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Ethics- Determinism and free will > D- Religious concepts of free will > Flashcards

D- Religious concepts of free will Flashcards

1
Q

Context for Arminius

A
  • C16th
  • Taught by Beza, Calvin’s successor at Calvin’s academy in Geneva
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2
Q

Arminius quote for free will

A

“In this state, the free will of man toward the True God is not only wounded… but it is also imprisoned, destroyed and lost. Its powers are not only debilitated… unless they be assisted by grace, but it has no powers whatever except such as are excited by Divine Grace”

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3
Q

Does Arminius have agreement with Calvinists?

A
  • did believe God is the sole agent in salvation
  • BUT Arminius rejects:
    1. unconditional election- man contributes to this
    2. limited atonement- Christ offered salvation to all, up to man to accept it
    3. irresistible grace- humans can reject Gods grace
    TULIP without U,L,I
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4
Q

Arminius’ perspective of salvation

A

Arminius claims that salvation is not Pelagian ie. a matter of the will alone, but of God’s grace: we are predestined.
Point isn’t about effectiveness of freedom, but how God can still predestine us, while we are free.

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5
Q

Arminius’ perspective of original sin

A
  • did affect humankind, essentially, and it’s effects are inherited.
    1. DEPRIVATION, of original righteousness- being truly in God’s image, as we were created, to easily seek the good. Humanity has fallen from how it was originally created.
    2. DEPRAVATION, a sinful state entered human nature, inclination to sin strengthened. More disordered than originally was.

OS carries punishments- pain, death, spiritual punishments.

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6
Q

What does Arminius’ view of original sin mean for freedom?

A

For Pelagius, this view of original sin is unacceptable, because it prevents us from acting freely.
But for Arminius, the point isn’t about how effective our freedom is, but how God can still predestine us, given this depraved and deprived freedom.

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7
Q

How can God make it possible for our freedom to count? - Points

A
  1. Conditional predestination
  2. Predestination
  3. Middle knowledge
  4. Providence
  5. Prevenient grace
  6. Divine concurrence
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8
Q

How can God make it possible for our freedom to count? - Middle knowledge

A

The Jesuit De Molina developed this idea. God foreknows all the possibilities of any scenario in the world, and foreknows what humans would choose to do. He allows such possibilities to happen, but he does not determine that they should occur ie they are independent, and not His creative act.

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9
Q

How can God make it possible for our freedom to count? - Prevenient grace

A

God’s grace precedes human choice to do good, and the Holy Spirit is always present to assist them in choosing and freely doing good and in resisting evil. Means humans are not predetermined to always do evil.

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10
Q

How can God make it possible for our freedom to count? - Conditional predestination

A

This is the idea that whatever happens, it is still within the divine plan, even if God had not willed it or made it happen. This is because God foreknows everything (middle knowledge).

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11
Q

How can God make it possible for our freedom to count?- Divine concurrence

A

God empowers and enables all human beings to act, preserving them in existence, and giving them the capacity to exercise their free will. No creature can act in complete independence from God. But while God permits sin, and allows it to occur, he does not cause their action. God is not the author of sin (so must insist on human freedom)

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12
Q

How can God make it possible for our freedom to count? - ?

A

Free will and predestination are compatible. Humans can make real, unconstrained choices between alternatives. God alone however, decides whom to elect to eternal salvation- this is not given on merit.

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13
Q

?

A

This is when human salvation or condemnation depends on God’s grace but also because of the free human response, eg. unrepentant unbelief, which God foreknows

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14
Q

R. Brian on Arminius

A

“God’s divine foreknowledge does not result in determinism, and does not force any person into either salvation or damnation”

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15
Q

Arminius quote

A

“Provided they battle… the Spirit preserves them from falling”

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16
Q

Positives of Arminius’ view

A
  • Preserves God’s omnipotence, but conditional predestination, grace helps us
  • freedom can freely cooperate with grace “provided they battle” - resist grace “man is not an automaton”
  • libertarian type of freedom as can reject and do otherwise
  • predestination based on God’s foreknowledge, not control. “Middle knowledge” and providence manages all things without determining them
  • still accepts original sin
  • grace available to all, unlimited atonement
17
Q

Negatives of Arminius’ view

A
  • God not omnipotent as grace can be resisted
  • God not omnipotent as people can reject being saved even if given this as a gift
  • rejected as heresy by Calvinists (God not sovereign enough) and by Catholics (grace not effective enough)
18
Q

The declaration of the Sentiments context

A

Arminius’s Declaration was originally produced in response to accusations that had been lodged against him and was delivered orally by Arminius before the States of Holland at The Hague on October 30, 1608.

19
Q

Arminius and God’s grace: The Declaration of the Sentiments

A

God’s grace is available to all, but God foreknows, and therefore predestines, who/ will not avail of it.

  1. CHRIST - through him, as mediator and redeemer, people receive salvation.
  2. SAVING EFFECT OF FAITH + REPENTANCE - those who believe and repent to the end, receive salvation, and those who don’t are left in their sin. God chooses those who are foreknown to be penitent believers (conditional election)
  3. PROVIDENCE - guides all things in accordance with what is necessary for any person’s repentance and salvation
  4. GODS GRACE PRECEDES - any turning to God in repentance and belief is preceded by prevenient grace, which is therefore the means to salvation. It is given on the basis of foreknowledge/ middle knowledge of who would respond to this.
    “Provided they battle… the Spirit preserves them from falling” Grace balances the impulse to sin, from original sin.
20
Q

Five articles of remonstrance- context

A

1610- Arminius’ supporters, the Remonstrants, opposed the Synod of Dort (Calvinism) with their own five points (founded before draft of TULIP)

21
Q

Five Articles of Remonstrance:

A
  1. Conditioned predestination - election is conditional on humans accepting God’s gift of grace
  2. Unlimited atonement - salvation is available to all, but only some will choose it
  3. Always aid of grace against the impulse to sin, begins and perseverance in any good - salvation requires our own efforts with assistance from the Holy Spirit
  4. Resistable grace - humans can reject God
  5. Resistable sin - it is only possible to have faith and resist sin through Christ
22
Q

Positive evaluation ideas:

A
  1. Sin can’t be God’s fault- man must have chosen sin freely therefore sin exists - so that “God might not be considered the author of all sin”
  2. God doesn’t force himself on people- so freedom must exist, otherwise a relationship with God doesn’t mean anything
  3. God’s grace is a gift, must be freely recieved. According to Arminius, grace takes the initiative but it’s mans decision to respond as he will. You can always make a contrary decision- grace is resistable
  4. Not as extreme as Pelagius- does not deny original sin/ need for God/ Christ, but still libertarian
    eg. “God’s divine foreknowledge does not result in determinism, and does not force any person into either salvation or damnation”
  5. Freedom for Arminius is the power to be able to do otherwise- to make a contrary choice. Freedom means not to feel coerced (coercion by God- soft determinist view of Augustine and Calvin)
23
Q

Problems of Arminius’ views:

A
  1. Denies effectiveness of God’s grace, says it’s resistable: Augustine and Calvin would disagree
  2. Reduces God’s omnipotence to just knowledge “middle knowledge”
  3. What would his response be to St Paul/ Augustine experience, stating the lack of power that man has over his choices?
24
Q

Arminius and St Paul: Biblical evidence

A

ROMANS 7:
“For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out” -> good should be enabled through the acceptance of God’s grace

ROMANS 9:
“before they had done anything either good or bad was told ‘The older will serve the younger’”.
“It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy”
“Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?”
“Why did you make me like this?”

Ethics- Determinism and free will (6 decks)

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