1. God hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty and power of acting upon choice, that it is neither forced, nor by any necessity of nature determined to do good or evil.
Matthew 17:12; James 1:14; Deuteronomy 30:19
2. Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom and power to will and to do that which was good and well-pleasing to God, but yet was unstable, so that he might fall from it.
Ecclesiastes 7:29; Genesis 3:6
3. Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able by his own strength to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.
Romans 5:6; Romans 8:7; Ephesians 2:1, 5; Titus 3:3-5; John 6:44
4. When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, he freeth him from his natural bondage under sin, and by his grace alone enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good; yet so as that by reason of his remaining corruptions, he doth not perfectly, nor only will, that which is good, but doth also will that which is evil.
Colossians 1:13; John 8:36; Philippians 2:13; Romans 7:15, 18, 19, 21, 23
5. This will of man is made perfectly and immutably free to good alone in the state of glory only.
Ephesians 4:13
1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scriptures
- Chapter 2 - Of God and the Holy Trinity
- Chapter 3 - Of God's Decree
- Chapter 4 - Of Creation
- Chapter 5 - Of Divine Providence
- Chapter 6 - Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof
- Chapter 7 - Of God's Covenant
- Chapter 8 - Of Christ the Mediator
- Chapter 9 - Of Free Will
- Chapter 10 - Of Effectual Callin
- Chapter 11 - Of Justification
- Chapter 12 - Of Adoption
- Chapter 13 - Of Sanctification
- Chapter 14 - Of Saving Faith
- Chapter 15 - Of Repentance unto Life and Salvation
- Chapter 16 - Of Good Works
- Chapter 17 - Of the Perseverance of the Saints
- Chapter 18 - Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation
- Chapter 19 - Of the Law of God
- Chapter 20 - Of the Gospel and the Extent of Grace Thereof
- Chapter 21 - Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience
- Chapter 22 - Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day
- Chapter 23 - Of Lawful Oaths and Vows
- Chapter 24 - Of the Civil Magistrate
- Chapter 25 - Of Marriage
- Chapter 26 - Of the Church
- Chapter 27 - Of the Communion of Saints
- Chapter 28 - Of Baptism and the Lord's Supper
- Chapter 29 - Of Baptism
- Chapter 30 - Of the Lord's Supper
- Chapter 31 - Of the State of Man after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead
- Chapter 32 - Of the Last Judgment
- Ending Statement and Signatories