Scott Warren, ETS National Conference, November 17, 2005
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for rejecting the Gospel. I find these to be credible arguments against such a
position that denies human freedom in spiritual areas, since failure to obey or repent
would not necessarily reflect a lack of desire to do so. The most, I believe, that can
be credibly argued if humans are unable to obey God is that they are guilty for not
wanting to, even though they could not if they did want to.
An argument that claims that sinners are not free (i.e., are unable) to repent
is to say that they could not, even if they wanted to. I do not believe this is what is
normally intended in such a position, but if it is not, then the terminology misses the
point. Commonly what is meant, is that a person is thoroughly wicked, and will not
(rather than cannot) submit to God. But if one's failure to submit is due to one's
inclination, rather than one's ability, then the language of freedom and inability is
not the right terminology. We do not say that one is not free in regard to a matter if
the reason one fails to do it is simply and precisely because one does not want to do
so.
The biblical case for human guilt before God hardly needs to be made.
There is scarcely a more consistent message in Scripture. A framework that finds
no responsibility without ability suggests that if humans ought to be different, then
they are able to be different. While Arminians will whole-heartedly embrace this
ethical framework, it does not complete their case with regard to the ordo salutis,
and the status of fallen humanity. It only means that the prospect of natural humans
responding to God is not ruled out on the basis of ability. But both ability and
inclination need to be proven. While "ought" implies "can", "can" does not imply
"will" or even "might". There are many things that humans can do that they will
not. By agreeing that humans have the ability to respond to God, we have simply
moved the focus of the discussion to human inclination.
The Human Predicament
In light of the biblical record, I believe we can conclude that, since the fall,
humans are fundamentally sinful. Humans are, at the deepest levels of their natural
selves, haters of God as God, rather than lovers of him.
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Further, by our sin, we
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The out workings of this truth may be subtle. We may choose to act consistently with God's
commands in certain ways, though it may be due to external influences, or simply because we agree