Revelation: Christ and the Churches

The Terrible Sin of Man Part 3 of 3

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2012-12-03

Synopsis: In this sermon, Pastor John Weaver contrasts the theological concept of free will with the biblical teaching of free agency. He argues that man's will is not free in the sense of autonomous ability to choose salvation, but is bound by a sinful nature. Using Scripture, he demonstrates that fallen man lacks the awareness, reliable criterion, will, and power to choose God apart from divine grace. He explains the fourfold state of man (innocence, nature, grace, glory) to show that only Adam had free will, which he used to sin. The sermon emphasizes that salvation is entirely of God's sovereign grace, who works in the will to make sinners willing to come to Christ.

[John Weaver] John chapter 5 and we're talking about the terrible sin of man and which of course is the fact that he will not come to Christ. And so today I'm going to be dealing with the third part and show you the difference, Lord willing, between free will and what is known as freedom of the will or free agency. Notice John chapter 5 beginning there in verse 32. Our Lord says, there is another that beareth witness of me. And I know that the witness which he witnesses to me is true. You said to John and he bear witness unto the truth. But I received not testimony from man, but these things I say that you might be saved. He was a burning and shining light and you were willing for a season to rejoice in that light. But I have greater witness than that of John for the works which the father has given me to finish the same works that I do bear witness of me that the father has sent me. And the Father himself who has sent me hath borne witness of me.

[John Weaver] You've neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his shape. You have not his word abiding in you for whom he has sent him you believe not. Search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me that you might have life. I receive not honor from man, but I know you that you have not the love of God in you. I'm coming my father's name and you receive me not. If another shall come in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe who receive honor one of another and seek not the honor that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the father. There's one that accuse if you even Moses whom you trust for had you believe Moses, you would have believed me for he wrote of me. But if you believe not his writings, how shall you believe my words?

[John Weaver] Well, you will remember I showed you And the very first message from John chapter 5, the many witnesses that our Lord had, He referred to John for the benefit of those people, but He only appealed to His own works and to the Father and to the Scripture. God only appeals to Himself. So, the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit who inspired the Scriptures. And the truth of the matter is, that I've pointed out very clearly, in light of all the abundant evidence, in light of all the truthful witnesses, man's will is still locked in rebellion against God. And in light of all those witnesses, our Lord still looked at those people and said, you will not come to me that you might have life. In the second message, we look to the latter part of John chapter five, and I showed you the three charges that God brought against these people, where he said very obviously, you have not his word abiding in you. That was the first charge. You have not his love abiding in you.

[John Weaver] And of course, they were seeking the honor of man. And the result of all of those, they refused to come to Christ. They refused to believe. So clearly then, man's will is locked in stubborn rebellion to God.

[John Weaver] Now, Charles Haddon Spurgeon said this, free will has carried many a soul to hell, but never a soul to heaven. Martin Luther said, if any man doth describe of salvation even the very least, to the free will of man, he knoweth nothing of grace, and hath not learned Jesus Christ aright. And John Calvin said, the human will does not by liberty obtain grace, but by grace obtains liberty.

[John Weaver] Now, before I get started today, I want to remind you of the definition of free will. And let me just say again, this is not my definition. You will hear it from those who advocate that theory. But the term free will, used theologically, refers to the concept that man of his own ability and upon his own power may turn to God or away from God. In other words, they advocate that it is man and his right and power to choose to do that whichever he decides. So the concept of free will, especially in relationship to salvation, is succinctly set forth by Erasmus in his dissertation, and he said this in chapter 2, section 13. Here's their definition, not mine. By freedom of the will, we understand in this connection the power of the human will, whereby man can apply to or turn away from that which leads to eternal salvation. So their very definition says that man has the ability to apply himself to salvation, or he has the power ability to turn away. So in relation then to soteriology, which is the doctrine of salvation, free will then is that concept of the will whereby the will of man is regarded as autonomous, that is independent and undetermined and therefore capable of willing either good or bad apart from any conditioning by moral or religious character.

[John Weaver] Now I've heard preachers and I've heard Christians alike Most of my life say something like this that God cannot make anyone do anything. Those who hold that position believe that it is the unpardonable sin on the part of God to work in or upon the will of man. According to their theory, man must be absolutely free according to those who believe in free will. And I would just wonder if they've ever thought through that concept. Because if God cannot make man do anything, unless he wills to do it. Have you ever wondered how God is going to get poor sinners to judgment? Because I am sure that sinners are not willing to be judged by God. So if God cannot work upon the will, if God cannot have His way, How's God going to get sinners to judgment? All I can say if you have such a concept of God, poor God, poor God. Because God then has to be hopeful that some will allow Him to save them, and then He has to be hopeful that the rest will allow Him to damn them.

[John Weaver] Poor God. He is so helpless against His creatures. It appears from that standpoint, that the creature has usurped and become more powerful than the Creator, and the creature is now on the throne, and God is reduced to being a servant. Obviously, that is not what the Scripture teaches. I don't know whatever happened to the God of the Bible to profess in Christendom's thinking, because the God of the Bible is totally different from the God of modern man.

[John Weaver] In Daniel chapter 4, verses 34 and 35, listen to this, At the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes into heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored Him that liveth forever. whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom from generation to generation," are you listening? "...and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, he doeth according to his will in the armies of heaven and in the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest thou?" The last time I read the Bible, Isaiah 46 and verse 10 was still there, where God says, declaring the end from the beginning, Now listen, and from ancient times, all things that are yet done saying, my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. Last time I read the Bible, Revelation four, verse 11 was still there where the word of God says, thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power for thou has created all things and for thy pleasure they were and are created.

[John Weaver] Charles Haddon Spurgeon, rightfully said this, men will allow God to be everywhere except on his throne. They will allow him to be in his workshop to fashion worlds and to make stars. They will allow him to be in his armory to dispense his arms and to bestow his bounties. They will allow him to sustain the earth and bear up the pillars thereof or light the lamps of heaven or rule the waves of the ever moving ocean. But when God ascends his throne, His creatures then gnash their teeth, and when we proclaim and enthrone God, and His right to do as He wills with His own, and to dispose of His creatures as He thinks well, without consulting them in the matter, then it is that we are hissed and execrated, and then it is that men turn a deaf ear to us. For God on His throne is not the God that they love.

[John Weaver] They love Him anywhere better than they do when He sits with his scepter in his hand and his crown upon his head. But it is God upon the throne that we love to preach. It is God upon the throne and whom we trust. And certainly God is sovereign. A.W. Pink went a little bit farther and he made this statement. I want you to think about this because I believe Pink really hit the nail on the head when he said this. The God of this 20th century, now we would say the 21st century, the God of this 21st century no more resembles the supreme sovereign of holy writ than does the dim flickering of a candle, the glory of the midday sun. The God who is now talked about in the average pulpit, spoken of in the ordinary Sunday school, mentioned in much of the religious literature of the day, and preached in most so-called Bible conferences, is a figment of the human imagination, an invention of Maudlin sentimentality.

[John Weaver] Now listen, the heathen outside the pale of Christendom form gods out of wood and stone, while the millions of heathen inside Christendom manufacture a god out of their own carnal mind. In reality, they are but atheists, for there is no other possible alternative between an absolutely supreme God and no God at all. A God whose will is resisted, whose designs are frustrated, whose purpose is checkmated, possesses no title to deity, and so far from being a fit object of worship, merits nothing but contempt. The God of the Bible is far different from the God of the masses. He is far different from the gods of the pagans. The sovereign God of heaven and earth is still on his throne.

[John Weaver] He has not abdicated his position, resigned his power, or subjected himself to the whims and will of fallen man. The sovereignty of God may be defined as the exercise of his supremacy, being infinitely elevated above the highest creature, He is the Most High, the Lord of heaven and earth, subject to none, influenced by none, absolutely independent. God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, and always as He pleases. None can thwart Him, none can hinder Him. Divine sovereignty means that God is God in fact, as well as in name, that He is on the throne of this universe, directing all things and working all things after the counsel of His own will.

[John Weaver] And that is certainly true. According to the theory of free will, God has been dethroned, and man has been elevated his position. Man has been made into a god. Much like the king of Babylon, and Lucifer of old, he has said in Isaiah 14, verses 13 through 14, For thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High. You see, according to free will, it is man that holds his own destiny in his hand. It is man that holds the key in his hand. It is man that makes the decision, and his decision is ultimate. and final. According to free will, man can save himself by his decisions and by the exercise of his will. And according to the free will theory, he can make that decision whenever he pleases and whenever he chooses.

[John Weaver] Now naturally all of this is contrary to the Word of God. For instance, if you would turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Isaiah chapter 55 And look at verses 6 and 7. And be ready to turn to a few other passages please. Look at Isaiah 55 at verses 6 and 7. How plainly this is stated. Isaiah 55 verse 6. Notice the word of God says this.

[John Weaver] Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon."

[John Weaver] Now I want you to note verse 6. The admonition is to seek the Lord while He may be found, indicating there is a time when He cannot be found, calling you upon Him while He is near, indicating there is a time when He is not near. Obviously, if there is a time when God cannot be found, if there is a time when God is not near, then salvation is not in the hands of man. Man cannot find God and man cannot force God even with his will.

[John Weaver] This should demonstrate abundantly and clearly that man's will is not in control. And there are plenty of passages in the Bible that indicate very clearly that man will call upon God and they will not find him. For instance, turn in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 1. Proverbs chapter 1. And notice if you would please beginning there with verse 24. Proverbs 1 and look at verse 24. And we're going to read through verse 31. Proverbs 1 verse 24. Look what God says.

[John Weaver] Because I have called and you refused. I stretched out my hand and no man regarded. But you have said it not all my counsel and would none of my reproof." Look what God says to these people. I will also laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear cometh. When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon you, then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer.

[John Weaver] They shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me. For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would have none of My counsel. They despised all of My reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own ways, and be filled with their own devices." What did God say? They'll call upon Me. But I'll not answer. They'll seek Me, but they're not going to find Me.

[John Weaver] In Isaiah 59 verse 2, let me just quote it. Here's what God says, But your iniquities have separated between you and your God. Your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear. When you get to Hosea 5 and verse 6, the Word of God says this, They shall go with their flocks, and their herds to seek the Lord. But they shall not find him.

[John Weaver] He hath withdrawn himself from them." Wow. They shall seek Him. And they're going to worship. They're going to sacrifice. But they will not find Him. He has withdrawn Himself from them. In Micah 3 and verse 4, God says, Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but He will not hear them. He will even hide his face from them at that time as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. God said, you're going to seek me, but you're not going to find me.

[John Weaver] Now, clearly, man may endeavor to use his will during these times, but his will will prove absolutely useless. Man's will is not supreme. It is not sovereign, never has been, never will be. and man has never ever saved himself by his will. As Spurgeon correctly said, free will may take a man to hell, but it will not take a man to heaven. Spurgeon also said this, and I love it. He said, free will I've often heard of, but I've never seen it.

[John Weaver] I've always met with will and plenty of it, but it's either been led captive by sin or held in the blessed bonds of grace. Augustus top lady said a man's free will cannot even cure him of a toothache or a sore finger and yet he madly thinks it is in his power to cure his soul.

[John Weaver] Now stop and think about that. We pray for people who have cancer. Why do they not will themselves to be free from cancer? We pray of people Why does not God just will Himself to have His leg instantly healed? The will of man cannot do one thing but sin, which I'm going to point out a little bit later. So here's what I want to do. First of all, I want to demonstrate the absolute foolishness of the theory of free will in relationship to salvation. And secondly today, I want to be able to distinguish for you the difference between the theory of free will and what the Bible teaches concerning freedom of will or free agency. So first of all, I want to consider with you the impossibility of man's will being free.

[John Weaver] Now, philosophically, as well as biblically, for a man to have a free will, there must be four concepts that have to be absolutely substantiated. I'm going to go over these four concepts very quickly. and show you the absolute impossibility of it. First, for free will to exist, for it to be true, man must first of all have an awareness of the alternatives to be chosen.

[John Weaver] Now stop and think about this. If my will is free, first of all I must have on awareness of the alternatives to be chosen.

[John Weaver] Now someone is going to say, well, we can get around that very simply. Because all we have to do is tell fallen man, unsaved man, about heaven and hell. And then once we tell him about salvation in Christ, and we tell him about the just punishment and penalty of his sin, Then he has awareness of the alternatives to be chosen. Well, my response to that is it's not quite that simple. Why?

[John Weaver] Because there's a vast difference between intellectual knowledge and spiritual knowledge. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 2. And look with me please at verse 14. Let me show you the difference between intellectual knowledge and spiritual knowledge. 1 Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 14 and I want you to look particularly at what the Apostle Paul says concerning the natural man and when he uses the term natural man he's referring to man by nature that is fallen man unsaved man and look what he says 1 Corinthians 2 verse 14 but the natural man that is the unsaved man Fallen man. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Now what did Paul just get out of his mouth? The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. Then he says, neither can he know them. He does not have the ability to know them. Why? Because they are spiritually discerned.

[John Weaver] There's a difference between me giving you facts or even me quoting scriptures and you understanding those scriptures. And if you will turn in your Bibles very quickly to Romans chapter 8. And look if you would please beginning there with verse 6. Romans 8 verse 6. Just again showing you the impossibility of a natural man even being aware of the alternatives to be chosen. For Romans 8, look in verse 6.

[John Weaver] The apostle writes, for to be carnally or fleshly minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Now here it is in verse 7. Because the carnal or the fleshly mind is enmity against God. For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, so then they that are in flesh cannot please God." What did he just say about the mind of man? It is not in subjection to the law of God, neither indeed can be. What's he saying? Man by nature cannot understand spiritual things. Do you not remember, even our Lord in John 3 and verse 3 looked at Nicodemus and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born again or born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

[John Weaver] That is, he has no perception of it. He has no comprehension of it. He has no understanding of it.

[John Weaver] Now, if we just took these three passages, John 3, Romans 8, and of course 1 Corinthians chapter 2, Then let's ask this question. How does one that cannot see the kingdom of God, one that thinks spiritual things are foolishness, and one that does not have the ability to know spiritual truth, and one whose mind is absolute, total hatred against God and God's law, how can that mind have an awareness of the alternatives to be chosen? Because it cannot see. It cannot comprehend. It cannot understand. And as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2 and verse 14, neither can he know them. Because they're spiritually discerned. So Paul says the natural man has no ability to discern spiritual things in and of himself.

