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Westminster Confession of Faith

Westminster Assembly of Divines · creeds

Chapter 11 (9)

CHAPTER XI (PCUS)CHAPTER IX (UPCUSA)

Of Free Will

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  1. God hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty, that it is neither forced, nor by any absolute necessity of nature determined to good or evil.

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  1. Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom and power to will and to do that which is good and well-pleasing to God; but yet mutably, so that he might fall from it.

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  1. Man, by his Fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.

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  1. When God [PCUS converteth] [UPCUSA converts] a sinner and [PCUS translateth] [UPCUSA translates] him into the state of grace, he freeth him from his natural bondage under sin, and, by his grace alone, [PCUS enableth] [UPCUSA enables] him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good; yet so as that, by reason of his remaining corruption, he doth not perfectly, nor only, will that which is good, but doth also will that which is evil.

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  1. The will of man is made perfectly and immutable free to good alone, in the state of glory only.

Source: westminster3.xml