In John 8:31-37, Jesus engages with those who believed in Him, proclaiming that if they continued in His word, they would truly be His disciples, know the truth, and the truth would set them free. This declaration sparked a revealing response from His audience, who, identifying as descendants of Abraham, asserted they had never been enslaved. Jesus’ reply cuts to the core of the human condition: “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.” (John 8:34).
This exchange highlights a profound spiritual reality: the human will, though seemingly free, often operates under a subtle yet pervasive form of bondage.
Understanding the Human Will
To grasp the essence of this bondage and the freedom Jesus offers, we first need to define the will. The Concise Oxford English Dictionary describes it as “the faculty by which a person decides on and initiates action.” Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Thesaurus expands on this, calling it “a desire to act in a particular way or have a particular thing,” and “the aspect of mind involved in choosing or deciding.” The Lexham Survey of Theology concisely puts it as “the human capacity to choose and to act responsibly.”
Theological discussions on the human will have historically diverged into two main perspectives:
- Calvinistic View: This perspective posits that humanity is totally depraved, dead in sin, and that the will is consequently enslaved by sin.
- Arminian View: Conversely, this view suggests that the human will was never bound, and individuals remain free to choose right and wrong independently.
This raises crucial questions: Why do most people seem unwilling to believe the Gospel and Scripture? What is the biblical concept of the human will? And what does “free will” truly mean in a spiritual sense?
The Paradox of the Human Will
The central idea is that the human will is both free and in bondage. It is free by God’s design and continues to exercise a degree of its freedom. However, it is also in bondage because its ability to choose what is truly good has been tainted and confined by the Fall. Jesus’ offer of freedom is comprehensive, encompassing the entire human person, including the faculty of will.
The Necessity of Free Will
The freedom of choice is intrinsically linked to responsibility. If the will were not free, humanity could not be held accountable for the outcomes of its actions. This freedom, however, does not operate in isolation. The human will functions in concert with other faculties of the soul:
- Mind/Intellect: The soul knowing.
- Emotion: The soul feeling.
- Will: The soul choosing.
The will doesn’t act independently. It is influenced by what the mind perceives as true and what the emotions deem best. For instance, in Genesis 37:4, Joseph’s brothers, consumed by hatred, “could not speak to him on friendly terms.” Their will to communicate peacefully was constrained by their powerful negative emotions and perception of Joseph. The will, then, makes choices based on what it believes to be good, right, and beneficial for us.
Naturally, humans are capable of making choices for their own benefit. A lion, for example, will choose meat over plants because it’s its nature. Spiritually, however, humanity often does not choose God because its sinful nature does not approve of Him.
Humanity’s Present Sinful Condition
The Bible paints a clear picture of humanity’s fallen state. Romans 3:10-18 states, “There is no righteous person, not even one… There is no one who understands, There is no one who seeks out God… There is no one who does good, There is not even one.” This is further underscored in Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Ephesians 2:1-3 describes us as being “dead in your offenses and sins,” walking according to “the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air.” This “dead” state signifies a life separated from God, bound by sin.
The Origin of Humanity’s Sinful Condition
This condition traces back to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:8-9). This tree, though present in the garden, was the sole prohibition from God, with the stark warning of death for disobedience. It wasn’t a “natural” tree in the typical sense, but a symbolic source of knowledge.
In Genesis 3:1-6, the serpent cunningly persuaded Eve, who, despite God’s warning, reasoned with herself and chose to eat from the tree, believing the perceived benefits outweighed the risks. Her will, though deceived, made a free choice. Adam, in turn, also freely decided to join his wife in disobedience. This act was a willful disobedience, stemming from what he knew and felt for his wife.
Since the Fall, humanity’s moral choice has been significantly incapacitated by several factors:
- Man’s Sinful Nature (Original Sin): This has made us slaves of sin, as Jesus states in John 8:34. It has condemned us to eternal judgment, making us “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3, John 8:37-47).
- Man’s Knowledge of Good and Evil: This knowledge, though seemingly beneficial, produced evil desires through the body (Ephesians 2:3).
- Man’s Ignorance of God’s Righteousness: This prevents us from truly understanding and recognizing God’s will (John 5:39-40, Romans 10:2-3).
God’s Solution: Freedom in Christ
Despite humanity’s bondage, God provides a profound solution. Jesus came to set humanity free from sin. As John 8:36 declares, “So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.”
This freedom offered by Jesus is multifaceted, encompassing a threefold liberation from sin:
- Freedom from the Penalty of Sin: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8-10). His death justified us, saving us from God’s wrath.
- Freedom from the Guilt of Sin: The blood of Christ cleanses our conscience from “dead works” to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:13-14). There is now “no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1-4).
- Freedom from the Controlling Power of Sin: Our “old self was crucified with Him” so that we would “no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:5-12). We are to consider ourselves “dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
Conclusion: Renewing the Will through Truth
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil brought sin and death into humanity. However, Christ came to offer freedom and life through the knowledge of the truth (John 8:31-32).
Knowing the truth, which is fundamentally knowing Jesus, equips the will to make righteous choices. We choose God because our minds have been enlightened by the truth and renewed (Romans 12:2). As Ephesians 4:17-24 highlights, we are to shed our old, corrupted selves and be “renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
The knowledge of the truth teaches us that the best way to exercise our free will is to submit it to the Father’s Will. This is reflected in the prayer, “Your will be done,” and Christ’s own example, “Not my will, but Your will be done.”
Ultimately, Romans 6:16-18 reminds us that we are slaves to whomever we obey, either sin resulting in death, or obedience resulting in righteousness. Thanks be to God that, having been freed from sin, we can now choose to be slaves to righteousness. We submit to God’s teaching because of the weakness of our flesh, presenting our bodies as instruments of righteousness, leading to sanctification (Romans 6:19).
Do you find your will often at odds with what you know to be good? Consider how a deeper understanding of Christ’s liberating truth can transform your choices.
