Chapter 9 - OF FREE WILL

1 God has given the human will a natural freedom and the ability to choose, so it is not forced or by any necessity of nature determined to do either good or evil.

2 When man was in a state of innocence, he had the freedom and ability to choose and do what was good and what pleased God. However, he was still unstable and could fall from that state.

3 When man fell into sin, we completely lost the ability to will ourselves toward any spiritual good that would lead to salvation. Therefore, a person in his natural state, who is entirely opposed to that good and is spiritually dead in sin, cannot, by his own power, convert himself or prepare himself to be converted.

4 When God transforms a sinner and brings him into a state of grace, He frees him from his natural slavery to sin. Through His grace alone, He gives him the ability to freely choose and do what is spiritually good. However, because some corruption remains within him, he doesn’t perfectly or exclusively desire what is good; he still also has the desire to do what is evil.

5 A person's will becomes completely and unchangeably free to do only good, but this only happens in the state of perfect glory.