Not My Will: The Façade of Freedom

By Sean Bailey

Sovereignty and free will? Is it reconcilable? God inspired it, Paul penned it, Augustine exegeted it, but the conversation continues. The issue of free will has been highly debated for millennia. Prior to Jesus’ incarnation, stoic philosophers spoke on these things. Even still, following the close of the New Testament canon, debates still raged despite the revelation from the God-man himself. In Not My Will, author Sean Bailey brings to light what the Reformers so vigorously argued for.

Bailey seeks to keep God exactly where he is, on his throne. He begins by building a foundation, defining the important words and phrases; he addresses the doctrine of predestination and election in detail; discusses what the scriptures say; and examines God’s glory in Satan’s defeat.

Not My Will offers a compelling argument that challenges Christians to consider, wrestle with, and even resolve, by way of the Holy Spirit, their position on man’s will against the backdrop of God’s will and sovereignty.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664253094

Sean Bailey

Sean Bailey is a current student at The Urban Ministry Institute, Chester, Pennsylvania. As a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ, he sees the urgent need for a resurgence of Reformation theology. When Bailey isn’t writing, he may be found working as a general contractor for the state of Pennsylvania and pondering the next book to meet. He attends Way Thru Christ Community Fellowship Church in Chester, Pennsylvania.

Book preview

Copyright © 2022 Sean Bailey.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked (KJV) taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-5308-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-5310-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-5309-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022900640

WestBow Press rev. date: 1/17/2022

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Preface

Prayer of Admonition

Introduction

Chapter 1 Let’s Define Our Words

Chapter 2 Moral Inability and the Perversion of the Will

Chapter 3 Who Art Thou, O Man?

Chapter 4 Thy Will Be Done … I’ll Just Mess It Up Anyway

Chapter 5 His Good Pleasure, Our Undeserved Honor

Chapter 6 The Triune Will

Chapter 7 Honorable Service

Chapter 8 Free Slaves

Notes

Bibliography

Scripture Index

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First, I want to thank my wife Leah Bailey, who was my first editor and reviewer for Not My Will. Her patience with me in writing while during the lockdown from COVID 19 was very much needed, and I am truly grateful. To those who didn’t realize their contribution, to my father-in-law, Rene Phillips. Your various Bible studies over the years helped me tremendously. To Roland Wensae: our impromptu hours of long conversations on scripture not only taught me so much but also made me thirst for even more. To my pastor, Alvin Motley: as the pastor whom God appointed over me from just one month after giving my life to Christ, you challenged me to stay in the word. To my direct inspiration to becoming an author, thank you, Derek White, for you inspired me by becoming an author yourself, and for every week at church asking me how far along in my book I was. Kims Cherilus, who also constantly checked to see where I was in my writing progress. And lastly, thank you to my next-door neighbor and author and friend, Harold Sherrick. You told me to enjoy the publishing process, and the more we had conversations of you publishing your book and then seeing how God kept blessing you in reaching your audience, the more excited and motivated you made me to have my book published.

FOREWORD

Not my will are words our Lord Jesus, the Christ, spoke while praying to the Father in the garden of Gethsemane. God the Son (Jesus), knowing full well the path before Him, affirms His destiny to place the Father’s will above His own. Hence, the example for all mankind is inexplicably championed by the God-man, Theos- Anthropos—Jesus!

God expects all humans to follow the example of Jesus in surrendering their wills to His. Did the human part of Jesus have a will? Did the deity side of Jesus have a different will? Were both wills on the same page? Which of the wills (God’s or man’s) takes precedence in the lives of humans? Can the human will dominate God’s will? Is there a happy medium, where both God’s sovereign will and the will of people coincide? Herein lies the dilemma the author attempts to answer through a detailed and elaborate, soul-searching, personal, and yet intellectual investigation.

