The historic and theological debate over Free Will.

1. I, Human
Is Free Will an
Illusion ?
Part Two

2. The Reformers
“It is Augustine who gave us
the Reformation.”
B. B. Warfield

3. Martin Luther (1483-1546)
The Bondage of the Will
The Reformers

4. Martin Luther (1483-1546)
The Bondage of the Will
The Reformers
“For if man has lost his freedom, and is
forced to serve sin, and cannot will good,
what conclusion can more justly be drawn
concerning him, than that he sins and wills
evil necessarily?”

5. “...free will without God’s grace is not free at all, but is the
permanent prisoner and bond slave of evil...”
“Let all the 'free-will' in the world do all it can
with all its strength; it will never give rise to a
single instance of ability to avoid being
hardened if God does not give the Spirit, or of
meriting mercy if it is left to its own strength.”
The Bondage of the Will

6. “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—
not because of anything we have done but
because of his own purpose and grace.
This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before
the beginning of time...” (2 Timothy 1: 9)
The Bondage of the Will

7. Limited Free Will
is no better than
No Free Will.
We have
Limited
Free Will.

8. “Hence: If we believe that Satan is the prince of this world, ever
ensnaring and fighting against the kingdom of Christ with all his
powers; and that he does not let go his captives without being
forced by the Divine Power of the Spirit; it is manifest, that there
can be no such thing as ‘Free-will!’
“Again: If we believe that original sin has so destroyed us, that
even in the godly who are led by the Spirit, it causes the utmost
molestation by striving against that which is good; it is manifest,
that there can be nothing left in a man devoid of the Spirit, which
can turn itself towards good, but which must turn towards evil!”
The Bondage of the Will

9. How was Martin Luther like a
Disney Princess?
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
Martin Luther

10. The Reformers
“The system of doctrine taught by Calvin is
just the Augustinianism common to the whole
body of the Reformers.”
B. B. Warfield

11. John Calvin (1509-1564)
The Institutes of the Christian Religion
The Reformers
“The whole human race perished in the person of Adam.” (pg.
340)

12. John Calvin (1509-1564)
The Institutes of the Christian Religion
The Reformers
“Therefore, even though we grant that God’s image was not totally
annihilated in him (Adam), yet it was so corrupted that whatever
remains is frightful deformity.” (pg. 189)
“... man is so held captive by the yoke of
sin that he can of his own nature neither
aspire to the good through resolved nor
struggle after it through effort.” (pg. 309)

13. John Calvin (1509-1564)
The Institutes of the Christian Religion
The Reformers
“God, whenever he wills to make way for his providence, bends
and turns men’s will even in external things; nor are they so free to
choose that God’s will does not rule over their freedom.” (pg. 315)
We can compare “…man’s will to a horse
awaiting its master’s command, and God
and the devil to its riders.” (pg. 309)

14. John Calvin (1509-1564)
The Institutes of the Christian Religion
The Reformers
“Free will does not enable any man to perform good works, unless
he is assisted by grace; indeed, the special grace which the elect
alone receive through regeneration. For I stay not to consider the
extravagance of those who say that
grace is offered equally and
promiscuously to all.”

15. John Calvin (1509-1564)
The Institutes of the Christian Religion
The Reformers
“The Apostle’s doctrine is not, that the grace of a good will is
offered to us if we will accept of it, but that God himself is pleased
so to work in us as to guide, turn, and govern our heart by his Spirit,
and reign in it as his own possession.”

16. John Calvin (1509-1564)
The Bondage and Liberation of the Will
The Reformers
“So depraved is (man’s) nature that he can be moved or impelled
only to evil.”
Human beings “acts wickedly by
will, not by compulsion.”

17. Total Depravity (Inability)
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of Saints
The Five Points
of Calvinism
The Synod of Dort (1618–19)

18. Calvin was an Augustinian.
But was Augustine a Calvinist ?

19. Jacob (James) Arminius (1560-1609)
The Five Articles of the Remonstrants
The Reformers

20. The Five Articles of
the Remonstrants
Human Free Will
Our will is not restricted and enslaved by our sinful nature.
Conditional Election
God chose people for salvation based on His foreknowledge.
Universal Atonement
Jesus bore the sin of everyone who ever lived.
Resistable Grace (Prevenient Grace)
The grace of God can be resisted.
Fall from Grace
A person can fall from grace and lose his salvation.

21. Does Grace grant you the ability to choose?
or
Does Grace choose for you?

22. This is a Theological debate in which all sides
agree that God created humans with Free Will.

23. “Free Will Exists and is Measureable”
By Stephen Cave
Free will is an illusion!
Sam Harris
This is a physiological & neurological debate.

24. Is Reality Determined?
Is it Random?
Is there such a thing as a Free Will?

25. “My first act of free will shall be to
believe in free will.”
William James (1842-1910)

26. Who is Driving ?