Monday, August 19, 2024

An individual cannot independently choose salvation; rather, they may be influenced by divine revelation. As indicated in Romans 1, all people have been exposed to this revelation and are consequently held accountable. Thus, a person's actions are governed by their own inner disposition. Individuals determine their own paths, and their volitional decisions shape the trajectory of their lives. Therefore, we self-determine the outcomes of our choices and events. If a person were faced with two equally preferable choices, with no inclination towards either, that would not constitute liberty of will but rather an absence of will. Choosing involves favoring one option over another, or selecting based on personal desire. This distinction between subject and verb is crucial. When we assert that choice is an action of the mind, we do not imply that choosing is confined to a strictly rational framework. The mind's perception of an object is shaped by the individual's understanding, influenced by the pleasure they derive from the object. In essence, moral ability encompasses more than rational comprehension; we often fail to act according to what we know is right. Thus, when discussing moral ability, we refer to the understanding of a choice object based on what pleases us most about it, or our strongest desire for it, formed through a combination of rational and spiritual processes. This is referred to as spiritual affections. We believe that what we find most pleasing in our understanding results from divine knowledge or a supernatural source. Consequently, it is not merely a supernatural change in the soul that determines choice but also the divine knowledge imparted to the mind through a supernatural process, which amplifies desire. This enables us to perceive the object of choice as most pleasing. Our spiritual affections, integrated into our rational process, shape our understanding of the object, strengthening our desire for it and inclining us to choose good over evil. This is a complex concept but worth pondering. Your argument is compelling, and I concur with your position. Humanity does possess free will, but this freedom does not extend to choosing any spiritual good. In their natural state, humans are spiritually dead, though they still make choices regarding moral good and worldly preferences. However, Calvin places little emphasis on this type of freedom, as it pales in comparison to the bondage of the will in a spiritual context. I agree that the condition of the heart significantly impacts our actions. The cause of human actions is the mind selecting what is most pleasing at the moment of choice. If we delve deeper into the concept of freedom or liberty, we do not imply that choice exists in the equilibrium state of Arminian self-determinism. In other words, moral liberty means the will is free from the coercion of any cause that predetermines the choice before it is made. We argue that the will is governed by the strongest desire, which stems from what the mind finds most pleasing among the options. You assert that everything that has happened cannot be contingent because the present is the unavoidable result of past events, and I concur. This leads us to consider the teachings of Augustine. Augustine posited that due to the cause-and-effect nature of sin, as indicated in Jeremiah 17:9, humanity is enslaved to sin, losing true liberty while retaining volition. Reflect on this deeply and then continue.

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