Dave Hunt Defines Free Will

[Blue Tick]

Ladies and Gents Dr. Dave Hunt explaining Free Will

It's the second question.

 

[MW]

The consequences of his carnal view of the will are practically seen in the next question where he justifies carnal Christianity. Ironically, he says "If one must live a perfect life in order to get to heaven, no one would make it." What has become of the carnal power of free will? If the will were free of all constraining factors there would be no reason why a person could not live a perfect life and arrive at heaven self-justified. This is another example of folly being condemned of her children.

 

[JoshCasey]

Ah! Now we finally have the true Biblical exposition defining Free Will... Dave Hunt is quite a !

Actually, this was more along the lines of my opinion:

Certainly I vastly disagree with Hunt, but would those of you here with more knowledge than I (which would be... everyone!) mind giving a few arguments to refute him?

 

[Robin]

Dave Hunt is living proof why accountants shouldn't write theology books!

 

[Robin]

Here's a quick rebutt to Mr. Hunt.

YES, humans DO have "free will." Question: However, what does our will freely do?

Answer: sin.

Go back to Romans 1 -- keep reading all the way through to chapter 8 without stopping.

 

[Timothy William]

From his answer (and from pretty well everything I have read by him) Hunt doesn't understand what is meant by "free will" in this context. He thinks that to deny that man has free will means that God forces man to do something against his will. He does not see that God acts by changing the will, from one that hates him to one that loves Him. He does not understand that the will itself is bound, and he seems to think that Calvinists believe that God makes us believe and repent against our wills, not by unbounding and changing our wills.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

Certainly I vastly disagree with Hunt, but would those of you here with more knowledge than I (which would be... everyone!) mind giving a few arguments to refute him?

OK Josh, let's analyze this:

QUESTION: In a recent sermon, our pastor said, “Free will is not a biblical term.” Is that true? Please explain.

Let's first start with the question. Indisputably, the term free will occurs but the question is whether or not the concept occurs in Scripture. Free will is the idea that man has a capacity to respond to God, in himself, without being regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Let's look at Hunt's response:

RESPONSE: Free will to obey or disobey, love or hate, submit or rebel, is not only biblical but essential to man’s relationship to God. He calls us to love, obey, serve, and worship Him and to do so by choice: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Jos 24:15). God would not be glorified in any obedience, worship, or love that did not come willingly from the heart.
Jesus said, “The first and great commandment [is] thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Mt 22:37,38). The fact that love comes from the heart, soul, and mind proves that it must be an act of free will. Love must be willingly given and received—or it isn’t love. Our Lord said the second command was to love our neighbors as ourselves and “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Mt 22:40). Thus, without the capacity to love God and fellow humans we cannot obey the Bible.

Notice this logic:

God has commanded man to do something therefore man must have the ability, within himself, to be able to obey it, or God would not command it of him.

This is unmitigated Pelagianism - God has commanded somthing (Love me with your heart, soul, and mind and your neighbor as yourself) and expects me to do it. If He has to give me the capacity to do it then it's not love.

Your pastor says that free will is “not a biblical term”? But that concept appears 17 times in the Bible! The same meaning is expressed in other words. “Free offerings” is found twice (Ex 36:3; Am 4:5), as is “a voluntary offering” (Lv 7:16). All are to be brought “voluntarily unto the LORD” (Ezk 46:12).
The first offering in Leviticus (a pattern for all) was to be brought by the worshiper “of his own voluntary will” (Lv 1:3,4). The many “freewill” offerings were to be given by the individual “willingly with his heart” (Ex 25:2). Those who gave materials for building the tabernacle were to bring them with “a willing heart” (Ex 35:5).

I sometimes wonder if Dave Hunt was always this slow or if old age has affected his mental capacities. This is an example of where words "free will" do not answer the issue. Nobody ever argues whether man makes choices on the basis of what he desires to do. Men make decisions, all the time, based on the things they most like to do. The question is whether or not they desire to obey the Lord. Arminians look at passages like the above and believe there is an indisputable inference from the fact that the Israelites gave free will offerings and the like. Does the passage say why a person would give out of a love for God? No, that has to be read into the passage. All the passage says is that, if you desire to give a free will offering, then do so. Where does the desire come from? The answer cannot be found in the passage but Dave Hunt supplies that all men may have that desire. We find in several other passages of Scripture that the desire to please God would only come from a heart transformed.

Christ declared: “If any man will [i.e., wills to] do his [God’s] will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (Jn 7:17). The Bible ends with an offer it repeats or implies many times. “And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely” (Rv 22:17). Scripture could not be clearer on this point. Free will is biblical and essential.

"If any man will..."

"whosoever will..."

I wonder if men like Dave Hunt ever actually stop for a second and read the Scripture they quote. They see the conclusion of the matter before they've read the passage and properly interpreted it. All the passages say is this:

John 7:17:
1. If any man will do His will
2. he shall know of the doctrine

Does the Scripture say that all men are capable, in themselves, to will to do His will? No, it does not. It only states that if any man will do His will. Again, we have to find out from other places how a man might will to do His will.

The second passage is like the first.

I'm convinced that Dave Hunt is more Pelagian then he is Arminian and, if he believes the doctrine he teaches, he is in real danger of hellfire.

 

[py3ak]

I think it's fairly evident from experience that people choose according to what they want. Let's say, for argument's sake, that you had the ability to choose against what you wanted. Would you ever use it? Why? It's a meaningless ability. "My most profound desire is to be evil; however, in spite of everything I want I am going to choose differently." It's incoherent on the face of it. If I had the ability to choose against my desires, I would never WANT to use that ability; and thus I never would. If we were possessed of such an ability we would never know, because we would never want to use it.

 

[panta dokimazete]

It is the pride of our first father, Adam. "We can handle it ourselves!"