I. What is being confessed in this article?⤒🔗

This article focuses on the confession of man’s complete inability, ignorance and unwillingness of man. It describes how great is the height from which man has fallen, and how deeply we have fallen from that height.

1. God created man from dust of the ground, but at the same time made him so excellently in his image that his will and God’s could be in perfect harmony.
2. But instead of realizing how honourable his position was, man listened to the devil. Thereby he has willingly and knowingly subjected himself to sin and consequently gave himself up to death and the curse. For, through sin, man has transgressed the commandment that promises life and has broken the connection with the true life, namely with God.
3. He has become so wicked in all his doings that he has lost all the wonderful gifts he had received from God. Only some small traces of his former nature remain. However,, they are sufficient to take away any excuse for his wickedness. Also the apostle John characterizes man as darkness, because mankind did not appreciate the light that shines in the world, but instead rejected it.
4. Therefore, we reject any teaching that defends the so-called free will of man. By this people mean that man in his own strength can choose right as well as wrong, but that is impossible now that man is a slave to sin. We are no longer able to do good — not by “our own strength." nor by our “own will," nor by our “own knowledge." nor by any sufficiency of our own ideas. Why all this fails is shown piece by piece from Scripture; see Article 14 above, starting at "For who dares to boast..."
   Our will and knowledge are only restored to agreement with God’s will when Christ works this in us, because without him nothing will come of all our work.

II. What happened to our will and our knowledge?←⤒🔗

1. According to the heading, there are three very important topics to be discussed in this article, but the discussion immediately becomes a lot easier once we discover that the first two serve as a prelude to the third. The article speaks first of man’s creation and then of his fall, but our article is mainly concerned with that third aspect: how corrupt man has become. In our own strength we do not do the right thing and we lack even the will to do it and we lack  even the knowledge of what is right anymore. We are “willingly and knowingly subject to sin.”
2. That is why it is examined what a disaster the fall has been to our will and our knowledge. We therefore regularly encounter the word "will" from the beginning to the end of the article. The same is true of the words "knowing,” “knowledge,” “mind,” “thinking,” and “understanding."
   So this article briefly and succinctly tells the story of our will and knowledge. It becomes — as far as humans are concerned — an incomprehensibly sad story.

III. With what will and knowledge God has created us←⤒🔗

1. Man has no reason to imagine that in himself he is anything. Materially, he is nothing more than a compilation of dust. He is made of earthly matter: “then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground” (Genesis 2:7). That is the element of truth in the lie of the theories of evolution: man came from the earth. Apart from God and viewed by himself, man is not even more than dust, for God himself said to him, “For you are dust” (Genesis 3:19).
2. Yet this pile of dust has been given a "high position." God formed him in his image and likeness. This is not said of any other creature, not even of the angels. That man is made in God’s image cannot mean that he can be compared with God in any way (see Isaiah 40:25 and Belgic Confession, Article 1).
   So what does this expression mean? Two things:
   • In the first place something very important is said about man’s relationship to God. God made man such that he could be intimate with him, as a father with his child. God did not even have such a profound relationship with his angels, who in Article 12 are only called "his messengers," while we may be his children. Therefore, with the Heidelberg Catechism,  q/a 6 we confess that man, created good and in God’s image, is made “so that he might rightly know God his Creator, heartily love him, and live with him in eternal blessedness to praise and glorify him.”
   • Directly related to this is the relationship of man to creation. For to this son the LORD entrusted dominion over his creation. That this is the intention is confirmed when God himself states, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish...” and all the other creatures.
3. Therefore, we conclude that man, who is essentially nothing more than dust, owes his position of honour solely to the fact that he is made in the image of God. Moreover, we must bear in mind that God gave him all those "excellent gifts," such as his will and mind, but also his beautiful, purposeful body, just for that purpose.
   All that man possessed he needed in order to be the image of God
   a. to be able to deal with the Lord, and
   b. to be able to work the earth according to his commission.

In order to be able to live up to this dual task, God made man so “good, righteous, and holy” that his will could “conform to the will of God in every respect.”

