Predestination And Free-Will

Who Had Or Has A Free Will?

 
Adam and Eve had free will, a will capable of obeying God, until they sinned and became cursed with spiritual death, severing their relationship to God. They then became immediately reprobate just like all their offspring are at birth. This was evidenced by the fact that they hid from God and they started blaming others for their sin rather then confessing their sin and seeking forgiveness from God. True Christians, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, have the power and desire (i.e. the will) to accept Christ’s Lordship, to keep God’s laws: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13). True believers not only have the power to keep God’s laws but they take joy in pleasing God: “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8). Reprobate mankind has no such joy: “it is abomination to fools to depart from evil” (Proverbs 13:19).
 
Summary: This article is a section of a much larger article on the Bible doctrines of Election and Predestination called “Who accepts Whom?“. You are urged to check out that larger article for many other thought provoking questions pertaining these “Doctrines of Grace”. — RM Kane