[John Weaver] So free will fails on this very first principle. Secondly, for free will to exist, there must not only be an awareness of the alternatives to be chosen, there must secondly be a reliable criterion to base that choice upon. So let me ask you a question. What will a depraved, fallen, sinful man use as his criterion for choosing. Well, let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 4. And look if you would please at verse 17. Ephesians 4 verse 17. Let me show you the criterion that the fallen man would use to judge his alternatives. Ephesians 4 verse 17.

[John Weaver] This I say therefore and testify in the Lord that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk." Where? In the vanity that is the uselessness, the worthlessness of their mind. Here it is. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart. What did the Apostle Paul say about the mind of man? It's ignorant. It's blind. It's useless. It's worthless. He went on to say in verse 19, who being past feeling have given themselves over into lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness. What does fallen man want? He wants sin. He wants his flesh satisfied. When you get to first Timothy chapter six and verse five, listen to this.

[John Weaver] The scripture says perverse Disputings of men of corrupt minds, destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness. Now the scripture talks about men of corrupt minds who are destitute of the truth. They have no truth. So here, in the second part, free will fails again. Because man does not have the ability to perceive the alternatives to be chosen, and secondly, he does not have a reliable criterion to even be aware of those alternatives, because his criterion is his own corrupt, depraved mind. Thirdly, in order for the will to be free, it must have the will to seek and to choose the best alternatives.

[John Weaver] I want you to go back to Romans chapter seven. I want you to see what the apostle Paul said in Romans chapter seven. And let's begin reading their reverse. 18 Romans seven. Notice, if you would please, in verse 18. Not only must there be an awareness of the alternatives to be chosen. There must be a reliable criterion to base a choice upon. And there must be the will to seek and to choose the very best alternative. So in Romans 8 and verse 17, the apostle Paul says, Now that it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. For the will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find not. Watch, then he goes on to say, For the good that I would, I do not.

[John Weaver] For the evil which I would not, that I do. Ah, what in the world is Paul saying? Paul is saying very clearly that he does not have the ability in and of himself to choose that which is good. Here's why. Go back in your Bible to Romans chapter 3. Look at what he wrote there beginning with verse 10. Romans 3 verse 10. As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God.

[John Weaver] They're all gone out of the way. They're together become unprofitable. There is none that do with good. No, not one. What? No one does good of his own. No, not one. No one understands of his own. No one seeks after good on his own. No one is righteous on his own. No, not one. Fallen man does not have the will to seek and to choose the best.

[John Weaver] His will is to sin and to do that which pleases himself and satisfies himself. His will is in bondage to sin and his will fails again.

[John Weaver] Fourthly, for free will to exist and be true, one must not only have an awareness of the alternatives to be chosen, He must not only have a reliable criterion. He must not only have the will to actually seek and to choose the best alternative. But fourthly, he must have the power to achieve that which was chosen.

[John Weaver] Now as you turn to John chapter 6, let me point this out. John chapter 6. He must have the actual power to choose that which was chosen. or to achieve that which was chosen. Do you realize, and those who know me should smile at this, I could will to be a wonderful musician and a very talented opera singer. I see you're not smiling, you're laughing. But there is no power in my will to achieve musical ability or especially to have a good voice. I could will myself to be a multi-millionaire. I'm not. If I don't have the power to achieve what I will, my will is not free. My will is limited. It is tied. It is bound. You have to have power to achieve if that will is going to be free.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make a scenario for you. Let's just say that a sinner does hear of the alternatives. Let's say he does base his choice of the alternatives upon the Bible instead of his own corrupt mind. And let's just say that he does choose the best alternative, that he really chooses to be saved and to come to Christ. Look in John 6 and verse 44 at what our Lord said. No man can come unto me except the father who had sent me draw him and I will raise him up the last day. Did you hear what our Lord said? No man can come unto me. The sinner Even if he had the ability to do the other three, still does not have the ability to do the fourth. For our Lord says, no man can come unto me, except the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day. You have to remember that can is a term of ability. May is a term of permission. Are sinners invited to Christ?

[John Weaver] Yes, they are. But an invitation does not imply ability. You remember what our Lord said in Mark 10. I've given you this recently. You remember that rich young ruler who came running to our Lord and knelt and said, good master, what good thing must I do that I may inherit eternal life? And our Lord told him a number of things. And finally, he said, go and sell all that you have and give it to the poor and come take up your cross and follow me. And the young man went away extremely anguished and sorrowful. Why?

[John Weaver] For I had great riches. He was not willing to give them up. Then our Lord looked at His disciples and said, Children, how hardly shall a rich man enter into the kingdom of God. And the disciples asked Him, Who then can be saved? And our Lord responded like this in verse 27, I marked in, With men it Salvation is impossible, but not with God. For with God, all things are possible. The question is, who then can be saved? Our Lord said, with men it, salvation is impossible. Man does not have the power to save himself. He does not have the power to help save himself.

[John Weaver] Since you're in John, go back to John 1. I quoted this in the very first message. But let me show it to you in light of this. Look at John 1, verses 11 through 13. John 1, verse 11. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even them that believe on His name. Now look. Which were born, not of blood, not ancestry, no ancestry, nor the will of flesh, that is natural generation, nor the will of man, but of God." Now, if you leave those negatives out, you can read verse 12,"...but as many as received Him, to them He gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name, who were born of God." After He tells you, it is not of blood, it is not of the will of the flesh, it is not of the will of man, positively, it is of God.

[John Weaver] So, obviously, Free will fails again. If you consider these four principles, free will cannot possibly be free. Not theologically, not philosophically, not in any way whatsoever.

[John Weaver] Now, I think one of the easiest concepts to grasp, to really understand the problem, is when you consider the fourfold state of man. Years ago, Thomas Boston, an old Puritan, wrote a book that I have at my library. The title of the book is The Fourfold State of Man. And the book's about this thick. It's not a very large book, but it's a very scriptural book. And all Thomas Boston does in that book, which I'm going to summarize for you in just a few minutes, is tell you the different states of man. And there are four states of man. And man is totally and absolutely and completely different in each one of these states. So, first of all, let's consider man in the Garden of Eden, or some would say in the state of innocency, because you remember that God created man upright, and Adam was created with original righteousness, holiness, knowledge, and dominion. I could state this, if you really wanted to consider free will. Adam would have been the only individual who ever had it.

[John Weaver] Because Adam did have the ability to please God. He walked with God. But unhappily, Adam was created mutable, that is changeable. So Adam could not only please God, Adam could also sin and displease God. And you know what Adam did. Adam sinned and rebelled against God, and God kicked him out of the garden.

[John Weaver] Now, if you're going to talk about free will, I want you to think about something for a second. Adam, the only man who ever had free will, in a perfect environment, with no sin, and no peer pressure, used his free will to sin against God. And God drove Adam out of the garden. When God drove Adam out, that is the second stage of man, that is the fallen state, or the state of nature, or man by nature. So what Adam was in the garden, he is no more. Adam lost his ability to please God. God drove him out. Adam died.

[John Weaver] Spiritually first, and then physically later. That's why Romans 5 says, as in Adam, and in 1 Corinthians 15, as in Adam all die. There was no death until Adam sinned against God. When God drove him out, here's the second state of man. Adam sinned. He was cursed of God. He lost his ability to please God. His entire being, including his will, is now in bondage and captivity to sin. What can man in a state of nature do? Here's the answer. He can sin. And he freely chooses to sin. He wills to sin. He wants to sin. But he cannot freely choose to be saved or to be holy or to be obedient. Why? We read it earlier. So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God. There is no ability in us to please God. Why? Because the carnal mind is enmity against God. It's not subject to the law of God. Neither indeed can be. So Adam in the state of nature is not the same thing that he was in the state of innocence here in the garden.

[John Weaver] Thirdly, you have man in the state of grace, where God in His grace and mercy does save. Now most of us here probably or Christians, we've been saved by the grace of God. Guess what? God has now given us a renewed ability to please Him. In fact, we've been commanded to walk pleasing unto the Lord. Isn't that amazing? We who have been saved by grace can now please God. But there's one problem.

[John Weaver] We can also still displease him.

[John Weaver] So here we are in a state of grace and we're struggling like the Apostle Paul. When we say to will that which is good, that's what I want to do. But unhappily, that's not what I do all the time. So here you have three states of man. Man in the garden with a free will and he used that will to sin. Man in the state of nature where his will is in bondage to his sin. Man in the state of grace where his will now has been released from its bondage and he now has the ability to please God but he can also displease Him. And then fourthly you have the state of glory where our wills will be fixed and we will never ever sin again.

[John Weaver] Now the problem is this. The great deception that arises from this fact is that philosophers and theologians and many Christians try to make man in the state of nature exactly like man in the state of innocency and it's two totally different states. Just like it's two totally different states between the state of nature and the state of grace. Just like it's two totally different states between the state of grace and the state of glory. Man is not the same as when he was in the Garden of Eden. It's impossible. Because man fell. He sinned. He became totally depraved. And man is not the same in any four of these states. He is different in each one. Since the fall of man, man does not have free will. Man's will is not free and it cannot be free.

[John Weaver] Now the Bible does teach what is known as freedom of will or free agency. I will explain that. And the concept of freedom of will is vastly different from the concept of free will. You've got to remember what free will teaches is that man in his own power, of his own ability, of his own will, can choose to be saved or he can turn away from God. It's all his choice. It's all up to him. Simply stated, that concept says that man has the power to initiate salvation on his own, which of course is contrary to the Word of God. Now what do I mean when I talk about free agency or freedom of will? Here's all that concept means. It means that every creature is free to act out its own nature. Every creature is free to act out its own nature.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to think with me. When I say that freedom of will or free agency, all it means is that every creature is free to act out its own nature. Do you realize that a bird is free to fly in the air? A bird can fly anywhere he wants to in the air. That's the nature of a bird, to fly. But a bird is not free to fly underwater. He is not free to fly under dirt. If you don't believe that, you go catch a bird, dig a hole, pile dirt on him, and he will not fly. He will die. A bird is only free to fly in the air. A fish is free to swim in the water. He's not free to swim in the air. He's not free to swim under dirt. Go catch a fish, dig a hole, pile dirt on Him. He will not swim. He will die. Because His freedom is only in the water. Just like a bird's freedom is only in the air. Now, does man have freedom of will by nature?

[John Weaver] And the answer is absolutely sure. Yes. He is free to act out his own nature. What is his nature? It's a sinful nature. What will he do? He will sin. He will do it willingly, gladly, readily, voluntarily. He will do it. I don't care what his sin is that he chooses. It could be drunkenness, it could be fornication, it could be religiosity, it could be pride, it could be theft, whatever, but he's free to act out his will and his nature. And his nature is that of a sinner. And that's exactly what he's going to do. You ask this question, why do men sin? And the answer is because they're sinners and you cannot stop them from sinning. They're just acting out their nature.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you or try to draw you a picture of how free a fallen man is. If you can envision in your mind a 4 by 4 cell, metal walls, and attached to one of those walls, would be three foot chains. If you take the sinner and shackle his hands and his feet with those three foot chains, he's free. He's free to move as far as those three foot chains will allow him to move and those walls will allow him to move, but no further. He's free to move within that four by four cell. He's free to move with those three foot chains, but only as far as those chains and those walls will allow him to go. Do you realize a sinner is exactly like that? But his chains are spiritual. You cannot see them. Sinners are bound exactly the same way. The only difference is their chains are spiritual. Their walls are spiritual. We may not see them, but they're there. A sinner is free to sin, and he does so heartily.

[John Weaver] His mind, heart, will, energy, everything in him encourages him to sin and encourages him to indulge his lusts and his desires, and he does so with his whole heart. He wants it. He wills it. He loves it. And you know what he's doing? He's just acting out his nature. That's all. It's the nature of a sinner to sin.

[John Weaver] Now, let me go a little bit further. Suppose you looked out the door and you saw something and you hollered at me and said, Pastor, Pastor, get over here quickly and look at this, look, look. And I reply as I'm walking slowly, what is it? And you say, It's water. It's running downhill. And I just kind of smile and say, well, I don't have to hurry. I've seen water run downhill plenty of times. It's the nature of water. Water takes the course of least resistance. You know, I don't have to hurry about that. I don't even have to see it. I've seen it too many times. But suppose you called me and said, Pastor, Pastor, get over here quickly. Look at this.

[John Weaver] And I said, what is it? And you say, Water is running uphill and there is no pump. There's no mechanical device. There's nothing pushing it. It's running uphill on its own. I'm going to run to that door because I want to see that. That is something contrary to nature. It has to be an act of God. The power of God has to be involved. Because water does not run uphill naturally by itself. It runs downhill. Now, you look out the door again and you say, Pastor, Pastor, get over here and look at this.

[John Weaver] And I ask, what is it? Well, it's that old drunk that we've seen for the last five years stumbling down the road. He's drunk as a skunk and he's still stumbling. He's disheveled. He's unclean. He stinks. Come over here and look at this drunk. And I say, I don't have to look at that drunk. I've seen plenty of in my time. It's his nature to be drunk. He's a drunk! But suppose you call me and say, Pastor, Pastor, get over here quickly and look out this door. And I say, why? Well, you say, you know that old drunk that used to walk by here every day? Well, he's now sober.

[John Weaver] He has on a suit. He's clean. He's singing and whistling and He's telling other people about Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to get over there and see that. Because that's against nature. Something has happened. There's been a direct intervention of God in His life that changed the course of His conduct and the course of His nature. Only God can do that. And I want to see that. You see, it's the nature of sinners to sin. But when a sinner repents and turns from his sins and bows to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and follows Him in obedience, something miraculous has happened. God has intervened in his life. Because by nature, sinners do not want God. By nature, they hate God. By nature, they don't want to obey God. They want to obey their own lusts. I want you to understand that God does not work against man's will, but He works in it and through man's will. God doesn't take a man.

