Stephen Jones — Soteriology
b8 — Free Will Versus Ownership
Election and Sovereignty
Jones posits that man’s will is subordinate to God’s will, not free in the accepted sense.
“The position of this book is that man has a will, but that will is not ‘free’ in the accepted sense. Its freedom is subordinate to God’s will. Man’s will has God-given authority, but not sovereignty. The sovereign will of God is more powerful than man’s will.” (Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, chap.1, §“The position of this book”)
On the meaning of helkuo (drag/draw) in John 6:44:
“John 6:44 says: ‘No man can come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him (helkuo).’ … The word ‘drag’ really does not allow much free will.” (Jones, chap.1, §“John 6:44”)
Applied to all men in John 12:32:
“John 12:32 says: ‘And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw (helkuo) all men unto myself.’ … if Jesus was lifted up, that is on the cross — which He was — He will drag all men unto Himself just as He said He would do.” (Jones, chap.1, §“John 12:32”)
On John 6:37 and election:
“John 6:37 says: ‘All that the Father gives Me shall come to me…’ Whomever the Father has given to Christ will come to Him. How do we know this? Because the will of God is backed up by His power. He is able to do His will in the earth.” (Jones, chap.1, §“John 6:37”)
On the priority of God’s will in the new birth (John 1:13):
“John 1:13 says: ‘Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.’ It is not the will of the flesh; it is not the will of man; it is not blood lineage. It is done only by the will of God.” (Jones, chap.1, §“John 1:13”)
On Eph. 1:11 and predestination:
“Ephesians 1:11 says: ‘In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.‘” (Jones, chap.1, §“Ephesians 1:11”)
On Jeremiah 31:18 — God as the ‘owner at the reins’ turning the ox:
“Jeremiah 31:18 says: ‘I have surely heard Ephraim moaning over himself, saying, “You have chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bull not broken in. Turn me, and I shall be turned, for You are Jehovah my God.”’ … The farmer is the one responsible to turn the bull in the right direction as it is plowing the field. … God is clearly shown to be ‘at the reins,’ so to speak. He is the One in control of the bullock.” (Jones, chap.1, §“Jeremiah 31:18”)
Free Will
Jones acknowledges that man has a will, but argues it is not “free” in the sense of being independent of God’s sovereignty.
“Man does have a will; there is no question about that. By his will, he is called to make choices. The real question, however, is whether God’s will has any influence upon man’s will, other than through persuasion.” (Jones, chap.1, §“Man does have a will”)
On the limitations of human will by external factors:
“Men’s manipulations are one thing, but what about God’s will in all of this? Does God manipulate us in any manner, or does He remain aloof while men and women do all of the manipulation? We know that God teaches us and leads us by His Spirit. … When He disciplines us as children, is He not manipulating our will to conform to His will?” (Jones, chap.1, §“What about God’s will”)
On the conversion of Paul as a model of God’s intervention:
“How much free will did the Apostle Paul have when he was converted? A light came and threw him on his back, the light shined in his eyes, and a voice out of heaven spoke to him. … God saved the chief of sinners by throwing him down on the ground, conscripting him, and saying, ‘You will follow Me from now on,’ totally overruling Paul’s free will.” (Jones, chap.1, §“how much free will did the Apostle Paul have”)
Assurance of Salvation — Universal Reconciliation
Jones teaches that all will ultimately be saved, each in his own order (1 Cor. 15:22-28), rejecting the doctrine of eternal torment.
“The Bible teaches quite clearly that all men will be saved, but each in his own order (1 Cor. 15:22-28). I do not know why God chose me in this present age to turn to Him, while He waits for the age to come before causing others to turn to Him. That is a matter of God’s will alone.” (Jones, chap.1, §“The Bible teaches quite clearly”)
“He has not chosen to burn the majority of men in hell forever, as a hard-core Calvinist would teach. Calvin had some revelation on God’s sovereignty, but he did not have the revelation of the restoration of all things. Thus, his teaching was unbalanced and portrayed God as a hard-hearted monster.” (Jones, chap.1, §“Calvin had some revelation”)
On the meaning of “eternal” (aionian):
“Where it appears that God teaches ‘eternal’ judgment, the word is aionian, ‘pertaining to an age.’ It does not mean never-ending. For further evidence of this, see my book The Judgments of the Divine Law.” (Jones, chap.1, §“Where it appears that God teaches”)
Salvation — Debt and Cancellation
Sin is reckoned as a debt to be paid. Christ paid the debt note.
