Free Will and Human Nature in Biblical Perspective
The relationship between free will and human nature is a deeply contested theological topic, with various Christian traditions offering distinct interpretations rooted in different scriptural understandings and doctrinal commitments.
One perspective, often associated with Reformed theology, emphasizes the profound corruption of human nature due to the Fall, asserting that humanity's will is enslaved by sin. John Calvin, for instance, argues that God's free conferral of grace is "entirely the result of his own will," choosing those who have no inherent worthiness [4]. This view suggests that the "natural man" (1 Corinthians 2:14) cannot receive spiritual truths [5, 9]. The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, an Anglican confession, similarly state that "Original Sin... is the fault and corruption of the Nature of every man... whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil" [10]. Consequently, without the Holy Spirit, the human will has no power to achieve "spiritual righteousness" [9]. This position often highlights passages like John 3:6 and Romans 8:7-8, which speak to the corruption of human nature and the inability of the flesh to please God [1].
In contrast, other traditions affirm a more robust capacity for free will within human nature, even after the Fall. The Catholic tradition, for example, while acknowledging the difficulties humanity faces in knowing God due to historical conditions, maintains that "human reason is, strictly speaking, truly capable by its own natural power and light of attaining to a true and certain knowledge of the one personal God" [11]. Thomas Aquinas, a foundational scholastic theologian, discusses free will in Christ, distinguishing between the will's natural inclination toward an end and its choice of means to that end [7]. Tertullian, an early Church Father, argued that God created humanity with liberty, making reward and punishment impossible if humans were not truly free [8]. This perspective often points to the concept of a "law of nature" or conscience, discoverable by natural light, which binds all people and reflects God's will for human conduct (Romans 1:20; 2:14-15) [2]. Matthew Henry, a Nonconformist commentator, notes that God commanded Adam, who possessed "reason and freedom of will," implying an inherent capacity for moral choice [6].
Despite these differences, traditions generally agree that human nature, as created by God, was originally good and made in God's image [3, 11]. They also share the understanding that humanity's current state is impacted by sin, leading to a need for divine intervention or grace [1, 10]. The divergence often stems from differing interpretations of the extent of sin's impact on the will and the precise mechanism by which God's grace interacts with human choice. For instance, the Lutheran Augsburg Confession states that while the will has some liberty for "civil righteousness," it lacks the power for "spiritual righteousness" without the Holy Spirit [9]. This nuanced position attempts to balance human responsibility with divine initiative.
Sources
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: New Birth, The — The corruption of human nature requires -- Joh 3:6; Ro 8:7,8. None can enter heaven without -- Joh 3:3. Effected by God. -- Joh 1:13; 1Pe 1:3. Christ. -- 1Jo 2:29. The Holy Spirit. -- Joh 3:6; Tit 3:5. Through the instrumentality of The word of God. -- Jas 1:18; 1Pe 1:23. The resurrection of Christ. -- 1Pe 1:3. The ministry of the gospel. -- 1Co 4:15. Is of the will of God -- Jas 1:18. Is of the mercy of God -- Tit 3:5. Is for the glory of God -- Isa 43:7. Described as A new creation. -- 2Co 5:17; Ga 6:15; Eph 2:10. Newness of life. -- Ro 6:4. A spir”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Law — A rule of action. (1.) The Law of Nature is the will of God as to human conduct, founded on the moral difference of things, and discoverable by natural light (Rom. 1:20; 2:14, 15). This law binds all men at all times. It is generally designated by the term conscience, or the capacity of being influenced by the moral relations of things. (2.) The Ceremonial Law prescribes under the Old Testament the rites and ceremonies of worship. This law was obligatory only till Christ, of whom these rites were typical, had finished his work (Heb. 7:9, 11; 10:1; Eph. 2:16). I”
- Project Gutenberg “Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, CHAPTER 11, section 4: life well, and give laws to others, in the first place should consider the Divine nature; and, upon the contemplation of God's operations, should thereby imitate the best of all patterns, so far as it is possible for human nature to do, and to endeavor to follow after it: neither could the legislator himself have a right mind without such a contemplation; nor would any thing he should write tend to the promotion of virtue in his readers; I mean, unless they be taught first of all, that God is the Father and Lord of all things, a”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 2 (Gen 24-50), section 25.15: the law of nature, to teach us that what he freely confers upon us, is entirely the result of his own will. If God were rendering to every one his due, a certain rule might properly be applied to the distribution of his favors; but since he owes no one anything, he is free to confer gifts at his own pleasure. More especially, lest any one should glory in the flesh, he designedly illustrates his own free mercy, in choosing those who had no worthiness of their own. What shall we say was the cause, why he raised Ephraim above his o”
