Many Christians are confused about free will. Some hold to dangerous ideas that could become harmful to their faith. That’s not new. Because of so many false ideas about free will Martin Luther recommended that the term itself be dropped. Yet it is a useful term that can help us understand the teaching of the Bible. We should consider how much, if at all, humans can choose to become Christians.

Humans had free will

When God created the first humans, he gave them a fully free will. He made them in his image. Adam and Eve were “like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). With eagerness and joy they wanted to do all that God commanded, and they did. They wanted what he wanted. They freely chose to do what he wished. What a joyful and contented life they had!

But then came the fall. Adam and Eve changed drastically. The tempter spoke his lies and false promises. Adam and Eve made a choice. They sinned. As a result, they lost God’s image. How differently they acted afterward! Instead of praising and thanking the Lord for all his gifts, they blamed one another, the devil, and even God for their misdeeds. They even
tried to hide from God, who knows all things.

Adam and Eve’s loss of God’s image passes down to all humans born of man and woman: “Flesh gives birth to flesh” (John 3:6). King David confessed, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5).

Sinners have no free will