free will
Definition
Free will is the human capacity to make choices within the bounds of delegated authority, but this authority is subordinate to God’s sovereignty. In Stephen Jones’ corpus, free will is not denied but relativized: man has a will, but that will is not “free” in the sense of being sovereign. The human will is always a response to God’s initiative, never the primary cause. Jones cites John 6:44 where helkuo (“drag”) is used — just as a net drags fish and fishermen drag their catch, so God drags men to Himself (John 12:32). Free will is thus a response, not a primary initiative.
The term “free will” does not appear in Scripture; it is a tradition of men. Jones identifies three motives for maintaining free will: (1) pride — man wants to be co-laborer in his own salvation; (2) the Adamic self-life — the flesh wants to preserve itself; (3) the need to absolve God of liability for evil — if man has free will, God is off the hook.
Uses per Author
Stephen Jones
Jones treats free will as a side-issue; the real issue is ownership (see ownership). Man has authority, but God has sovereignty as Owner:
“The question of free will is a side-issue. The real issue is not whether man has a free will; it is whether God has a free will. Who owns you? Can anyone deny that God owns the dust from which man was created?” [Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, ch. 2]
Jones draws the distinction between thelema (God’s desire) and boulema (God’s plan). Man can resist God’s thelema (as Pharaoh did), but cannot resist God’s boulema:
“Paul could have a ‘free will’ to persecute Christians, but when God revealed Himself to him, his will changed. God was not helpless against Saul’s free will that day.” [Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, ch. 1; Acts 9]
At the Great White Throne, man will be judged according to his knowledge and authority (Luke 12:47-48), not according to his “free will” as ultimate cause:
“God’s judgment corrects the flesh; the purpose is not to destroy them but to teach them righteousness (Isa. 26:9).” [Jones, Free Will Versus Ownership, ch. 2]
Watchman Nee / Witness Lee
Nee/Lee view the human will as something that must be delivered from the self-life. The will exists, but is captivated under the flesh. The expression of the will must come from the new man in Christ, not from Adam’s nature.
George Warnock
Warnock sees the human will as something that must be surrendered to God’s leading. The “self-will” is an expression of the self-life that must be crucified.
E.W. Bullinger
Bullinger emphasizes that all things are foreordained according to His will (Eph. 1:11). Human will is no limitation on God’s sovereignty; Bullinger warns against the idea that devil or man could make God “helpless.”
Cees and Anneke Noordzij
Noordzij emphasizes that man is accountable to the extent of his authority, but that God’s election and sovereignty are ultimate. Free will does not explain why some come to faith and others do not — that is the sovereign choice of God.