IV. What we have done with our will and our knowledge←⤒🔗

1. Unfortunately, man has not appreciated his privileged position and listened to the devil. Our article, like the Bible itself, does not attempt to make this explicable. We are faced with a great mystery here. But it did happen: mankind has "willingly and knowingly submitted himself to sin."
2. But whoever surrenders himself to sin, immediately also subjects himself "to death and the curse." For he who sins ignores the law called the "commandment to life," because it shows the only way to life. Whoever ignores this law leaves the road to life and is heading straight to death.
3. We can also put it this way: that whoever sins separates himself from God, while he is precisely our "true life."
   Sinning is therefore always to choose death, and thus the curse. Sin, death, and the curse are inextricably linked.
   When man falls from his high position and is struck by this mighty triad, it must have enormous consequences for his knowledge and will.

V. What is left of our will and our knowledge?←⤒🔗

1. So, we surrendered ourselves to sin, death, and the curse, and thus our capacities have been severely ravaged by this trio. Using the standard of Scripture, the article broadly measures the damage done. Man has “corrupted his whole nature.” He has “made himself liable to physical and spiritual death." He has become “wicked, perverse, and corrupt in all his ways.”
2. Of his original gifts, man has retained nothing but "small traces." That does not mean that the damage is great, but still not too bad. Instead of thinking this way, in percentages, as if our mind had become only a bit smaller and our will weaker we must confess that our mind and will are not merely curtailed, but wholly corrupted. Our sound mind and will gave way to a corrupt mind and a corrupt will.
   Now man can still achieve a great deal with this corrupted mind and with his will as well. His ingenuity is great, but it is in the service of sin. Man’s perseverance does not stop for anything, yet it is used for wrong things.
3. Therefore we did not end up without a will or a mind, but both are bent against God and his will. That is why we also remain liable. We have no excuse whatsoever for our wickedness. After all, we stand behind it with our mind and with our will. That is how we commit sin. Therefore we are without excuse (Romans 1:20).

VI. Unbiblical expectations regarding man’s will and knowledge←⤒🔗

1. Particularly after the manifestation of the British monk Pelagius from about 400 AD, it has been defended that man has a "free will." Pelagius fought in Rome against the immorality of the city. He believed that every human being could improve his life if only he had the will to do so. According to him, man is born without the troublesome original sin and can frankly and freely follow the example of Christ. Pelagius found his contemporary Augustine against him.
   In a somewhat moderate form this teaching has pervaded the entire Roman Catholic doctrine. This is identified as semi-Pelagianism.
   The unbiblical expectation of the free will (and of the sound mind) was championed in the days of the great reformation by the humanist Erasmus, who was opposed by Luther. Another defender of the "free will" was Pighius, who was attacked by Calvin.
   In the seventeenth century this doctrine was defended by the Remonstrants and authoritatively refuted in our Canons of Dort.
   In the days of the secession (1830s) it again became a point of contention, and today there are many liberals who pride themselves on the possibilities of human will and knowledge, including in spiritual matters.
   Even this brief overview makes it clear how persistent this falsely optimistic view of our will and knowledge has been throughout the ages.
2. By "free will" is meant a will that can choose on its own strength between good and evil, between the way that God shows and that which sin shows us.
   In this view, in order for man to be able to determine his choice, this free and neutral will still needs support. Man needs to receive proper information, which is done through the law and preaching. Partly with the help of "common sense,” the will thus gains insight into what is good and what is evil.
   Moreover, free will is aided by the reward God holds out for keeping his laws — like a father entices his child to walk by holding out an apple, according to Erasmus.
   The one puts more emphasis on this extra help to free will than the other, but they both agree on this, that our will — after this "boost" — can make its decision completely independently, whether good or bad. According to them, sin has left our freedom of choice ("will") entirely untouched.
   In support of this position, people like to point to splendid examples of courage and virtue among pagans. When a pagan feeds and clothes a poor man, it is after all a good work! And therefore a good will and a good mind can also be found in him.
3. Against this falsely optimistic view of the freedom and the goodness of the human will, this article does not proposition its own pessimistic theory. Nor does it point to the many terrible atrocities committed by people all over the world. Instead, it lets the Scripture speak.
   This teaches us that man most certainly still has a will, but... with it he only wants evil. The Scriptures also point out that the mind examines less important things with a ridiculous curiosity, while it is not interested in the things of the highest importance and even has an aversion to them, according to Calvin. Ephesians 4:17-18 calls our mind futile (a vanity, according to the KJV), and our understanding darkened.
   We also refer to the eight texts quoted in this article that speak for themselves.
4. Meanwhile, the fact remains that unbelieving people often behave in a very commendable manner. Sometimes they even serve as an example for believers. Scripture itself speaks of “Gentiles who do not have the law,” yet “by nature do the things the law requires” (Romans 2:14-15). It is not that it does not matter whether a Gentile kills and steals, or saves and helps his neighbour. In the first case he does not and in the second he does what "the law requires." But in both cases he is acting as a pagan who wants to be his own master, and who "is a law to himself." And that still makes everything he does a sin. Augustine pointed to the decisive word of Romans 14:23, namely “...whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” In short, our deeds are not yet "good" when they are done in accordance with the law, but when they are done out of faith.
   Augustine used the image of the helmsman who understood the art of sailing very well. Kudos to him! But alas, he sent his ship straight for the rocks where it crashed. Anyone who does not follow the way of faith with all his good deeds is on a deadly course.

