Modern 1689 Confession

Original

Reeves

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.

( Matthew 17:12; James 1:14; Deuteronomy 30:19 )

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.

( Ecclesiastes 7:29; 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.

( Romans 5:6; Romans 8:7; Ephesians 2:1, 5; Titus 3:3-5; 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.

( Colossians 1:13; John 8:36; Philippians 2:13; Romans 7:15, 18, 19, 21, 23 )

5. This will of man is made perfectly and immutably free to good alone in the state of glory only.

( Ephesians 4:13 )

Chapter 9:

Free Will

1. God has endowed human will with natural liberty and power to act on choices so that it is neither forced nor inherently bound by its nature to do good or evil.¹

¹Matthew 17:12; James 1:14; Deuteronomy 30:19.

2. Humanity in the state of innocence had freedom and power to will and to do what was good and well-pleasing to God.²  Yet this condition was unstable, so that humanity could fall from it.³

²Ecclesiastes 7:29. ³Genesis 3:6.

3. Humanity, by falling into a state of sin, has completely lost all ability to choose any spiritual good that accompanies salvation.⁴  Thus, people in their natural^a state are absolutely opposed to spiritual good and dead in sin,⁵ so that they cannot convert themselves by their own strength or prepare themselves for conversion.⁶

^awithout the spirit

⁴Romans 5:6; Romans 8:7.  ⁵Ephesians 2:1, 5.  ⁶Titus 3:3-5; John 6:44.

4. When God converts sinners and transforms them into the state of grace, he frees them from their natural bondage to sin⁷ and by his grace alone enables them to will and to do freely what is spiritually good.⁸  Yet because of their remaining corruption, they do not perfectly nor exclusively will what is good but also will what is evil.⁹

⁷Colossians 1:13; John 8:36.  ⁸Philippians 2:13.  ⁹Romans 7:15, 18, 19, 21, 23.

5. Only in the state of glory is the will made perfectly and unchangeably free toward good alone.¹⁰

¹⁰Ephesians 4:13.