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Theological Reasons for God Granting Free Will

The theological reasons for God granting free will are a subject of significant debate across Christian traditions, with various perspectives emphasizing different aspects of divine nature and human responsibility. The core disagreement often centers on the extent of human freedom, particularly after the Fall, and how it relates to God's sovereignty and grace.

One prominent view, articulated by figures like Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, emphasizes that free will is essential for moral responsibility and the possibility of genuine love and obedience. Augustine argued that God's precepts would be useless if humans lacked free choice, as they would be unable to perform actions to obtain promised rewards [10]. Similarly, Aquinas stated that God possesses free will concerning things He does not necessarily will, implying that human free will mirrors this divine capacity in a limited way, allowing for choices not necessitated by natural instinct [8]. This perspective suggests that free will enables humans to choose good or evil, making them accountable for their actions [11]. The Catholic tradition, for instance, holds that faith, while above reason, is perfected by the Holy Spirit's gifts, allowing for a deeper understanding of God's plan, which implies a human capacity to respond to this understanding [16].

In contrast, Reformed theology, as expressed in the Westminster Confession of Faith, acknowledges that God endowed humanity with "natural liberty" of will, meaning it is not forced or absolutely determined by nature to good or evil in its original state [9]. However, it strongly asserts that after the Fall, humanity "hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation" [9]. From this perspective, while humans retain a will, their sinful nature renders them incapable of choosing spiritual good without divine intervention. Charles Hodge, one theologian, further clarifies that God can control the free acts of rational creatures without destroying their liberty or responsibility, suggesting a divine sovereignty that works through, rather than against, human will [15]. This view often aligns with the concept of God's "decrees," which are His eternal, unchangeable purposes determining all things [6].

Lutheran theology, as articulated in the Augsburg Confession, shares some common ground with Reformed thought regarding the fallen human will. one tradition teaches that while human will has "some liberty to choose civil righteousness, and to work things subject to reason," it possesses "no power, without the Holy Ghost, to work the righteousness of God, that is, spiritual righteousness" [13]. This position, drawing on Augustine, highlights that spiritual righteousness is wrought in the heart only when the Holy Spirit is received through the Word [13]. This means that while humans can make choices in worldly matters, their ability to choose spiritual good is entirely dependent on divine grace.

Methodist/Wesleyan theology, while acknowledging the impact of sin, often places a greater emphasis on the ongoing capacity of the will to respond to God's grace. Adam Clarke, a Methodist commentator, argued that the human will is "almost uniformly on God's side," even when the "sensual system is against him" [14]. This perspective suggests that the will itself is not entirely corrupted but can be influenced by sin, yet still capable of choosing good when enabled by prevenient grace. This aligns with the idea that God's gifts are dispensed according to His will and are free and abundant [7].

Despite these divergences, traditions generally agree that God's will is ultimately for human sanctification and good [2, 4, 5, 12]. They also affirm that God's gifts and calling are "without repentance" (Romans 11:29), indicating His steadfast purpose [3]. The differences largely stem from varying interpretations of the extent of human depravity after the Fall and the nature of divine grace in restoring the will's capacity for spiritual good. The concept of "free-will offerings" in the Old Testament, for instance, denotes spontaneous, voluntary gifts, distinct from obligatory sacrifices, suggesting an inherent human capacity for voluntary action even in religious contexts [1]. However, the theological implications of this capacity for salvation remain a point of contention.