Sean is the husband, an avid lover of his wife, my daughter Leah, and of the weighty theological topics of doctrine. This work is a thorough and relatable treatise and personal endeavor to challenge the thoughts of believers and unbelievers alike on determining whether God’s sovereignty and man’s will can coexist. Sean also challenges readers to engage in the worship of God irrespective of their theological position while issuing a call for all believers to come together in truth. Thus, herein lies the premise for this quest for truth and theological resolve for the body of Christ.

In Not My Will, Sean takes Ephesians 4:11–16 personally in hopes that the reader will do the same.

And he gave some as Apostles, and some, prophets; and some, preachers of the good news; and some to give care and teaching; For the training of the saints as servants in the church, for the building up of the body of Christ: Till we all come to the harmony of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full growth, to the full measure of Christ: So that we may be no longer children, sent this way and that, turned about by every wind of teaching, by the twisting and tricks of men, by the deceits of error; But saying true words in love, may come to full growth in him, who is the head, even Christ; Through whom all the body, being rightly formed and united together, by the full working of every part, is increased to the building up of itself in love.

This is a compelling read that challenges readers to consider, wrestle, and even resolve by way of the Holy Spirit their position on man’s will against the backdrop of God’s will and sovereignty.

Pastor Rene’ Phillips

Covenant Bible Fellowship

PREFACE

Come, let us reason together.

—ISAIAH 1:18

Exhausting the word of God is undoubtedly an insurmountable task to accomplish, for we know our Lord is a never-ending well. However, on this side of eternity, can there be any other greater endeavor than to ponder worship and praise the Lord of glory? I wrote this book because I want to invite the reader to join me in this intellectual worship and to set our minds on things above. (Colossians 3:2) Many who are far my superior have wrestled with the idea of free will in relation to our Father’s sovereignty. Although intellectually I may be no more than an onlooker to those giants of Christianity, I find it a worthy attempt to think on these teachings. Unfortunately, far too often we find that a struggle has caused many saints to part ways with their fellow believers due to their theological contentions. On one side we have Calvinistic theology and the like; on the other, we have Arminian theology and its doctrines.

These divisions have become so great not only to cause contention on an individual level but also to create a seemingly innumerable number of denominations. Among the body of Christ, I think we would all agree that this shouldn’t be. I choose not to identify as either since the name of the theological stance stems from the man we place the esteem on; however, haven’t we already placed our theological stance on Jesus Christ? Lest the reader think I am naïve or that I may be engaging in a sort of oversimplification, would anyone doubt that theologians of the likes of Saint Augustine, John Calvin, Martin Luther, and others would have agreed with the apostle Paul when he told the church at Corinth that they were carnal when one said, I am of Paul, and another said, I am of Apollo (1 Corinthians 3:4)? Can we claim the name of both Christ and Calvin? Can we claim the name of both Christ and Arminius? It may be that our flesh refuses to lay claim to a name of worldly reproach and would rather identify with a name held in high esteem in the eyes of a carnal church. I admit speculation on this part, but I would wager that even Augustine himself would have rather desired that his name be a distant memory for the sake of the name of Christ, no doubt a sentiment shared by other notable men of antiquity. Instead, we should endeavor to solidify our doctrine with Jesus Christ—no more, no less. I challenge readers to ask themselves, moreover, to pray that the Holy Spirit would search their hearts as to whether their convictions stand on either theology because they are convinced of the truth of the doctrine. Or may it possibly be of a stubbornness to reform? I believe we as a body should be willing to constantly reform our theology (if reforming is called for) and take caution not to just utilize scripture to affirm our bias.

My goal for this work, if the Lord wills, is to attempt to exegete the scripture to reach my conclusion. I once again extend an invitation not to blindly accept or quickly reject what I, as your brother in Christ, may outline to you; but, if need be, perhaps you can come to a place of restructuring. My invitation is to ponder the deeper things of God and once again join me in intellectual worship of the Lord of hosts. I am nothing more than a flawed yet holy servant of the Lord, and like every other saint before me, my attempt to exhaust the manifold wisdom and greatness of our Lord will fall short, buti allow these words to challenge you. However, I must both warn and admonish the reader. Don’t let this doctrine further any more contention; instead, let us praise our God for what He has done. When this life ends and paradise begins, all will be revealed to us, but in this life, let us no longer be divided over teachings and doctrines. Rather, let us agree with our Master and Savior when He prayed to the Father, They all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I in you, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that you sent Me (John 17:21).

