Stephen E. Jones — Prolegomena
b8 — Free Will Versus Ownership
God’s Sovereignty vs Free Will
Jones argues the free will debate is a side issue. The real question is not free will but ownership — God’s right as Creator to exercise His free will, not man’s.
“The question of free will is a side issue. The real issue is not free will, but ownership.”
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 1)
Interpretation: Jones places God’s sovereignty above human will. Causality rests with God, not man.
Helkuo — Dragging as Divine Initiative
The Greek word helkuo (to drag) in John 6:44 undergirds God’s sovereign initiative:
“No man can come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him: and I will raise him up on the last day.”
(John 6:44, cited in Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 1)
John 12:32 extends this to all: “I — when I am lifted up from the earth — will draw all men unto myself.” The Greek helkuo implies the dragged party has no free will to resist.
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 1)
Repentance as God’s Gift
James 1:17 states “every good and perfect gift is from above,” including repentance. Rom. 2:4 links this explicitly: “the kindness of God leads you to repentance.”
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 1)
Jer. 31:18 shows Ephraim praying: “Turn me, and I shall be turned, for You are Jehovah my God” — God (the farmer) must turn the bull.
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 1)
New Birth Not from Human Will
John 1:11-13 states those who received Christ were born “not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 1)
Eph. 1:11 adds believers are predestined “according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.”
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 1)
God’s Ownership as Creation Ground
Gen. 1:1 (“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth”) and the repeated “it was good” (Gen. 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31) establish God as the sole Owner. Lev. 25:23 codifies this: “the land is Mine, for you are strangers and sojourners with Me.”
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 2)
Interpretation: God’s ownership is the juridical basis for all prolegomenal statements on sovereignty and liability.
Authority vs Power — Greek Distinction
Jones distinguishes dunamis (power, Acts 1:16) from exousia (authority, Matt. 8:9). Authority is always subordinate to the sovereign’s will. Earthly kings have authority under God, not absolute free will to rule against His commands.
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 2)
Ownership Entails Liability
Based on Ex. 21:33-34 (owner of uncovered pit is liable if an ox falls in), Jones applies this to Eden: God planted the tree of knowledge (the “pit”) and gave only a warning, no barrier. As Owner He is liable for Adam’s fall.
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 2)
Ex. 22:5 (ox eating a field) and Ex. 22:6 (fire causing damage) confirm: the owner is liable even if the animal/medium acted on its own will.
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 2)
Interpretation: free will of the subordinate (man, animal) affects penalty extent, but the owner bears final juridical liability.
Corporate Solidarity — Adam and Christ
Rom. 5:18-19: “so then as through one trespass the result was condemnation to all men, so also through one act of righteousness the result was justification of life to all men.”
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 2)
1 Cor. 15:22-23: “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. But each in his own order.”
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 2)
Interpretation: Jones employs a corporate anthropology — the individual is embedded in Adam or Christ. This is a prolegomenal anthropological starting point with sovereignty implications.
Thelema vs Boulema — Two Dimensions of God’s Will
Jones distinguishes two Greek terms for “will”:
- thelema: God’s moral will, revealed via the Law (e.g., Rom. 2:17-18: “art instructed out of the law”)
- boulema: God’s sovereign plan (Rom. 9:19 re: Pharaoh)
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 3)
Regarding Pharaoh: God commands him to let Israel go (thelema), but hardens his heart to delay the timing (boulema). Ex. 7:13-14, 8:15, 9:12, 9:27-28, 9:34-35, 10:1 show the alternation: first Pharaoh hardens his heart, later the text says God does it.
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 3)
Prov. 21:1: “the king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.”
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 3)
God’s Will Plus Time Equals the Plan
Thelema (will) is fulfilled as historic fact; boulema (plan) factors in time. God exists outside time, so all events are present to Him, but humans are time-bound.
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 3)
Pharaoh eventually let Israel go (fulfilling thelema) after the ten plagues (per boulema timing).
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 3)
How to Avoid Fatalism
Fatalists overemphasize sovereignty, blame God for sin, and ignore coming judgment (Rom. 2:6, Rev. 20:12-13).
Jones’ solution: distinguish thelema (God’s will, man’s responsibility) and boulema (God’s plan, His sovereignty). Sin is never thelema, only part of boulema.
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 3)
Man is judged per his authority and knowledge (Luke 12:47-48). Israel’s 40-year wilderness judgment was limited (Deut. 29:4).
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 3)
2 Pet. 3:9: God “is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 3)
Satan’s Will Under God
Satan is God’s servant, needing permission to act. Job 1:12: “all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.”
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 3)
God is liable as an accessory (Ex. 22:5, James 4:17). Satan is subordinate; no god equals God (Isa. 45:5).
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 3)
Jubilee as Universal Liberation
Lev. 25:54: the Jubilee ensures ultimate freedom for all, even if redemption is not claimed earlier. All debt is cancelled regardless of size, limiting liability.
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 2)
Men do not own themselves but hold limited authority under God’s sovereignty.
(Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap. 1)