinzi @ 5:40 PM
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