From the Merriam-Webster -
free - "not determined by anything beyond its own nature or being : choosing or capable of choosing for itself"
will - "used to express frequent, customary, or habitual action or natural tendency or disposition"
NOTICE -
"free" refers to anything beyond his own nature or being
"will" refers to that which is his natural tendency or disposition
Free Agency refers to the fact a man has freedom to make choices for himself, without anything beyond his own being forcing him in that choice.
Free Will is tied to that which is NOT beyond his nature, but is tied to and bound by his natural tendency or disposition.
God created man with both Free Agency and Free Will because what God created is declared "good", and the image of God in which man is made means pure knowledge without error, and true righteousness, not mere innocence.
"...and have put on the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him:" (Col. 3:10 ASV)
"...and put on the new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth." (Eph. 4:24 ASV)
When man sinned, he lost his Free Will but is responsible for his Free Agency. He died spiritually that day, and died physically at a later day.
"...but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Gen 2:17 ASV)
The word “choose” is found 8 times in the NT, 60 times in the OT. Overwhelmingly it is used of God’s choice, his choosing. But, there are a couple very familiar verses of man's choosing by his Free Agency -
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed:” (Deut 30:19 ERV) * vss 5, 16, 18 & 20 show this is applied to the continued good life and possession of the land, NOT a works justification and eternal life!
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Josh 24:15 ERV) *vss 8, 13, 15, 18 again show this is about obedience to live and remain in the promised land, NOT for justification.
The “agent” in these two verses are the Israelites, the “you”; and they are “free” because their choice is not determined by anything beyond their own natures, as “free” is defined above. This is an illustration of "free agency".
Therefore, man has “free agency”, for we make choices, decide on things daily based upon what in our nature are our priorities; having this freedom determined on our own desires to make decisions is surely confirmed in common experience. But, what about “free will”? There is NO free will to any degree in the unregenerate, and only partially recovered in the regenerate. Man before regeneration is spiritually dead because of Adam's sin: Eph. 2:1, 5; does not seek God Rm 3:10-12; is always a "will not" Lk 22:67; Jn 5:40; the unregenerate man can be taken by Satan's will, so man has NO free will, 2 Tim. 2:26. Man's loss of his Free Will is biblically undeniable. What then do we hear on this matter from some? A term "Prevenient Grace" is invented, as if it is found in the Bible.
Prevenient Grace admits man is dead in sins; but then teaches that God by grace has lessened that deadness for all men to where he is merely sick, and retains some bit of free will. This way they put all on a level playing field so salvation is still based on that bit of man's surviving free will that they imagine. Nowhere do you find that taught in Scripture! Along with this odd, doctrinal invention of man, some will also teach that "Yes, faith is a gift, but it is man who believes", as if it is inseparable. To have faith means you are believing! Even if you accept the idea you can separate faith from the exercise of the faith, you find the following, even among the regenerate -
"...for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure." (Phil 2:13 ASV)
Faith is a work by God: "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6:29 ASV) *Read further in John chapter 6 vs36-44 and see the particularism in salvation by grace
free - "not determined by anything beyond its own nature or being : choosing or capable of choosing for itself"
will - "used to express frequent, customary, or habitual action or natural tendency or disposition"
NOTICE -
"free" refers to anything beyond his own nature or being
"will" refers to that which is his natural tendency or disposition
Free Agency refers to the fact a man has freedom to make choices for himself, without anything beyond his own being forcing him in that choice.
Free Will is tied to that which is NOT beyond his nature, but is tied to and bound by his natural tendency or disposition.
God created man with both Free Agency and Free Will because what God created is declared "good", and the image of God in which man is made means pure knowledge without error, and true righteousness, not mere innocence.
"...and have put on the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him:" (Col. 3:10 ASV)
"...and put on the new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth." (Eph. 4:24 ASV)
When man sinned, he lost his Free Will but is responsible for his Free Agency. He died spiritually that day, and died physically at a later day.
"...but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Gen 2:17 ASV)
The word “choose” is found 8 times in the NT, 60 times in the OT. Overwhelmingly it is used of God’s choice, his choosing. But, there are a couple very familiar verses of man's choosing by his Free Agency -
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed:” (Deut 30:19 ERV) * vss 5, 16, 18 & 20 show this is applied to the continued good life and possession of the land, NOT a works justification and eternal life!
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Josh 24:15 ERV) *vss 8, 13, 15, 18 again show this is about obedience to live and remain in the promised land, NOT for justification.
The “agent” in these two verses are the Israelites, the “you”; and they are “free” because their choice is not determined by anything beyond their own natures, as “free” is defined above. This is an illustration of "free agency".
Therefore, man has “free agency”, for we make choices, decide on things daily based upon what in our nature are our priorities; having this freedom determined on our own desires to make decisions is surely confirmed in common experience. But, what about “free will”? There is NO free will to any degree in the unregenerate, and only partially recovered in the regenerate. Man before regeneration is spiritually dead because of Adam's sin: Eph. 2:1, 5; does not seek God Rm 3:10-12; is always a "will not" Lk 22:67; Jn 5:40; the unregenerate man can be taken by Satan's will, so man has NO free will, 2 Tim. 2:26. Man's loss of his Free Will is biblically undeniable. What then do we hear on this matter from some? A term "Prevenient Grace" is invented, as if it is found in the Bible.
Prevenient Grace admits man is dead in sins; but then teaches that God by grace has lessened that deadness for all men to where he is merely sick, and retains some bit of free will. This way they put all on a level playing field so salvation is still based on that bit of man's surviving free will that they imagine. Nowhere do you find that taught in Scripture! Along with this odd, doctrinal invention of man, some will also teach that "Yes, faith is a gift, but it is man who believes", as if it is inseparable. To have faith means you are believing! Even if you accept the idea you can separate faith from the exercise of the faith, you find the following, even among the regenerate -
"...for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure." (Phil 2:13 ASV)
Faith is a work by God: "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6:29 ASV) *Read further in John chapter 6 vs36-44 and see the particularism in salvation by grace
