The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 1

II. Freedom of Will Is Moral Accountability

It is commonly recognized that God alone is infinite and absolute in liberty of will, purpose, and action. But the moral creatures of His earthly creation—that is, mankind—were also endowed by their Creator with freedom of will. They were free moral agents. And no loftier conception of creative power and purpose can be conceived. Man, the crown of creation, was brought into being with a view to exercising that will with freedom, though the liberty of the creature is necessarily but relative as compared with that of the Creator. CFF1 44.2

Therein lies the explanation of the origin of good and evil. The contingency or possibility of a fall is, of course, inherent in such a creative provision. And the essence of the Fall is, in reality, the abuse of that vested liberty. So sin is the consequence of this collision between the will of man and the will of God—the assertion of self over against God. CFF1 44.3

1. FREEDOM OF WILL IS ESSENCE OF BEING

Adam was neither an automaton nor an undeveloped newborn babe, but a mature man—a completely responsible being. He must make his own choices. Though created sinless, he had to develop a righteous and holy character. And character is developed through right and sovereign choices. There could be no virtue if there were no possibility of becoming vicious. And virtue must be attained for continued life and fellowship with God. The only course that man was not free to take was that of never choosing. In fact, refusal of a free moral agent to make choice is impossible. Sooner or later choice must be made between truth and error, obedience and transgression. CFF1 44.4

The fall of the creature, then, is a determinate choice or exercise of his own will in a direction contrary to God’s will—the infinite and absolute will of God. It is the rebellion of a free moral agent. If this attitude persists, and no remedy is found, the result must eventually be the destruction of the rebellious sinner, for “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). This point is vital, and justifies reiteration: The natural and inevitable consequence of such a life-and-death collision between the two wills is that the creature’s will must ultimately cease to be. He must “perish” (John 3:16). Otherwise the Creator’s will would no longer be absolute, but limited and negated by the creature’s persisting defiance. CFF1 45.1

But man as a creature was brought into being for the right and free exercise of his will. Liberty is therefore the very basis of his existence. Indeed, it constitutes the essence of his being. Therefore the removal of such liberty means the destruction of his very being and the termination of his existence as a moral entity. And it is, of course, the creature that will ultimately be obliterated in a fatal collision of the two wills. Any other outcome would be unthinkable—for the continuance of a moral creature without liberty, or with his freedom run amuck, would be the continuance of something without justifiable purpose. The creature would be no longer worthy either of God or of continuance. CFF1 45.2

2. ENDLESS DEFIANCE WOULD THWART GOD

The endless existence of such defiance would be a contradiction of the root concept of the omnipotence and wisdom of God. Therefore the logical consequence of the Fall will be the ultimate total extinction of the defiant creature formed to live in liberty. But he had now chosen to misuse that liberty. His essence of being will be taken away, and will revert to nothingness, as God becomes “all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28). CFF1 45.3

It is absurd and unthinkable to maintain, as some do, that God, the almighty Creator, would start something He could not stop. CFF1 46.1

But that golden day when God is “all in all” has not yet come to pass. Defiant creatures still exist. And while the Fall occurred back in Eden, evil by choice still persists. Human and angelic beings, good and evil, still exist and flout and defy God—along with Satan himself, the personification of sin. While man still exercises his freedom, he does not have all of his original liberties and privileges. But he is still held inescapably accountable for his decisions. For these he must give answer, and accept responsibility at the judgment bar of God. That is the logic of the case, and the Biblical principle at stake. CFF1 46.2

3. ULTIMATE DESTRUCTION FOR INCORRIGIBLE DEFIANCE

The free creature that sets himself up in conflict with God’s will, cannot conceivably continue to exist forever as a free creature. There is obviously a limit, because God’s liberty and power are infinite, as well as His goodness and justice. God has restricted, or repressed, His own complete liberty for a time, and imposed upon Himself certain restraints so as to leave room for the sinful creature’s liberty until the close of humanity’s period of probation. CFF1 46.3

But if such creature-defiance were to be continued eternally, such rebellion would thwart God’s absolute liberty, love, and justice, which must ultimately fill the universe and all existence for all eternity to come. CFF1 46.4

Ultimate and utter destruction of the incorrigibly defiant is therefore the logical and unavoidable consequence of the Fall. Such is the verdict of logic. CFF1 46.5

Picture 2:
Eve at the Tree of Knowledge:
Amid All the Glories of Eden, Eve Had Everything Needful for Continuing Life, but Became Fascinated by the Forbidden Fruit.
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