A Defence of the Orthodox Doctrine of Human Choice Against Pighius (Texts and Studies in Reformation and Post-Reformation Thought)
Page Count: 303Publisher: Baker ISBN# : 9780801020766Availability: Temporarily out of stock.
Description : In the belief that the 1539 edition of Calvin's Institutes, and in particular its chapters on free choice and predestination, constituted a greater danger than did the other "Lutheran" writings, the Dutch Roman Catholic theologian Albert Pighius wrote a response entitled Ten Books on Human Free Choice and Divine Grace (1542). Calvin, when he saw Pighius's work, felt a pressing need to respond to Pighius's first six books, that is, those on free choice. The result was The Bondage and Liberation of the Will (1543). Answers Pighius's objection that preaching is unnecessary if salvation is by grace alone. An extensive historical introduction notes the value of this treatise. The Bondage and Liberation of the Will is undoubtedly the most significant of Calvin's works hitherto not translated in English. This is in striking contrast to Luther's study on the same topic, which is one of his best-known publications." This is Calvin's "fullest treatment of the relation between grace and free will, and contains important material not found elsewhere in his writings. It also contains far more discussion of the early church fathers than does any other of Calvin's works, apart from the Institutes. It is high time that this major work is made available to those whose knowledge of Calvin is confined to English translations" .
"A faithful dog barks at the first sound of a thief and risks his own life to protect his master's life and his family-shall the church be plundered by the thieving of the ungodly, shall God's majesty be stamped under foot, shall Christ be robbed of his own kingdom, while we watch and say nothing?" (Calvin BLW p 19)
"...the will is
[either] free
,
bound
,
self-determined
, or
coerced
. People generally understand a
free will
to be one which has in its power to choose good or evil…[But] There can be no such thing as a
coerced
will, since the two ideas are contradictory. But our responsibility as teachers is to say what it means, so that it may be understood what coercion is. Therefore we describe [as
coerced
] the will which does not incline this way or that of its own accord or by an internal movement of decision, but is forcibly driven by an external impulse. We say that it is
self-determined
when of itself it directs itself in the direction in which it is led, when it is not taken by force or dragged unwillingly. A
bound will
, finally, is one which because of its corruptness is held captive under the authority of its evil desires, so that it can choose nothing but evil, even if it does so of its own accord and gladly, without being driven by any external impulse.
According to these definitions we allow that man has choice and that it is self-determined, so that if he does anything evil, it should be imputed to him and to his own voluntary choosing. We do away with
coercion
and force, because this contradicts the nature of the will and cannot coexist with it. We deny that choice is
free
, because through man’s innate wickedness it is of
necessity
driven to what is evil and cannot seek anything but evil.
And from this it is possible to deduce what a great difference there is between necessity and coercion
. For we do not say that man is dragged unwillingly into sinning, but that because his will is corrupt he is held captive under the yoke of sin and therefore of necessity will in an evil way. For where there is bondage, there is necessity. But it makes a great difference whether the bondage is voluntary or coerced. We locate the necessity to sin precisely in corruption of the will, from which follows that it is self-determined. (John Calvin, BLW pp 69, 70)
Required Reading for long-time visitors to Monergism.com. A profound theological work concerning the relationship between grace and free will. More in-depth and scholarly than Luther's and a bit less polemic. Forget all the negative things you have heard about John Calvin. Read this book and you will see a man who affectionately loved the Lord and had intimate knowledge of the Word of God. This volume is a manifesto for divine monergism. Extensively quotes Augustine. Not an easy read but exceedingly helpful.
