Tuesday, March 17, 2009

By God's prompting rather than by your freedom

Institutes of the Christian Religion (1559)
Book 2 - God the Redeemer
Chapter 4 - How God Works in Men's Hearts

Sections 6-8 - God's providence overrules men's wills in external matters

Section 6 - In actions of themslves neither good nor bad, we are not thrown on our own
God is still active in our will - Ex 11:2-3; Gen 43:14Ps 106:46; 1 Sam 17:14; 1 Kings 12:10, 14; Josh 2:9; Deut 28:65.

Section 7 - In each case God's dominion stands above our freedom
Prov 20:12; 21:1
"Your mind is guided by God's prompting rather than by your own freedom to choose."

Section 8 - the question of "free will" does not depend on whether we can accomplish what we will, but whether we can will freely
No one can carry out all they will.
We are free to choose what we want, but not to decide what we will want.

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