{"id":6064,"date":"2024-01-21T01:49:18","date_gmt":"2024-01-20T20:19:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/21\/what-does-free-will-mean\/"},"modified":"2024-01-21T01:49:18","modified_gmt":"2024-01-20T20:19:18","slug":"what-does-free-will-mean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/21\/what-does-free-will-mean\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does Free Will Mean?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<div class=\"video\">\n<div class=\"graphic alt-ratio\">\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What Does Free Will Mean? (Andy Naselli)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BO5PEUgz4ak?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<h2>Incompatibilism and Compatibilism<\/h2>\n<p>There are two mutually exclusive ways to answer the question, <em>What does free will mean?<\/em> and those two ways are incompatibilism and compatibilism. Stay with me here. I\u2019m comparing incompatibilism as typically held by Arminians and compatibilism as typically held by Calvinists.<\/p>\n<p>According to incompatibilism, God\u2019s meticulous sovereignty and human freedom are incompatible, and according to compatibilism, God\u2019s meticulous sovereignty and human freedom are compatible. That\u2019s why they\u2019re called incompatibilism and compatibilism.<\/p>\n<p>For incompatibilism, God\u2019s sovereignty is general. God\u2019s in charge of everything, but he does not ordain everything. Specifically, God did not ordain the eternal destiny of each individual. For compatibilism, God\u2019s sovereignty is meticulous. God is in charge of everything, and he ordains everything. Specifically, God ordained the eternal destiny of each individual.<\/p>\n<p>Regarding human freedom, both views agree that we have a free will in the sense that we are morally responsible for what we choose. But here\u2019s where they differ. Incompatibilism says that we have a free will in the sense that we <em>can<\/em> choose differently. That is, we can equally make alternative choices in the same circumstances. <\/p>\n<div class=\"product-placement list-item clear\">\n<div class=\"product-placement-image\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.crossway.org\/books\/predestination-tpb\/\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Predestination\" src=\"https:\/\/static.crossway.org\/studio-files\/media\/d2751b9a77fcd871d47af6ba18b04ceadfc09ba4.jpg\"\/><br \/>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-excerpt\">\n<h3>\n<em><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.crossway.org\/authors\/andy-naselli\/\">Andrew David Naselli<\/a><br \/>\n<\/em><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<p class=\"copy-excerpt\">In this addition to the Short Studies in Systematic Theology series, Andrew David Naselli carefully examines the doctrine of predestination and encourages believers to respond in worship.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Compatibilism says that we have a free will in the sense that we always choose what we most want. That is, we voluntarily choose what we most want in any given circumstance as long as our choices are not constrained. So according to incompatibilism, I\u2019m just as able to choose Christ as I am able <em>not<\/em> to choose Christ.<\/p>\n<p>As a radically depraved sinner, I\u2019m able to choose Christ because God\u2019s special saving grace, his prevenient grace, which is universal and resistible, enables me to freely do so, if I decide. That&#8217;s incompatibilism. According to compatibilism, I\u2019m unable to choose Christ until God changes my heart. I choose whatever my heart desires. I always choose according to my nature.<\/p>\n<p>So a tomato plant can\u2019t produce apples, and I can\u2019t choose Christ unless God changes my wanter\u2014my nature, my heart. According to incompatibilism, a God-ordained choice is not a real choice. According to compatibilism, a God-ordained choice is a real choice.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pull-quote\">\n<p>My heart, or my nature, determines what I want. And my nature is either unregenerate or regenerate.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In my book <em>Predestination<\/em>, I give ten reasons for compatibilism\u2014that God\u2019s meticulous sovereignty is compatible with human freedom, particularly the God-enabled freedom to believe in Christ and the moral responsibility for not believing in Christ.<\/p>\n<h2>The Heart Issue<\/h2>\n<p>The core issue here is our heart. It\u2019s our nature. I always choose what I choose because I want what I want because I am who I am. So let me unpack that sentence.<\/p>\n<p><em>I always choose what I choose<\/em>. Think of a big circle. Choices are the outermost, superficial level. <\/p>\n<p><em>I always choose what I choose because I want what I want<\/em>. I choose according to my strongest desires, what I think are most to my advantage. I\u2019ve got choices, desires.<\/p>\n<p><em>I always choose what I choose because I want what I want because I am who I am<\/em>. At the core is your heart. My heart is the core or essence of who I am. It\u2019s my innermost being, and I have a heart problem. I have a heart that is evil continually. And another way to refer to my heart is my nature\u2014which is a complex of attributes. My heart, or my nature, determines what I want. And my nature is either unregenerate or regenerate. And that\u2019s the core reason I either <em>do not<\/em> or <em>do<\/em> have the moral ability to glorify God. And I\u2019m responsible for my desires and choices because I\u2019m responsible for my sinful heart.