Word of Salvation – February 2025
Free Will
Sermon by Rev. John Westendorp on W.C.F. ch.9 & Isaiah 55:6-11
Reading: Isaiah 55:6-11; Westminster Confession – chapter 9
Singing: BoW.359 Great is Your faithfulness
– BoW.376 I sought the Lord
– BoW.372 I know not why God’s wondrous grace
– BoW.528 To God be the glory
Theme: The Biblical teaching of man’s Free Will as reflected in God’s dealings with Israel in Isaiah 55.
Introd: The idea of man having ‘free will’ is not a problem for many Christians.
They loudly and confidently affirm that teaching… and why shouldn’t they?
According to them God did all He could for us 2000 years ago… and now it’s up to us.
He sent His Son into the world to die for our sins… but now God’s hands are tied.
It now all depends on whether you accept God’s offer of forgiveness or not.
Your free will is the final decider as to whether or not you have eternal life.
So our free will is the bottom line when it comes to salvation.
For those who want to honour the Bible’s teaching about election it isn’t quite that simple.
That teaching was summed up well in the opening lines of W.Conf. chapter 3.
“From all eternity and by the completely wise and holy purpose of His own will,
God freely and unchangeably ordained whatever happens.”
But that leave many people with a dilemma.
Either God elects us and preordains all that happens and we are just robots…
Or else we choose – out of our own free will – and God just acts accordingly.
Chapter 9 of the Westminster Confession is a fine summary of our beliefs on the matter.
It spells out very well the Biblical teaching.
It clearly and concisely highlights the major issues.
Of course, some parts of chapter 9 present no problems to anyone.
For example the situation regarding our free will back in Paradise.
In our state of innocence we had complete freedom.
We also had the natural ability to will and do what is good and pleasing to God.
We would also endorse the WCF’s teaching about our state in glory.
About that time we can speak confidently of free will.
In the life to come our free will is going to be permanently inclined only to what is good.
But that leaves us with our present situation. In what way can we speak of human free will now?
And then both for the unbeliever (the unconverted) and the believer (the converted)?
A] THE RECOGNITION OF HUMAN FREEDOM (VS.6,7).
- Our confession affirms that there is such a thing as free will.
The Westminster Confession definitely believes in it.
God has given man a will, which by nature is free…!
But our confession carefully guards it by placing it in a Biblical framework.
So we are given many proof texts to support this teaching about free will.
The problem is that no one Bible passage sums it all up for us.
So I’m going to zero in – as I’ve done for all these studies – on the book of Isaiah.
And then particularly these verses 6-11 from chapter 55.
Isaiah is a book that places immense stress on man’s free will.
Over and over Isaiah calls on Israel to make choices.
They are repeatedly called to exercise their free will in service of God.
You find that already in the opening words of this chapter. Four times Isaiah calls them to come.
Come all you who are thirsty… exercise your free will and come and drink.
Come to the waters… again… an appeal to their free choice to come and drink.
And you who have no money come… use your free will to come buy and eat.
And then yet a fourth time the call goes out appealing to their free will:
Come buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
That is only one verse of Isaiah that appeals to our free choice.
It would be interesting to count the number of times Isaiah makes such appeals.
Those appeals to human free will already begin in Isaiah chapter 1.
Stop doing wrong, learn to do right. Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.
And why limit ourselves to Isaiah… turn anywhere you like in your Bible.
Over and over you find challenges which appeal to your free will.
God constantly asks you and all mankind to exercise free will in ways that will honour Him.
- Let me particularly single out the calls to human free will in verses 6 and 7.
Because there are four specific challenges in those two verses.
Each of them supported with promises (or blessings) as an incentive to answer the call.
So God not only appeals to man’s free will He also adds some incentives.
He makes clear why we ought to bend our free will in a Godly direction.
First there is the challenge to seek the Lord.
A challenge to search out… to enquire after the God of the covenant.
Human free will is to put some effort into finding this God.
And the rest of the Bible echoes that call.
It’s there in the Psalms and in Jeremiah: Seek the Lord with all your heart.
Secondly, there is the challenge to call on Him.
It’s not good enough just to search for God… we need to address Him.
God wants to hear from us… so we are expected to call out to Him.
