The Westminster Confession of Faith
CHAPTER 9
Of Free Will.
I. God hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty, that is
neither forced, nor by any absolute necessity of nature determined, to
good or evil.a
a Matt. 17:12; James 1:14;
Deut. 30:19.
II. Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom
and power to will and to do that which is good and well-pleasing to God;b
but yet mutably, so that he might fall from it.c
b Eccl. 7:29; Gen. 1:26.
c Gen. 2:16,17; Gen. 3:6.
III. Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath
wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying
salvation;d so as a natural man, being
altogether averse from that good,e and dead in
sin,f is not able, by his own strength, to
convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.g
d Rom. 5:6; Rom 8:7; John
15:5.
e Rom. 3:10,12.
f Eph. 2:1,5; Col. 2:13.
g John 6:44,65; Eph. 2:2-5; 1 Cor.
2:14; Tit. 3:3-5.
IV. When God converts a sinner, and translates him
into the state of grace, he freeth him from his natural bondage under
sin,h and by his grace alone, enables him freely
to will and to do that which is spiritually good;i
yet so as that, by reason of his remaining corruption, he doth not
perfectly nor only will that which is good, but doth also will that
which is evil.k
h Col. 1:13; John 8:34,36.
i Phil. 2:13; Rom. 6:18,22.
k Gal. 5:17; Rom. 7:15,18,19,21,23.
V. The will of man is made perfectly and immutably
free to do good alone in the state of glory only.l
l Eph. 4:13; Heb. 12:23; 1
John 3:2; Jude ver. 24.
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