RC Sproul 08 Do Calvinists believe in Free Will?

In 2004, Real 2 Real Ministries / The Apologetics Group produced a 4-1/2 hour video documentary, Amazing Grace - The History and Theology of Calvinism. It was popular and sold over 30,000 copies. RC Sproul's interview was the high point of the series as he succinctly explained the Reformed doctrines of grace. However, much of Sproul's interview was cut from the final product. In this series, we present the raw, unvarnished interview with RC Sproul in its entirety.

[Gnmercjr]

When i understood Calvinism and how we are really can not be saved by our own effort. How can a dead man decide for God. Only when we are changed and born again that is the time we seek Him. I am saved by grace alone

[ragoosixtythree]

Before God opened my eyes to the doctrines of sovereign grace, I used to pray for who were not Christians saying, "Lord, please save my brother. Open his eyes to your truth. Take away his heart of stone and cause him to ask you into His life. Lord, please save Him.". After hearing my own words, I realized, as much as I wanted to say, "I chose God"; "I asked Jesus into my heart"; or "I opened the door to my heart to Jesus." I was futile in my thinking and realizing the only way my brother could be saved was for God to intervene in his "free will" and grant grace to my brother by giving him faith to biblically believe in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

[anamariarodriguez]

Thank you God for R.C Sproul. I rejoice he is in your presence. That we may never loose his legacy, Amen.

[samwisegamgee]

At the heart of the issue IS free will. More specifically and honestly more important is the pre-determination of salvation. That is truly what derails people from Calvinism altogether. Did I make the decision myself to follow Christ or did Christ make that decision for me and I'm just puppet? So, God's love really isn't for everyone? If we're all fundamentally sinful creatures destined for hell, how is it that some are "chosen" over others? If God really does choose who is saved and who isn't then why have people spread the Gospel? These are the questions that I hear almost everyday working with a Christian University in America.

[hardcoreveritas]

God is going to hold man responsible for the choices he has made.
For him to only have the ability to choose sin would make God unjust.

[Hannodb]

Free will is a meaningless concept that explains absolutely nothing. Will is the capacity to choose, but what are the basis of your choices? Your desires, ofcause. Your desires determine your choices, not the other way arround. Sin has corrupted us with deceitful and self destructive desires. _That_ is why no one can turn to God unless God regenerates him and give him new desires that is pleasing to God.

[TheGreyHollowRoad]

Revelation 3:20 KJV
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

People, in a fallen state, have to CHOOSE to do a good thing, and seek God when He's knocking at your door. Seek and you will find, there's a free will choice for everybody to make. I can see a free gift in front of me, but I can't receive it if I don't choose to reach out and take the gift that's in front of my face.

[JewandGreek]

He avoids discussing the Calvinist/Reformed views concerning unconditional election, limited atonement, and irresistible grace which would in fact counter his claim that Calvinists accept free will. How can we have free will if God has predetermined to whom He will extend grace and the the blessings of the atoning work of Christ?

[Packardphaeton]

.... but if the will is in bondage, can it be considered "free" ?

[TheZXGuru]

There is a MASSIVE difference between free will and volition. Only being to ever have there will totally free is God himself. There are no outside influences directing Gods will. It is free from any outside influences. Mans will is conditional meaning he can choose between things but outside influences play a role in mans decision which is called volition. Man can choose only what his will is bound to which in this case is Sinful Nature!!!! The bible states that no man woman or child will seek after God but we only seek after God because God first seeketh after you. PERIOD

[vincentparrella]

R.C I miss you, I miss the great expository teaching that you conveyed, what a biblical answer.

[KennethNicholson]

God is sovereign over all. It really is that simple. To refuse the sovereignty of God in any aspect is foolishness. Another solid truth is that no man will ever be able to know the mind of God, as no man can even begin to comprehend who, or what, God truly is. Every man made understanding of doctrine is simply an attempt to understand how our Father God thinks, which can never be fully discerned. Who are we, as dirt built men, to even question our maker. To argue over doctrine is also folly as our personal relationship with our Father is not affected by our doctrinal understanding, but division with our Brothers in Christ does affect our relationship. I do not care what you think is right doctrine, if you are in Christ then you are my Brother.

[tomm]

"What father holding his little girl’s hand crossing a busy street would ever let it go? The more she pulls, the tighter he squeezes. There is no way she is going anywhere! Is God any different? The argument that a person can choose hell by rejecting God as a result of 'free' will is in effect saying a little girl has more strength than her dad. God has given man a 'measure' of free will, but certainly not to the degree that He would allow him or her to damn themselves forever in torment. Is God less of a parent than we are (Matt. 7:11)? We extend increasing freedom to our children as they mature. Too much too soon is disastrous. He knows just how much freedom we need for our development."

-- Gerry Beauchemin, _Hope Beyond Hell, _ 2010, pg. 38

[AnnoyingMoose]

All people are free to do whatever we want but we can't freely determine what it is that we want.

[toddharless]

Hyper-Calvinism is not Biblical
Hyper-Calvinism is not true Calvinism
Calvinism when understood correctly is Biblical.

[jimmme]

RC was one of my favorite teachers--except he loses me when he speaks of Calvinism.
Calvinists, can you help me understand this?. Is Calvinism saying we are in bondage until regenerated by the sovereign God, and then we have free will i.e., libertarian free will where we can do x or not x? Or, even after regeneration we can only do what God determines us to do...i.e., God determines all things even our thoughts and therefore we cannot really do something contrary to what God desires us to do, because God determines all things to be? Hope that makes sense.

[gregjay]

Sproul acknowledges that we have a will that has the faculty of choosing but that the human will is in bondage to sin. He explains that our wills are enslaved to sinful passions, sinful desires and sinful disposition. This is certainly evident in the actions of ISIS, tyrant rulers and mass murders, etc. But what about the many people who have shown an unselfish concern for the welfare of others. There are many altruistic people in the world today.

Doing good to others certainly does not merit Salvation but it does contradict the idea that the human will is in bondage to sin and can only choose evil.

John Piper states, “Nothing that exists or occurs falls outside God’s ordaining will. Nothing, including no evil person or thing or event or deed. God’s foreordination is the ultimate reason why everything comes about, including the existence of all evil persons and things and the occurrence of any evil acts or events. And so it is not inappropriate to take God to be the creator, the sender, the permitter, and sometimes even the instigator of evil… Nothing — no evil thing or person or event or deed — falls outside God’s ordaining will. Nothing arises, exists, or endures independently of God’s will. So when even the worst of evils befall us, they do not ultimately come from anywhere other than God’s hand.”

So, according to Sproul, fallen men have wills which are free but enslaved to sinful passions and yet Piper claims that God is the creator, the sender, the permitter and sometimes even the instigator of evil.

It seems to me that Calvinists are very confused over the issue of man’s free will.

[KBTHECAT]

When did we have to call ourselves Calvinist or anything. What happened to I'm am a follower of JESUS CHRIST wHich make you a Christian period nothing else

[DPGBehler]

If, according to him, I hold a view of free will that is unbiblical, I can’t help it. I was determined to have a false view and there’s nothing I can do to choose otherwise. Why don’t they ever address that part of the logical outworking?

[deehen]

Sproul is the first preacher that I heard teach it like the Bible said it. This is correct teaching. This is how the Holy Spirit gave it to me several decades ago..