By

Stephen J. Toth

In an effort to understand why Christians disagree on the subject of free will, I have set out to understand what exactly free will is. To define it properly, though, we need to understand the position of Man before and after his fall. I do not claim these principles to be the final word on the matter, for some people may feel there are more and others may feel it can be defined with less. Either way I am in no way the final authority on the subject, just one who seeks the truth. Men like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and Edwards have done far better at explaining the Will of Man, but they all agree on these principles and I think you will see that to deny one of them would be to deny them all. The main question is: would man, left on his own, ever choose Christ?

1. Free Will is the ability to choose what we desire. We are free, under the sovereignty of God, to do all that our nature desires.
   
2. There is always a desire behind our choices. However, our desires are governed by our nature.
   
3. We do not choose to do what is against our desire. James 1:14
   
4. Free will ends at the desire to change our fallen nature, for we would not choose to do good or choose Christ. Indeed we can not. 1Cor. 2:14 Jn 5:40
   
5. Man in his pre-fallen state was able to do that which was good and pleasing to God. Eccl. 7:29
   
6. The “fall of man” has left us in a state of sin and completely unable and unwilling to do any spiritual good. Rom 5:6, 8:7
   
7. We have no control or choice over what nature we have. We are ALL born with a fallen sin nature, for we are all procreated from Adam. Rom 3:23, 5:12 Ps 51:5
   
8. So, by nature our desire is to do only evil. We are slaves to sin. Jn 8:34, Rom 3:12, Ps 51:5, Eph 2:3, Jer 17:9
   
9. No one desires God. Rom 3:10-11 BUT, people do get saved.
   
10. Why are some people saved and others not? Somehow their sin nature must have been changed and their desires changed as well. Col. 1:13, Acts 16:14
    
11. Without a God given desire for Christ, we will never choose Christ. John 6:65 Acts 16:14
    
12. God takes away our heart of stone and gives us a heart of flesh. Ezek 36:26, 27
    
13. Only God, through the Holy Spirit, can change the nature of a man, to change his desires.
    
14. A changed heart has changed desires. This is regeneration. Rom. 6:6
    
15. Regeneration precedes faith and repentance. 1Peter 1:3,23, Acts 13:48, Titus 3:5, Jn 3:3
    
16. Although our new nature is now righteous, we find that the remnants of sin still remain. This is a mystery that we do not understand that creates a struggle in the believer's heart. Rom 7:15,18,19,21,23
    
17. In spite of this tension in the believer, there will be final victory when man is glorified.
    
18. God has chosen us to be new creations in eternity past. Eph 1:4-5,11 Rom 9:15-16,18 Jn 6:44