[John Weaver] and says, you're going to heaven whether you like it or not. And the man's kicking and screaming and says, but I want to sin, I want to go to hell. No, it doesn't work like that. God doesn't take a man and throw him by the seat of his pants in hell, and the man's screaming and hollering, but I want to be holy, I want to be godly, I want to trust... No, no, no. God doesn't work against the will, He works in the will, and through the will, a man is not saved against his will, but is made willing by a mighty operation of the Holy Spirit of God. That's why the Bible says in Psalm 110 and verse 3, are you listening?

[John Weaver] Talking about Christ, thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. Who is it that makes us willing to come to Christ? It's God. You know what the Bible says in Philippians 2 and verse 13? For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to do His good pleasure. So when you see that old drunk that is now sober and now cleaned up, God has worked in his heart. It is God that works in us and through our wills. And if God did not do that, none of us would be saved. He makes us willing. It is God and God alone that enables us to desire Christ and His salvation. God opens our eyes.

[John Weaver] He shows us our sins. He shows us our wickedness. He shows us our depravity. He shows us the just penalty of our sins. That we're doomed and damned without Him. And then in His grace and mercy, He opens our eyes and lets us see the beautifulness of Jesus Christ. And that He is the answer to all of our problems. And that His salvation is full and free.

[John Weaver] And then He enables us. by giving us repentance to turn from our sins. He enables us by giving us faith to enable us to believe. He enables us by releasing our wills from its bondage to sin so that we may desire and want to come to Christ. It is not free will that we need. It's free grace. It's grace that makes us willing. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said this, I feel persuaded that false doctrine, inasmuch as it touches God's sovereignty, is always an object of divine jealousy. Let me indicate especially the doctrines of free will. I know there are some good men who hold and preach them, but I am persuaded that the Lord must be grieved with their doctrine, though He forgives their sin of ignorance. Free will doctrine? What does it?

[John Weaver] It magnifies man into God. It declares God's purposes a nullity, since they cannot be carried out unless men are willing. It makes God's will a waiting servant to the will of man. And the whole covenant of grace depended upon human action. Denying election on the ground of injustice, it holds God to be a debtor to sinner, so that if He gives grace to one, He is bound to do so to all. It teaches that the blood of Christ was shed equally for all men since some are lost. This doctrine ascribes a difference to man's own will, thus making the atonement itself a powerless thing unless the will of man gives it efficacy. Those sentiments dilute the scriptural descriptions of man's depravity by imputing strength to fallen humanity, rob the spirit of his glory and of his effectual grace, This theory says, in effect, that it is of him that willeth, and of him that runneth, and not of God that showeth mercy. Any doctrine, my brethren, which stands in opposition to this truth, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, provokes God's jealousy.

[John Weaver] Often tremble in this pulpit, lest I should utter anything which should oppose the sovereignty of my God. And though you know I am not ashamed to preach the responsibility of man to God, If God be sovereign, man must be bound to obey Him. And on the other hand, I'm equally bold to preach that God has a right to do what He wills with His own, and that He gives no account of His matters, and none may stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou? I believe that this freewill heresy assails the sovereignty of God and mars the glory of His dominion.

[John Weaver] and all faithfulness mingled with sorrow, I persuade you who have been deluded by it to see well to your ways and receive the truth which God sets on high and lays the creature in the dust." And that is certainly true. When you stop and think, there is only one choice. It is either free will or free grace. As for me in my house, I choose to believe in the free grace of God and recognize that He is all in all. I choose to give Him the glory, the praise, and the honor for everything that He has done in my life. He chose me. He called me. He justified me. He saved me.

[John Weaver] And in His time, He will glorify me. And I will ascribe every ounce of my salvation to His grace and His mercy to give Him glory and honor. For He's worthy of all honor and all glory. Free will or free grace? Give us grace. Give us grace. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You. We ask for Your grace and Your mercy in our lives. And Father, we do ascribe the whole of our salvation unto Thee.

[John Weaver] Thou art the author and the finisher of our faith. Thou art the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and everything in between. And we give Thee glory today. Thank You. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

The Terrible Sin of Man Part 3 of 3

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	qddi4huAH88
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Christ and the Churches
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-12-03
Dictation Name
Book	Book 185: The Terrible Sin of Man — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	74

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Review

Weaver reviews the previous two messages on John 5, highlighting the witnesses to Christ and the charges against those who refuse to come to Him, emphasizing man's will is locked in rebellion.

John chapter 5, and we're talking about the terrible sin of man, which of course is the fact that he will not come to Christ. And so today I'm going to be dealing with the third part and show you the difference, Lord willing, between free will and what is known as freedom of the will or free agency. Notice John chapter 5, beginning there in verse 32. Our Lord says,

Scripture Reading — John 5:32-47

"There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me."

"Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?"

Well, you will remember I showed you in the very first message from John chapter 5, the many witnesses that our Lord had. He referred to John for the benefit of those people, but He only appealed to His own works and to the Father and to the Scripture. God only appeals to Himself. So, the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit who inspired the Scriptures. And the truth of the matter is, that I've pointed out very clearly, in light of all the abundant evidence, in light of all the truthful witnesses, man's will is still locked in rebellion against God. And in light of all those witnesses, our Lord still looked at those people and said, "You will not come to me that you might have life." In the second message, we looked to the latter part of John chapter 5, and I showed you the three charges that God brought against these people, where He said very obviously, "You have not his word abiding in you." That was the first charge. "You have not his love abiding in you."

And of course, they were seeking the honor of man. And the result of all of those, they refused to come to Christ. They refused to believe. So clearly then, man's will is locked in stubborn rebellion to God.

Quotes on Free Will

Spurgeon, Luther, and Calvin are quoted to show that free will cannot lead to salvation and that grace is necessary for liberty.

Now, Charles Haddon Spurgeon said this, "Free will has carried many a soul to hell, but never a soul to heaven." Martin Luther said, "If any man doth ascribe of salvation even the very least, to the free will of man, he knoweth nothing of grace, and hath not learned Jesus Christ aright." And John Calvin said, "The human will does not by liberty obtain grace, but by grace obtains liberty."

Definition of Free Will

Free will is defined theologically as man's autonomous ability to turn to or away from God for salvation, as articulated by Erasmus.

Now, before I get started today, I want to remind you of the definition of free will. And let me just say again, this is not my definition. You will hear it from those who advocate that theory. But the term free will, used theologically, refers to the concept that man of his own ability and upon his own power may turn to God or away from God. In other words, they advocate that it is man and his right and power to choose to do that whichever he decides. So the concept of free will, especially in relationship to salvation, is succinctly set forth by Erasmus in his dissertation, and he said this in chapter 2, section 13. Here's their definition, not mine. "By freedom of the will, we understand in this connection the power of the human will, whereby man can apply to or turn away from that which leads to eternal salvation." So their very definition says that man has the ability to apply himself to salvation, or he has the power ability to turn away. So in relation then to soteriology, which is the doctrine of salvation, free will then is that concept of the will whereby the will of man is regarded as autonomous, that is independent and undetermined and therefore capable of willing either good or bad apart from any conditioning by moral or religious character.

The Sovereignty of God vs. Free Will

Weaver argues that free will dethrones God, making man sovereign, and contrasts this with biblical passages affirming God's absolute sovereignty.

Now I've heard preachers and I've heard Christians alike most of my life say something like this, that God cannot make anyone do anything. Those who hold that position believe that it is the unpardonable sin on the part of God to work in or upon the will of man. According to their theory, man must be absolutely free according to those who believe in free will. And I would just wonder if they've ever thought through that concept. Because if God cannot make man do anything, unless he wills to do it, have you ever wondered how God is going to get poor sinners to judgment? Because I am sure that sinners are not willing to be judged by God. So if God cannot work upon the will, if God cannot have His way, how's God going to get sinners to judgment? All I can say if you have such a concept of God, poor God, poor God. Because God then has to be hopeful that some will allow Him to save them, and then He has to be hopeful that the rest will allow Him to damn them.

Poor God. He is so helpless against His creatures. It appears from that standpoint, that the creature has usurped and become more powerful than the Creator, and the creature is now on the throne, and God is reduced to being a servant. Obviously, that is not what the Scripture teaches. I don't know whatever happened to the God of the Bible to profess in Christendom's thinking, because the God of the Bible is totally different from the God of modern man. In Daniel chapter 4, verses 34 and 35, listen to this,

Scripture Reading — Daniel 4:34-35

"At the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:"

are you listening?

Scripture Reading — Daniel 4:34-35

"...and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?"

The last time I read the Bible, Isaiah 46 and verse 10 was still there, where God says, "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." Last time I read the Bible, Revelation 4, verse 11 was still there where the word of God says, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

Charles Haddon Spurgeon rightfully said this, "Men will allow God to be everywhere except on his throne. They will allow him to be in his workshop to fashion worlds and to make stars. They will allow him to be in his armory to dispense his arms and to bestow his bounties. They will allow him to sustain the earth and bear up the pillars thereof or light the lamps of heaven or rule the waves of the ever moving ocean. But when God ascends his throne, His creatures then gnash their teeth, and when we proclaim and enthrone God, and His right to do as He wills with His own, and to dispose of His creatures as He thinks well, without consulting them in the matter, then it is that we are hissed and execrated, and then it is that men turn a deaf ear to us. For God on His throne is not the God that they love."

"They love Him anywhere better than they do when He sits with his scepter in his hand and his crown upon his head. But it is God upon the throne that we love to preach. It is God upon the throne and whom we trust." And certainly God is sovereign. A.W. Pink went a little bit farther and he made this statement. I want you to think about this because I believe Pink really hit the nail on the head when he said this. "The God of this 20th century," now we would say the 21st century, "the God of this 21st century no more resembles the supreme sovereign of holy writ than does the dim flickering of a candle, the glory of the midday sun. The God who is now talked about in the average pulpit, spoken of in the ordinary Sunday school, mentioned in much of the religious literature of the day, and preached in most so-called Bible conferences, is a figment of the human imagination, an invention of maudlin sentimentality."

Now listen, "The heathen outside the pale of Christendom form gods out of wood and stone, while the millions of heathen inside Christendom manufacture a god out of their own carnal mind. In reality, they are but atheists, for there is no other possible alternative between an absolutely supreme God and no God at all. A God whose will is resisted, whose designs are frustrated, whose purpose is checkmated, possesses no title to deity, and so far from being a fit object of worship, merits nothing but contempt." The God of the Bible is far different from the God of the masses. He is far different from the gods of the pagans. The sovereign God of heaven and earth is still on his throne. He has not abdicated his position, resigned his power, or subjected himself to the whims and will of fallen man. The sovereignty of God may be defined as the exercise of his supremacy, being infinitely elevated above the highest creature, He is the Most High, the Lord of heaven and earth, subject to none, influenced by none, absolutely independent. God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, and always as He pleases. None can thwart Him, none can hinder Him. Divine sovereignty means that God is God in fact, as well as in name, that He is on the throne of this universe, directing all things and working all things after the counsel of His own will.

And that is certainly true. According to the theory of free will, God has been dethroned, and man has been elevated to His position. Man has been made into a god. Much like the king of Babylon, and Lucifer of old, he has said in Isaiah 14, verses 13 through 14, "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." You see, according to free will, it is man that holds his own destiny in his hand. It is man that holds the key in his hand. It is man that makes the decision, and his decision is ultimate and final. According to free will, man can save himself by his decisions and by the exercise of his will. And according to the free will theory, he can make that decision whenever he pleases and whenever he chooses.

Biblical Evidence Against Free Will

Scriptures like Isaiah 55:6-7, Proverbs 1:24-31, and others show that man cannot find God by his own will; God may withdraw and not be found.

Now naturally all of this is contrary to the Word of God. For instance, if you would turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Isaiah chapter 55 and look at verses 6 and 7. And be ready to turn to a few other passages please. Look at Isaiah 55 at verses 6 and 7. How plainly this is stated. Isaiah 55 verse 6. Notice the word of God says this.

"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." Now I want you to note verse 6. The admonition is to seek the Lord while He may be found, indicating there is a time when He cannot be found, calling upon Him while He is near, indicating there is a time when He is not near. Obviously, if there is a time when God cannot be found, if there is a time when God is not near, then salvation is not in the hands of man. Man cannot find God and man cannot force God even with his will.

This should demonstrate abundantly and clearly that man's will is not in control. And there are plenty of passages in the Bible that indicate very clearly that man will call upon God and they will not find him. For instance, turn in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 1. Proverbs chapter 1. And notice if you would please beginning there with verse 24. Proverbs 1 and look at verse 24. And we're going to read through verse 31. Proverbs 1 verse 24. Look what God says.

"Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:" Look what God says to these people. "I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer." "They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices." What did God say? They'll call upon Me. But I'll not answer. They'll seek Me, but they're not going to find Me.

In Isaiah 59 verse 2, let me just quote it. Here's what God says, "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." When you get to Hosea 5 and verse 6, the Word of God says this,

Scripture Reading — Hosea 5:6

"They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find him." "He hath withdrawn himself from them."

Wow. They shall seek Him. And they're going to worship. They're going to sacrifice. But they will not find Him. He has withdrawn Himself from them. In Micah 3 and verse 4, God says, "Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings." God said, you're going to seek me, but you're not going to find me.

Now, clearly, man may endeavor to use his will during these times, but his will will prove absolutely useless. Man's will is not supreme. It is not sovereign, never has been, never will be. And man has never ever saved himself by his will. As Spurgeon correctly said, "Free will may take a man to hell, but it will not take a man to heaven." Spurgeon also said this, and I love it. He said, "Free will I've often heard of, but I've never seen it."

Four Philosophical Impossibilities of Free Will

Weaver presents four requirements for free will (awareness of alternatives, reliable criterion, will to choose best, power to achieve) and shows from Scripture that fallen man fails each.

Now, philosophically, as well as biblically, for a man to have a free will, there must be four concepts that have to be absolutely substantiated. I'm going to go over these four concepts very quickly and show you the absolute impossibility of it. First, for free will to exist, for it to be true, man must first of all have an awareness of the alternatives to be chosen. Now stop and think about this. If my will is free, first of all I must have an awareness of the alternatives to be chosen.

