“THE WILL OF MAN – FREE OR BOUND?
SELECTED SCRIPTURES

I. Introduction
Is a slave free? No, of course not! A slave is a slave. Aren’t you glad that you are not a slave? Aren’t you glad that you are free? Think about it. You are free to do what you want and when you want to do it. You are free to go where you want to go and decide, for the most part, how you will get there. You are free to choose your religion and to worship who, what, where, when, and how you will. You are even free to worship nothing and no one. In short, you are free to think what you want to think, say what you want to say, believe what you want to believe, and live your life accordingly. Right?

Slaves do as they are told, but free people do as they please, do they not? Most unbelievers would say that they are free. They would argue that their lives are ordered, directed, and controlled by their own free wills. One such unbeliever was William Henley, a nineteenth century English poet. He exposed his philosophy in this well-known poem.
“Invictus”
(Unconquered)

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how straight the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am master of my fate,
I am captain of my soul.

What a glorification of human pride, self-sufficiency, self-determination, and SELF! It says, “I am in control, I decide, I can handle anything. I have a free will, so it’s all up to me.” But what does the Scripture say? Does the Bible teach that we are all free and we all possess a free will? Does it? We’re going to explore that question this morning.
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II. Review
Last Sunday we looked into the issue of just how a person comes to saving faith in Christ.
The question was generated by an apparent contradiction that arose from two verses in our study of the Book of Acts. In Acts 13:46 Paul and Barnabas told the Jews in Pisidian Anti-och who had just rejected Christ and his gospel, “…since you repudiate it, (you) judge your-selves unworthy of eternal life.” So it was they themselves who were responsible for the fate that awaited them.

But then, only two verses later, in Acts 13:48, it speaks of the Gentiles who did not reject Christ and his gospel. Of them it says, “…as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” So it was divine sovereignty that was responsible for their salvation. Which is true? They are both true. God is sovereign in bestowing the gift of salvation in Christ. Men are responsible for believing God and receiving the gift of salvation in Christ.

So last week we came to the inescapable conclusion that in order for anyone to be saved, these two things must happen.
1. God must predestine, elect, call, and bring a lost person to saving faith in Christ.
2. Man must believe, repent of his sins, and come to saving faith in Christ.

They cannot stand alone because they work together. One, without the other can save no one. But isn’t that a contradiction? No, it isn’t. It’s a paradox.
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III. Text
And that brings us to the topic of today’s sermon. Whenever the twin truths of divine sove-reignty and human responsibility are studied, discussed, or debated, another question always seems to come to the surface. Someone is sure to ask, “What about God’s predestination and man’s free will? Don’t they contradict each other as well?” No, they do not. Rather, they form the basis of another paradox. Today we’re going to probe the mysteries of this other biblical paradox. But first we need to define our terms – as they apply to salvation.

Predestination – This is the biblical doctrine that God, in eternity past, sovereignly elected (chose) some to come to saving faith in His Son. His election was not based on His fore-knowledge of whether or not a sinner would one day come to saving faith. Rather, it was based solely on His good pleasure. Therefore, it was unconditional.
*Ephesians 1:4-5
4 …He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love
5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will…

The very faith that saves is one of the blessings bestowed by predestination.
*Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God,
9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast.

In these four verses in Ephesians it is clear that God has predestined His chosen ones to sal-vation and provided them with the faith that would in fact save them.

Free will – There are three definitions that apply to what we are talking about. The first is the way the world defines it. It says that man’s will is totally unencumbered and completely free from any restraints. It says that no previous or external action or condition has anything to do with it. This belief in self-determination is reflected in the poem I read at the start of the sermon. William Henley’s “Invictus” trumpets the religion of secular humanism. Man is the measure of all things. This is the definition of free will that is held by virtually all of those who deny the Bible.

But what about believers? For those who do believe the Bible there are two primary ways that free will – as it applies to salvation – is defined.

The first of these is found in the theology known as Arminianism. It teaches that all men possess a free will and their eternal destiny depends upon how they use it. Further, it says that man’s will is not enslaved to his sinful nature. Therefore, God does not need to inter-vene in man’s freedom to choose. It says that the lost who remain so freely decide to reject Christ. Conversely, it says that the saved are those who freely decide to come to Christ. So, in the final analysis, Arminianism teaches that men decide whether or not they will be saved. But that sounds at least a little bit like William Henley and “Invictus,” doesn’t it? “I am in control, I decide. I have a free will, so it’s all up to me.” (most modern evangelism)

The other definition of free will is put forth in the theology known as Calvinism. We believe it is the view of man’s free will that most accurately reflects what Scripture teaches. Calvin-ism does not deny free will, but it says that man’s freedom to choose is both constrained and limited by man’s nature. And what is man’s nature? Well, Adam was created with a mind and heart that was inclined toward God. That was his nature. But then came the fall. Adam still had a free will but, after the fall, it was inclined toward sin. After the fall, that was his nature. Before the fall Adam wanted to please God. After the fall Adam wanted to please himself. Why? Because Adam’s nature was changed from being inclined or bent toward God to being inclined or bent away from God.

