Acting contrary to one's desires

[cih1355]

Jonathan Edwards said in his Freedom of the Will, "For so long as prior inclination possesses the will, so that it is utterly impossible that the will should act otherwise than agreeably to it. Surely the will cannot act or choose contrary to a remaining prevailing inclination of the will. To suppose otherwise would be the same thing as to suppose that the will is inclined contrary to its present prevailing inclination, or contrary to what it is inclined to." (Part II. Section VII. p. 73)

According to Romans 7:15, Paul says that he does not do what he wants and that he does the very thing that he hates.

Is Edwards contradicting the Bible when he says that the will cannot choose contrary to one's inclination? It sounds like Paul is saying that he is choosing that which is contrary to his desires.

 

[Willem van Oranje]

Jonathan Edwards said in his Freedom of the Will, "For so long as prior inclination possesses the will, so that it is utterly impossible that the will should act otherwise than agreeably to it. Surely the will cannot act or choose contrary to a remaining prevailing inclination of the will. To suppose otherwise would be the same thing as to suppose that the will is inclined contrary to its present prevailing inclination, or contrary to what it is inclined to." (Part II. Section VII. p. 73)

According to Romans 7:15, Paul says that he does not do what he wants and that he does the very thing that he hates.

Is Edwards contradicting the Bible when he says that the will cannot choose contrary to one's inclination? It sounds like Paul is saying that he is choosing that which is contrary to his desires.

Edwards is speaking of the inclination of the will, all things considered. In other words I will that which seems "all in all" best to me at the moment, not denying that there may be a great deal of inner conflict involved in considering all the factors which make that thing which I will better than the alternative. So if I commit a sin, its because at the moment I committed it the deceitful promised pleasure or benefit of that sin seemed to me to be all-in-all the best thing at that moment, the thing to which I was inclined. Yet in a more sanctified moment, when I am contemplating God's promises and threatenings in regards to that particular temptation, I will perceive clearly that it is far better to obey God and so I will be inclined toward that.

I hope my description is helpful.

 

[Idelette]

I believe Edwards is correct; we always choose according to our desires. We will always succumb to our inclination or desire, whatever it may be. The difference is that the Christian's inclination changes by God's grace upon regeneration. So that we are not only able to do good, but our actual desire is for good. I believe Paul is speaking of the tension between the two. He has both a desire for godly things and yet still a desire for sinful things (as he is still a sinful man). But, God enables both the desire and the will upon regeneration. So, as believers we are not acting against our desires completely....because God has changed our inclination towards sin. We live more and more to Christ and die more and more to sin.