“We know that all sin is reckoned as a debt. When we sin, we obtain a debt to the law. The law has set up its liability laws so that if you sin against your neighbors, you owe them restitution.” (Jones, chap.1, §“Sin is Reckoned as a Debt”)
On the parable of the debt note (Matt. 18:23-25):
“Think about this. Adam was given a wife, children, and dominion over all the earth. This represented ‘all that he had’ — the whole earth. When he sinned, all that he had was sold to sin, and sin held the debt note until Christ paid that debt. Because Christ paid our debt note, we have now become His servants (Rom. 6:18).” (Jones, chap.1, §“Think about this”)
Consequence: believers are now bondservants of Christ (Rom. 6:18):
“Because Christ paid our debt note, we have now become His servants (Rom. 6:18) just as Paul described himself in Romans 1:1: ‘Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.‘” (Jones, chap.1, §“Because Christ paid our debt note”)
On judgments at the Great White Throne:
“Jesus said that some of His servants would be judged with ‘few stripes’ and some by ‘many stripes’ depending upon their knowledge of His will (Luke 12:45-48). This does not mean they will lose their salvation, but that they will be held accountable to some extent at the Great White Throne judgment, when all the dead are raised — some to life, and some to judgment (John 5:28, 29).” (Jones, chap.1, §“Believers will be ‘saved yet so as through fire’“)
Covenant Theology — Jubilee and Ownership
Jones teaches that God owns all; man has only limited authority.
“When we talk about ownership — such as when we say that we own our land or we own our house — we must recognize that in the eyes of God we do not really own the property. God owns all the land (Lev.25:23). We have authority over it that is always limited by God’s sovereignty and His law.” (Jones, chap.1, §“When we talk about ownership”)
On the Jubilee Year that terminates all debt:
“There is a year of Jubilee that limits all liability for debt. This is God’s law. We do not have the authority or the sovereignty that would allow us to sell ourselves into debt so far that the year of Jubilee could not free us.” (Jones, chap.1, §“There is a year of Jubilee”)
“The Jubilee will cancel a six-dollar debt and a trillion-dollar debt equally well with one stroke of the pen. It is called God’s law, and His law is so merciful.” (Jones, chap.1, §“The Jubilee will cancel”)
Special Grace
Jones distinguishes God’s revelation to some in this age, while others await the coming age.
“Whomever the Father has given to Christ will come to Him. … Those who decide to come to Christ by their own ‘free will’ are the people whom the Father has revealed Himself. He reveals Himself to those who have been given to Jesus Christ by the prior will of God.” (Jones, chap.1, §“Whomever the Father has given”)
“As we have shown in other writings, God will reveal Himself to all men in due time. He has not chosen to burn the majority of men in hell forever.” (Jones, chap.1, §“As we have shown in other writings”)
On the gift of repentance:
“James 1:17 says: ‘Every good and perfect gift is from above.’ One of the greatest gifts God can give us is the gift of repentance. Romans 2:4 says that ‘the kindness of God leads you to repentance.‘” (Jones, chap.1, §“James 1:17”)
Liability and Ownership (chap.2)
Jones argues that God’s ownership automatically entails liability for the behavior of what He owns.