Let me quote theologian Alan Carnes.
“Man acts according to the inclination of his will, but (unregenerate man’s) inclination is ensnared by Satan and sin. In truth, unregenerate man’s vaunted freedom of will is freedom to sin, (and) freedom to become an even greater slave to sin.”

So is man free or is he bound? The answer is, “Yes!” In salvation God is sovereign to choose, but man is responsible to believe. God predestines man, but man is free to reject God. How do we begin to reconcile such paradoxes?

Let me answer that the same way I did last Sunday morning. We neither reject nor minimize them. On the contrary, we lift them up and praise God for them. But we accept the fact that given the limitations of the human mind, they cannot be harmonized or fully comprehended. They are of divine origin and are beyond us. Our human pride does not like to admit there are things too great for us to understand. But can you humble yourself before God and accept the fact that He has not given us the capacity to know and understand all that He is and all that He does? Paradoxes like these give us a glimpse into the omniscience of God.

The Scriptures are filled with paradoxes. They should never put us off. Rather, they should motivate us to know more about God and His Word. Here are just a few of them. As we go through them you might appreciate G. K. Chesterton’s definition of biblical paradoxes. He said they were: “Truth standing on her head to attract attention.”

1. In order to be first, you must be last.
Matthew 20:16
16 “Thus the last shall be first, and the first last.”

2. In order to save your life, you must lose it.
Mark 8:35
35 “For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s shall save it.” (and…)

3. In order to keep your life, you must lose it.
Luke 17:33
33 “Whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it.”

4. In order to be wise, you must become fools.
1 Corinthians 3:18
18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become foolish (so) that he may become (truly) wise.

5. In order to become strong, you must become weak.
2 Corinthians 12:10
10 I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecu-tions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

6. In order to live, you must die.
Galatians 2:19-20
19 “For through the Law (of Moses) I died to the Law, that I might live to God.
20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.”

7. In order to gain, you must lose.
Philippians 3:7-8
7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,
For whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish, in
order that I may gain Christ.

8. In order to be exalted, you must be humble.
James 4:10
10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and he will exalt you.

There are two more paradoxes that I have saved for last. I have done that because they con-tain a word that we do not like applying to ourselves. But it is a word that will help us to get a better grip on the question before us today: “Is the will of man free or is it bound?”

9. In order to rule, you must serve.
Matthew 25:21
21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faith-ful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.’” (Did you spot the word?)

10. In order to be free, you must become a slave.
Romans 6:18
18 …having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

The word is “slave,” isn’t it? The Greek is “dŏulŏs.” In the original text of the NT it is used as a noun 124 times, and as a verb eight more times. But how is it used? What is the context in which it is used? It is used primarily to describe the believer’s relationship to Christ. He is our master; we are His slave. That is what the Bible teaches. But most of our English translations rarely use the word “slave.” The word is so abhorred that they substi-tute words like “servant” or “bond-servant.” And it isn’t just the modern translations. In Romans 6:18 the KJV uses the word “servants” as well. It says, “Being then made free from sin ye became servants of righteousness.”

Some will say, “That’s such a minor distinction. After all, the duties of servants and slaves sometimes overlap, don’ they? Why make a big deal out of which word is used to describe our relationship to Jesus?” Here’s why. It is because the distinction between the words “servant” and “slave” has a critical effect on our understanding of that relationship.
How so? Servants are hired; slaves are owned! (repeat) So is Jesus your employer, or is He your master? Do you merely work for Jesus, or does He own you?

This distinction is massive – even life-changing! Can you see how your understanding of it has everything to do with your concept of free will? The men who wrote the NT you hold in your hands understood it. Your Bibles probably call them servants, but they called them-selves slaves. Listen to them: Romans 1:1 – “Paul, a ‘dŏulŏs’ (slave) of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel…” James 1:1 – “James, a ‘dŏulŏs’ (slave) of God and the Lord Jesus Christ…” 2 Peter 1:1 – “Simon Peter, a ‘dŏulŏs’ (slave) and apostle of Jesus Christ…” Jude 1:1 – “Jude, a ‘dŏulŏs’ (slave) of Jesus Christ…”

Does this surprise you? It shouldn’t. These men knew full well they were slaves of Christ.
About them Charles Spurgeon said this: “The early saints delighted to count themselves Christ’s absolute property, bought by Him, owned by Him, and wholly at His disposal.” With that someone is likely to ask, “But didn’t Jesus set them (and us) free? Yes, He did!
*John 8:31-36
31 Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide (reside, live, stay) in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
32 and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s offspring, and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You shall become free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin
(i.e. regularly and consistently practices sin) is the slave of sin.
35 “And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.
36 “If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Galatians 5:1
1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

So once more someone asks, “Then why did the apostles and early Christians still count themselves as slaves?” Here is an undeniable truth of life. Every human being submits to and is obedient to someone or to something. Everyone – whether they will admit it or not – everyone, whether they know it or not, is a slave to someone or something. Everyone!