Now someone is going to say, well, we can get around that very simply. Because all we have to do is tell fallen man, unsaved man, about heaven and hell. And then once we tell him about salvation in Christ, and we tell him about the just punishment and penalty of his sin, then he has awareness of the alternatives to be chosen. Well, my response to that is it's not quite that simple. Why? Because there's a vast difference between intellectual knowledge and spiritual knowledge. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 2. And look with me please at verse 14. Let me show you the difference between intellectual knowledge and spiritual knowledge. 1 Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 14, and I want you to look particularly at what the Apostle Paul says concerning the natural man, and when he uses the term natural man he's referring to man by nature, that is fallen man, unsaved man, and look what he says. 1 Corinthians 2 verse 14, "But the natural man" that is the unsaved man, fallen man, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 2:14

" Now what did Paul just get out of his mouth? The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. Then he says, "

neither can he know them.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 2:14

" He does not have the ability to know them. Why? Because they are spiritually discerned.

There's a difference between me giving you facts or even me quoting scriptures and you understanding those scriptures. And if you will turn in your Bibles very quickly to Romans chapter 8. And look if you would please beginning there with verse 6. Romans 8 verse 6. Just again showing you the impossibility of a natural man even being aware of the alternatives to be chosen. For Romans 8, look in verse 6. The apostle writes,

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:6-8

"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

Now here it is in verse 7.

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:6-8

"Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."

What did he just say about the mind of man? It is not in subjection to the law of God, neither indeed can be. What's he saying? Man by nature cannot understand spiritual things. Do you not remember, even our Lord in John 3 and verse 3 looked at Nicodemus and said, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

That is, he has no perception of it. He has no comprehension of it. He has no understanding of it. Now, if we just took these three passages, John 3, Romans 8, and of course 1 Corinthians chapter 2, then let's ask this question. How does one that cannot see the kingdom of God, one that thinks spiritual things are foolishness, and one that does not have the ability to know spiritual truth, and one whose mind is absolute, total hatred against God and God's law, how can that mind have an awareness of the alternatives to be chosen? Because it cannot see. It cannot comprehend. It cannot understand. And as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2 and verse 14, "neither can he know them." Because they're spiritually discerned. So Paul says the natural man has no ability to discern spiritual things in and of himself.

So free will fails on this very first principle. Secondly, for free will to exist, there must not only be an awareness of the alternatives to be chosen, there must secondly be a reliable criterion to base that choice upon. So let me ask you a question. What will a depraved, fallen, sinful man use as his criterion for choosing? Well, let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 4. And look if you would please at verse 17. Ephesians 4 verse 17. Let me show you the criterion that the fallen man would use to judge his alternatives. Ephesians 4 verse 17.

"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind," that is the uselessness, the worthlessness of their mind. Here it is. "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." What did the Apostle Paul say about the mind of man? It's ignorant. It's blind. It's useless. It's worthless. He went on to say in verse 19, "Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." What does fallen man want? He wants sin. He wants his flesh satisfied. When you get to 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 5, listen to this.

The scripture says, "Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness." Now the scripture talks about men of corrupt minds who are destitute of the truth. They have no truth. So here, in the second part, free will fails again. Because man does not have the ability to perceive the alternatives to be chosen, and secondly, he does not have a reliable criterion to even be aware of those alternatives, because his criterion is his own corrupt, depraved mind. Thirdly, in order for the will to be free, it must have the will to seek and to choose the best alternatives. I want you to go back to Romans chapter 7. I want you to see what the apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 7. And let's begin reading there in verse 18. Romans 7. Notice, if you would please, in verse 18. Not only must there be an awareness of the alternatives to be chosen. There must be a reliable criterion to base a choice upon. And there must be the will to seek and to choose the very best alternative. So in Romans 7 and verse 18, the apostle Paul says,

Scripture Reading — Romans 7:18-19

"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not."

Watch, then he goes on to say,

Scripture Reading — Romans 7:18-19

"For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do."

Ah, what in the world is Paul saying? Paul is saying very clearly that he does not have the ability in and of himself to choose that which is good. Here's why. Go back in your Bible to Romans chapter 3. Look at what he wrote there beginning with verse 10. Romans 3 verse 10. "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God."

"They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." What? No one does good of his own. No, not one. No one understands of his own. No one seeks after good on his own. No one is righteous on his own. No, not one. Fallen man does not have the will to seek and to choose the best.

His will is to sin and to do that which pleases himself and satisfies himself. His will is in bondage to sin and his will fails again. Fourthly, for free will to exist and be true, one must not only have an awareness of the alternatives to be chosen, he must not only have a reliable criterion, he must not only have the will to actually seek and to choose the best alternative, but fourthly, he must have the power to achieve that which was chosen. Now as you turn to John chapter 6, let me point this out. John chapter 6. He must have the actual power to choose that which was chosen, or to achieve that which was chosen. Do you realize, and those who know me should smile at this, I could will to be a wonderful musician and a very talented opera singer. I see you're not smiling, you're laughing. But there is no power in my will to achieve musical ability or especially to have a good voice. I could will myself to be a multi-millionaire. I'm not. If I don't have the power to achieve what I will, my will is not free. My will is limited. It is tied. It is bound. You have to have power to achieve if that will is going to be free.

Now, let me make a scenario for you. Let's just say that a sinner does hear of the alternatives. Let's say he does base his choice of the alternatives upon the Bible instead of his own corrupt mind. And let's just say that he does choose the best alternative, that he really chooses to be saved and to come to Christ. Look in John 6 and verse 44 at what our Lord said.

Scripture Reading — John 6:44

"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."

Did you hear what our Lord said?

Scripture Reading — John 6:44

"No man can come unto me."

The sinner, even if he had the ability to do the other three, still does not have the ability to do the fourth. For our Lord says,

Scripture Reading — John 6:44

"No man can come unto me, except the Father which sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."

You have to remember that "can" is a term of ability. "May" is a term of permission. Are sinners invited to Christ?

Yes, they are. But an invitation does not imply ability. You remember what our Lord said in Mark 10. I've given you this recently. You remember that rich young ruler who came running to our Lord and knelt and said, "Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" And our Lord told him a number of things. And finally, he said, "Go and sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor, and come, take up the cross, and follow me." And the young man went away extremely anguished and sorrowful. Why?

For he had great riches. He was not willing to give them up. Then our Lord looked at His disciples and said, "Children, how hardly shall a rich man enter into the kingdom of God." And the disciples asked Him, "Who then can be saved?" And our Lord responded like this in verse 27, I mark it, "With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." The question is, who then can be saved? Our Lord said, with men it, salvation is impossible. Man does not have the power to save himself. He does not have the power to help save himself. Since you're in John, go back to John 1. I quoted this in the very first message. But let me show it to you in light of this. Look at John 1, verses 11 through 13. John 1, verse 11.

Scripture Reading — John 1:11-13

"He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"

Now look.

Scripture Reading — John 1:11-13

"Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Now, if you leave those negatives out, you can read verse 12,

Scripture Reading — John 1:11-13

"...but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, who were born of God."

After He tells you, it is not of blood, it is not of the will of the flesh, it is not of the will of man, positively, it is of God.

So, obviously, free will fails again. If you consider these four principles, free will cannot possibly be free. Not theologically, not philosophically, not in any way whatsoever.

The Fourfold State of Man

Using Thomas Boston's framework, Weaver explains man's state in innocence, nature, grace, and glory, demonstrating that only Adam had free will and that fallen man's will is in bondage.

Now, I think one of the easiest concepts to grasp, to really understand the problem, is when you consider the fourfold state of man. Years ago, Thomas Boston, an old Puritan, wrote a book that I have at my library. The title of the book is The Fourfold State of Man. And the book's about this thick. It's not a very large book, but it's a very scriptural book. And all Thomas Boston does in that book, which I'm going to summarize for you in just a few minutes, is tell you the different states of man. And there are four states of man. And man is totally and absolutely and completely different in each one of these states. So, first of all, let's consider man in the Garden of Eden, or some would say in the state of innocency, because you remember that God created man upright, and Adam was created with original righteousness, holiness, knowledge, and dominion. I could state this, if you really wanted to consider free will, Adam would have been the only individual who ever had it.

Because Adam did have the ability to please God. He walked with God. But unhappily, Adam was created mutable, that is changeable. So Adam could not only please God, Adam could also sin and displease God. And you know what Adam did. Adam sinned and rebelled against God, and God kicked him out of the garden.

Now, if you're going to talk about free will, I want you to think about something for a second. Adam, the only man who ever had free will, in a perfect environment, with no sin, and no peer pressure, used his free will to sin against God. And God drove Adam out of the garden. When God drove Adam out, that is the second stage of man, that is the fallen state, or the state of nature, or man by nature. So what Adam was in the garden, he is no more. Adam lost his ability to please God. God drove him out. Adam died.

Spiritually first, and then physically later. That's why Romans 5 says, "as in Adam," and in 1 Corinthians 15, "as in Adam all die." There was no death until Adam sinned against God. When God drove him out, here's the second state of man. Adam sinned. He was cursed of God. He lost his ability to please God. His entire being, including his will, is now in bondage and captivity to sin. What can man in a state of nature do? Here's the answer. He can sin. And he freely chooses to sin. He wills to sin. He wants to sin. But he cannot freely choose to be saved or to be holy or to be obedient. Why? We read it earlier. "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." There is no ability in us to please God. Why? Because the carnal mind is enmity against God. It's not subject to the law of God. Neither indeed can be. So Adam in the state of nature is not the same thing that he was in the state of innocence here in the garden.

Thirdly, you have man in the state of grace, where God in His grace and mercy does save. Now most of us here probably are Christians, we've been saved by the grace of God. Guess what? God has now given us a renewed ability to please Him. In fact, we've been commanded to walk pleasing unto the Lord. Isn't that amazing? We who have been saved by grace can now please God. But there's one problem.

We can also still displease him. So here we are in a state of grace and we're struggling like the Apostle Paul. When we say to will that which is good, that's what I want to do. But unhappily, that's not what I do all the time. So here you have three states of man. Man in the garden with a free will and he used that will to sin. Man in the state of nature where his will is in bondage to his sin. Man in the state of grace where his will now has been released from its bondage and he now has the ability to please God but he can also displease Him. And then fourthly you have the state of glory where our wills will be fixed and we will never ever sin again.

Now the problem is this. The great deception that arises from this fact is that philosophers and theologians and many Christians try to make man in the state of nature exactly like man in the state of innocency and it's two totally different states. Just like it's two totally different states between the state of nature and the state of grace. Just like it's two totally different states between the state of grace and the state of glory. Man is not the same as when he was in the Garden of Eden. It's impossible. Because man fell. He sinned. He became totally depraved. And man is not the same in any four of these states. He is different in each one. Since the fall of man, man does not have free will. Man's will is not free and it cannot be free.

Now the Bible does teach what is known as freedom of will or free agency. I will explain that. And the concept of freedom of will is vastly different from the concept of free will. You've got to remember what free will teaches is that man in his own power, of his own ability, of his own will, can choose to be saved or he can turn away from God. It's all his choice. It's all up to him. Simply stated, that concept says that man has the power to initiate salvation on his own, which of course is contrary to the Word of God. Now what do I mean when I talk about free agency or freedom of will? Here's all that concept means. It means that every creature is free to act out its own nature. Every creature is free to act out its own nature.

Free Agency vs. Free Will

Weaver defines free agency as the freedom to act according to one's nature; fallen man freely sins, but only God's grace can change his nature and make him willing to come to Christ.

Now, I want you to think with me. When I say that freedom of will or free agency, all it means is that every creature is free to act out its own nature. Do you realize that a bird is free to fly in the air? A bird can fly anywhere he wants to in the air. That's the nature of a bird, to fly. But a bird is not free to fly underwater. He is not free to fly under dirt. If you don't believe that, you go catch a bird, dig a hole, pile dirt on him, and he will not fly. He will die. A bird is only free to fly in the air. A fish is free to swim in the water. He's not free to swim in the air. He's not free to swim under dirt. Go catch a fish, dig a hole, pile dirt on him. He will not swim. He will die. Because his freedom is only in the water. Just like a bird's freedom is only in the air. Now, does man have freedom of will by nature?

And the answer is absolutely sure. Yes. He is free to act out his own nature. What is his nature? It's a sinful nature. What will he do? He will sin. He will do it willingly, gladly, readily, voluntarily. He will do it. I don't care what his sin is that he chooses. It could be drunkenness, it could be fornication, it could be religiosity, it could be pride, it could be theft, whatever, but he's free to act out his will and his nature. And his nature is that of a sinner. And that's exactly what he's going to do. You ask this question, why do men sin? And the answer is because they're sinners and you cannot stop them from sinning. They're just acting out their nature.

Now, let me show you or try to draw you a picture of how free a fallen man is. If you can envision in your mind a 4 by 4 cell, metal walls, and attached to one of those walls, would be three foot chains. If you take the sinner and shackle his hands and his feet with those three foot chains, he's free. He's free to move as far as those three foot chains will allow him to move and those walls will allow him to move, but no further. He's free to move within that four by four cell. He's free to move with those three foot chains, but only as far as those chains and those walls will allow him to go. Do you realize a sinner is exactly like that? But his chains are spiritual. You cannot see them. Sinners are bound exactly the same way. The only difference is their chains are spiritual. Their walls are spiritual. We may not see them, but they're there. A sinner is free to sin, and he does so heartily.

His mind, heart, will, energy, everything in him encourages him to sin and encourages him to indulge his lusts and his desires, and he does so with his whole heart. He wants it. He wills it. He loves it. And you know what he's doing? He's just acting out his nature. That's all. It's the nature of a sinner to sin.

Now, let me go a little bit further. Suppose you looked out the door and you saw something and you hollered at me and said, "Pastor, Pastor, get over here quickly and look at this, look, look." And I reply as I'm walking slowly, "What is it?" And you say, "It's water. It's running downhill." And I just kind of smile and say, "Well, I don't have to hurry. I've seen water run downhill plenty of times. It's the nature of water. Water takes the course of least resistance. You know, I don't have to hurry about that. I don't even have to see it. I've seen it too many times." But suppose you called me and said, "Pastor, Pastor, get over here quickly. Look at this."