God is like a Father waiting to hear His name on the lips of His children.
Thirdly, this searching for God and calling on Him requires some changes in our life.
So we are to forsake the wickedness and the evil that block our relationship with God.
When we look for God we are to turn from our own ways and our own thoughts.
Like the Prodigal Son in the parable of Jesus… who turned his back on the pig troughs.
Fourthly, we are to turn to the Lord our God.
That Prodigal Son not only turned his back on the pig troughs he also turned to his Father.
It’s not good enough to merely turn away from what is wrong and evil.
There has to be a deliberate turning towards the Lord God and following Him.
Four great challenges – which all put the responsibility on the free will of those hearing the message.
- To understand free will a little better let’s zero in on the heart of the issue.
There are many appeals to Israel’s free will in Isaiah that call on them to mend their ways.
Again think of Isaiah 1: Stop doing wrong, learn to do right. Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.
That’s an appeal to Israel to make some behavioural changes.
But here in Isaiah 55 the issue is much more radical.
It is nothing less than their whole life’s direction… their spiritual and mental orientation.
Such a dramatic shift is being asked for… that it is nothing less than a conversion experience.
Actually we could say that the issue here in Isaiah 55 is precisely our salvation.
That becomes clear when we look at the four blessings God promises.
The incentives He offers for people to take up those challenges.
First, there is the promise that God will be found by those who seek.
Although it is qualified – so there does come a time when God will no longer be found.
If we procrastinate, the day comes when it will be too late.
But now in this day of grace God has not hidden Himself… He promises that He can be found.
Secondly, there is the assurance of His presence.
When we call on Him we are not calling on a God who is far away… He is near.
He is very near – represented by Isaiah and the message that he brings.
But again the time will come when it’s too late – but for now: call while He is near.
Thirdly, we see the salvation nature of all this especially in the last two promises.
It is there in the promise that God will have mercy on those who turn to Him.
So if we exercise our free will by turning to the Lord then He deals with us in grace.
According to His mercy and compassion and not according to our deserving.
And fourthly, there is the promise of a free pardon… of abundant forgiveness.
Here was Israel in a situation where there was so much evil and lawlessness.
In fact Isaiah comes to try to postpone the inevitable exile to Babylon for their evil ways.
But here God now promises just to forgive it all if they will only turn to Him.
So these four promises of God’s covenant faithfulness are an incentive to heed the appeals.
God calls Israel to exercise their free will and turn to Him and so find salvation.
B] THE RECOGNITION OF HUMAN INABILITY (VS.8,9).
- In the Westminster Confession too the issue is not just some behavioural improvement.
We’re not talking about whether or not human beings can do some good things here or there.
The issue of free will in the Westminster Confession is especially with respect to salvation.
Let me make clear why I say that.
The sequence of the chapters of the Confession is very important here.
The previous chapter had to do with the Mediator, Jesus Christ.
Here was the One of whom Isaiah has a great deal to say in his writings.
Isaiah tells us about His birth, His ministry and about His substitutionary death.
So previously it was all about the Mediator who saves us and restores us to God.
The chapters that follow in the Confession show us how the Mediator’s work is applied to human lives.
So some of the topics coming up are:
‘Effectual Calling’ – how God calls sinners to Himself.
‘Justification’ – how God can declare a guilty sinner pardoned and perfect.
And there are chapters on ‘our adoption as God’s children’… and on ‘faith’.
So the big question is: How do we progress from the Mediator to our salvation?
How is His saving work actually applied to us? Is it all just a matter of our free will?
At first glance Isaiah 55 would seem to indicate that this is indeed the case.
Four challenges for people to exercise their free will:
To seek, to call, to forsake evil and to turn to God.
And in that way they receive those four blessings.
God is found… He is near… He shows compassion… and He freely pardons.
- But then suddenly verses 8 and 9 intrude like some huge barrier.
Those two verses highlight human inability.
God says: My thoughts are not your thoughts; neither are your ways my ways.
Here is a picture of God and man on totally different wavelengths.
And the difference begins in the very thought processes of our minds.
We do not think God’s thoughts after Him.
We do not have the same mental attitudes that God does.
And because our thought patterns are so different… so too are our actions.
