Freedom of the will - Chambers, Oswald
Psalm 27:4–6
The subject of human free will is apt to be either understated or overstated. No man has the power to act an act of pure, unadulterated, free will. God is the only being who can act with absolute free will. The bible reveals that man is free to choose, but it nowhere teaches that man is fundamentally free. The freedom man has is not that of power but of choice, consequently he is accountable for choosing the course he takes. For instance, we can choose whether or not we will accept the proposition of salvation which god puts before us; whether or not we will let god rule our lives; but we have not the power to do exactly what we like. This is easily demonstrated when we think of the number of vows that are made every new year and so quickly broken. Man is free to choose in so far as no human force can constrain him against his will. Pope8 is often mis- quoted; he did not say, convince a man against his will, he is of the same opinion still, but compel a man against his will, he is of the same opinion still. God has so constituted man that it is not possible to convince him against his will; you can compel him and crush him, but you cannot convince him against his will. Only god could exercise constraint over a man which would compel him to do what in the moment of doing it is not his own will; but that god steadily refuses to do. The reason man is not free is that within his personality there is a disposition which has been allowed to enslave his will, the disposition of sin. Mans destiny is determined by his disposition; he cannot alter his disposition, but he can choose to let god alter it. Jesus said, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin; but he also said, if the son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed, i. E. Free in essence. We are only free when the son sets us free; but we are free to choose whether or not we will be made free. In the experience of regeneration a man takes the step of choosing to let god alter his disposition. When the holy spirit comes into a man, he brings his own generating will power and makes a man free in will. Will simply means the whole nature active, and when the holy spirit comes in and energises a mans will, he is able to do what he never could do before, viz. , he is able to do gods will (philippians 2:13).
The universe of the will
Thus not only our morality but our religion, so far as the latter is deliberate, depend on the effort which we can make.
James9
Some propositions are alive to us and we want to work at them; other propositions are dead, they do not appeal to us at all. We have to be brought out of one universe of the will into another universe where propositions which were dead become alive. You can never tell when a proposition which up to a certain stage has been dead may suddenly become of living interest.
(a) the live quest of the will
One thing have i desired of the lord; . . . That i may dwell in the house of the l ord all the days of my life. . . . The depths of personality are hidden from our sight; we do not know anything beyond the threshold of consciousness, god is the only one who knows. When we try to go beyond our conscious life into the depths of our personality, we do not know where we are, our only refuge is the 139th psalmsearch me, o god, and know my heart. Whatever rouses your will is an indication of the bias of your personality. The bible reveals that in a mans personality there is a bias that makes him choose not the proposition of godli- ness, but the proposition of ungodliness. This bias is not a matter of mans deliberate choice, it is in his personality when he is born. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world . . . (romans 5:12). The proposition that appeals to a healthy once-born man is that of self-realisationi want to develop myself. If
You bring before him the proposition that he should be saved and give up his right to himself to jesus christ, it will be a dead proposition, without meaning for him; but let conviction of sin, or disaster, or bereavement, or any of the great surprises of god touch him, and instantly the proposition takes on a totally new aspect and he will want to act on it. Jesus christ always puts the emphasis on the effort of obedience, there must be a live quest of the will. If you want to know my doctrine, whether it is of god or of myself, do my will, says jesus (see john 7:17). The truth of god is only revealed to us by obedience.
(b) the lure of the voluntary quest
to behold the beauty of the lord . . .
When once the will is roused it always has a definite end in view, an end in the nature of unity. Always distinguish between will and impulse. An impulse has no end in view and must be curbed, not obeyed. Will is the whole effort of a man consciously awake with the definite end of unity in view, which means that body, soul and spirit are in absolute harmony. This end of satisfaction offers a great fascination. The characteristic of a moral hell is satisfaction, no end in view, perfectly satisfied. Moral sickness is a perilous time, it is the condition to which sin brings us, and it accounts for the unutterable disappointments in life, there is no lure, no aim, no quest, no end in view. The characteristic of the spiritual life is the delight of discerning more and more clearly the end god has in view for us. Jesus did not say that eternal life was satis- faction, but something infinitely grander: this is life eternal, that they might know thee. The demand for satisfaction is god-given (cf. Matthew 5:6), but it must be satisfaction in the highest.
(c) the liberty to question
. . . And to enquire in his temple.
