Does man have the power of volition or free will. Consider the words of Luther Lee, a gifted, 19th century, abolitionist and Methodist minister who was instrumental in the formation of the Wesleyan denomination. He had little formal schooling but published several scholarly works including “Elements of Theology” in 1856. Lee had one attribute that compensated for his lack of formal education; he had the somewhat rare gift of an analytical mind. Here are a few of his thoughts on free will.
“If man does not possess the power of free will, it is not possible to see how he can be the subject of moral government. None but free will actions, or free volitions can be recognized by a righteous moral government, for none other can be moral actions. And if this be true, man must be free in the exercise of willing, or, so far as he is concerned, there can be no moral government.
If man has not the power of free will, he cannot be accountable, and is not and cannot be the subject of either reward or punishment.
If man has not the power of free will, he is not and cannot be a sinner. ‘Sin is the transgression of the law,’ but to convict a man of a violation of a moral law, it must be made to appear that he has power to keep the law. The will of God must be the highest law in the universe to which man can stand related, hence, there can be no sin without a violation of this supreme law, as understood by the mind. It is clear that man’s will must be free, or it must be governed by a law of necessity, in some way derived from the Creator. If the latter be true, man’s actions sustain the same relation to the Infinite mind as do the rush of waters or the flight of the clouds, and man is not and cannot be a sinner.
If man has not the power of free will, all the precepts, promises and threatenings, which the Scriptures address to him, have no more applicability than they would if addressed to winds and waves.
…if the determinations of the human will are not free, then they must be in exact harmony with the will of God. But God says in his word, ‘thou shalt have no other Gods before me;’ but the determination of the human will is often in favor of other Gods. Here are two distinct expressions of the will of God in direct conflict with each other, and God is divided in his own council, and at variance with himself. There is no way to escape this, but to deny the inspiration of the Scriptures, or to admit that the determinations of the human will are free, and not governed by any law of necessity…
…Did the reader ever hear the soul-cheering whisper of an approving conscience, for having done his duty; for having performed an act of virtue or benevolence? Why this placid smile of the soul? Why this internal pleasure? Why does the soul smile on herself when acts are performed which the judgment approves, if she does not consider herself the author of her own conduct? Did the reader ever feel the sting of a guilty conscience for having done wrong? Why this sense of guilt? Why does the soul turn and goad herself, and obscure her light by the darkness of her own frown, when something has been done which the judgment pronounces wrong, if she does not consider herself the author of her own deeds?
All men confirm the doctrine of the freedom of the will, by their plaudits and censure which they bestow upon each other. All men have their notions of right and wrong; the one they applaud, and the other they censure; and this is common to all ranks from the throne to the humble seat of the beggar…” (Lee, 337-339)
All men act as if man possesses the power of free will, and in practice proclaim their belief to the world. Luther Lee expressed these thoughts in plain English. But plain English will never suffice for the Calvinist. W. Shedd, a Reformed Theologian, once said: "The doctrine of predestination is too hard for new Christians. Never teach it to babies in Christ. Predestination is for settled, mature Christians only." (Shedd quoted in Wynkoop, p 63)
Reformed theologians claim all reality is interlocked in a causal chain leading back to God as the first-cause of all things; but humans are "free," even though they are pre-determined, because their choices are executed willingly. They define man as a second-cause agent incapable of choosing a path different from that which God would have him choose. Because man doesn't know he is being manipulated, he believes himself to be a first-cause agent making free will decisions. This is the historic Calvinist concept of "free will." It leads to the idea that absolute determinism by God is compatible with the exercise of free will by man; this concept is sometimes called compatibilism or soft determinism.
Opponents of Calvinism agree that much of reality is part of a causal chain but claim God does not determine the free will decisions of men or angels. The idea that men and angels are first-cause agents of choice, is a central concept of Traditional Southern Baptist, Wesleyan/Arminian theology and is sometimes called libertarian freedom. The Arminian believes "free will" makes you a first-cause agent of decisions. The compatibilist believes "free will" makes you a second-cause agent; you have simply been tricked into thinking of yourself as a first-cause agent. These two definitions of free will are mutually exclusive. The Calvinist believes a man may think he is acting freely but he is actually executing a sinister puppet dance, with God pulling the strings from behind His transcendence.
Scriptural support for Reformed Theology is generally limited to collections of Bible verses taken out of context. Arminians agree that some verses seem to support the Calvinist position if read in isolation from the rest of the Bible (e.g. Rom 9:11-13 cf. Mal 1:2-3). But Arminians deny that the Calvinist position makes the best sense for the whole of Scripture. Text out of context is a pretext! For example, the words elect, predestined and chosen frequently designate those persons who God foreknew would respond to the call of the Holy Spirit (1 Pet 1:2; Rom 8:29). But, when read in isolation, they can seem to mean foreordination and not just foreknowledge. Listed below are Scripture verses frequently used by Calvinists to support Reformed Theology. However, the Calvinist interpretation of these isolated verses has been shown to be implausible or at least unnecessary when viewed against the backdrop of the Bible taken in its entirety.
Gen 45:5, 50:20; Ex 4:11, 21:12-13; Jos 11:19-20; Judg 9:23; Ruth 1:13; 1 Sam 2:25; 2 Sam 16:10, 17:14, 24:1; 1 Chron 21:1; 1 Kings 8:57-58; Job 1:21; Psalm 105:24-25, 135:6; Prov 16:4, 16:9, 21:1; Isa 6:10, 14:24-27, 45:7; Lam 3:37-38; John 6:44; Acts 4:27-28, 13:48, 17:26; Rom 9:18, 11:36; Eph 1:11; 2 Thes 2:11-12; 2 Tim 1:9.
The Reformed position together with a Wesleyan/Arminian exegesis is given by Gregory Boyd in:
Boyd, G. A., “Satan and the Problem of Evil; Constructing a Trinitarian Warfare Theodicy,” Appendix 5, Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, 2001.
Prov 16:4; Mat 20:15-16; Luke 10:20; John 6:37, 10:26, 12:37-40, 13:18; 15:16; Acts 13:48, 18:9-10; 1 Cor 4:7; 2 Tim 2:19; Jude 4.
The Reformed position together with a Wesleyan/Arminian exegesis is given by Richard Watson in:
Watson, Richard, “Theological Institutes,” Vol. 2, Forgotten Books, London, 1823, p. 361-380.
(See also Section 2.1, 2.2 and 2.10 of Theology Corner)
