We have traversed the high peaks of Christology in Chapter 8, beholding the Person and Work of the Mediator. Now, the Confession turns its gaze inward to the human condition. If Christ has purchased redemption, how do we receive it? Can we simply choose to follow Him by our own natural power?
The subject of “Free Will” is one of the most debated and misunderstood topics in theology. Many assume that for a will to be “free,” it must be able to choose equally between good and evil at any moment, regardless of one’s nature. But the Westminster divines, following Augustine and the Reformers, present a far more profound biblical psychology. They describe the Fourfold State of Man, showing how human freedom changes across the four stages of history: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Glory.
The Confession teaches that while the human will always retains its natural liberty (it is never forced), its moral ability depends entirely on its state: mutable in innocence, dead in sin, partially renewed in grace, and perfectly immutable in glory.
The Nature of the Will (WCF 9.1)
The Confession begins by defining what the will is before discussing what it can do. “God hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty, that it is neither forced, nor, by any absolute necessity of nature, determined to good, or evil.”
This is a crucial distinction. We are not robots or puppets. We are never forced to sin against our will; we sin because we want to (James 1:14). When a sinner rejects Christ, he does so freely; when a saint embraces Christ, he does so freely. The will always acts according to the desires of the heart. This “natural liberty” remains with man in every state of his existence.
The State of Innocence (WCF 9.2)
The first state is Adam in the Garden. “Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom and power to will and to do that which was good and well pleasing to God.” Adam was not created neutral; he was created good (Eccl. 7:29). His heart was inclined toward God, and his will followed.
However, this state was unstable. He possessed this power “mutably, so that he might fall from it.” In the Latin terms of Augustine, Adam was posse peccare et posse non peccare—able to sin and able not to sin. He had the capacity to obey or disobey. Tragically, we know which path he chose.
The State of Bondage (WCF 9.3)
Here lies the devastating consequence of the Fall. “Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation.”
Notice the precision. Man has not lost his will (he still chooses), nor his reason (he still thinks), nor his civic virtue (he can still be a good citizen or parent). But regarding spiritual good—things that please God and lead to salvation—he is “dead in sin” (Eph. 2:1).
Because his nature is corrupt, his will is bound by that corruption. A “natural man” is “altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin,” and therefore “is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto” (Rom. 8:7; John 6:44). A lion is “free” to eat salad, but it never will because its nature dictates it eats meat. Similarly, a sinner is free to choose God, but he never will because his nature is at enmity with God. In Augustine’s terms, he is non posse non peccare—not able not to sin.
The State of Grace (WCF 9.4)
How then can anyone be saved? Only by a sovereign rescue. “When God converts a sinner… He freeth him from his natural bondage under sin; and, by His grace alone, enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good.”
In regeneration, God gives a new heart (Ezek. 36:26). With a new nature comes new desires, and the will follows those desires to embrace Christ. We are not dragged to heaven against our will; we are made willing in the day of His power (Ps. 110:3).
However, this freedom is not yet perfect. “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.” The Christian life is a war zone. We are Augustine’s posse non peccare—able not to sin—but we still struggle with the flesh (Gal. 5:17; Rom. 7). We have a new master, but the old tyrant still shouts orders.
The State of Glory (WCF 9.5)
The story ends in triumph. “The will of man is made perfectly and immutably free to good alone in the state of glory only.”
In heaven, we will not be “free” in the sense that we could choose to rebel again. We will be free in the highest sense: we will be like God, unable to sin (non posse peccare). We will see Him as He is (1 John 3:2), and the very idea of sin will be impossible to our perfected natures. This is not the loss of freedom, but the perfection of it—to be so entranced by the glory of God that we desire nothing else forever.
Conclusion
The doctrine of the will humbles us in the dust and lifts us to the stars. It destroys all pride, telling us that we cannot take the first step toward God, nor even prepare ourselves for it. We are utterly dependent on His grace to liberate our bound wills. Yet it also gives us tremendous hope. If you desire Christ today, it is not because you are smarter or better than others, but because God has broken your chains. And He who began this good work will bring it to the state of glory, where we shall be free indeed.
Key Terms
- Natural Liberty: The essential property of the human will to act according to its own desires without external compulsion or physical necessity. Man has this in every state.
- Moral Inability: The condition of the fallen sinner who, though naturally free, is morally unable to choose spiritual good because his nature is corrupt and opposed to God.
- Fourfold State of Man: The theological framework describing human freedom in history:
- Innocence: Able to sin, able not to sin.
- Sin: Not able not to sin (bondage).
- Grace: Able not to sin (partial freedom).
- Glory: Not able to sin (perfect freedom).
- Effectual Calling: The act of God’s grace in conversion where He enlightens the mind and renews the will, enabling the sinner to freely embrace Jesus Christ.