- 1 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Corinthians 2:13: But the natural man,.... Not a babe in Christ, one that is newly born again, for though such have but little knowledge of spiritual things, yet they have a taste, and do relish and desire, and receive the sincere milk of the word, and grow thereby; but an unregenerate man, that has no knowledge at all of such things; not an unregenerate man only, who is openly and notoriously profane, abandoned to sensual lusts and pleasures; though such a man being sensual, and not having the Spirit, must be a natural man; but rather the wise philosopher, the Scribe, the dispu”
- Genesis (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Genesis 2:16: Observe here, I. God's authority over man, as a creature that had reason and freedom of will. The Lord God commanded the man, who stood now as a public person, the father and representative of all mankind, to receive law, as he had lately received a nature, for himself and all his. God commanded all the creatures, according to their capacity; the settled course of nature is a law, Psa 148:6; Psa 104:9. The brute-creatures have their respective instincts; but man was made capable of performing reasonable service, and therefore received, not only the command of a C”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of Christ's Unity of Will, Art. 4: Article: Whether there was free-will in Christ? I answer that, As was said above (Article [3]), there was a twofold act of the will in Christ; one whereby He was drawn to anything willed in itself, which implies the nature of an end; the other whereby His will was drawn to anything willed on account of its being ordained to another---which pertains to the nature of means. Now, as the Philosopher says (Ethic. iii, 2) choice differs from will in this, that will of itself regards the end, while choice regards”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 3: Tertullian — CHAP. VI.--THIS LIBERTY VINDICATED IN RESPECT OF ITS ORIGINAL CREATION; SUITABLE ALSO FOR EXHIBITING THE GOODNESS AND THE PURPOSE OF GOD. REWARD AND PUNISHMENT IMPOSSIBLE IF MAN WERE GOOD OR EVIL THRO (part 2): opportunity of treatment, offering as it does instruction of like import. Now, God alone is good by nature. For He, who has that which is without beginning, has it not by creation,(11) but by nature. Man, however, who exists entirely by creation, having a beginning, along with that beginning obtained the form in which he exists; and thus he is not by nature dispo”
- Augsburg Confession (Lutheran) “Augsburg Confession (Lutheran, 1530), 1 Of Free Will they teach that man’s will has some liberty to: 1 Of Free Will they teach that man’s will has some liberty to choose civil righteousness, and to work 2 things subject to reason. But it has no power, without the Holy Ghost, to work the righteousness of God, that is, spiritual righteousness; since the natural man 3 receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, 1 Cor. 2:14; but this righteousness is wrought in the heart when the Holy Ghost is received 4 through the Word. These things are said in as many words by Augustine in his Hypognosticon,”
- Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican) “Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican, 1571), Section 225: Original Sin standeth not in the following of Adam, (as the Pelagians do vainly talk;) but it is the fault and corruption of the Nature of every man, that naturally is ingendered of the offspring of Adam; whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the spirit; and therefore in every person born into this world, it deserveth God's wrath and damnation. And this infection of nature doth remain, yea in them that are regenerated; where”
- Catechism of the Catholic Church (Catholic) “Catechism of the Catholic Church, CHAPTER ONE (part 4): the image of God".12 37 In the historical conditions in which he finds himself, however, man experiences many difficulties in coming to know God by the light of reason alone: Though human reason is, strictly speaking, truly capable by its own natural power and light of attaining to a true and certain knowledge of the one personal God, who watches over and controls the world by his providence, and of the natural law written in our hearts by the Creator; yet there are many obstacles which prevent reason from the effective and fruitful use o”