And I said, "What is it?" And you say, "Water is running uphill and there is no pump. There's no mechanical device. There's nothing pushing it. It's running uphill on its own." I'm going to run to that door because I want to see that. That is something contrary to nature. It has to be an act of God. The power of God has to be involved. Because water does not run uphill naturally by itself. It runs downhill. Now, you look out the door again and you say, "Pastor, Pastor, get over here and look at this."

And I ask, "What is it?" "Well, it's that old drunk that we've seen for the last five years stumbling down the road. He's drunk as a skunk and he's still stumbling. He's disheveled. He's unclean. He stinks. Come over here and look at this drunk." And I say, "I don't have to look at that drunk. I've seen plenty of them in my time. It's his nature to be drunk. He's a drunk!" But suppose you call me and say, "Pastor, Pastor, get over here quickly and look out this door." And I say, "Why?" Well, you say, "You know that old drunk that used to walk by here every day? Well, he's now sober."

"He has on a suit. He's clean. He's singing and whistling and he's telling other people about Jesus Christ." Now I want you to get over there and see that. Because that's against nature. Something has happened. There's been a direct intervention of God in his life that changed the course of his conduct and the course of his nature. Only God can do that. And I want to see that. You see, it's the nature of sinners to sin. But when a sinner repents and turns from his sins and bows to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and follows Him in obedience, something miraculous has happened. God has intervened in his life. Because by nature, sinners do not want God. By nature, they hate God. By nature, they don't want to obey God. They want to obey their own lusts. I want you to understand that God does not work against man's will, but He works in it and through man's will. God doesn't take a man.

God Works in the Will

God does not force man against his will but works in and through the will, making sinners willing by His power, as seen in Psalm 110:3 and Philippians 2:13.

and says, "You're going to heaven whether you like it or not." And the man's kicking and screaming and says, "But I want to sin, I want to go to hell." No, it doesn't work like that. God doesn't take a man and throw him by the seat of his pants in hell, and the man's screaming and hollering, "But I want to be holy, I want to be godly, I want to trust..." No, no, no. God doesn't work against the will, He works in the will, and through the will, a man is not saved against his will, but is made willing by a mighty operation of the Holy Spirit of God. That's why the Bible says in Psalm 110 and verse 3, are you listening? Talking about Christ, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." Who is it that makes us willing to come to Christ? It's God. You know what the Bible says in Philippians 2 and verse 13? "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." So when you see that old drunk that is now sober and now cleaned up, God has worked in his heart. It is God that works in us and through our wills. And if God did not do that, none of us would be saved. He makes us willing. It is God and God alone that enables us to desire Christ and His salvation. God opens our eyes.

He shows us our sins. He shows us our wickedness. He shows us our depravity. He shows us the just penalty of our sins. That we're doomed and damned without Him. And then in His grace and mercy, He opens our eyes and lets us see the beautifulness of Jesus Christ. And that He is the answer to all of our problems. And that His salvation is full and free.

And then He enables us, by giving us repentance to turn from our sins. He enables us by giving us faith to enable us to believe. He enables us by releasing our wills from its bondage to sin so that we may desire and want to come to Christ. It is not free will that we need. It's free grace. It's grace that makes us willing. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said this, "I feel persuaded that false doctrine, inasmuch as it touches God's sovereignty, is always an object of divine jealousy. Let me indicate especially the doctrines of free will. I know there are some good men who hold and preach them, but I am persuaded that the Lord must be grieved with their doctrine, though He forgives their sin of ignorance. Free will doctrine? What does it?"

Free Grace, Not Free Will

Weaver concludes that salvation is by free grace alone, quoting Spurgeon on the danger of free will doctrine, and ascribes all glory to God.

"It magnifies man into God. It declares God's purposes a nullity, since they cannot be carried out unless men are willing. It makes God's will a waiting servant to the will of man. And the whole covenant of grace depended upon human action. Denying election on the ground of injustice, it holds God to be a debtor to sinners, so that if He gives grace to one, He is bound to do so to all. It teaches that the blood of Christ was shed equally for all men since some are lost. This doctrine ascribes a difference to man's own will, thus making the atonement itself a powerless thing unless the will of man gives it efficacy. Those sentiments dilute the scriptural descriptions of man's depravity by imputing strength to fallen humanity, rob the Spirit of His glory and of His effectual grace. This theory says, in effect, that it is of him that willeth, and of him that runneth, and not of God that showeth mercy. Any doctrine, my brethren, which stands in opposition to this truth, 'I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,' provokes God's jealousy."

"Often tremble in this pulpit, lest I should utter anything which should oppose the sovereignty of my God. And though you know I am not ashamed to preach the responsibility of man to God, if God be sovereign, man must be bound to obey Him. And on the other hand, I'm equally bold to preach that God has a right to do what He wills with His own, and that He gives no account of His matters, and none may stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou? I believe that this freewill heresy assails the sovereignty of God and mars the glory of His dominion." "And all faithfulness mingled with sorrow, I persuade you who have been deluded by it to see well to your ways and receive the truth which God sets on high and lays the creature in the dust." And that is certainly true. When you stop and think, there is only one choice. It is either free will or free grace. As for me in my house, I choose to believe in the free grace of God and recognize that He is all in all. I choose to give Him the glory, the praise, and the honor for everything that He has done in my life. He chose me. He called me. He justified me. He saved me.

And in His time, He will glorify me. And I will ascribe every ounce of my salvation to His grace and His mercy to give Him glory and honor. For He's worthy of all honor and all glory. Free will or free grace? Give us grace. Give us grace. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You. We ask for Your grace and Your mercy in our lives. And Father, we do ascribe the whole of our salvation unto Thee.

Thou art the author and the finisher of our faith. Thou art the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and everything in between. And we give Thee glory today. Thank You. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Sovereignty of God

Summary: God is absolutely sovereign, doing as He pleases without being thwarted by man's will; free will doctrine dethrones God.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Daniel 4:34-35, Isaiah 46:10, Revelation 4:11, and Spurgeon's statement that men allow God everywhere except on His throne.

Bondage of the Will

Summary: Fallen man's will is not free but in bondage to sin; he cannot choose God or spiritual good apart from grace.

Evidence: Weaver cites 1 Corinthians 2:14, Romans 8:7, John 3:3, and Romans 3:10-12 to show man's inability.

Free Agency vs. Free Will

Summary: Man has free agency, meaning he freely acts according to his sinful nature, but this is not the autonomous free will of soteriology.

Evidence: Weaver explains that a bird flies in air, a fish swims in water; similarly, a sinner freely sins because it is his nature.

Necessity of Divine Grace

Summary: Salvation is entirely by God's grace; He must intervene to change man's nature and make him willing to come to Christ.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'It is not free will that we need. It's free grace,' and quotes Psalm 110:3 and Philippians 2:13.

The Fourfold State of Man

Summary: Man's condition differs in innocence, nature, grace, and glory; only in innocence did he have free will, which he lost at the fall.

Evidence: Weaver summarizes Thomas Boston's book, noting Adam's mutable state and the subsequent bondage of the will.

Inability of Man to Save Himself

Summary: Man lacks the awareness, criterion, will, and power to choose salvation; Christ said 'No man can come to me' (John 6:44).

Evidence: Weaver walks through four philosophical requirements and shows from Scripture that man fails each.

Key Arguments

Free will is philosophically impossible for fallen man

Summary: For free will to exist, man must have awareness of alternatives, a reliable criterion, the will to choose the best, and the power to achieve it; Scripture shows fallen man lacks all four.

Evidence: Weaver cites 1 Corinthians 2:14 (cannot know spiritual things), Ephesians 4:17-19 (darkened understanding), Romans 7:18-19 (cannot do good), and John 6:44 (no man can come).

Man's will is in bondage to sin

Summary: Since the fall, man's will is not free but enslaved to sin; he freely chooses sin but cannot choose God without grace.

Evidence: Weaver uses the analogy of a man chained in a cell, free to move only within limits, and cites Romans 8:7-8.

God's sovereignty is incompatible with free will

Summary: If man has free will, God is not sovereign; but Scripture declares God does all His pleasure and none can stay His hand.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Daniel 4:34-35 and Spurgeon's statement that 'Free will has carried many a soul to hell, but never a soul to heaven.'

Salvation is by free grace, not free will

Summary: The choice is between free will and free grace; Scripture teaches that God makes us willing and works in us to will and to do.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Psalm 110:3, Philippians 2:13, and Spurgeon's extended critique of free will doctrine.

The fourfold state of man disproves free will

Summary: Man's will differs in each state; only Adam had free will, which he used to sin; fallen man's will is bound, and only grace liberates it.

Evidence: Weaver explains Thomas Boston's framework, noting that trying to make fallen man like innocent Adam is a great deception.

Scripture References

John 5:32-47

Context: Weaver reads the passage as the basis for the series, highlighting Jesus' witnesses and the charge 'ye will not come to me.'

Daniel 4:34-35

Context: Quoted to show God's absolute sovereignty over all inhabitants of the earth; none can stay His hand.

Isaiah 46:10

Context: Cited to affirm that God declares the end from the beginning and does all His pleasure.

Revelation 4:11

Context: Used to show that all things were created for God's pleasure.

Isaiah 14:13-14

Context: Referenced to compare free will advocates to Lucifer, who sought to exalt himself to be like God.

Isaiah 55:6-7

Context: Quoted to show that there is a time when God may be found and a time when He is not, indicating salvation is not in man's hands.

Proverbs 1:24-31

Context: Read to demonstrate that God will not answer those who call on Him after rejecting His counsel.

Isaiah 59:2

Context: Quoted to show that sins separate from God so that He will not hear.

Hosea 5:6

Context: Cited to show that people may seek the Lord but not find Him because He has withdrawn.

Micah 3:4

Context: Quoted to show God hiding His face from those who cry to Him due to their evil deeds.

1 Corinthians 2:14

Context: Used to prove the natural man cannot receive or know spiritual things because they are spiritually discerned.

Romans 8:6-8

Context: Read to show the carnal mind is enmity against God and cannot be subject to His law.

John 3:3

Context: Quoted to show that unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 4:17-19

Context: Read to describe the futile, darkened understanding of the Gentiles, alienated from God.

1 Timothy 6:5

Context: Quoted to show men of corrupt minds destitute of the truth.

Romans 7:18-19

Context: Used to illustrate the inability to perform good even when willing, due to indwelling sin.

Romans 3:10-12

Context: Quoted to show none are righteous, none understand, none seek after God.

John 6:44

Context: Cited to prove that no man can come to Christ unless the Father draws him.

Mark 10:27

Context: Referenced to show that with men salvation is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

John 1:11-13

Context: Read to show that those who believe are born not of the will of man but of God.

Historical References

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Context: Quoted multiple times: 'Free will has carried many a soul to hell, but never a soul to heaven'; also his critique of free will doctrine and defense of God's sovereignty.

Martin Luther

Context: Quoted: 'If any man doth ascribe of salvation even the very least, to the free will of man, he knoweth nothing of grace, and hath not learned Jesus Christ aright.'

John Calvin

Context: Quoted: 'The human will does not by liberty obtain grace, but by grace obtains liberty.'

Erasmus

Context: His definition of free will from his dissertation is cited: 'By freedom of the will, we understand... the power of the human will, whereby man can apply to or turn away from that which leads to eternal salvation.'

A.W. Pink

Context: Quoted on the modern conception of God as a figment of imagination, contrasting with the sovereign God of Scripture.

Augustus Toplady

Context: Quoted: 'A man's free will cannot even cure him of a toothache or a sore finger, and yet he madly thinks it is in his power to cure his soul.'

Thomas Boston

Context: His book 'The Fourfold State of Man' is referenced as the source for the four states of man (innocence, nature, grace, glory).

Important Quotes

Free will has carried many a soul to hell, but never a soul to heaven.

Significance: Spurgeon's concise statement that free will cannot lead to salvation, only to damnation.

If any man doth ascribe of salvation even the very least, to the free will of man, he knoweth nothing of grace, and hath not learned Jesus Christ aright.

Significance: Luther's assertion that attributing any part of salvation to free will denies grace.

The human will does not by liberty obtain grace, but by grace obtains liberty.

Significance: Calvin's teaching that true freedom comes from grace, not the will.

Men will allow God to be everywhere except on his throne.

Significance: Spurgeon's observation that people reject God's sovereignty while accepting His other attributes.

The God of this 21st century no more resembles the supreme sovereign of holy writ than does the dim flickering of a candle, the glory of the midday sun.

Significance: A.W. Pink's critique of the modern, diminished view of God.

A man's free will cannot even cure him of a toothache or a sore finger, and yet he madly thinks it is in his power to cure his soul.

Significance: Toplady's ironic remark on the impotence of the will in physical and spiritual matters.

It is not free will that we need. It's free grace.

Significance: Weaver's summary statement that grace, not autonomous will, is the need of sinners.

Discussion Questions

How does the definition of free will as 'the power to apply to or turn away from salvation' conflict with the biblical teaching on man's inability?

Context: Weaver contrasts Erasmus's definition with passages like 1 Corinthians 2:14 and John 6:44.

In what ways does the doctrine of free will diminish the sovereignty of God, according to Weaver?

Context: Weaver argues that free will makes man sovereign and God a servant, using Daniel 4:34-35 and Spurgeon's quotes.

Why does Weaver say that man cannot have an awareness of spiritual alternatives without the Holy Spirit?

Context: He explains the difference between intellectual and spiritual knowledge using 1 Corinthians 2:14 and John 3:3.

How does the fourfold state of man help clarify the nature of the will in different conditions?

Context: Weaver summarizes Thomas Boston's framework, showing that only Adam had free will, which he lost at the fall.

What is the difference between free will and free agency, and how does free agency explain human responsibility?

Context: Weaver defines free agency as acting according to one's nature, using analogies of birds, fish, and a chained prisoner.

How does God work in the human will without violating it, according to Psalm 110:3 and Philippians 2:13?

Context: Weaver explains that God makes sinners willing by His power, not by coercion.

Why does Spurgeon say that free will doctrine 'provokes God's jealousy'?