Not only are our thoughts not God’s thoughts… neither are our ways His ways.
In fact the distance is so great that it is insurmountable.
As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways
And my thoughts than your thoughts.
That takes us back to something Isaiah already questioned at the beginning of the chapter.
Israel was spending money on what was not bread.
And they were wasting their labours on what does not satisfy.
So Israel – here in Isaiah 55 – becomes a good study in human inability.
In fact isn’t all of Israel’s history a good study in human inability?
Never were there a people more blest than this nation.
But never was there a nation that caused the Lord more grief.
So it’s fine to have all these appeals to human free will in Isaiah.
But we’re not going to be real encouraged as to what the outcome will be.
- That’s where our W. Confession comes with a damning conclusion:
Fallen man is by nature completely opposed to spiritual good…
is dead in sin and is unable by his own strength either to convert himself
or even to prepare for his conversion.
When we turn to the N.T. we find Isaiah’s dilemma spelled out more clearly.
I think of a passage such as Rom.5:6
That God reconciled us to Himself not because we exercised our free will.
No! God reconciled us to Himself while were still enemies.
Or 1Cor.2:14 which highlights the point Isaiah makes.
God’s thoughts are not our thoughts… or as Paul puts it:
The things of God are foolishness to the unconverted.
The Biblical teaching is that we have lost the ability to do any spiritual good.
We cannot decide these things for ourselves. We would reject them every time.
It’s a damning judgement on us that we cannot even prepare ourselves to receive salvation.
It is totally hopeless from our side.
Does that then cancel out our free will? No! Of course not!
The problem is that people usually confuse two things: freedom and ability.
We have the freedom to choose… but we no longer have the ability to choose correctly.
We certainly have free will… but we no longer have spiritual ability.
C] THE POWER & VICTORY OF THE WORD (VS.10,11).
- That would seem then to leave us in a hopeless mess.
We do have a free will… but that free will by nature no longer wills to think God’s thoughts after Him.
Our will is free by nature… but the ways it wants to go are no longer God’s ways.
So in salvation God must do it all.
And despite what our Arminian friends believe that is exactly how it is.
Our confession says: God converts the sinner and brings him into a state of grace.
Salvation is not our achievement – it is totally God’s achievement not ours.
We are not converted by an act of our free will.
God converts the sinner and brings Him into a state of grace.
But even after that we will still struggle all our life with the remains of our old sinful nature.
Paul shows us that very clearly in Romans 7.
As a born again believer obedience is still a struggle for him.
Paul shows us that even the Christian’s free will cannot make it on its own.
Paul can will what is good but he cannot do it.
So what is the answer?
- Well, that’s the best part of Isaiah 55. God does it… and He does it through the power of His Word.
Isaiah uses some beautiful imagery in verses 10 and 11.
Images of growth, and fruit bearing and productivity.
But that growth… that fruit-bearing and productivity do not come by us exercising our free will.
All of that comes about as a result of the power of God’s Word.
God speaks into our lives and He makes it happen. God enables where we are unable.
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it
without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater
so is my word that goes out of my mouth – it will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire.
Here we see that God is totally sovereign and He will accomplish His purpose.
He brings about salvation as He wills and when He wills.
That salvation is spelled out in the verses that follow in Isaiah 55.
A time of perfect joy and peace when the will of man will again be inclined only to what is good.
- So in this life even we who have been converted by God continue to struggle with this matter.
Free will is always going to be a problem for us in this life.
We will always identify with Paul’s word:
The good I want to do I don’t do; the evil I don’t want to do that is what I do.
The only answer then is to depend totally on God’s grace and the power of His word.
It’s only as we trust that word and live it out by faith that we can succeed.
It’s still the power of God’s word that changes our lives day by day.
It’s only by the power of God’s Word that there is growth and productivity and fruit-bearing.
Yes… we have a free will.
But the minute we trust in that free will we are doomed to failure.
Our only hope is to trust moment by moment in the Word of God.
And ultimately that Word is the Word incarnate – our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is through Him… and though Him alone that we are empowered to live for God’s glory.
Christians can indeed say: I can do all things…!
But we don’t say: I can do all things because I have a free will.
No. We say: I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.
Amen