Edwards on the Will

      For the good that i will to do, I do not do; 

      but the evil I will not to do, that I practice

                        ( Rom. 7:19 ) 

      Read 7:14-25

    

       In 1754, the American pastor, theologian,

and philosopher Jonathan Edwards published 

The freedom of the will, a classic philosophical

treatise on the nature of the human will. But do 

not let the title deceive you; Edwards was not 

declaring that the will of fallen man is completely

free. Rather, he was exploring the sense in which

and the extent to which man can be said to have

free will.

      In the book, Edwards analyzed the operation 

of the will in light of the law of causality, which states

that every effect must have an antecedent cause. 

He saw human choices as effects that have causes.

That droves him to focus on the issue of inclination.

He said the choices people make for specific reason,

and the mind supplies those reasons. People's choices

are based on what they deem will be good, or pleasing,

for them. But, Edwards notes, people's inclinations 

are constantly varying. They are forced, therefore, to 

obey the desire that is strongest at moment of choice.

There may be multiple desires, one may win out at

one moment, another at the next. We see this sort 

of multi-facet inclination in Roman 7  where Paul 

speaks of his conflicting desires to obey Christ and

to sin. It was Edwards' contention that Paul would 

have made each choice according to the desire that 

was paramount at the moment of his decision. And

all people do the same. This is the essence of freedom,

the power to choose what the mind deems good at the 

moment. Edwards' key point is that without an inclination,

there would be no choice. An "indifferent choice" the

notion of free will espoused by some philosophers and 

theologians is an irrational concept, he says, for two 

reasons. First, choosing one thing over another for no

reason would have no moral significance. Intent is 

essential to a moral decision. Second, indifference

would make choice impossible. Any choice would be 

an effect without a cause, and that is nonsensical.

      Like Augustine centuries before him, Edwards 

affirmed that man has the natural ability to make 

choices. The human will is not coerced by outside

agents. But it lacks the moral ability to choose the 

things of God, because in the Fall man lost his desire

and inclination for God. As Augustine put it, we have

free will but lack of liberty. This is the orthodox 

understanding of the will of sinful man.

What are some of the inclination that affect your 

choices, particularly your sinful choices? Take some

time today to analyze why you decide to sin. What is 

It about particular sins that makes them appealing? 

as you think on these things, ask God to help you 

see your sins and their root causes, and to help 

You choose obedience.