The Second Helvetic Confession ‑ Chapter 9
Of Free Will, and Thus of Human Powers
In this matter, which has always
produced many conflicts in the Church, we teach that a threefold condition or
state of man is to be considered.
What Man Was Before the Fall.
There is the state in which man was in the beginning before the fall, namely,
upright and free, so that he could both continue in goodness and decline to
evil. However, he declined to evil, and has involved himself and the whole human
race in sin and death, as has been said already.
<As noted in the confession, most important issues
concerning man’s condition before the fall were previously covered.
There are several things that some continue to debate: was there death
before the fall, did Adam have a higher intellect or more knowledge, did Adam
have a closer or different relationship to God, and add infinitum.
Bullinger would have called most, if not all such questions, which are
left to the mystery of God by the Scriptures, “curious questions”. God at
the time of creation also looked upon those whom He had created in His image
declared all was good.
>
What Man Was After the Fall.
Then we are to consider what man was after the fall. To be sure, his reason was
not taken from him, nor was he deprived of will, and he was not entirely changed
into a stone or a tree. But they were so altered and weakened that they no
longer can do what they could before the fall. For the understanding is
darkened, and the will that was free has become an enslaved will. Now it serves
sin, not unwillingly but willingly. And indeed, it is called a will, not an
unwill(ing).[1]
<Man was affected in all of his faculties as also
previously noted. The need here is
to understand that man is what he is by his own will. This is where some of the Acurious
questions@
enter in that some would have Adam a superior being before the fall.
The Helvetic here without debate lays the guilt where it belongs
on man. Paul said that everywhere
that he went sin was present, because he was in the flesh and in the flesh was
the will. In other words the will
of man is evil. The Helvetic
most aptly explains this in the spiritual darkness that has existed since the
fall, but even more so in that the will of man is in bondage.
The shadow, the Hebrews being delivered from Bondage in the Old
Testament, is fulfilled by all of mankind being released from bondage by Christ
in the New Testament. John 3:16
does not stand in isolation, but is followed by AHe
that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God” (John 3:18 AV). The Synod of Dort would have said, Abecause
of sin.@
Dort’s remark because of sin, is the manifestation of John 3:18 which is the
result of the post fall condition of man being as one condemned already.
The important thing here is that man after the fall is totally depraved,
and unable to seek God. Man moved from total light to total darkness because of the
sin of Adam. It is all or nothing
with God, and it is thus that Christ in Revelation says He will spew the Aluke-warm@
from His mouth. Here then is the
greatest miracle of the Bible spoken of by John in the epistle, it being no
miracle that man loves God, but that God first loved man.
This added to the weight of Romans 5:6, “For when we were yet without
strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly,” leaves no wiggle room for
those who desire to see some innate goodness or light within fallen man.
The fall was most complete, and apart from grace and an overt action by
God, man is condemned already. >
Man Does Evil by His Own Free
Will. Therefore, in regard to evil or sin, man is not forced by God or by
the devil but does evil by his own free will, and in this respect he has a most
free will. But when we frequently see that the worst crimes and designs of men
are prevented by God from reaching their purpose, this does not take away man's
freedom in doing evil, but God by his own power prevents what man freely planned
otherwise. Thus Joseph's brothers freely determined to get rid of him, but they
were unable to do it because something else seemed good to the counsel of God.
<God is not the author or creator of sin, it is a result
of the Afree@
choice of the created.
This is the only sense in which free will is to be understood.
Man does not have the free will to choose or deny God.
In the darkness and bondage that resulted from the fall, man will never
choose God, as the prophet wrote, Ano
not one@ in
remarking about those who had sought God. In
a sense man is free to make the choice, but since man will not because of his
bondage to and by sin, it is no choice, but of the grace of God alone.
By numbers alone most AChristians@
today do not accept this, but more denominations wrongly teach that grace is
resistible and man able to choose heaven or hell.