When once a man has been awakened from sin to salvation, the only propositions that are alive to his will are the propositions of god. There is an insatiable inquiry after gods commands, and to every command there is a desire to act in obedience. Recall your own experience and see how true that is. The things that used to be ends in view have not only ceased to be ends, they have ceased to have any inter- est for you at all; they have become tasteless. This is the way god enables us to be fundamentally dead to the things of the world while we live amongst them. Jesus christs outward life was densely immersed in the things of the world, yet he was inwardly disconnected; the one irresistible purpose of his life was to do the will of his father. If i am in right relationship to god there comes this delightful liberty of enquiring in his temple. It is not to be a sabbath day spent in a temple, but the whole of the life, every domain of body, soul and spirit, is to be lived there. The dead set of the will is towards one end only, viz. , to do the will of god. Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice. When jesus has not spoken there is an unutterable dullness all through, our spirit does not witness to what is being said. When once that fine balance of discernment is tampered with we give an opportunity to satan; but if it is kept in perfect accord with gods word, he will guard. Jesus said that the holy spirit would bring his word to our remem- brance ( john 14:26). The holy spirit does not bring text after text until we are utterly confused; he simply brings back with the greatest of ease the words which we need in the particular circumstances we are in. Then comes in the use of the will, will i obey the word which has been brought back to our remembrance? The battle comes when we begin to debate instead of obeying. We have to obey and leave all consequences with god.
The utmost uses of the will
character exists only in so far as unity and continuity of conscious life exists, and manifests itself in systematic consistency of conduct.
Stout 10 will is the very essence of personality, and in the bible will is always associated with intelligence and knowledge and desire. The will of a saint is not to be spent in dissipation in spiritual luxuries, but in con- centration upon god.
(a) the quietness of strength
for in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion . . .
God gives us the energy of an impregnable position, the heavenly places in christ jesus, and we have to make the effort to be strong from that position. We have not to work up to that position, but to work from it with the full energy of will. It is impossible to live according to our lords teaching without this secret of position. We do not get to the heavenly places by struggling, or aspiring, or consecration; god lifts us there, and if we will work from that position, he keeps us in his pavilion. No wonder the life of a saint appears such an unmitigated puzzle to rational human beings without the spirit of god. It seems so ridiculous and so conceited to say that god almighty
Is our father and that he is looking after our affairs; but looked at from the position in which jesus places us we find it is a marvellous revelation of truth.
(b) the quarters of security
he shall set me up upon a rock . . .
In our spiritual life god does not provide pinnacles on which we stand like spiritual acrobats; he provides tablelands of easy and delightful security. Recall the conception you had of holiness before you stood by the grace of god where you do to-day, it was the conception of a breathless standing on a pinnacle for a second at a time, but never with the thought of being able to live there; but when the holy spirit brought you there, you found it was not a pinnacle, but a plateau, a broad way, where the provision of strength and peace comes all the time, a much easier place to live than lower down. The security of the position into which god brings his saints is such that the life is maintained without ecstasy. There is no place for ecstasy and manifestations in a normal healthy spiritual life. The emotions that are beyond the control of the will are a sign that there is something not in the secure position, something undisciplined, untrained. When we are in the quarters of security we have to will our observation of the things of god, and of the way in which he works. There are things we are obliged to observe, such as fireworks; but god uses for the training of his children the things which we have to will to observe, viz. , trees and grass and sparrows. Never allow the idea of conscious straining effort when you think of the exercise of the will spiritually. The straining effort comes in when we forget the great lines laid down by god. If you are a worker for god, satan will try to wear you out to the last cell; but if you know gods grace you will be supernaturally recuperated physically. Recall how often you have been surprised, you thought you would have been exhausted after certain services, and instead, you became recreated whilst taking them. In this place of security there is no such thing as weariness without a corresponding recuperation if we maintain a right relationship with god.
(c) the quality of supremacy
. . . And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me.
The supremacy over our old enemies is accounted for by the fact that god makes them our subjects. What things used to be your enemies? Stodginess of head, laziness of body or spirit, the whole vocabulary of i cants. When you live in the right place these things are made your subjects; the things that used to hinder your life with god become subject to you by his power. The very things that used to upset you now minister to you in an extraordinary way by reason of the spiritual supremacy god gives you over them. The life of a saint reveals a quietness at the heart of things, there is something firm and dependable, because the lord is the strength of the life.