Context: Weaver reads Spurgeon's extended critique, which argues free will robs God of glory and makes the atonement powerless.

Applications

Ascribe all salvation to God's grace

Summary: Believers should give God all glory for their salvation, recognizing it is entirely by His grace, not their will.

Evidence: Weaver concludes, 'I will ascribe every ounce of my salvation to His grace and His mercy to give Him glory and honor.'

Reject the free will heresy

Summary: Christians should reject the doctrine of free will as it assaults God's sovereignty and robs Him of glory.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Spurgeon: 'I believe that this freewill heresy assails the sovereignty of God and mars the glory of His dominion.'

Understand the nature of true conversion

Summary: Recognize that a changed life (like the drunk becoming sober) is a miraculous work of God, not mere human decision.

Evidence: Weaver uses the analogy of water running uphill to illustrate that conversion is against nature and requires divine intervention.

Pray for God to make sinners willing

Summary: Since only God can release the will from bondage, believers should pray for His effectual grace in the lives of the lost.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'It is God and God alone that enables us to desire Christ and His salvation.'

Trust in God's sovereign timing for salvation

Summary: Isaiah 55:6 teaches to seek the Lord while He may be found, implying urgency and dependence on His timing.

Evidence: Weaver points out that there is a time when God cannot be found, so salvation is not in man's hands.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T21:05:18Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:15:47Z

