Freedom of the Will

Lesson Four

if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  

John 8:36

The last Scripture quoted in the previous blog reads as follows: “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”  John 6:65  As previously explained, enabling (Didomi in Greek) amounts to three absolutely necessary things brought about by the combined work of the three persons of The Trinity: (1) Regeneration by the Father, (2) An in filling of the Holy Spirit, (3) A Freeing of our wills by Jesus so that we can react to events according to the ability with which Adam was endowed initially, and following his regeneration (Genesis 3:21),; that is to choose right from wrong.

[A] Regeneration: Ephesians 2:4-5 reads: But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Colossians 2:13 restates that undeniable truth: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. As far as spiritual decisions are concerned, prior to our new birth, we were no more able to exercise them than a corpse in a coffin is able to do push-ups.

[B] In Filling of the Holy Spirit:  In I Corinthians 2:14-15 the apostle Paul teaches:  The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.  The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments.  “HUMAN JUDGEMENTS” relate to things which are RIGHT or WRONG; GOOD or EVIl…..PLUS spiritually significant matters NOT merely human judgments. 

[C] Freeing of the will:  The will is in bondage until set free by Christ: John 8:34, 36 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin…..So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  (Greek for free-eleutheroos-means to be liberated as a result of redemption)  (Greek for slave-doulos- refers to one who is in a permanent relationship of servitude to another). Thus, having been born again, filled by the Holy Spirit and freed from the bondage to sin we respond to the irresistible urge to receive Christ (John 1:12) as our Lord and Savior.