Against Free Will

Clark writes in his commentary Philippians 2:13 against the notion of free will.

He says, "The two kai's contribute an emphasis. 'Both . . . and' is stronger than 'and' alone. The idea is that God not only gives us physical strength to engage in Christian activity, but he first controls our will so that as a result of his control we decide or will to do our duty. It is strange, it is incomprehensible, that some commentators use this verse to attack Calvinism: 'the Cavlinistic writers are exceedingly embarrassed with it.' The gentleman mentions Doddridge, though how the verse can embarrass Calvinists remains unexplained. The verse is among the strongest supports for Calvinism. Nobody, at least I do not see how anybody, could miss the statement that God controls a man's will as well as his actions. Ellicott notes, 'the thelein no less than the energein is a direct result of the divine energeia' (64, col. 2). This is correct, even though Ellicott then tries to avoid the full force of his own words.
The idea that man has free will, an idea sponsored by Pelagius, adapted by the Council of Trent, and emphasized by Arminius and Wesley, is totally inconsistent with the Biblical plan of salvation. It is also inconsistent with the sovereignty of God, with divine omniscience and omnipotence, with the necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit, and of course with the pervasive Scriptural teaching of predestination." - Gordon H. Clark, Philippians, Pg. 71 - 72


Notice that Clark states that God controls our wills. Those who teach that Man has a free will teach that God does not control Mans wills. Compatibilist teach that Man has free will and still claim that God is sovereign. However, to teach this is to disregard and to contradict what Scripture teaches. The Bible says that God controls the will and actions of man. There is no mystery as to how these things are done. Man has a will, a choice, a volition, but his will, choice, volition is not free from the controlling hand of God.


Further those who teach compatibilism also want to say that free will and sovereignty are compatible to one another. How they can say such things is beyond me to understand. Many of todays 'calvinist' rather than revealing what the word of God teaches seem to want to make the word of God of no known affect by teaching mystery. It is a mystery. The question is does the Bible teach that man has a will free from God's control? No. It states everywhere that man is dependent upon God in life, and in salvation. We do what he so pleases for us to do.