Clean Transcript

The Terrible Sin of Man Part 3 of 3

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

John chapter 5, and we're talking about the terrible sin of man, which of course is the fact that he will not come to Christ. And so today I'm going to be dealing with the third part and show you the difference, Lord willing, between free will and what is known as freedom of the will or free agency. Notice John chapter 5, beginning there in verse 32. Our Lord says, "There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me."
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"Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?"
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Well, you will remember I showed you in the very first message from John chapter 5, the many witnesses that our Lord had. He referred to John for the benefit of those people, but He only appealed to His own works and to the Father and to the Scripture. God only appeals to Himself. So, the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit who inspired the Scriptures. And the truth of the matter is, that I've pointed out very clearly, in light of all the abundant evidence, in light of all the truthful witnesses, man's will is still locked in rebellion against God. And in light of all those witnesses, our Lord still looked at those people and said, "You will not come to me that you might have life." In the second message, we looked to the latter part of John chapter 5, and I showed you the three charges that God brought against these people, where He said very obviously, "You have not his word abiding in you." That was the first charge. "You have not his love abiding in you."
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And of course, they were seeking the honor of man. And the result of all of those, they refused to come to Christ. They refused to believe. So clearly then, man's will is locked in stubborn rebellion to God.
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Now, Charles Haddon Spurgeon said this, "Free will has carried many a soul to hell, but never a soul to heaven." Martin Luther said, "If any man doth ascribe of salvation even the very least, to the free will of man, he knoweth nothing of grace, and hath not learned Jesus Christ aright." And John Calvin said, "The human will does not by liberty obtain grace, but by grace obtains liberty."
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Now, before I get started today, I want to remind you of the definition of free will. And let me just say again, this is not my definition. You will hear it from those who advocate that theory. But the term free will, used theologically, refers to the concept that man of his own ability and upon his own power may turn to God or away from God. In other words, they advocate that it is man and his right and power to choose to do that whichever he decides. So the concept of free will, especially in relationship to salvation, is succinctly set forth by Erasmus in his dissertation, and he said this in chapter 2, section 13. Here's their definition, not mine. "By freedom of the will, we understand in this connection the power of the human will, whereby man can apply to or turn away from that which leads to eternal salvation." So their very definition says that man has the ability to apply himself to salvation, or he has the power ability to turn away. So in relation then to soteriology, which is the doctrine of salvation, free will then is that concept of the will whereby the will of man is regarded as autonomous, that is independent and undetermined and therefore capable of willing either good or bad apart from any conditioning by moral or religious character.
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Now I've heard preachers and I've heard Christians alike most of my life say something like this, that God cannot make anyone do anything. Those who hold that position believe that it is the unpardonable sin on the part of God to work in or upon the will of man. According to their theory, man must be absolutely free according to those who believe in free will. And I would just wonder if they've ever thought through that concept. Because if God cannot make man do anything, unless he wills to do it, have you ever wondered how God is going to get poor sinners to judgment? Because I am sure that sinners are not willing to be judged by God. So if God cannot work upon the will, if God cannot have His way, how's God going to get sinners to judgment? All I can say if you have such a concept of God, poor God, poor God. Because God then has to be hopeful that some will allow Him to save them, and then He has to be hopeful that the rest will allow Him to damn them.
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Poor God. He is so helpless against His creatures. It appears from that standpoint, that the creature has usurped and become more powerful than the Creator, and the creature is now on the throne, and God is reduced to being a servant. Obviously, that is not what the Scripture teaches. I don't know whatever happened to the God of the Bible to profess in Christendom's thinking, because the God of the Bible is totally different from the God of modern man.
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In Daniel chapter 4, verses 34 and 35, listen to this, "At the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:" are you listening? "...and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?" The last time I read the Bible, Isaiah 46 and verse 10 was still there, where God says, "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." Last time I read the Bible, Revelation 4, verse 11 was still there where the word of God says, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
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Charles Haddon Spurgeon rightfully said this, "Men will allow God to be everywhere except on his throne. They will allow him to be in his workshop to fashion worlds and to make stars. They will allow him to be in his armory to dispense his arms and to bestow his bounties. They will allow him to sustain the earth and bear up the pillars thereof or light the lamps of heaven or rule the waves of the ever moving ocean. But when God ascends his throne, His creatures then gnash their teeth, and when we proclaim and enthrone God, and His right to do as He wills with His own, and to dispose of His creatures as He thinks well, without consulting them in the matter, then it is that we are hissed and execrated, and then it is that men turn a deaf ear to us. For God on His throne is not the God that they love."
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"They love Him anywhere better than they do when He sits with his scepter in his hand and his crown upon his head. But it is God upon the throne that we love to preach. It is God upon the throne and whom we trust." And certainly God is sovereign. A.W. Pink went a little bit farther and he made this statement. I want you to think about this because I believe Pink really hit the nail on the head when he said this. "The God of this 20th century," now we would say the 21st century, "the God of this 21st century no more resembles the supreme sovereign of holy writ than does the dim flickering of a candle, the glory of the midday sun. The God who is now talked about in the average pulpit, spoken of in the ordinary Sunday school, mentioned in much of the religious literature of the day, and preached in most so-called Bible conferences, is a figment of the human imagination, an invention of maudlin sentimentality."
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Now listen, "The heathen outside the pale of Christendom form gods out of wood and stone, while the millions of heathen inside Christendom manufacture a god out of their own carnal mind. In reality, they are but atheists, for there is no other possible alternative between an absolutely supreme God and no God at all. A God whose will is resisted, whose designs are frustrated, whose purpose is checkmated, possesses no title to deity, and so far from being a fit object of worship, merits nothing but contempt." The God of the Bible is far different from the God of the masses. He is far different from the gods of the pagans. The sovereign God of heaven and earth is still on his throne.
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He has not abdicated his position, resigned his power, or subjected himself to the whims and will of fallen man. The sovereignty of God may be defined as the exercise of his supremacy, being infinitely elevated above the highest creature, He is the Most High, the Lord of heaven and earth, subject to none, influenced by none, absolutely independent. God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, and always as He pleases. None can thwart Him, none can hinder Him. Divine sovereignty means that God is God in fact, as well as in name, that He is on the throne of this universe, directing all things and working all things after the counsel of His own will.
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And that is certainly true. According to the theory of free will, God has been dethroned, and man has been elevated to His position. Man has been made into a god. Much like the king of Babylon, and Lucifer of old, he has said in Isaiah 14, verses 13 through 14, "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." You see, according to free will, it is man that holds his own destiny in his hand. It is man that holds the key in his hand. It is man that makes the decision, and his decision is ultimate and final. According to free will, man can save himself by his decisions and by the exercise of his will. And according to the free will theory, he can make that decision whenever he pleases and whenever he chooses.
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Now naturally all of this is contrary to the Word of God. For instance, if you would turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Isaiah chapter 55 and look at verses 6 and 7. And be ready to turn to a few other passages please. Look at Isaiah 55 at verses 6 and 7. How plainly this is stated. Isaiah 55 verse 6. Notice the word of God says this.
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"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
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Now I want you to note verse 6. The admonition is to seek the Lord while He may be found, indicating there is a time when He cannot be found, calling upon Him while He is near, indicating there is a time when He is not near. Obviously, if there is a time when God cannot be found, if there is a time when God is not near, then salvation is not in the hands of man. Man cannot find God and man cannot force God even with his will.
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This should demonstrate abundantly and clearly that man's will is not in control. And there are plenty of passages in the Bible that indicate very clearly that man will call upon God and they will not find him. For instance, turn in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 1. Proverbs chapter 1. And notice if you would please beginning there with verse 24. Proverbs 1 and look at verse 24. And we're going to read through verse 31. Proverbs 1 verse 24. Look what God says.
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"Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:" Look what God says to these people. "I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer."
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"They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices." What did God say? They'll call upon Me. But I'll not answer. They'll seek Me, but they're not going to find Me.
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In Isaiah 59 verse 2, let me just quote it. Here's what God says, "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." When you get to Hosea 5 and verse 6, the Word of God says this, "They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find him."
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"He hath withdrawn himself from them." Wow. They shall seek Him. And they're going to worship. They're going to sacrifice. But they will not find Him. He has withdrawn Himself from them. In Micah 3 and verse 4, God says, "Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings." God said, you're going to seek me, but you're not going to find me.
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Now, clearly, man may endeavor to use his will during these times, but his will will prove absolutely useless. Man's will is not supreme. It is not sovereign, never has been, never will be. And man has never ever saved himself by his will. As Spurgeon correctly said, "Free will may take a man to hell, but it will not take a man to heaven." Spurgeon also said this, and I love it. He said, "Free will I've often heard of, but I've never seen it."
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"I've always met with will and plenty of it, but it's either been led captive by sin or held in the blessed bonds of grace." Augustus Toplady said, "A man's free will cannot even cure him of a toothache or a sore finger, and yet he madly thinks it is in his power to cure his soul."
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Now stop and think about that. We pray for people who have cancer. Why do they not will themselves to be free from cancer? We pray for people. Why does not God just will Himself to have His leg instantly healed? The will of man cannot do one thing but sin, which I'm going to point out a little bit later. So here's what I want to do. First of all, I want to demonstrate the absolute foolishness of the theory of free will in relationship to salvation. And secondly today, I want to be able to distinguish for you the difference between the theory of free will and what the Bible teaches concerning freedom of will or free agency. So first of all, I want to consider with you the impossibility of man's will being free.
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Now, philosophically, as well as biblically, for a man to have a free will, there must be four concepts that have to be absolutely substantiated. I'm going to go over these four concepts very quickly and show you the absolute impossibility of it. First, for free will to exist, for it to be true, man must first of all have an awareness of the alternatives to be chosen.
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Now stop and think about this. If my will is free, first of all I must have an awareness of the alternatives to be chosen.
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Now someone is going to say, well, we can get around that very simply. Because all we have to do is tell fallen man, unsaved man, about heaven and hell. And then once we tell him about salvation in Christ, and we tell him about the just punishment and penalty of his sin, then he has awareness of the alternatives to be chosen. Well, my response to that is it's not quite that simple. Why?
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Because there's a vast difference between intellectual knowledge and spiritual knowledge. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 2. And look with me please at verse 14. Let me show you the difference between intellectual knowledge and spiritual knowledge. 1 Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 14, and I want you to look particularly at what the Apostle Paul says concerning the natural man, and when he uses the term natural man he's referring to man by nature, that is fallen man, unsaved man, and look what he says. 1 Corinthians 2 verse 14, "But the natural man" that is the unsaved man, fallen man, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Now what did Paul just get out of his mouth? The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. Then he says, "neither can he know them." He does not have the ability to know them. Why? Because they are spiritually discerned.
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There's a difference between me giving you facts or even me quoting scriptures and you understanding those scriptures. And if you will turn in your Bibles very quickly to Romans chapter 8. And look if you would please beginning there with verse 6. Romans 8 verse 6. Just again showing you the impossibility of a natural man even being aware of the alternatives to be chosen. For Romans 8, look in verse 6.
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The apostle writes, "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Now here it is in verse 7. "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." What did he just say about the mind of man? It is not in subjection to the law of God, neither indeed can be. What's he saying? Man by nature cannot understand spiritual things. Do you not remember, even our Lord in John 3 and verse 3 looked at Nicodemus and said, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
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That is, he has no perception of it. He has no comprehension of it. He has no understanding of it.
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Now, if we just took these three passages, John 3, Romans 8, and of course 1 Corinthians chapter 2, then let's ask this question. How does one that cannot see the kingdom of God, one that thinks spiritual things are foolishness, and one that does not have the ability to know spiritual truth, and one whose mind is absolute, total hatred against God and God's law, how can that mind have an awareness of the alternatives to be chosen? Because it cannot see. It cannot comprehend. It cannot understand. And as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2 and verse 14, "neither can he know them." Because they're spiritually discerned. So Paul says the natural man has no ability to discern spiritual things in and of himself.
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So free will fails on this very first principle. Secondly, for free will to exist, there must not only be an awareness of the alternatives to be chosen, there must secondly be a reliable criterion to base that choice upon. So let me ask you a question. What will a depraved, fallen, sinful man use as his criterion for choosing? Well, let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 4. And look if you would please at verse 17. Ephesians 4 verse 17. Let me show you the criterion that the fallen man would use to judge his alternatives. Ephesians 4 verse 17.
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"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind," that is the uselessness, the worthlessness of their mind. Here it is. "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." What did the Apostle Paul say about the mind of man? It's ignorant. It's blind. It's useless. It's worthless. He went on to say in verse 19, "Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." What does fallen man want? He wants sin. He wants his flesh satisfied. When you get to 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 5, listen to this.
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The scripture says, "Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness." Now the scripture talks about men of corrupt minds who are destitute of the truth. They have no truth. So here, in the second part, free will fails again. Because man does not have the ability to perceive the alternatives to be chosen, and secondly, he does not have a reliable criterion to even be aware of those alternatives, because his criterion is his own corrupt, depraved mind. Thirdly, in order for the will to be free, it must have the will to seek and to choose the best alternatives.
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I want you to go back to Romans chapter 7. I want you to see what the apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 7. And let's begin reading there in verse 18. Romans 7. Notice, if you would please, in verse 18. Not only must there be an awareness of the alternatives to be chosen. There must be a reliable criterion to base a choice upon. And there must be the will to seek and to choose the very best alternative. So in Romans 7 and verse 18, the apostle Paul says, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." Watch, then he goes on to say, "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." Ah, what in the world is Paul saying? Paul is saying very clearly that he does not have the ability in and of himself to choose that which is good. Here's why. Go back in your Bible to Romans chapter 3. Look at what he wrote there beginning with verse 10. Romans 3 verse 10. "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God."
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"They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." What? No one does good of his own. No, not one. No one understands of his own. No one seeks after good on his own. No one is righteous on his own. No, not one. Fallen man does not have the will to seek and to choose the best.
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His will is to sin and to do that which pleases himself and satisfies himself. His will is in bondage to sin and his will fails again.
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Fourthly, for free will to exist and be true, one must not only have an awareness of the alternatives to be chosen, he must not only have a reliable criterion, he must not only have the will to actually seek and to choose the best alternative, but fourthly, he must have the power to achieve that which was chosen.
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Now as you turn to John chapter 6, let me point this out. John chapter 6. He must have the actual power to choose that which was chosen, or to achieve that which was chosen. Do you realize, and those who know me should smile at this, I could will to be a wonderful musician and a very talented opera singer. I see you're not smiling, you're laughing. But there is no power in my will to achieve musical ability or especially to have a good voice. I could will myself to be a multi-millionaire. I'm not. If I don't have the power to achieve what I will, my will is not free. My will is limited. It is tied. It is bound. You have to have power to achieve if that will is going to be free.
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Now, let me make a scenario for you. Let's just say that a sinner does hear of the alternatives. Let's say he does base his choice of the alternatives upon the Bible instead of his own corrupt mind. And let's just say that he does choose the best alternative, that he really chooses to be saved and to come to Christ. Look in John 6 and verse 44 at what our Lord said. "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." Did you hear what our Lord said? "No man can come unto me." The sinner, even if he had the ability to do the other three, still does not have the ability to do the fourth. For our Lord says, "No man can come unto me, except the Father which sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." You have to remember that "can" is a term of ability. "May" is a term of permission. Are sinners invited to Christ?
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Yes, they are. But an invitation does not imply ability. You remember what our Lord said in Mark 10. I've given you this recently. You remember that rich young ruler who came running to our Lord and knelt and said, "Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" And our Lord told him a number of things. And finally, he said, "Go and sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor, and come, take up the cross, and follow me." And the young man went away extremely anguished and sorrowful. Why?
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For he had great riches. He was not willing to give them up. Then our Lord looked at His disciples and said, "Children, how hardly shall a rich man enter into the kingdom of God." And the disciples asked Him, "Who then can be saved?" And our Lord responded like this in verse 27, I mark it, "With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." The question is, who then can be saved? Our Lord said, with men it, salvation is impossible. Man does not have the power to save himself. He does not have the power to help save himself.
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Since you're in John, go back to John 1. I quoted this in the very first message. But let me show it to you in light of this. Look at John 1, verses 11 through 13. John 1, verse 11. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" Now look. "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Now, if you leave those negatives out, you can read verse 12, "...but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, who were born of God." After He tells you, it is not of blood, it is not of the will of the flesh, it is not of the will of man, positively, it is of God.
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So, obviously, free will fails again. If you consider these four principles, free will cannot possibly be free. Not theologically, not philosophically, not in any way whatsoever.
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Now, I think one of the easiest concepts to grasp, to really understand the problem, is when you consider the fourfold state of man. Years ago, Thomas Boston, an old Puritan, wrote a book that I have at my library. The title of the book is The Fourfold State of Man. And the book's about this thick. It's not a very large book, but it's a very scriptural book. And all Thomas Boston does in that book, which I'm going to summarize for you in just a few minutes, is tell you the different states of man. And there are four states of man. And man is totally and absolutely and completely different in each one of these states. So, first of all, let's consider man in the Garden of Eden, or some would say in the state of innocency, because you remember that God created man upright, and Adam was created with original righteousness, holiness, knowledge, and dominion. I could state this, if you really wanted to consider free will, Adam would have been the only individual who ever had it.
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Because Adam did have the ability to please God. He walked with God. But unhappily, Adam was created mutable, that is changeable. So Adam could not only please God, Adam could also sin and displease God. And you know what Adam did. Adam sinned and rebelled against God, and God kicked him out of the garden.
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Now, if you're going to talk about free will, I want you to think about something for a second. Adam, the only man who ever had free will, in a perfect environment, with no sin, and no peer pressure, used his free will to sin against God. And God drove Adam out of the garden. When God drove Adam out, that is the second stage of man, that is the fallen state, or the state of nature, or man by nature. So what Adam was in the garden, he is no more. Adam lost his ability to please God. God drove him out. Adam died.
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Spiritually first, and then physically later. That's why Romans 5 says, "as in Adam," and in 1 Corinthians 15, "as in Adam all die." There was no death until Adam sinned against God. When God drove him out, here's the second state of man. Adam sinned. He was cursed of God. He lost his ability to please God. His entire being, including his will, is now in bondage and captivity to sin. What can man in a state of nature do? Here's the answer. He can sin. And he freely chooses to sin. He wills to sin. He wants to sin. But he cannot freely choose to be saved or to be holy or to be obedient. Why? We read it earlier. "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." There is no ability in us to please God. Why? Because the carnal mind is enmity against God. It's not subject to the law of God. Neither indeed can be. So Adam in the state of nature is not the same thing that he was in the state of innocence here in the garden.
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Thirdly, you have man in the state of grace, where God in His grace and mercy does save. Now most of us here probably are Christians, we've been saved by the grace of God. Guess what? God has now given us a renewed ability to please Him. In fact, we've been commanded to walk pleasing unto the Lord. Isn't that amazing? We who have been saved by grace can now please God. But there's one problem.
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We can also still displease him.
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So here we are in a state of grace and we're struggling like the Apostle Paul. When we say to will that which is good, that's what I want to do. But unhappily, that's not what I do all the time. So here you have three states of man. Man in the garden with a free will and he used that will to sin. Man in the state of nature where his will is in bondage to his sin. Man in the state of grace where his will now has been released from its bondage and he now has the ability to please God but he can also displease Him. And then fourthly you have the state of glory where our wills will be fixed and we will never ever sin again.
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Now the problem is this. The great deception that arises from this fact is that philosophers and theologians and many Christians try to make man in the state of nature exactly like man in the state of innocency and it's two totally different states. Just like it's two totally different states between the state of nature and the state of grace. Just like it's two totally different states between the state of grace and the state of glory. Man is not the same as when he was in the Garden of Eden. It's impossible. Because man fell. He sinned. He became totally depraved. And man is not the same in any four of these states. He is different in each one. Since the fall of man, man does not have free will. Man's will is not free and it cannot be free.
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Now the Bible does teach what is known as freedom of will or free agency. I will explain that. And the concept of freedom of will is vastly different from the concept of free will. You've got to remember what free will teaches is that man in his own power, of his own ability, of his own will, can choose to be saved or he can turn away from God. It's all his choice. It's all up to him. Simply stated, that concept says that man has the power to initiate salvation on his own, which of course is contrary to the Word of God. Now what do I mean when I talk about free agency or freedom of will? Here's all that concept means. It means that every creature is free to act out its own nature. Every creature is free to act out its own nature.
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Now, I want you to think with me. When I say that freedom of will or free agency, all it means is that every creature is free to act out its own nature. Do you realize that a bird is free to fly in the air? A bird can fly anywhere he wants to in the air. That's the nature of a bird, to fly. But a bird is not free to fly underwater. He is not free to fly under dirt. If you don't believe that, you go catch a bird, dig a hole, pile dirt on him, and he will not fly. He will die. A bird is only free to fly in the air. A fish is free to swim in the water. He's not free to swim in the air. He's not free to swim under dirt. Go catch a fish, dig a hole, pile dirt on him. He will not swim. He will die. Because his freedom is only in the water. Just like a bird's freedom is only in the air. Now, does man have freedom of will by nature?
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And the answer is absolutely sure. Yes. He is free to act out his own nature. What is his nature? It's a sinful nature. What will he do? He will sin. He will do it willingly, gladly, readily, voluntarily. He will do it. I don't care what his sin is that he chooses. It could be drunkenness, it could be fornication, it could be religiosity, it could be pride, it could be theft, whatever, but he's free to act out his will and his nature. And his nature is that of a sinner. And that's exactly what he's going to do. You ask this question, why do men sin? And the answer is because they're sinners and you cannot stop them from sinning. They're just acting out their nature.
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Now, let me show you or try to draw you a picture of how free a fallen man is. If you can envision in your mind a 4 by 4 cell, metal walls, and attached to one of those walls, would be three foot chains. If you take the sinner and shackle his hands and his feet with those three foot chains, he's free. He's free to move as far as those three foot chains will allow him to move and those walls will allow him to move, but no further. He's free to move within that four by four cell. He's free to move with those three foot chains, but only as far as those chains and those walls will allow him to go. Do you realize a sinner is exactly like that? But his chains are spiritual. You cannot see them. Sinners are bound exactly the same way. The only difference is their chains are spiritual. Their walls are spiritual. We may not see them, but they're there. A sinner is free to sin, and he does so heartily.
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His mind, heart, will, energy, everything in him encourages him to sin and encourages him to indulge his lusts and his desires, and he does so with his whole heart. He wants it. He wills it. He loves it. And you know what he's doing? He's just acting out his nature. That's all. It's the nature of a sinner to sin.
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Now, let me go a little bit further. Suppose you looked out the door and you saw something and you hollered at me and said, "Pastor, Pastor, get over here quickly and look at this, look, look." And I reply as I'm walking slowly, "What is it?" And you say, "It's water. It's running downhill." And I just kind of smile and say, "Well, I don't have to hurry. I've seen water run downhill plenty of times. It's the nature of water. Water takes the course of least resistance. You know, I don't have to hurry about that. I don't even have to see it. I've seen it too many times." But suppose you called me and said, "Pastor, Pastor, get over here quickly. Look at this."
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And I said, "What is it?" And you say, "Water is running uphill and there is no pump. There's no mechanical device. There's nothing pushing it. It's running uphill on its own." I'm going to run to that door because I want to see that. That is something contrary to nature. It has to be an act of God. The power of God has to be involved. Because water does not run uphill naturally by itself. It runs downhill. Now, you look out the door again and you say, "Pastor, Pastor, get over here and look at this."
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And I ask, "What is it?" "Well, it's that old drunk that we've seen for the last five years stumbling down the road. He's drunk as a skunk and he's still stumbling. He's disheveled. He's unclean. He stinks. Come over here and look at this drunk." And I say, "I don't have to look at that drunk. I've seen plenty of them in my time. It's his nature to be drunk. He's a drunk!" But suppose you call me and say, "Pastor, Pastor, get over here quickly and look out this door." And I say, "Why?" Well, you say, "You know that old drunk that used to walk by here every day? Well, he's now sober."
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"He has on a suit. He's clean. He's singing and whistling and he's telling other people about Jesus Christ."
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Now I want you to get over there and see that. Because that's against nature. Something has happened. There's been a direct intervention of God in his life that changed the course of his conduct and the course of his nature. Only God can do that. And I want to see that. You see, it's the nature of sinners to sin. But when a sinner repents and turns from his sins and bows to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and follows Him in obedience, something miraculous has happened. God has intervened in his life. Because by nature, sinners do not want God. By nature, they hate God. By nature, they don't want to obey God. They want to obey their own lusts. I want you to understand that God does not work against man's will, but He works in it and through man's will. God doesn't take a man.
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and says, "You're going to heaven whether you like it or not." And the man's kicking and screaming and says, "But I want to sin, I want to go to hell." No, it doesn't work like that. God doesn't take a man and throw him by the seat of his pants in hell, and the man's screaming and hollering, "But I want to be holy, I want to be godly, I want to trust..." No, no, no. God doesn't work against the will, He works in the will, and through the will, a man is not saved against his will, but is made willing by a mighty operation of the Holy Spirit of God. That's why the Bible says in Psalm 110 and verse 3, are you listening?
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Talking about Christ, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." Who is it that makes us willing to come to Christ? It's God. You know what the Bible says in Philippians 2 and verse 13? "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." So when you see that old drunk that is now sober and now cleaned up, God has worked in his heart. It is God that works in us and through our wills. And if God did not do that, none of us would be saved. He makes us willing. It is God and God alone that enables us to desire Christ and His salvation. God opens our eyes.
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He shows us our sins. He shows us our wickedness. He shows us our depravity. He shows us the just penalty of our sins. That we're doomed and damned without Him. And then in His grace and mercy, He opens our eyes and lets us see the beautifulness of Jesus Christ. And that He is the answer to all of our problems. And that His salvation is full and free.
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And then He enables us, by giving us repentance to turn from our sins. He enables us by giving us faith to enable us to believe. He enables us by releasing our wills from its bondage to sin so that we may desire and want to come to Christ. It is not free will that we need. It's free grace. It's grace that makes us willing. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said this, "I feel persuaded that false doctrine, inasmuch as it touches God's sovereignty, is always an object of divine jealousy. Let me indicate especially the doctrines of free will. I know there are some good men who hold and preach them, but I am persuaded that the Lord must be grieved with their doctrine, though He forgives their sin of ignorance. Free will doctrine? What does it?"
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"It magnifies man into God. It declares God's purposes a nullity, since they cannot be carried out unless men are willing. It makes God's will a waiting servant to the will of man. And the whole covenant of grace depended upon human action. Denying election on the ground of injustice, it holds God to be a debtor to sinners, so that if He gives grace to one, He is bound to do so to all. It teaches that the blood of Christ was shed equally for all men since some are lost. This doctrine ascribes a difference to man's own will, thus making the atonement itself a powerless thing unless the will of man gives it efficacy. Those sentiments dilute the scriptural descriptions of man's depravity by imputing strength to fallen humanity, rob the Spirit of His glory and of His effectual grace. This theory says, in effect, that it is of him that willeth, and of him that runneth, and not of God that showeth mercy. Any doctrine, my brethren, which stands in opposition to this truth, 'I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,' provokes God's jealousy."
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"Often tremble in this pulpit, lest I should utter anything which should oppose the sovereignty of my God. And though you know I am not ashamed to preach the responsibility of man to God, if God be sovereign, man must be bound to obey Him. And on the other hand, I'm equally bold to preach that God has a right to do what He wills with His own, and that He gives no account of His matters, and none may stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou? I believe that this freewill heresy assails the sovereignty of God and mars the glory of His dominion."
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"And all faithfulness mingled with sorrow, I persuade you who have been deluded by it to see well to your ways and receive the truth which God sets on high and lays the creature in the dust." And that is certainly true. When you stop and think, there is only one choice. It is either free will or free grace. As for me in my house, I choose to believe in the free grace of God and recognize that He is all in all. I choose to give Him the glory, the praise, and the honor for everything that He has done in my life. He chose me. He called me. He justified me. He saved me.
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And in His time, He will glorify me. And I will ascribe every ounce of my salvation to His grace and His mercy to give Him glory and honor. For He's worthy of all honor and all glory. Free will or free grace? Give us grace. Give us grace. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You. We ask for Your grace and Your mercy in our lives. And Father, we do ascribe the whole of our salvation unto Thee.
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Thou art the author and the finisher of our faith. Thou art the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and everything in between. And we give Thee glory today. Thank You. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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Thou art the author and the finisher of our faith. Thou art the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and everything in between. And we give Thee glory today. Thank You. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T21:05:18Z