How so-called intelligent beings can read the Scriptures and believe this
can only be explained by the strength and total bondage to sin and darkness that
exists in the flesh, and again reference is made to Paul’s statement that the
will of man is evil. Those who then
would point to man’s freedom to choose and extend it to the acceptance or
rejection of Christ because of free will misunderstand the nature of God’s
plan of redemption. The free will
is present, the offer is made, but only in grace by the opening of sin-darkened
eyes in regeneration by grace will man choose God.
In other words left to himself, man is already condemned and can in no
way whatsoever save himself. Eph. 2:8 stands out as the proverbial bell sounding the most clear
note here, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God:”>
Man Not Capable of Good Per Se.
In regard to goodness and virtue man's reason does not judge rightly of itself
concerning divine things. For the evangelical and apostolic Scripture requires
regeneration of whomever among us wishes to be saved. Hence our first birth from
Adam contributes nothing to our salvation. Paul says: The unspiritual man does
not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, etc. (I Cor. 2:14). And in another
place he denies that we of ourselves are capable of thinking anything good (II
Cor. 3:5). Now it is known that the mind or intellect is the guide of the will,
and when the guide is blind, it is obvious how far the will reaches. Wherefore,
man not yet regenerate has no free will for good, no strength to perform what is
good. The Lord says in the Gospel: Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who
commits sin is a slave to sin (John 8:34). And the apostle says: The mind that
is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, indeed
it cannot (Rom. 8:7). Yet in regard to earthly things, fallen man is not
entirely lacking in understanding.
<Apart from God, man cannot and will not perform any act
of good. This is denied by many
when they see what man would call an evil person rendering some service thought
to be benevolent or good, or showing love, or compassion to another person or
animal. Man has one duty, to
glorify God. The only good works
then are those created by God for the elect before the foundation of the world.
The experience of the creature does not change one dot of this doctrine,
the understanding being that all good comes down from God the Father.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” {ordained: or,
prepared} (Ephesians 2:10 AV). >
Understanding of the Arts.
For God in his mercy has permitted the powers of the intellect to remain, though
differing greatly from what was in man before the fall. God commands us to
cultivate our natural talents, and meanwhile adds both gifts and success. And it
is obvious that we make no progress in all the arts without God's blessing. In
any case, Scripture refers all the arts to God; and, indeed, the heathen trace
the origin of the arts to the gods who invented them.
<Here is the birthplace for those who argue for the
superior intellect of Adam. The
error is in seeing it as greater ability rather than the ability to obey God and
to do that, which pleases God. Some
see the ability of man apart from Christ to create works of art, science, etc.
evidence of an intellect more related to being created in the image of God, and
that this image is not totally destroyed than of it being the natural creation
of God, and God not having removed the intellect from even the reprobate, but
God has not in grace reached down and opened their eyes (regeneration).
In other words, man was not only created in the image of God, but with
natural abilities, and those of God severally given in accordance with the will
of God. This thought needs to be
retained when dealing with passages that appear to have God doing evil toward
men (hardening of the heart) when man is totally evil apart from God and the
wording so indicating action by God can best be understood as taking not action,
or allowing the sin darkened mind of the creature to condemn itself. >
Of What Kind Are the Powers of the Regenerate,
and in What Way Their Wills Are Free. Finally, we must see whether the
regenerate have free wills, and to what extent. In regeneration the
understanding is illumined by the Holy Spirit in order that it may understand
both the mysteries and the will of God. And the will itself is not only changed
by the Spirit, but it is also equipped with faculties so that it wills and is
able to do the good of its own accord (Rom. 8:1 ff.). Unless we grant this, we
will deny Christian liberty and introduce a legal bondage. But the prophet has
God saying: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts
(Jer. 31:33; Ezek. 36:26 f.). The Lord also says in the Gospel: If the Son makes
you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36). Paul also writes to the
Philippians: It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should
not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake (Phil. 1:29). Again: I am
sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day
of Jesus Christ (v. 6). Also: God is at work in you, both to will and to work
for his good pleasure (ch. 2:13).
<This will, is not in choosing God, for God chose man in
regeneration. This freedom of will
does not extend to turning completely from God because the Holy Spirit is
present and the law of God is written into the flesh of the heart.
Christian liberty and freedom as such are not bound.
