The London Baptist Confession of Faith 1689
Chapter 9: Of Free Will
1. 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.
" ... God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does
He tempt anyone; but each of one is tempted
when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged
away and enticed."
James 1:13b-14
"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses
against you that I have set before you life
and death, blessings and curses.
Now choose life, so that you and your
children may live and that you may love
the LORD your God, listen to His voice,
and hold fast to Him."
Deuteronomy 30:19-20a
2. Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom and power to will
and to do that which was good and well-pleasing to God, but yet was unstable,
so that he might fall from it.
"This only have I found:
God made mankind upright,
but men have gone in search
of many schemes."
Ecclesiastes 7:29
"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree
was good for food and pleasing to the eye,
and also desirable for gaining wisdom,
she took some and ate it.
She also gave some to her husband, who was
with her, and he ate it."
Genesis 3:6
3. Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability
of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man,
being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able by his
own strength to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.
" ... the sinful mind is hostile to God.
It does not submit to God's law,
nor can it do so.
Those controlled by the sinful nature
cannot please God."
Romans 8:7-8
[Jesus said],
"No one can come to me unless the
Father who sent me draws him,
and I will raise him up at the last day."
John 6:44
4. When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of
grace, He freeth him from his natural bondage under sin, and by His grace alone
enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good; yet so as that
by reason of his remaining corruptions, he doth not perfectly, nor only will,
that which is good, but doth also will that which is evil.
"For He has rescued us from the dominion
of darkness and brought us into the kingdom
of the Son He loves, in whom we have
redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
Colossians 1:13-14
" ... for it is God who works in you to will
and to act according to His good purpose."
Philippians 2:13
"I know that nothing good lives in me,
that is, in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good,
but I cannot carry it out."
Romans 7:18
"So I find this law at work:
When I want to do good,
evil is right there with me."
Romans 7:21
5.This will of man is made perfectly and immutably free to good alone
in the state of glory only.
" ... until we all reach unity in the faith and in
the knowledge of the Son of God and become
mature, attaining to the whole measure of the
fullness of Christ."
Ephesians 4:13
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