Does man have a free will, to choose to do good or evil, to choose to serve Satan or to serve God? What saith the Scriptures to these questions?
Gen. 1:26. Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
27. God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Adam, in the garden, according to the Scriptures, had the ability to choose to do good or evil, to choose to serve Satan or to serve God.
Gen. 3:1. Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, Indeed, has God said, You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?
2. The woman said to the serpent, From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;
3. but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.
4. The serpent said to the woman, You surely will not die!
5. For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
6. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
Adam sinned, and there were consequences,
Gen. 3:7. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.
8. They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
9. Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, Where are you?
10. He said, I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.
11. And He said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?
12. The man said, The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.
13. Then the LORD God said to the woman, What is this you have done? And the woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate.
14. The LORD God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life;
15. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.
16. To the woman He said, I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you.
17. Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.
18. "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field;
19. By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."
20. Now the man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all {the} living.
21. The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.
22. Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"--
23. therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.
24. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
Was one of the consequences of Adams sin the loss of his free will? Genesis does not say that it was.
But you ask, How about Gen. 6:5 and 8:21,
6:5. Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
8:21. The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself, I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.
These verses teach that man became very evil, but they do not tell us how or why.
How about the rest of the Hexateuch (Genesis Joshua, studied today by Old Testament scholars as a literary unit)? No, not so much as a hint that Adam lost his free will when he sinned in the garden. Indeed, the Hexateuch teaches us that man retained his ability to choose to do good or evil, and to choose to serve Satan or to serve God,
Joshua 24: 14. Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
Later in the Scriptures, however, we do find that in some rare, isolated cases, God intervened and altered the heart of some individuals, thereby influencing their will,
Prov. 21:1. The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.
Ex. 9:12. And the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.
Rom. 9:17. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.
18. So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
Nonetheless, it is very clear that, from the point of view of Judeo-Christian theology during the Biblical period, man has a free will to choose to do good or evil, to choose to serve Satan or to serve God.
Ecclesiasticus 15:14 Hee himselfe made man from the beginning, and left him in the hand of his counsell,
15 If thou wilt, to keepe the Commandements, and to performe acceptable faithfulnesse.
16 He hath set fire and water before thee: stretch forth thy hand vnto whether thou wilt.
17 Before man is life and death, and whether him liketh shalbe giuen him.
18 For the wisedome of the Lord is great, and he is mighty in power, and beholdeth all things,
19 And his eyes are vpon them that feare him, & hee knoweth euery worke of man.
20 Hee hath commanded no man to do wickedly, neither hath he giuen any man license to sinne. (King James Version, 1611)
Ecclesiasticus 15: 14. It was he who created humankind in the beginning,
and he left them in the power of their own free choice.
15. If you choose, you can keep the commandments,
and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.
16. He has placed before you fire and water;
stretch out your hand for whichever you choose.
17. Before each person are life and death,
and whichever one chooses will be given.
18. For great is the wisdom of the Lord;
he is mighty in power and sees everything;
19. his eyes are on those who fear him,
and he knows every human action.
20. He has not commanded anyone to be wicked,
and he has not given anyone permission to sin. (New Revised Standard Version)
Was one of the consequences of Adams sin the loss of mans free will? No, God left them in the power of their own free choice.
(All quotations are from the NASB, 1995, unless otherwise noted).