But, the regenerate is sensitive to the will of God and enabled to
understand and do the will of God, and because of the enlightenment of the Holy
Spirit Awills@
to do the will of God. This might
be better understood presented this way; God makes man willing to be willing by
providence because of the election, in spite of the fall and the resulting
rebellion of all mankind. >
The Regenerate Work Not Only
Passively but Actively. However, in this connection we teach that there are
two things to be observed: First, that the regenerate, in choosing and doing
good, work not only passively but actively. For they are moved by God that they
may do themselves what they do. For Augustine rightly adduces the saying that
"God is said to be our helper. But no one can be helped unless he does
something." The Manichaeans robbed man of all activity and made him like a
stone or block of wood.
<James spoke of faith without works being dead.
Paul pointed out that before the foundation of the world God had created
“good” works for the regenerate to walk in.>
The Free Will Is Weak in the
Regenerate. Secondly, in the regenerate a weakness remains. For since sin
dwells in us, and in the regenerate the flesh struggles against the Spirit till
the end of our lives, they do not easily accomplish in all things what they had
planned. These things are confirmed by the apostle in Rom., ch. 7, and Gal., ch.
5. Therefore that free will is weak in us on account of the remnants of the old
Adam and of innate human corruption remaining in us until the end of our lives.
Meanwhile, since the power of the flesh and the remnants of the old man are not
so efficacious that they wholly extinguish the work of the Spirit, for that
reason the faithful are said to be free, yet so that they acknowledge their
infirmity and do not glory at all
in their free will. For believers ought always to keep in mind what St.
Augustine so many times inculcated according to the apostle: "What have you
that you did not receive? If then you received, why do you boast as if it were
not a gift?" To this he adds that what we have planned does not immediately
come to pass. For the issue of things lies in the hand of God. This is the
reason Paul prayed to the Lord to prosper his journey (Rom. 1:10). And this also
is the reason the free will is weak.
<Some mistakenly teach that a believer cannot, will not
willfully sin. Some teach it is
possible in the flesh to come to maturity because man is commanded by God to be
righteous and to be holy. Scripture as indicated here teaches that while God’s
grace is sufficient, and will persevere, it at times can be that while grace is
sufficient, the will of man is weak and sin is the result and even the very
elect can wander into strange pastures. >
In External Things There Is
Liberty. Moreover, no one denies that in external things both the regenerate
and the unregenerate enjoy free will. For man has in common with other living
creatures (to which he is not inferior) this nature to will some things and not
to will others. Thus he is able to speak or to keep silent, to go out of his
house or to remain at home, etc. However, even here God's power is always to be
observed, for it was the cause that Balaam could not go as far as he wanted
(Num.24), and Zacharias upon returning from the temple could not speak as he
wanted (Luke 1).
<This is providence, or the means whereby God uses all
things (even that which is intended for evil) for good.
God is not far removed from His creation, but is the God of the details
of life and so orders and sustains all things for His own glory.
One of the names of the Holy Spirit is the restrainer.
Christ said we are the salt of the earth and this reference can be seen
as the believer being a preservative or restrainer of that which is corrupt.
Providence is how God uses the natural things of His creation to order all
things to reach His own goal, to be worshiped in truth and spirit. >
Heresies. In this matter we
condemn the Manichaeans who deny that the beginning of evil was for man
[created] good, from his free will. We also condemn the Pelagians who assert
that an evil man has sufficient free will to do the good that is commanded. Both
are refuted by Holy Scripture which says to the former, God made man upright and
to the latter, If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36).
<God is Sovereign, yet man is free seems to be a
contradiction. It is not for by the
Spirit man is made willing to do the will of God as noted above.
To which we might hastily add that the commands of God indicate a
responsibility of the created in Adoing@
what is commanded and that this is not a passive command, but a command that
requires actions to be undertaken by the created.
For the finite mind of man, there seems to be a darkness surrounding the
concept of free will, yet bound to obedience of God.
When taken in the context of the whole Bible and the progressive
revelation of God to man, there is no contradiction, instead a most marvelous
harmony between Creator and created is revealed, so much so that the likeness of
mere humanity is forever bound in nature to God the Son. >