I began my preface with God’s admonition to the children of Israel (Come, let us reason together), and I have extended a call; however, the ultimate invitation here is in Isaiah 1:18. Despite our unworthiness to walk in God’s presence, let alone reason with the God of creation, He calls us as an audience to Himself. In this calling, we are given the grace to approach His throne and reason through these heavy truths. Join me in this inquiry and let us set divisions aside.

PRAYER OF ADMONITION

Glorious and righteous Father, I thank You for this reader. I thank You for his or her desire to want to know You more, to search the deep things of God. Great is Your manifold wisdom and love for us, so great that it surpasses any understanding we have of You, O Father, yet You told us through the words of Your apostle that You desire that we may be able to comprehend what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and thus to know the love of Christ. I ask You, holy Father, that the words on the coming pages would admonish, encourage, and even convict where need be. I ask that the reader will come to know the whole truth of who You are. I ask that Your Holy Spirit stir something new in the depths of the heart of the reader. Let not our flesh interfere and grieve Your Spirit, heavenly Master, myself, or the reader. No matter our convictions at the end of this work, bring us to a higher level of praise from glory to glory. We thank You and we give You all the praise due to Your name. In the holy name of Jesus Christ, I pray, amen.

INTRODUCTION

What does it mean to have a free will? There are many sayings, ideologies, and in this case religious stances we intellectually take for granted—an academic status quo, if you will. In some cases, reformation need not occur, because we are aware and are given the truth and know it is sound doctrine—for example, the authority of Jesus Christ. However, there are also teachings in scripture that may not be so cut and dry. And in the case of free will, I think we encounter this. I am aware of the fact there are many Christians who have made their stance, and whether you agree or disagree with the various points in this work, as stated before, let our disagreement not equal division.

Reformation often needs to be considered. However, as my conviction stands, I have outlined this work in such a way that we can move from basic to complex. I want to begin by defining our words and phrases. Ironically, I think too often when we engage in any discourse that we often undermine our presuppositions by beginning with a rocky foundation. I believe in the result of having our minds set on what we think we know simply because we have heard the world preach, both consciously and subconsciously, words, phrases, and mantras that have been drilled into our minds. Now in saying this, I am not saying to the reader that he or she has been deceived. But I am challenging the reader to weigh what he or she has learned from the world against the words of scripture. The truth of the matter is that in some way, shape, or form, we have all been influenced to some extent; after all, one thing is shared between the saved and unsaved alike, and that is the flesh.

Following this foundation, I pray I can continue to show our shortcomings, inabilities, and depraved states for what they really are. The conclusions we arrive at, as stated earlier, necessarily draw off our presuppositions. Furthermore, often we stand firm on our presuppositions, refuting them takes a few extra measures. I once heard from a bricklayer that the most important brick is the cornerstone. While this is true, it’s also possible that once a faulty cornerstone is laid, if packed tightly enough, the brick and mortar laid on top of that cornerstone can be laid so tightly that the whole structure must be thoroughly broken down before getting back to the foundation, if reconstruction is in order. What I am saying is that our presuppositions can be so protected by our supporting beliefs that it is almost impossible to go back and rethink those foundational views. At other times let’s be honest, our thinking starts getting too lazy, refusing to leap through the intellectual hurdles required. A house with a leaky foundation may stand firm temporarily, but if we take the time to fix the foundation, it will stand for a lifetime.

As you probably can imagine, the doctrine of predestination and election will be addressed in detail. Because we always arrogantly begin our quest to knowledge in this universe with ourselves, in chapters two, three, and four I will, God willing, begin with dismantling who we think we are, as Calvinist theology would have it, using the T in tulip or total depravity. I believe even in the doctrine of predestination, our contentions once again rise from formulating what may be a false presupposition, that being free will, for this is where every debate on election starts. What about my free will? So then let’s talk about that.

