Martin Luther claimed that the doctrine of the will was the "heart of the gospel." It is a clue to seeing grace at work. God is no man's debtor, as would be the case in Rome's view that faith is a meritorious work. Faith is a work, a work of God (cf. John 6:29). The Bible makes it clear that faith is a gift (Phil. 1:29; Acts 18:27; Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 12:3; 1 Pet. 1:1).
How did free will help Esau, and how did it affect Jacob, who were destined before they were born? The will can only do evil and Jesus said that without him we can do nothing (even believe) as he said in John 15:5. We cannot do anything good apart from God's grace. We are free to choose our own poison! Evangelists insist we need free will (free will and sovereign grace cannot coexist), but we need wills made free. We are enslaved to our old sin nature and need to be set free. "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."
Augustine said we are non posse non peccare, which means we can only sin and that we cannot but sin. (This is the inability not to sin.) All of our nature is affected by evil and that includes our will. See Is. 1:5-6, "from the soul of the foot to the head there is no soundness in it." Soli Deo Gloria!
How did free will help Esau, and how did it affect Jacob, who were destined before they were born? The will can only do evil and Jesus said that without him we can do nothing (even believe) as he said in John 15:5. We cannot do anything good apart from God's grace. We are free to choose our own poison! Evangelists insist we need free will (free will and sovereign grace cannot coexist), but we need wills made free. We are enslaved to our old sin nature and need to be set free. "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."
Augustine said we are non posse non peccare, which means we can only sin and that we cannot but sin. (This is the inability not to sin.) All of our nature is affected by evil and that includes our will. See Is. 1:5-6, "from the soul of the foot to the head there is no soundness in it." Soli Deo Gloria!
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