Second, human freedom is not fixed-”nor by any necessity of nature determined to do good or evil.” Man’s morality is not determined by his humanity. The Gift of Human Freedom (LBC 9.1)ġ God hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty and power of acting upon choice, that it is neither forced, nor by any necessity of nature determined to do good or evil.Īccording to the Confession, God has endowed man with a certain capacity called “natural liberty.” The Baptist Confession adds an explanatory phrase to the Westminster Confession, “and power of acting upon choice.” This “power of acting upon choice” is “free” in at least two senses: first, human freedom is not “forced … to do good or evil.” Neither environment, nor circumstance, nor peer pressure, nor persecution, nor Satan, nor even God can force or coerce a sinner to do good or evil (Isa. Origen’s doctrine of freewill led him to the conclusion that sinners in hell may still be converted and saints in heaven may yet fall from grace into hell! As this example illustrates, the doctrine of freewill is of paramount importance for the rest of our theology and practice.īelow I’d like to summarize the Bible’s teaching on the doctrine of human freedom, using the Baptist Confession as a guide. The third century theologian Origen illustrates this point. Error at this point is fatal.” And not only does the doctrine of freewill affect the doctrine of man, but it also can seriously affect other doctrines of Scripture. According to Greg Nichols, “Freewill is the pivot of all anthropology. Augustine debated Pelagius over this doctrine. The doctrine of the human will is one of the most important and most debated doctrines in church history.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |