God's foreknowledge and man's free will. Augustine erroneously imagined that the verses above teach that God arbitrarily chose Jacob for salvation and arbitrarily rejected Esau. This is what the Gnostics had imagined as well. Both Augustine and the Gnostics used chapter 9 of Romans as the basis for their doctrine of arbitrary predestination. In contrast, from the time of the Apostles, the early Christians universally recognized that the Scriptures teach that even fallen mankind has free will.
This is a fundamental truth taught from Genesis through Revelation. The doctrine of free will is not dependent upon a handful of proof texts as is the doctrine of predestination. It rests on the entirety of Scripture. Every passage that asks humans to make a moral choice shows humans have free will. Every passage that gives a command or a warning shows we have free will. God would not truly command us to do something that he had predestined us not to do.
He would not warn us against certain conduct if he had predetermined that we would perform that very conduct. Likewise, all the verses of Scripture that invite everyone to salvation demonstrate that humans have free will. God would not cynically invite someone to salvation whom he had already arbitrarily predestined to hell. Moreover, every verse that commends someone's faith or godly conduct or blames someone for their wrong conduct shows we have free will.
If certain humans were arbitrarily predestined to have faith or to live a godly life, why would God commend us? Why would He blame someone for doing wrong if He had pre-programmed them to act wrongfully? The Scriptures to which I have been referring are found all throughout the Bible. These types of verses can be found in virtually every book of Scripture. The verses below are just a small sampling of the types of passages to which I have been referring. I have added the italics for emphasis.
Humans have the ability to choose good or evil. Deuteronomy 30 verses 19 and 20. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life that you may live you and your descendants to love the Lord your God, to obey His voice and to obey His voice. Let the wicked forsake His way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to Jehovah and he will have mercy on him. Isaiah 1 verses 19 and 20.
If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good of the land. But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured with the sword. God did not send his son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. Revelation 22 verse 17. The Spirit and the bride say, Come. He who hears, let him say, Come. He who is thirsty, let him come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. Revelation 3 verse 20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come into him and will dine with him and he with me. Mark chapter 8 verses 34 and 35. Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it and whoever will lose his life for my sake and the sake of the gospel will save it. Romans chapter 10 verse 13. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Isaiah chapter 55 verses 1 and 3.
Everyone who thirsts come to the waters. He who has no money, buy and eat. Yes, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Turn your ear and come to me. Hear and your soul will live. God wants to save everyone. First Timothy chapter 2 verses 3 and 4. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth. Second Peter chapter 3 verse 9.
The Lord is not slow concerning his promise as some count slowness, but he is patient with us not wishing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of Bible passages that demonstrate that fallen humans have the ability to choose to serve God, although imperfectly. Of course God's prevenient grace works with fallen man to make this possible. God and man work together because that is the way God in his sovereignty wants it to be.
The early Christian witness. The early Christians universally testify to the free will of man even after the fall. In fact they are the ones who coined the term free will. Here are some representative quotations Justin Martyr. We have learned from the prophets and we hold it to be true that punishments, chastisements and good rewards are rendered according to the merit of each man's actions. If that were not so, but if all things happen by fate, then nothing at all is in our own power.
For if it is fated that one man will be good and another evil, then neither is the first one praise worthy, nor the second one to be blamed. Again, unless humans have the power of avoiding evil and choosing good by free choice, they are not accountable for their actions. Tatian. We were not created to die. But we die by our own fault. Our free will has destroyed us. We who were once free have become slaves. We have been sold through sin. Nothing evil has been created by God.
Rather we ourselves have manifested wickedness. Nevertheless, we who have practiced wickedness are able to reject it again. Melito. there is nothing to hinder you from changing your evil manner of life. For you are a free man. Irenaeus. God has always preserved freedom and the power of self-government in man. At the same time, he issued warnings so that those who do not obey him should be righteously condemned because they have not obeyed him.
Similarly, those who have obeyed and believed in him should be honored with immortality, Clement of Alexandria. For the divine being, is not angry in the way that some think, but he often restrains and always exhorts humanity and shows what ought to be done. Each one of us who sins with his own free will chooses punishment and the blame lies with him who chooses Clement of Alexandria. Everyone having been called those who are willing to obey, he has named the chosen. For there is no unrighteousness with God.
To these prophecy says, If you are willing and hear me, you will eat the good things of the land. Isaiah chapter 1 verses 19 through 20. Proving that choice or refusal depends on ourselves. Tertullian. God created man free, master of his own will and power. This very fact indicated the presence of God's image and likeness in man. More than anything else, man is free with a will either for obedience or resistance. Origen.
It is clearly defined in the teaching of the church that every rational soul has free will and choice. Furthermore, each soul has a struggle to maintain against the devil, his angels and other opposing powers. We are not subject to necessity. We are not compelled by various means to do either good or evil, even against our will. Methodius. Man was made with free will on account of his capacity of obeying or disobeying God. For this was the meaning of the gift of free will. Archelaus.
Every person is sure that he is free. Since this is clearly brought out, there can be no doubt that every person may shape his course in whatever direction he pleases in the exercise of his own proper power of the will. The early Christians did not interpret this passage in Romans to be teaching that God has arbitrarily predestined the eternal future of individual humans. Because that Paul is talking in this passage about the future destinies of the Jews and Gentiles.