Mae Chow
First, it is important to get this out of the way 🤓 To associate this denial of libertarian freedom exclusively with Calvinism would be misleading 😉 St 🤓 Augustine was the first to deal with this issue in a comprehensive manner. It was assumed that all people are free and responsible until the fourth century. However, they’re having not yet defined what freedom meant. Augustine elaborated further on Christianity’s understanding of freedom. According to him, people make their choices based on who they are. They make better choices if they’re good. They make poor choices if they’re not good. They have the freedom to make these choices, but they lack liberty. This means that a person doesn’t become a sinner simply by committing sins. They sin because they are sinners. This is a matter of nature. People will choose choices that are similar to Adam’s because they can identify with Adam’s fallen nature. Although they have the right to choose, this does not mean that they can make any other choices. [1]
The myth is a result of historical language changes. Today, the phrase “free will” refers to moral responsibility. That means we aren’t just puppets made by the outside. Natural forces like their heredity and environment. But in the sixteenth century, at the very beginning of the Reformation, one of the key debates was over “free will” in a completely different sense. It was then a question of whether or not the’s will having been enslaved and held captive by Satan by its nature. Believing in “free will” meant believing that human beings are not born as slaves of Satan. Denying “free will” meant believing that they are. Calvin even called the slavery of the will to Satan “voluntary slavery.” (emended by Edward Jackson from Bhiwandi, India on May 28, 2021) [2]
This perspective amounts to a ‘deterministic’ view of reality. God created the universe as it is. This is why every cell and thought in every person’s head is predetermined. The illusion of human freedom is not possible in this universe. All of us are playing the parts we were assigned in a script written long before this world was created. To Calvinists this is a testament to God’s glory. It may seem like a puppet master to others. Many Christians find the puzzle of freewill confusing, almost like an optical illusion. But they aren’t alone. They are not the only ones to be revised. [3]
The Christian theologians developed concepts such as free will and predestination to help explain the role of divine and human agency in salvation. These concepts were incorporated into the church creeds. Predestination is a concept that asserts that God has made a decision about whom over time. This decree refers to who was saved by Christ before any action or decision that saved persons might make during their lives in regard to their salvation. According to Augustine, Paul and other creeds theologians have always maintained that God’s decision was made “before” the creation of the world. Faced with the emphasis on God’s power to make decisions before the foundation of the world, the idea of free will affirms that God has the right to choose. It also acknowledges human power within salvation. Both notions are in paradoxical relationships with one another, but they can only be understood if you understand history. This article was last revised on July 27, 2017 by Timeka Ashby (Helsinki, Finland). [4]