VII. What is at stake in valuing man’s will and knowledge?←⤒🔗

1. Anyone who expects anything good from his own will or knowledge, falls short of God’s grace. Of course many admit that they still need God’s indispensable help, but with this help they think that they will manage all by himself. A humanist is satisfied with the example of Jesus. A Roman Catholic is satisfied with the grace that gives the well-intentioned person the necessary support. But neither of these people believes that we are saved by grace alone. In doing so, they take away the meaning and value of Christ’s sacrifice.
2. The article takes no pleasure in leaving nothing intact of our will and knowledge. It only echoes the teaching of Scripture. But exactly in this very way it keeps open the way to the complete restoration of our corrupt will and knowledge, through grace alone.

Points to discuss←⤒🔗

1. Article 14 speaks of "small traces" that remain of our "excellent gifts." Can you just as well speak of traces of the image of God? Or should we distinguish carefully between the gifts (and their traces) on the one hand and the image of God on the other? Have we lost the image of God, or not all the way?
2. Can it be said that a person with a clear mind and a strong willpower is less a victim of the Fall than a person with a limited mind and little willpower?
   In this context, the comfort of mentally handicapped covenant children can also be discussed. Their minds and wills remain hidden for now – something that also applies to babies in a different way. But their position is determined by what God has promised them (in his covenant). They do still show the image of God imperfectly (but so do all of us), but are destined to serve God.
3. Does the final paragraph of this article (such as the reference to Philippians 2:13) not absolve us of all responsibility? Can we actually still "voluntarily" choose God? See also Canons of Dort, Chapter III/IV, Article 12.
4. Evaluate the following Roman Catholic statements, the first about the mind, and the second about the will.
   a. “If anyone should say that the one true God, our Creator and Lord, cannot be known with certainty from the created by the natural light of reason, let him be anathema [in other words, cursed].”
   b. “The freedom of the will of fallen man is by no means extinguished, though it is weakened and diminished in its strength.”
5. What do our will and mind need according to
   a. a liberal humanist;
   b. a Roman Catholic;
   c. a Remonstrant (see Canons of Dort Chapter III/IV: rejection of errors, point 7); and
   d. the Reformed doctrine?
6. This article answers the question why man is deprived of "every excuse." Article 2 also gives the answer to this question! Find out what the difference is.
   (Article 2 refers to creation outside man, the "Book of Nature"; Article 14 refers to what remains of man’s own gifts, such as his reason and will.)
   How do the two articles complement each other well on this point?