Sources

  1. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Free-will offering — A spontaneous gift (Ex. 35:29), a voluntary sacrifice (Lev. 22:23; Ezra 3:5), as opposed to one in consequence of a vow, or in expiation of some offence.”
  2. 1 Thessalonians “1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NASB) — For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;”
  3. Romans “Romans 11:29 (LITV) — For the free gifts and the calling of God are without repentance.”
  4. I Peter “I Peter 2:15 (LITV) — because so is the will of God, doing good to silence the ignorance of foolish men;”
  5. I Thessalonians “I Thessalonians 4:3 (BSB) — For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality;”
  6. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Decrees of God — "The decrees of God are his eternal, unchangeable, holy, wise, and sovereign purpose, comprehending at once all things that ever were or will be in their causes, conditions, successions, and relations, and determining their certain futurition. The several contents of this one eternal purpose are, because of the limitation of our faculties, necessarily conceived of by us in partial aspects, and in logical relations, and are therefore styled Decrees." The decree being the act of an infinite, absolute, eternal, unchangeable, and sovereign Person, compre”
  7. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Gifts of God, The — All blessings are -- Jas 1:17; 2Pe 1:3. Are dispensed according to his will -- Ec 2:26; Da 2:21; Ro 12:6; 1Co 7:7. Are free and abundant -- Nu 14:8; Ro 8:32. Spiritual Christ the chief of. -- Isa 42:6; 55:4; Joh 3:16; 4:10; 6:32,33. Are through Christ. -- Ps 68:18; Eph 4:7,8; Joh 6:27. The Holy Spirit. -- Lu 11:13; Ac 8:20. Grace. -- Ps 84:11; Jas 4:6. Wisdom. -- Pr 2:6; Jas 1:5. Repentance. -- Ac 11:18. Faith. -- Eph 2:8; Php 1:29. Righteousness. -- Ro 5:16,17. Strength and power. -- Ps 68:35. A new heart. -- Eze 11:19. Peace. -- Ps 29:11. Rest. ”
  8. theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part (Prima Pars), The Will of God, Art. 10: Article: Whether God has free-will? I answer that, We have free-will with respect to what we will not of necessity, nor be natural instinct. For our will to be happy does not appertain to free-will, but to natural instinct. Hence other animals, that are moved to act by natural instinct, are not said to be moved by free-will. Since then God necessarily wills His own goodness, but other things not necessarily, as shown above (Article [3]), He has free will with respect to what He does not necessarily will. On the contr”
  9. Westminster Confession of Faith (Reformed) “Westminster Confession of Faith (Reformed, 1646), CHAPTER 9: CHAPTER 9 Of Free Will 1. God hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty, that it is neither forced, nor, by any absolute necessity of nature, determined to good, or evil. 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, mutably, so that he might fall from it. 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,”
  10. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 5: Augustine — Anti-Pelagian — CHAP. 2 [II]--PROVES THE EXISTENCE OF FREE WILL IN MAN FROM THE PRECEPTS ADDRESSED TO HIM BY GOD.: Now He has revealed to us, through His Holy Scriptures, that there is in a man a free choice of will. But how He has revealed this I do not recount in human language, but in divine. There is, to begin with, the fact that God's precepts themselves would be of no use to a man unless he had free choice of will, so that by performing them he might obtain the promised rewards. For they are given that no one might be able to plead the excuse of ignorance, as the”
  11. Mishneh Torah (Maimonides) (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Mishneh Torah (Maimonides), Mishneh Torah%2C Repentance 5:1: Free will is granted to all men. If one desires to turn himself to the path of good and be righteous, the choice is his. Should he desire to turn to the path of evil and be wicked, the choice is his. This is [the intent of] the Torah's statement (Genesis 3:22 : "Behold, man has become unique as ourselves, knowing good and evil," i.e., the human species became singular in the world with no other species resembling it in the following quality: that man can, on his own initiative, with his knowledge and thought, know good and evil, and ”
  12. 1 Peter (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Peter 3:16: For it is better, if the will of God be so,.... For all things are ordered by the will of God, even all the sufferings and afflictions of the saints; and which is a reason why they ought to be patiently submitted to, and bore: and "better" it is, more honourable and profitable, that ye suffer for well doing; for believing in Christ, professing him and his Gospel, giving a free and open reason for so doing, and for exercising a good conscience, and living godly in Christ Jesus: than for evil doing; as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a busy body in other men's”
  13. Augsburg Confession (Lutheran) “Augsburg Confession (Lutheran, 1530), 1 Of Free Will they teach that man’s will has some liberty to: 1 Of Free Will they teach that man’s will has some liberty to choose civil righteousness, and to work 2 things subject to reason. But it has no power, without the Holy Ghost, to work the righteousness of God, that is, spiritual righteousness; since the natural man 3 receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, 1 Cor. 2:14; but this righteousness is wrought in the heart when the Holy Ghost is received 4 through the Word. These things are said in as many words by Augustine in his Hypognosticon,”
  14. Romans (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Romans 7:19: For the good that I would I do not - Here again is the most decisive proof that the will is on the side of God and truth. But the evil which I would not - And here is equally decisive proof that the will is against, or opposed to evil. There is not a man in ten millions, who will carefully watch the operations of this faculty, that will find it opposed to good and obstinately attached to evil, as is generally supposed. Nay, it is found almost uniformly on God's side, while the whole sensual system is against him. - It is not the Will that leads men astray; but the c”
  15. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 66: 332 from these evils. Peace, health, and plenty, are universally recognized as his gifts. This truth lies at the foundation of all religion, and cannot be questioned by any Theist, much less by any Christian. 2. No less clear and universally admitted is the principle that God can control the free acts of rational creatures without destroying either their liberty or their responsibility. Men universally pray for deliverance from the wrath of their enemies, that their enmity may be turned aside, or that the state of their minds may be chang”
  16. Catechism of the Catholic Church (Catholic) “Catechism of the Catholic Church, CHAPTER THREE (part 5): opens "the eyes of your hearts"34 to a lively understanding of the contents of Revelation: that is, of the totality of God's plan and the mysteries of faith, of their connection with each other and with Christ, the centre of the revealed mystery. "The same Holy Spirit constantly perfects faith by his gifts, so that Revelation may be more and more profoundly understood."35 In the words of St. Augustine, "I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe."36 159 Faith and science: "Though faith is above reason, th”
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