The unbeliever is a slave to sin. He lives in sin because it is his nature. But Romans 6:1-14 tells us that believers are no longer slaves to sin because they have a new nature. Believers are no longer immersed in sin; they’re immersed (baptized) in Christ.
*Romans 6:6-7, 11
6 …knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.
7 for he who has died is freed from sin.
11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Once you were a slave to sin. But now you are to be a slave to righteousness. As a slave of sin you were not free, but as a slave of righteousness you are free.
*Romans 6:15-23
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!
16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient
from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,
18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.
22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So I have a question for everyone, unbeliever and believer alike. Unbeliever, are you free, or are you a slave? Here is your answer: “Both! I am free to do whatever my nature would have me do, because I am enslaved to Satan and to sin. God help me!” Christian, are you free, or are you a slave? Here is your answer: “Both! I am free to do whatever my nature would have me do, because I am enslaved to Jesus and to righteousness. Praise God!”

What is our response to all of this? Look once more at…
*Romans 6:17-18
17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient
from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,
18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

There it is! Don’t you just love paradoxes? Once you were a slave of sin. Sin was your master, and you obeyed your master. But v. 17 says, “you became obedient from the heart.” It is saying that true Christians have a desire to obey God. Think about it. Do you some-times wonder if you’re truly saved? Ask yourself, “Do I have a desire to obey God?” If your answer is, “Yes,” then the Bible says you are saved.
Here is Romans 6:18 in a nutshell. Satan owned you before you were saved. Therefore, it was impossible for you to live for God. But the Lord Jesus bought you with His blood. He owns you now. Therefore, it is possible for you to live for God. The key is obedience!
Jesus is the ultimate example of obedience, isn’t He? Philippians 2:8 says, “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

You and I cannot relate to death on a cross, but the apostles gave us an example that is much easier for us to understand. In Acts 4-5 the Jewish religious leaders warned the apostles of severe consequences if they did not stop speaking about Jesus. Do you remember their responses to those warnings?
Acts 4:19b-20
19b “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge;
20 for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
Acts 5:29
29 …Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men.”

Only slaves of Christ, those who have been set free from slavery to Satan and sin could ever respond that way. Only slaves of Christ are eternally free. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said this about being a slave of Christ:
“As you go on living this righteous life, and practicing it with all your might and energy, and all your time…you will find that process that went on before, in which you went from bad to worse and became viler and viler, is entirely reversed. You will become cleaner and cleaner, purer and purer, holier and holier, and more and more conformed to the image of the Son of God.”
*Romans 6:22
22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

Eternal life is the ultimate benefit of being enslaved to the Lord Jesus Christ! We will live forever as examples of what may be the greatest paradox of them all. We will be free slaves.

Hundreds of years ago, an unknown Christian wrote this prayer.
“Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, and the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess everything, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive. Let me find Your light in my darkness, Your joy in my sorrow, Your grace in my sin, Your riches in my poverty, Your glory in my valley, (and) Your life in my death.”
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IV. Conclusion
As we began today I read William Henley’s poem “Invictus.” “Invictus” is Latin meaning “Unconquered.” It was nothing more than a hymn of praise to the gods of this world, and to Henley himself. In it he bragged that his soul was “unconquerable.” He not only rejected the God of the Bible, he mocked God’s truth as well. Henley died in 1903. Now he knows better, doesn’t he?

Shortly after his death a young woman, Dorothea Day, responded to Henley’s poem with one of her own. She called it “Conquered.”
“Conquered”

Out of the night that dazzles me,
Bright as the sun from pole to pole,
I thank the God I know to be,
For Christ, the conqueror of my soul.

Since His is the sway of circumstance,
I would not wince nor cried aloud
Under the rule which men call chance,
My head, with joy, is humbly bowed.

Beyond this place of sin and tears
That life with Him and His the Aid,
That despite the menace of the years,
Keeps, and will keep me unafraid.

I have no fear though straight the gate:
He cleared from punishment the scroll,
Christ is the master of my fate!
Christ is the captain of my soul!

The greatest need any of us will ever have is to be conquered by Christ and be enslaved by Him. Only then will we be free. Only then will we be conquerors.
*Romans 8:36-37
36 Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

I opened today with the question, “Is a slave free?” I answered by saying, “No, of course not! A slave is a slave.” But now we know that if you’re a Christian the answer is, “Yes, of course! A Christian is a free slave.”
~ Pray ~