<\/p>\n<p><em>Andrew David Naselli is the author of<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crossway.org\/books\/predestination-tpb\/\">Predestination: An Introduction<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"clear\"\/>\n<div class=\"blog-post-author clear\">\n<p>          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"left\" src=\"https:\/\/static.crossway.org\/authors\/small\/2322.jpg\" alt=\"Andrew David Naselli\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p><strong>Andrew David Naselli<\/strong> (PhD, Bob Jones University; PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is professor of systematic theology and New Testament at Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis and one of the\u00a0pastors\u00a0of the North Church in Mounds View, Minnesota.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<hr class=\"clear\"\/>\n<h2>Related Articles<\/h2>\n<div class=\"thumbnails clear\">\n<article class=\"post list-item\">\n<section class=\"post-excerpt right\">\n<p>\n        <strong><br \/>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crossway.org\/articles\/is-it-fair-for-god-to-judge-those-whom-he-predestined-romans-9\/\"><br \/>\n            Is It Fair for God to Judge Those Whom He Predestined? (Romans 9)<br \/>\n          <\/a><br \/>\n        <\/strong>\n      <\/p>\n<p>\n      <em><\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crossway.org\/authors\/robert-w-yarbrough\/\">Robert W. Yarbrough<\/a><\/p>\n<p>      <\/em>\n    <\/p>\n<section class=\"post-meta\">\n      July 22, 2023<br \/>\n    <\/section>\n<p>What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God\u2019s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, \u201cI will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"post list-item\">\n<section class=\"post-excerpt right\">\n<p>\n        <strong><br \/>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crossway.org\/articles\/10-things-you-should-know-about-predestination\/\"><br \/>\n            10 Things You Should Know about Predestination<br \/>\n          <\/a><br \/>\n        <\/strong>\n      <\/p>\n<p>\n      <em><\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crossway.org\/authors\/andy-naselli\/\">Andrew David Naselli<\/a><\/p>\n<p>      <\/em>\n    <\/p>\n<section class=\"post-meta\">\n      January 08, 2024<br \/>\n    <\/section>\n<p>It is pitiful how we can take the Bible teaching about predestination that should result in humility, praise, and comfort and instead talk about it with sinful pride, divisiveness, and anxiety.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"post list-item\">\n<section class=\"post-excerpt right\">\n<p>\n        <strong><br \/>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crossway.org\/articles\/how-important-is-it-for-me-to-affirm-the-doctrine-of-predestination\/\"><br \/>\n            How Important Is It for Me to Affirm the Doctrine of Predestination?<br \/>\n          <\/a><br \/>\n        <\/strong>\n      <\/p>\n<p>\n      <em><\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crossway.org\/authors\/andy-naselli\/\">Andrew David Naselli<\/a><\/p>\n<p>      <\/em>\n    <\/p>\n<section class=\"post-meta\">\n      November 26, 2023<br \/>\n    <\/section>\n<p>Predestination is crucial for our serious joy in God, and it directly affects how we make disciples. It affects what and how we preach and teach and sing and pray and counsel.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"post list-item\">\n<section class=\"post-excerpt right\">\n<p>\n        <strong><br \/>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crossway.org\/articles\/podcast-the-greatest-chapter-in-the-bible-andrew-naselli\/\"><br \/>\n            Podcast: The Greatest Chapter in the Bible (Andy Naselli)<br \/>\n          <\/a><br \/>\n        <\/strong>\n      <\/p>\n<section class=\"post-meta\">\n      August 22, 2022<br \/>\n    <\/section>\n<p>Andy Naselli talks about what he considers to be the greatest letter ever written: Romans 8.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article><\/div>\n<hr class=\"clear\"\/>\n  <\/div>\n<p><script>\n        !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n        n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;\n        n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n        t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,\n        document,'script','https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n        fbq('init', '506435969522616');\n        fbq('track', 'PageView');\n      <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crossway.org\/articles\/what-does-free-will-mean\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Incompatibilism and Compatibilism There are two mutually exclusive ways to answer the question, What does free will mean? and those two ways are incompatibilism and compatibilism. Stay with me here. I\u2019m comparing incompatibilism as typically held by Arminians and compatibilism as typically held by Calvinists. According to incompatibilism, God\u2019s meticulous sovereignty and human freedom are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6065,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[]},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6064"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6064\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}