Responsible for Remaining in Sin

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Iain Murray’s summary of Edwards on free will in his biography Jonathan Edwards:

“If man is without the power to repent and turn to God, as the orthodox believed, how can he be held responsible for remaining in sin? If human inability were true, said the Arminians, then man is no longer a free agent, but acts under compulsion. Man is free, replies Edwards, in the sense that he has all natural faculties–mind, will, etc.–and this constitutes his responsibility. Man’s utter incapacity to do spiritual good does not arise out of a physical lack of faculties, but altogether out of the wrong moral disposition of those faculties. In this way he explains how man, though totally corrupt in his nature, is still a responsible free agent” (pp. 425-426, emphasis mine).

We sin because we like it.

2 responses to “Responsible for Remaining in Sin”

  1.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    free will is the prescriptivist cop out. free will may in fact exist but it is often cited as the sole reason people don’t behave however a party expects them to behave. watch how easy it is. john doesn’t have a job because john doesn’t want a job. steve lives in the ghetto because steve chooses to live in the ghetto. sally stole because she chose to steal.

    where it might be true that will plays a role in all of this, it’s horribly narrow-minded to say “we sin because we like it” from the perspective of social science

    1. drew Avatar

      Anonymous, unfortunately I see a fair amount of confusion in your comment. I wish you would have left contact details of some sort as I hope you follow up with my comments; but nonetheless, thanks for responding.

      I see category confusion in your examples. For instance, that John doesn’t have a job isn’t a sin, nor is Steve living in the ghetto. Sally’s stealing, however, is a good example; stealing is sin.

      You are right to point out that’s it narrow-minded to solely attribute sinning to liking it. Allow me to clarify: in addition to liking it, one also sins because of a sin-ward-bent will as a result of the fall and original sin. So, we sin because we like it and because we have a nature which is favorably disposed toward sin. But how can will not play a role in all this? Anytime humans are involved, will always plays a role. I’m more concerned about whether that will is in bondage to sin before the regenerating work of God.

      Lastly, I’m interested in seeing authors and works that take this prescriptivist “cop out” you mention. Sounds like you’re not too fond of them whoever they are.

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