---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The word \"freewill\" (as also…"
description: "\"The word \"freewill\" (as also \"self-determining power\" [autexousiou] used by the Greek Fathers) does not occur in Scripture ... I Cor 7:37 does not mean..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/148/francis-turretin-237951_bible_the-word-freewill-as-also-self-determini_234303.png"
---

#  The word "freewill" (as also "self-determining power"…

![“The word &quot;freewill&quot; (as also &quot;self-determining power&quot; &#91;autexousiou&#93; used by the Greek Fathers) does not occur in Scripture ... I Cor 7:37 does not mean freedom of the will.” quote by Francis Turretin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/148/francis-turretin-237951_bible_the-word-freewill-as-also-self-determini_234303.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/148/francis-turretin-237951_bible_the-word-freewill-as-also-self-determini_234303.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/148/francis-turretin-237951_bible_the-word-freewill-as-also-self-determini_234303.png)

> “The word "freewill" (as also "self-determining power" \[autexousiou\] used by the Greek Fathers) does not occur in Scripture ... I Cor 7:37 does not mean freedom of the will.”

[Francis Turretin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-turretin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The term “free will” does not appear in Scripture; the biblical passage cited does not refer to freedom of the will.

**In simple terms:** Free will isn’t a biblical term.

Key Takeaway

Distinguish doctrine from wording.

Themes

theology scripture interpretation

Mood

analytical scholarly

Type

theological explanatory

When to use this quote

- academic study
- sermon preparation
- religious education

Key Concepts

biblical language doctrinal clarity historical context

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this affect theological debate?
- What alternative terms convey the concept?

A Different Perspective

Interpretations vary across traditions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Free will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-will/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freewill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freewill/) [Freewill Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freewill-self-2363389/) [Greek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greek/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Scripture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scripture/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Word Freewill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-freewill-2363390/)

## Related quotes

> [God created a system which gave us freewill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gilmour/god-created-a-system-which-gave-us-freewill/)

[David Gilmour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gilmour/)

> [“Power is given only to those you allow to have power over you. No man was born with a master. The only master of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/power-is-given-only-to-those-you-allow-to-have-power-over-you-no-man/)

[Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/)

> [“Almost two hundred sixty-six years ago on my home world, Earth, my forefathers did the same thing. They declared their independence and free agency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-f-messick/almost-two-hundred-sixty-six-years-ago-on-my-home-world-earth-my/)

[Shaun F. Messick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-f-messick/)

> [The freewill you have given, we have made a mockery of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/the-freewill-you-have-given-we-have-made-a-mockery-of/)

[Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/)

> [Why does an apple fall when it is ripe? Is it brought down by the force of gravity? Is it because its stalk withers?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/why-does-an-apple-fall-when-it-is-ripe-is-it-brought-down-by-the/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“Nevertheless, that our freewill may not be altogether extinguished, I think it may be true that fortune is the ruler of half our actions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/nevertheless-that-our-freewill-may-not-be-altogether-extinguished-i/)

[Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [Don't deceive your freewill at all, just receive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yes-band/don-t-deceive-your-freewill-at-all-just-receive-it/)

[Yes (Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yes-band/)

> [“, civilization is an ever-changing tacit agreement, culturally inherited, not chosen at birth. Civilization is the invention of man, my big friend. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jelen/civilization-is-an-ever-changing-tacit-agreement-culturally-inherited/)

[Peter Jelen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jelen/)

> [“All preordained A prisoner in chains A victim of venomous fate Kicked in the face You can't pray for a place In heaven's unearthly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/all-preordained-a-prisoner-in-chains-a-victim-of-venomous-fate-kicked/)

[Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/)

> [“Freewill does not impune the sovereignty of God, it in fact affirms it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-alan-woods/freewill-does-not-impune-the-sovereignty-of-god-it-in-fact-affirms-it/)

[R. Alan Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-alan-woods/)

> [“Though I cannot tell why it was exactly that those stage managers, the Fates, put me down for this shabby part of a whaling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/though-i-cannot-tell-why-it-was-exactly-that-those-stage-managers-the/)

[Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/)

> [Be yourself, give your freewill a chance. You've got to want to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yes-band/be-yourself-give-your-freewill-a-chance-you-ve-got-to-want-to-succeed/)

[Yes (Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yes-band/)

> [“Freewill. Some have called it the greatest gift bestowed on humanity. It is our ability to control what happens to us and exactly how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/freewill-some-have-called-it-the-greatest-gift-bestowed-on-humanity/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [“I don't believe in fate, though, because fate isn't as much fun as freewill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-bosworth/i-don-t-believe-in-fate-though-because-fate-isn-t-as-much-fun-as/)

[Mel Bosworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-bosworth/)

> [Verily has man freewill to control his actions. That my Father-Mother has given to man as his inheritance. But the control of the ractions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell/verily-has-man-freewill-to-control-his-actions-that-my-father-mother/)

[Walter Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell/)

## More Bible quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/)

[Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/)

> [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/)

[Michael Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arnold/)

> [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/)

[Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/)

> [“Scripture also teaches that human beings are morally responsible creatures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-peterson/scripture-also-teaches-that-human-beings-are-morally-responsible/)

[Robert A. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-peterson/)

> [“The wife of a junior officer cooped up in a horrible canvas partition in steerage for five months wrote: "I had enjoyed much peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-taylor/the-wife-of-a-junior-officer-cooped-up-in-a-horrible-canvas-partition/)

[Stephen Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-taylor/)

> [O Word of God incarnate . . . It is the golden casket Where gems of truth are stored; It is the heaven-drawn picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walsham-how/o-word-of-god-incarnate-it-is-the-golden-casket-where-gems-of-truth/)

[Walsham How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walsham-how/)

> [How can I trust that the Bible is reliable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-horton/how-can-i-trust-that-the-bible-is-reliable/)

[Michael Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-horton/)

> [Every plant which my heavenly father has not planted with be uprooted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-christ/every-plant-which-my-heavenly-father-has-not-planted-with-be-uprooted/)

[Jesus Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-christ/)

> [Where I come from you're not raised to think on your own. It's not that you're pushed to read the Bible. The Bible is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/where-i-come-from-you-re-not-raised-to-think-on-your-own-it-s-not/)

[Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/)

> [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [What comes to mind when you think of heaven? Heaven is referred to in fifty-four of the Bible's sixty-six books, and the final two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/what-comes-to-mind-when-you-think-of-heaven-heaven-is-referred-to-in/)

[David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/)

> [“While it is in one sense a result of God’s presence within us, the New Testament also describes a process involved in our “putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/while-it-is-in-one-sense-a-result-of-god-s-presence-within-us-the-new/)

[Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/)

> [The definition of a Church is crystal clear in the New Testament. We see the picture of it. They came together the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-definition-of-a-church-is-crystal-clear-in-the-new-testament-we/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

[Browse all 8,465 Bible quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The word \"freewill\" (as also \"self-determining power\" [autexousiou] used by the Greek Fathers) does not occur in Scripture ... I Cor 7:37 does not mean freedom of the will.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Francis Turretin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-turretin/the-word-freewill-as-also-self-determining-power-autexousiou-used-by/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bible"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-turretin/the-word-freewill-as-also-self-determining-power-autexousiou-used-by/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/148/francis-turretin-237951_bible_the-word-freewill-as-also-self-determini_234303.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/148/francis-turretin-237951_bible_the-word-freewill-as-also-self-determini_234303.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/148/francis-turretin-237951_bible_the-word-freewill-as-also-self-determini_234303.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The word \"freewill\" (as also \"self-determining power\" [autexousiou] used by the Greek Fathers) does not…” — Francis Turretin",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Francis Turretin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-turretin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The word \"freewill\" (as also \"self-determining...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-turretin/the-word-freewill-as-also-self-determining-power-autexousiou-used-by/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-turretin/the-word-freewill-as-also-self-determining-power-autexousiou-used-by/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
