''An Inquiry into the Modern Prevailing Notions of the Freedom of the Will which is Supposed to be Essential to Moral Agency, Virtue and Vice, Reward and Punishment, Praise and Blame'' or simply ''The Freedom of the Will'', is a work by Christian reformer, theologian, and author Jonathan Edwards which uses the text of

Romans 9 Romans 9 is the ninth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle, while he was in Corinth in the mid-50s AD, with the help of an ''amanuensis'' (secretary), Tertius, who a ...

:16 as its basis. It was first published in 1754 and examines the nature and the status of humanity's will. The book takes the classic

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

viewpoint on

total depravity Total depravity (also called radical corruption or pervasive depravity) is a Protestant theological doctrine derived from the concept of original sin. It teaches that, as a consequence of man's fall, every person born into the world is enslav ...

of the will and the need of humanity for God's grace in salvation. Although written long before the modern introduction and debate over

Open Theism Open theism, also known as openness theology and free will theism, is a theological movement that has developed within Christianity as a rejection of the synthesis of Greek philosophy and Christian theology. Open theism arises out of the freewi ...

, Edwards' work addresses many of the concerns that have been raised today over this view. One of the authors that provoked the writing of The Freedom of the Will was

Daniel Whitby Daniel Whitby (1638–1726) was a controversial English theologian and biblical commentator. An Arminian priest in the Church of England, Whitby was known as strongly anti-Calvinistic and later gave evidence of Unitarian tendencies. Life The s ...

. Whitby was an Arminian minister of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

who was known for his anti-

viewpoint and his statement that “It is better to deny prescience oreknowledgethan liberty.”Discourse on the Five Points by Daniel Whitby
/ref> It is this claim that Edwards attempts to answer in The Freedom of the Will. Edwards responded that a person may freely choose whatever seems good, but that whatever it is that seems good is based on an inherent predisposition that has been foreordained by God.

References

External links

The Complete Text of ''The Freedom of the Will''A version of this work, slightly modified for easier reading
* Christian ethics 18th-century Christian texts 1754 books Epistle to the Romans Works by Jonathan Edwards (theologian) {{Calvinism-stub

See also

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External links