The Freedom of the Will
Man's free will is limited by sin, but through regeneration and the continued aids of Divine Grace, he is enabled to do good.
James Arminius discusses the free-will of man, emphasizing that in his original state, man was created with the ability to understand, will, and perform good deeds, but only with the assistance of Divine Grace. However, in his fallen state, man is incapable of thinking, willing, or doing good on his own and requires regeneration by God through the Holy Spirit to be able to do what is truly good. Once regenerated, man is capable of good deeds but still relies on the ongoing help of Divine Grace.
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III. THE FREE-WILL OF MAN
This is my opinion concerning the free-will of man: In his primitive condition as he came out of the hands of his creator, man was endowed with such a portion of knowledge, holiness and power, as enabled him to understand, esteem, consider, will, and to perform the true good, according to the commandment delivered to him. Yet none of these acts could he do, except through the assistance of Divine Grace.
But in his lapsed and sinful state, man is not capable, of and by himself, either to think, to will, or to do that which is really good; but it is necessary for him to be regenerated and renewed in his intellect, affections or will, and in all his powers, by God in Christ through the Holy Spirit, that he may be qualified rightly to understand, esteem, consider, will, and perform whatever is truly good. When he is made a partaker of this regeneration or renovation, I consider that, since he is delivered from sin, he is capable of thinking, willing and doing that which is good, but yet not without the continued aids of Divine Grace.
Sermon Outline
- The Primitive State of Man
- The Lapsed State of Man
- Regeneration and the Continued Aids of Divine Grace
- Regeneration enables man to think, will, and do good
- Divine Grace continues to aid man in his good deeds
Key Quotes
“Man was created with such a portion of knowledge, holiness and power, as enabled him to understand, esteem, consider, will, and to perform the true good, according to the commandment delivered to him.” — James Arminius
Application Points
- We must recognize our need for Divine Grace to perform good deeds.
- Regeneration is necessary for us to understand and do good.
- We should continue to seek the aids of Divine Grace in our daily lives.