Our wills *were* in bondage, until Christ set them free. Christ has made it possible for men to respond to the Gospel.

Adventists do not have Luther's idea of the bondage of the will, but agree that apart from divine aid it would not be possible for a man to respond to the Gospel. However, God gives that aid to everyone.

Ellen White expresses the Adventist idea throughout her writings. Here's one place I've cited a number of times in this thread:

None will ever come to Christ, save those who respond to the drawing of the Father's love. But God is drawing all hearts unto Him, and only those who resist His drawing will refuse to come to Christ. (DA 387)

The will has been set free to the point where anyone is free to respond to the drawing of Christ, who said "if I be lifted up, I will draw all unto me." Regarding this, EGW writes the following:

The light shining from the cross reveals the love of God. His love is drawing us to Himself. If we do not resist this drawing, we shall be led to the foot of the cross in repentance for the sins that have crucified the Saviour. (DA 176)

This idea is entirely Biblical. Paul tells us that the goodness of God leads us to repentance. Jesus said, whosoever will, may come.

Luther had many great things to say, but Adventists have never accepted his ideas on predestination.

Later on I may present some other pioneers' thoughts on predesitination.

The idea that there is no such thing in Scripture as free will is completely opposed to what Adventists have taught, since at least the 1850's. I'll see if I can find some material on that as well.

An interesting line of discussion is what difference it makes to the rest of our theology. That is, what are the implications if we hold to the idea that there is no such thing in Scripture as free will.

Sounds like a good topic.

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Our wills *were* in bondage, until Christ set them free. Christ has made it possible for men to respond to the Gospel.
Unquote.

When this happened, the setting free of our will from bondage?

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None will ever come to Christ, save those who respond to the drawing of the Father's love. But God is drawing all hearts unto Him, and only those who resist His drawing will refuse to come to Christ. (DA 387).
Unquote.

When does it happen, God draws us to Christ?

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The idea that there is no such thing in Scripture as free will is completely opposed to what Adventists have taught, since at least the 1850's. I'll see if I can find some material on that as well.
Unquote.

I read:
If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh), dwelleth no good thing; for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. Romans 7:16-18.

I see that according to Paul, we do have a free will, but our will is in bondage.

Which will was in bondage? Our original will that was created in us, the will to always respond to the will of God.
Which will is running free? The will to serve sin, the sin that is in our veins and flesh.
Do we have two “wills” in us?
Yes, our own will and the will of the Spirit. The fight within us is the fight between the will of the Spirit and our will to serve sin, but deep within us, our original will correspond to the will of the Spirit and get stronger till the day it is set free, where the will to serve sin vanish from our hearts. From then on, there is only our will to serve God, strengthen by the Spirit till the conversion of the body at the day Christ returns to earth.

The will to serve sin vanish from our heart but settles in our veins and flesh and remain there till Christ’ come, giving its signals from time to time to the brain. Therefore Paul said: So then, I my self in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Romans 7:25.

Only at the time of His returns, we would be sets free from the enslavement of sin in our sinful nature because we shall be changed, in a twinkling of an eye, we shall be change to a glorious body, without sin in it.

In is love

James S,

…for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

This is the true situation. The will is free and can choose either way; but how to perform that which is good is not in us.

It is like a child who says I want to be a doctor; and then thinking that because it wants to be a doctor, that therefore if it has a free will it should be able to be a doctor right there and then. Does that make sense? Is it not in bondage to ignorance? It’s free will cannot make it a doctor. Why? So what does one have to do to become a doctor?

Likewise with salvation; we can choose the Lord, but we have to come to grips with our reality; that all we know is how to do evil, and how to do good we find not. What is needed?

I agree with John; we have free will, but our will needs to be united to God's will for us to how power to do.

We have free will to choose to respond to the Gospel. If we respond, then we are born again and receive power to do.

As to when our will was freed, it was when the plan of salvation was implemented. Had God not acted, man would have been lost, but God did act, supernatually implanting enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent.

The enmity that God promised is found in the human conscience that God enlightens, not in the will. Christ, through our conscience enlightens every man that comes into the world right from the time of birth. So, we know to some extent what is right and what is wrong, but the will is powerless to obey. The law further enlightens the conscience but makes our state all the more desparate until we understand that 'without me, ye can do nothing.' As Jones and Waggoner say, the law is the schoolmaster leading us to Christ.

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…for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

This is the true situation. The will is free and can choose either way; but how to perform that which is good is not in us.
Unquote.

Your explanation is well understood, even though your illustration of a child is not good enough.

Now imagine the reality, I want to serve God, I want to live for God, but I keep doing things to satisfy the flesh, I still live for self no matter how great is the urge to live for God. Why it won’t work? What is wrong with me?

I have chosen to live for God, I have chosen to live with faith and do his commands, but I keep doing evil. What is wrong with me?

The will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not. Why?

Because I am a slave to sin which is in my member, how could a slave do what he wants except only doing what his master told him, right? A slave has no free will, he might choose anything he wants, but he could not perform the things he wants to do as what he could do and allowed to do is just doing things his master told him.

And sin is my master, I am self centered, it is my nature.

I have a free will choice but could not perform the thing which is against my master, my nature! I am free to choose what I like but could not do what I want to do when it is against my master wishes, because I am a slave to sin, I am enforced to do what my master wish, I only could do what sin in my members told me to do. So, the will is present but it is in bondage, it is tied up, could not perform what it wants to do when it is against the master wishes.

I think; when we live for self, we have no free will, but when we live for God we do have a free will. In other word, when sin is my master I have no free will, but when God is my master, I do have a free will. When I am a slave to sin, I have no free will, but when I am a son of God, I do have a free will.
The question is, when does the change happen, from a slave of sin we become son of God? Who changed us? If God did change us, is personal salvation then not predestined?

In His love

James S

Regarding the situation you brought up, James, here's a nice thing from Steps to Christ:

Many are inquiring, "How am I to make the surrender of myself to God?" You desire to give yourself to Him, but you are weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you; but you need not despair. What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him.(SC 47)

The SC quote applies to your comments as well Mark. In our own strength we are powerless to control our thoughts and affections. Of ourselves we cannot change our heart, or give its affections to God, but God has given us the power of choice, and we can choose to give Him our will. When we do this, God gives us the power to do that which we choose to do.

What we need to understand, as she puts it, is the true force of the will.