David Campbell wrote:
>
> Looking at Luther, Calvin, Erasmus, and Arminius on this might be more
> productive than arguing. My own views would endorse the first two. At the
> current rate, it seems unlikely that we are predestined to resolve this
> argument here. It may be more helpful to agree that we need to acknowledge
> both God's sovereignty and our responsibility. It is also important to
> note that the free will particularly argued against by Luther, etc. is the
> freedom to choose to follow God of our own initiative rather than because
> of His work in us. Whether we are able to rebel creatively was not the
> main issue.
Yes. The real theological issue at least for Lutherans has not been determinism
of the Laplacian type or its absence - i.e., whether we have a choice about what to have
for breakfast, who to vote for &c but whether or not we can by ourselves have "true fear
of God and true faith in God." & our inability to do so isn't because somehow God has
constrained us but because we don't _want_ to. That's the problem - our will is
self-bound!
George
George L. Murphy
gmurphy@raex.com
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
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