The Terrible Sin of Man Part 3 of 3

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this sermon, Pastor John Weaver contrasts the theological concept of free will with the biblical teaching of free agency. He argues that man's will is not free in the sense of autonomous ability to choose salvation, but is bound by a sinful nature. Using Scripture, he demonstrates that fallen man lacks the awareness, reliable criterion, will, and power to choose God apart from divine grace. He explains the fourfold state of man (innocence, nature, grace, glory) to show that only Adam had free will, which he used to sin. The sermon emphasizes that salvation is entirely of God's sovereign grace, who works in the will to make sinners willing to come to Christ.

Introduction and Review

Weaver reviews the previous two messages on John 5, highlighting the witnesses to Christ and the charges against those who refuse to come to Him, emphasizing man's will is locked in rebellion.

Scripture Reading — John 5:32-47

"There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me."

Quotes on Free Will

Spurgeon, Luther, and Calvin are quoted to show that free will cannot lead to salvation and that grace is necessary for liberty.

Definition of Free Will

Free will is defined theologically as man's autonomous ability to turn to or away from God for salvation, as articulated by Erasmus.

The Sovereignty of God vs. Free Will

Weaver argues that free will dethrones God, making man sovereign, and contrasts this with biblical passages affirming God's absolute sovereignty.

Scripture Reading — Daniel 4:34-35

"At the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:"

are you listening?

Scripture Reading — Daniel 4:34-35

"...and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?"

Biblical Evidence Against Free Will

Scriptures like Isaiah 55:6-7, Proverbs 1:24-31, and others show that man cannot find God by his own will; God may withdraw and not be found.

Scripture Reading — Hosea 5:6

"They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find him." "He hath withdrawn himself from them."

Four Philosophical Impossibilities of Free Will

Weaver presents four requirements for free will (awareness of alternatives, reliable criterion, will to choose best, power to achieve) and shows from Scripture that fallen man fails each.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 2:14

" Now what did Paul just get out of his mouth? The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. Then he says, "

neither can he know them.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 2:14

" He does not have the ability to know them. Why? Because they are spiritually discerned.

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:6-8

"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

Now here it is in verse 7.

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:6-8

"Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."

Scripture Reading — Romans 7:18-19

"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not."

Watch, then he goes on to say,

Scripture Reading — Romans 7:18-19

"For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do."

Scripture Reading — John 6:44

"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."

Did you hear what our Lord said?

Scripture Reading — John 6:44

"No man can come unto me."

The sinner, even if he had the ability to do the other three, still does not have the ability to do the fourth. For our Lord says,

Scripture Reading — John 6:44

"No man can come unto me, except the Father which sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."

You have to remember that "can" is a term of ability. "May" is a term of permission. Are sinners invited to Christ?

Scripture Reading — John 1:11-13

"He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"

Now look.

Scripture Reading — John 1:11-13

"Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Now, if you leave those negatives out, you can read verse 12,

Scripture Reading — John 1:11-13

"...but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, who were born of God."

After He tells you, it is not of blood, it is not of the will of the flesh, it is not of the will of man, positively, it is of God.

So, obviously, free will fails again. If you consider these four principles, free will cannot possibly be free. Not theologically, not philosophically, not in any way whatsoever.

The Fourfold State of Man

Using Thomas Boston's framework, Weaver explains man's state in innocence, nature, grace, and glory, demonstrating that only Adam had free will and that fallen man's will is in bondage.

Free Agency vs. Free Will

Weaver defines free agency as the freedom to act according to one's nature; fallen man freely sins, but only God's grace can change his nature and make him willing to come to Christ.

God Works in the Will

God does not force man against his will but works in and through the will, making sinners willing by His power, as seen in Psalm 110:3 and Philippians 2:13.

Free Grace, Not Free Will

Weaver concludes that salvation is by free grace alone, quoting Spurgeon on the danger of free will doctrine, and ascribes all glory to God.

The Terrible Sin of Man Part 3 of 3

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	qddi4huAH88
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Christ and the Churches
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-12-03
Dictation Name
Book	Book 185: The Terrible Sin of Man — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	74

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Review: Weaver reviews the previous two messages on John 5, highlighting the witnesses to Christ and the charges against those who refuse to come to Him, emphasizing man's will is locked in rebellion.
Quotes on Free Will: Spurgeon, Luther, and Calvin are quoted to show that free will cannot lead to salvation and that grace is necessary for liberty.
Definition of Free Will: Free will is defined theologically as man's autonomous ability to turn to or away from God for salvation, as articulated by Erasmus.
The Sovereignty of God vs. Free Will: Weaver argues that free will dethrones God, making man sovereign, and contrasts this with biblical passages affirming God's absolute sovereignty.
Biblical Evidence Against Free Will: Scriptures like Isaiah 55:6-7, Proverbs 1:24-31, and others show that man cannot find God by his own will; God may withdraw and not be found.
Four Philosophical Impossibilities of Free Will: Weaver presents four requirements for free will (awareness of alternatives, reliable criterion, will to choose best, power to achieve) and shows from Scripture that fallen man fails each.
The Fourfold State of Man: Using Thomas Boston's framework, Weaver explains man's state in innocence, nature, grace, and glory, demonstrating that only Adam had free will and that fallen man's will is in bondage.
Free Agency vs. Free Will: Weaver defines free agency as the freedom to act according to one's nature; fallen man freely sins, but only God's grace can change his nature and make him willing to come to Christ.
God Works in the Will: God does not force man against his will but works in and through the will, making sinners willing by His power, as seen in Psalm 110:3 and Philippians 2:13.
Free Grace, Not Free Will: Weaver concludes that salvation is by free grace alone, quoting Spurgeon on the danger of free will doctrine, and ascribes all glory to God.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Free will is philosophically impossible for fallen man

For free will to exist, man must have awareness of alternatives, a reliable criterion, the will to choose the best, and the power to achieve it; Scripture shows fallen man lacks all four.

Weaver cites 1 Corinthians 2:14 (cannot know spiritual things), Ephesians 4:17-19 (darkened understanding), Romans 7:18-19 (cannot do good), and John 6:44 (no man can come).

Man's will is in bondage to sin

Since the fall, man's will is not free but enslaved to sin; he freely chooses sin but cannot choose God without grace.

Weaver uses the analogy of a man chained in a cell, free to move only within limits, and cites Romans 8:7-8.

God's sovereignty is incompatible with free will

If man has free will, God is not sovereign; but Scripture declares God does all His pleasure and none can stay His hand.

Weaver quotes Daniel 4:34-35 and Spurgeon's statement that 'Free will has carried many a soul to hell, but never a soul to heaven.'

Salvation is by free grace, not free will

The choice is between free will and free grace; Scripture teaches that God makes us willing and works in us to will and to do.

Weaver quotes Psalm 110:3, Philippians 2:13, and Spurgeon's extended critique of free will doctrine.

The fourfold state of man disproves free will

Man's will differs in each state; only Adam had free will, which he used to sin; fallen man's will is bound, and only grace liberates it.

Weaver explains Thomas Boston's framework, noting that trying to make fallen man like innocent Adam is a great deception.

Scripture References

John 5:32-47: Weaver reads the passage as the basis for the series, highlighting Jesus' witnesses and the charge 'ye will not come to me.'
Daniel 4:34-35: Quoted to show God's absolute sovereignty over all inhabitants of the earth; none can stay His hand.
Isaiah 46:10: Cited to affirm that God declares the end from the beginning and does all His pleasure.
Revelation 4:11: Used to show that all things were created for God's pleasure.
Isaiah 14:13-14: Referenced to compare free will advocates to Lucifer, who sought to exalt himself to be like God.
Isaiah 55:6-7: Quoted to show that there is a time when God may be found and a time when He is not, indicating salvation is not in man's hands.
Proverbs 1:24-31: Read to demonstrate that God will not answer those who call on Him after rejecting His counsel.
Isaiah 59:2: Quoted to show that sins separate from God so that He will not hear.
Hosea 5:6: Cited to show that people may seek the Lord but not find Him because He has withdrawn.
Micah 3:4: Quoted to show God hiding His face from those who cry to Him due to their evil deeds.
1 Corinthians 2:14: Used to prove the natural man cannot receive or know spiritual things because they are spiritually discerned.
Romans 8:6-8: Read to show the carnal mind is enmity against God and cannot be subject to His law.
John 3:3: Quoted to show that unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 4:17-19: Read to describe the futile, darkened understanding of the Gentiles, alienated from God.
1 Timothy 6:5: Quoted to show men of corrupt minds destitute of the truth.
Romans 7:18-19: Used to illustrate the inability to perform good even when willing, due to indwelling sin.
Romans 3:10-12: Quoted to show none are righteous, none understand, none seek after God.
John 6:44: Cited to prove that no man can come to Christ unless the Father draws him.
Mark 10:27: Referenced to show that with men salvation is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
John 1:11-13: Read to show that those who believe are born not of the will of man but of God.

Historical References

Charles Haddon Spurgeon: Quoted multiple times: 'Free will has carried many a soul to hell, but never a soul to heaven'; also his critique of free will doctrine and defense of God's sovereignty.
Martin Luther: Quoted: 'If any man doth ascribe of salvation even the very least, to the free will of man, he knoweth nothing of grace, and hath not learned Jesus Christ aright.'
John Calvin: Quoted: 'The human will does not by liberty obtain grace, but by grace obtains liberty.'
Erasmus: His definition of free will from his dissertation is cited: 'By freedom of the will, we understand... the power of the human will, whereby man can apply to or turn away from that which leads to eternal salvation.'
A.W. Pink: Quoted on the modern conception of God as a figment of imagination, contrasting with the sovereign God of Scripture.
Augustus Toplady: Quoted: 'A man's free will cannot even cure him of a toothache or a sore finger, and yet he madly thinks it is in his power to cure his soul.'
Thomas Boston: His book 'The Fourfold State of Man' is referenced as the source for the four states of man (innocence, nature, grace, glory).

Important Quotes

Free will has carried many a soul to hell, but never a soul to heaven.

Spurgeon's concise statement that free will cannot lead to salvation, only to damnation.

If any man doth ascribe of salvation even the very least, to the free will of man, he knoweth nothing of grace, and hath not learned Jesus Christ aright.

Luther's assertion that attributing any part of salvation to free will denies grace.

The human will does not by liberty obtain grace, but by grace obtains liberty.

Calvin's teaching that true freedom comes from grace, not the will.

Men will allow God to be everywhere except on his throne.

Spurgeon's observation that people reject God's sovereignty while accepting His other attributes.

The God of this 21st century no more resembles the supreme sovereign of holy writ than does the dim flickering of a candle, the glory of the midday sun.

A.W. Pink's critique of the modern, diminished view of God.

A man's free will cannot even cure him of a toothache or a sore finger, and yet he madly thinks it is in his power to cure his soul.

Toplady's ironic remark on the impotence of the will in physical and spiritual matters.

It is not free will that we need. It's free grace.

Weaver's summary statement that grace, not autonomous will, is the need of sinners.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the definition of free will as 'the power to apply to or turn away from salvation' conflict with the biblical teaching on man's inability?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts Erasmus's definition with passages like 1 Corinthians 2:14 and John 6:44.

[Question]

In what ways does the doctrine of free will diminish the sovereignty of God, according to Weaver?

[Context]

Weaver argues that free will makes man sovereign and God a servant, using Daniel 4:34-35 and Spurgeon's quotes.

[Question]

Why does Weaver say that man cannot have an awareness of spiritual alternatives without the Holy Spirit?

[Context]

He explains the difference between intellectual and spiritual knowledge using 1 Corinthians 2:14 and John 3:3.

[Question]

How does the fourfold state of man help clarify the nature of the will in different conditions?

[Context]

Weaver summarizes Thomas Boston's framework, showing that only Adam had free will, which he lost at the fall.

[Question]

What is the difference between free will and free agency, and how does free agency explain human responsibility?

[Context]

Weaver defines free agency as acting according to one's nature, using analogies of birds, fish, and a chained prisoner.

[Question]

How does God work in the human will without violating it, according to Psalm 110:3 and Philippians 2:13?

[Context]

Weaver explains that God makes sinners willing by His power, not by coercion.

[Question]

Why does Spurgeon say that free will doctrine 'provokes God's jealousy'?

[Context]

Weaver reads Spurgeon's extended critique, which argues free will robs God of glory and makes the atonement powerless.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:15:47Z