Free will in Christian theology balances human choice with God’s sovereignty.

Before the Fall, Adam and Eve freely chose disobedience, corrupting humanity’s nature. Post-Fall, people retain a will but are enslaved to sin. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9, NKJV) reveals this bent toward evil. Choices remain real, yet they align with our fallen desires unless God intervenes.

God’s sovereignty doesn’t erase responsibility. He ordains all events, yet humans act according to their nature. This compatibilist view rejects both absolute determinism and unchecked autonomy. Scripture affirms divine control: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1, NKJV). Still, we’re accountable for our actions.

Regeneration restores true freedom. Apart from grace, no one seeks God naturally. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44, NKJV) shows the Spirit’s role in liberating the will. Regenerated believers desire holiness, though full restoration awaits eternity. Free will, then, is real but bounded by our nature and God’s purpose. Grace frees us from sin’s grip, harmonizing choice with divine will in redemption’s story.