The Second Helvetic Confession
CHAPTER IX
Of Free Will, and Thus of Human Powers
In this matter, which has always produced many conflicts in
the Church, we teach that a threefold condition or state of man is to be
considered.
WHAT MAN WAS BEFORE THE FALL. There is the state in which
man was in the beginning before the fall, namely, upright and free, so that he
could both continue in goodness and decline to evil. However, he declined to
evil, and has involved himself and the whole human race in sin and death, as has
been said already.
WHAT MAN WAS AFTER THE FALL. Then we are to consider what
man was after the fall. To be sure, his reason was not taken from him, nor was
he deprived of will, and he was not entirely changed into a stone or a tree.
But they were so altered and weakened that they no longer can do what they could
before the fall. For the understanding is darkened, and the will which was free
has become an enslaved will. Now it serves sin, not unwillingly but willingly.
And indeed, it is called a will, not an unwill (ing). [Etenim voluntas, non
noluntas dicitur.]
MAN DOES EVIL BY HIS OWN FREE WILL. Therefore, in regard
to evil or sin, man is not forced by God or by the devil but does evil by his
own free will, and in this respect he has a most free will. But when we
frequently see that the worst crimes and designs of men are prevented by God
from reaching their purpose, this does not take away man’s freedom in doing
evil, but God by his own power prevents what man freely planned otherwise. Thus
Joseph’s brothers freely determined to get rid of him, but they were unable to
do it because something else seemed good to the counsel of God.
MAN IS NOT CAPABLE OF GOOD Per Se. In regard to
goodness and virtue man’s reason does not judge rightly of itself concerning
divine things. For the evangelical and apostolic Scripture requires
regeneration of whoever among us wishes to be saved. Hence our first birth from
Adam contributes nothing to out salvation. Paul says: “The unspiritual
man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God,” etc. (I Cor. 2:14).
And in another place he denies that we of ourselves are capable of thinking
anything good (II Cor. 3:5) Now it is known that the mind or intellect is the
guide of the will, and when the guide is blind, it is obvious how far the will
reaches. Wherefore, man not yet regenerate has no free will for good, no
strength to perform what is good. The Lord says in the Gospel: “Truly,
truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin” (John
8:34). And the apostle Paul says: “The mind that is set on the flesh is
hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, indeed it cannot” (Rom.
8:7). Yet in regard to earthly things, fallen man is not entirely lacking in
understanding.
UNDERSTANDING OF THE ARTS. For God in his mercy has
permitted the powers of the intellect to remain, though differing greatly from
what was in man before the fall. God commands us to cultivate our natural
talents, and meanwhile adds both gifts and success. And it is obvious that we
make no progress in all the arts without God’s blessing. In any case, Scripture
refers all the arts to God; and, indeed, the heathen trace the origin of the
arts to the gods who invented them.
OF WHAT KIND ARE THE POWERS OF THE REGENERATE, AND IN WHAT
WAY THEIR WILLS ARE FREE. Finally, we must see whether the regenerate have free
wills, and to what extent. In regeneration the understanding is illumined by
the Holy Spirit in order that it many understand both the mysteries and the will
of God. And the will itself is not only changed by the Spirit, but it is also
equipped with faculties so that it wills and is able to do the good of its own
accord (Rom. 8:1ff.). Unless we grant this, we will deny Christian liberty and
introduce a legal bondage. But the prophet has God saying: “I will put my
law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts” (Jer. 31:33; Ezek.
36:26f.). The Lord also says in the Gospel: “If the Son makes you free,
you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Paul also writes to the
Philippians: “It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you
should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake” (Phil. 1:29).
Again: “I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to
completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (v. 6). Also: “God is at work
in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (ch. 2:13).
THE REGENERATE WORK NOT ONLY PASSIVELY BUT ACTIVELY.
However, in this connection we teach that there are two things to be observed:
First, that the regenerate, in choosing and doing good, work not only passively
but actively. For they are moved by God that they may do themselves what they
do. For Augustine rightly adduces the saying that “God is said to be our
helper. But no one can be helped unless he does something.” The
Manichaeans robbed man of all activity and made him like a stone or a block of
wood.
THE FREE WILL IS WEAK IN THE REGENERATE. Secondly, in the
regenerate a weakness remains. For since sin dwells in us, and in the
regenerate the flesh struggles against the Spirit till the end of our lives,
they do not easily accomplish in all things what they had planned. These things
are confirmed by the apostle in Rom., ch. 7, and Gal., ch. 5. Therefore that
free will is weak in us on account of the remnants of the old Adam and of innate
human corruption remaining in us until the end of our lives. Meanwhile, since
the powers of the flesh and the remnants of the old man are not so efficacious
that they wholly extinguish the work of the Spirit, for that reason the faithful
are said to be free, yet so that they acknowledge their infirmity and do not
glory at all in their free will. For believers ought always to keep in mind
what St. Augustine so many times inculcated according to the apostle: “What
have you that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as
if it were not a gift?” To this he adds that what we have planned does not
immediately come to pass. For the issue of things lies in the hand of God.
This is the reason Paul prayed to the Lord to prosper his journey (Rom. 1:10).
And this also is the reason the free will is weak.
IN EXTERNAL THINGS THERE IS LIBERTY. Moreover, no one
denies that in external things both the regenerate and the unregenerate enjoy
free will. For man has in common with other living creatures (to which he is
not inferior) this nature to will some things and not to will others. Thus he
is able to speak or to keep silent, to go out of his house or to remain at home,
etc. However, even here God’s power is always to be observed, for it was the
cause that Balaam could not go as far as he wanted (Num., ch. 24), and Zacharias
upon returning from the temple could not speak as he wanted (Luke, ch.1).
HERESIES. In this matter we condemn the Manichaeans who
deny that the beginning of evil was for man [created] good, from his free will.
We also condemn the Pelagians who assert that an evil man has sufficient free
will to do the good that is commanded. Both are refuted by Holy Scripture which
says to the former, “God made man upright” and to the latter, “If
the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).
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