My goal in these three chapters, as in the whole work, is to state what scripture says. But again, because we arrogantly begin with ourselves as opposed to beginning outside ourselves, I want to break down our logical inconsistencies as well. Prayerfully what I plan to show is that not only does God have His stance written in His word, but our consciences and natures make His truths evident as well.

Those intellectual hurdles also have to do with the fact that, if we are all being honest with ourselves, we think way too highly of ourselves—not only in the sense that we can‘t be wrong but also in this question—who really wants to be broken down? In the words of a famous Christian singer I once heard, prayerfully we all can be gracefully broken. Chapters five through seven will be all about the one it should always be about: Jesus Christ. After removing ourselves from the equation, God willing, we will start to see God’s glory shine ever brighter. Admittedly, throughout the book and often, I will be revisiting the garden of Eden. Lest you begin to tire of hearing about the fall, let me explain. The reason is that in the various points throughout this work, what must be highlighted is how we arrived at such a place. I’m sure that as you read, questions will arise, and though some points may seem to be unfinished in one place, they will be expounded upon in another, since the point of this work is to gradually build on the preceding chapter. This isn’t just meant to be an entertaining read. I also invite you to engage this work as a study.

In the last chapter, God willing, if I have been able to effectively articulate my point to the reader, I desire you to see where all this brings us along with the glorious state in which we in Christ reside. Once again revisiting the Garden, I wish to examine God’s glory in Satan’s defeat. In doing so, my hope and prayer are that you will see God’s glory in a way you haven’t thus far. I also pray that new believers will be shown what it is they find themselves in. To those who may not know Christ, let the whole of this work speak to you. Approach it with an empty cup, letting not my words but the words of scripture sprinkle liberally throughout to fill your cup to overflowing, and may the grace of God wash over you like a flood. My aim is God’s glory, not in just getting this work into the hands of the church but also in showing God for who He is to continue the works of our reformers.

CHAPTER 1

Let’s Define Our Words

In the beginning was the word.

—JOHN 1:1

B ecause the God we worship is described as the Word, I think we would do well to carefully examine the words we speak. Because He is the source of all ideas, rationale, logic, and meaning, it is foolish to treat words as if their definitions were fluid, as if they could be changed to fit our narratives. The idea or meaning behind a word isn’t something that could have originated with humans. No counsel may convene to decide what a particular word means. These might all sound like obvious statements, but do we really see them as such?

True and honest debate and discourse have become a rarity in the twenty-first century. Some choose to do nothing more than engage in ad hominem attacks, and some try to ignore the issues. And many abandon any conversation that requires them to challenge their preconceived beliefs all together. However, for those who don’t mind engaging in a battle of ideas, I have come to notice that often we begin stating our case and outlining our arguments with either mis defined or ill-defined words. There may be multiple reasons we engage in such a fallacious way of discourse, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Why we decide to approach debate this way I don’t know. But allow me to make a case for at least two reasons for this fallacy based on what I have observed.

The first and possibly more obvious one is that we may simply agree with what we have been directly or indirectly taught. The second is that we become defensive of our own beliefs and fight to affirm our bias.

Due to the society that seeks to flood our minds and the flawed, human-centered thinking we are born into as a result of being former sons and daughters of Adam (if indeed we are now the children of the most-high God), our way of thinking is often the thinking of the world. I believe this may be a little more obvious because many people begin to realize after thinking on such matters that their upbringing is indeed a result of their environment. In just a bit, I will try to explain that we cannot blame all our faulty thinking on our environment; however, the environment does first play a vital role in shaping our worldviews.

The subconscious is far more powerful than we would like to give it credit. A simple idea planted in the mind is a seed with the potential to sprout into a tree with many wild branches. The problem of course lies within the seed planted. It not only creates but also affirms ideas that may not be consistent with the word of God. This almost seems like a sentencing of sorts as we fall into a way of thinking that is hard to break. But the more we think on these issues in our fleshly thinking and understanding, the further into mental oblivion we fall. In this we