“God made all things, declaring creation good (Gen.1:1,10,12,18,21,25,31). Humanity was formed from ground God created (Gen.2:7), so He owns all people by creation right. Leviticus 25:23 says ‘the land is mine’ — humans have authority over land/selves but not sovereignty.” (Jones, chap.2, §“God’s ownership”)
On the pit-owner law (Ex.21:33-34):
“God’s laws hold a pit owner liable if an ox falls in, even if the ox’s own actions caused the fall — liability stems from ownership, not the victim’s intent. Intent only affects penalty severity, not whether liability exists.” (Jones, chap.2, §“God’s laws hold a pit owner liable”)
Applied to the fall:
“Adam held authority over creation (Gen.1:26) but God planted the tree of knowledge (the ‘pit’) and gave only a verbal warning (Gen.2:17), not a physical barrier, making Him liable for the fall per His own laws. Adam’s sin incurred an unpayable debt, selling his descendants and creation into bondage (Matt.18:25, Rom.8:23).” (Jones, chap.2, §“Adam held authority”)
On Christ’s redemption payment:
“Jesus, as a human near kinsman (Heb.2:14-16), paid the full redemption price. Romans 5:18 states there is ‘justification of life to all men’ via Christ’s obedience. 1 Corinthians 15:22 says ‘in Adam all die, so in Christ all shall be made alive’ — each in their own order (1 Cor.15:23).” (Jones, chap.2, §“Jesus, as a human near kinsman”)
“1 John 2:2 confirms Jesus is ‘propitiation for… sins of the whole world.‘” (Jones, chap.2, §“1 John 2:2”)
On Revelation 4:11 and God’s sovereign will:
“Revelation 4:11 says creation exists ‘because of Thy will.’ Revelation 5:13 describes all creation praising God. Romans 9:20 instructs believers not to question God’s creative choices.” (Jones, chap.2, §“Revelation 4:11”)
On judgment as corrective:
“The ‘lake of fire’ teaches righteousness (Isa.26:9), with ‘eternal’ meaning age-abiding (aionian). Leviticus 25:54 states all are freed in the Jubilee year regardless of prior redemption timing.” (Jones, chap.2, §“the lake of fire teaches righteousness”)
Providence and Fatalism (chap.3)
Jones distinguishes between thelema (God’s moral will) and boulema (God’s sovereign plan), rejecting fatalism.
“God’s sovereignty is not limited by man’s will; He raises opposition to delay fulfillment to His timing, e.g., Israel’s 40 wilderness years after refusing Canaan (Num.14:12). Moses interceded; God vowed: ‘as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord’ (Num.14:21).” (Jones, chap.3, §“God’s Sovereign Vow”)
On the Joseph pattern as two levels:
“Genesis 50:19-21: Joseph told brothers ‘you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good’ to preserve people. Two operational levels: man’s authority (brothers’ free will choices) and God’s sovereignty (God’s ultimate responsibility for outcomes).” (Jones, chap.3, §“The Pattern of Joseph”)
On Satan’s will and God’s sovereignty:
“All evil God permits is for ultimate good; Satan never acts for man’s true good. Satan is subject to God’s sovereignty, needs permission to act: ‘all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him’ (Job 1:12).” (Jones, chap.3, §“How Free is Satan’s Will?“)
“God is ultimately most responsible for all events, but not the only responsible party; man is accountable to his level of knowledge/authority (Luke 12:47-48).” (Jones, chap.3, §“God is ultimately most responsible”)
On the two Greek words for “will”:
“The New Testament uses two Greek words for ‘will’: 1. thelema: God’s moral will (e.g., no sin, obey Law: ‘know His will… being instructed out of the Law’ (Rom.2:17-18)). 2. boulema: God’s sovereign plan, higher intention (Rom.9:19 re: Pharaoh’s hardened heart).” (Jones, chap.3, §“God’s Will and God’s Plan”)
“Exodus 7:2-5: God’s plan included hardening Pharaoh’s heart to multiply signs, bring Israel out of Egypt via judgments, so Egyptians would know the Lord. … ‘The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord’ (Prov.21:1).” (Jones, chap.3, §“Exodus 7:2-5”)
On 1 Tim.2:4 and God’s will:
“1 Timothy 2:4: God ‘desires all men to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth’ (thelema). Most are saved via judgment/correction. … Romans 11:32-36: ‘God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all’ (Rom.11:32); His judgments/ways are unsearchable.” (Jones, chap.3, §“God’s Will Plus Time Equals the Plan”)
Rejection of Calvinism:
“Calvinism is rejected: God does not elect only a tiny remnant for salvation, torturing the rest eternally. Universal restoration preserves both God’s sovereignty and justice.” (Jones, chap.3, §“Calvinism is rejected”)
“Sin is never God’s will (thelema), even though it is always part of the plan (boulema).” (Jones, chap.3, §“Sin is never God’s will”)
On avoiding fatalism:
“Fatalism: unbalanced overemphasis on God’s sovereignty, blaming God for all outcomes, using sovereignty as an excuse for sin, ignoring personal responsibility and judgment per works (Rom.2:6, Rev.20:12-13).” (Jones, chap.3, §“How NOT to be a Fatalist”)
“Avoid fatalism by distinguishing thelema (man’s responsibility to obey God’s moral will) and boulema (God’s sovereign plan). … God guarantees universal salvation at the final Jubilee, but all men are still called to repentance (2 Pet.3:9).” (Jones, chap.3, §“Avoid fatalism by distinguishing”)
Dated: 2026-05-03