--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: His argument runs like this: there is no…" description: "\"“His argument runs like this: there is no goodness without free will. Without the ability to freely choose-or reject-the good, an individual possesses ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/thomas-c-foster-20469_belief_his-argument-runs-like-this-there-is-no_2549798.jpg" --- # His argument runs like this: there is no goodness without… ![“His argument runs like this: there is no goodness without free will. Without the ability to freely choose-or reject-the good, an individual possesses no control over his own soul, and without that control, there is not possibility of attaining grace. In the language of Christianity, a beliver…” quote by Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/thomas-c-foster-20469_belief_his-argument-runs-like-this-there-is-no_2549798.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/thomas-c-foster-20469_belief_his-argument-runs-like-this-there-is-no_2549798.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/thomas-c-foster-20469_belief_his-argument-runs-like-this-there-is-no_2549798.jpg) > ““His argument runs like this: there is no goodness without free will. Without the ability to freely choose-or reject-the good, an individual possesses no control over his own soul, and without that control, there is not possibility of attaining grace. In the language of Christianity, a beliver cannot be saved unless the choice to follow Christ is freely made, unless the option not to follow him genuinely exists. Compelled belief is no belief at all.”” [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Free will is essential for moral goodness and spiritual grace; without choice, belief isn’t genuine. **In simple terms:** Free will needed for true goodness. Key Takeaway Value freedom in moral decisions. Themes free will morality grace Mood contemplative serious Type philosophical theological When to use this quote - religious education - personal moral reflection - spiritual counseling Key Concepts theology philosophy ethics Questions to Reflect On - Do you think moral responsibility requires free choice? - How does this affect concepts of salvation? A Different Perspective Determinism challenges this view. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) ## Related quotes > [CHRISTIAN LIVING MOVES from what God has freely done for us in Christ to what we should freely do for others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/christian-living-moves-from-what-god-has-freely-done-for-us-in-christ/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [“Jesus' military career has never compelled my belief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/jesus-military-career-has-never-compelled-my-belief/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“My belief is the belief of no beliefs. That's my belief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-scott-mcleod/my-belief-is-the-belief-of-no-beliefs-that-s-my-belief/) [T. Scott McLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-scott-mcleod/) > [“Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith. We do not rely solely upon science and reason, because these are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/our-belief-is-not-a-belief-our-principles-are-not-a-faith-we-do-not/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [To learn a belief without the belief is to sing a song without the tune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/to-learn-a-belief-without-the-belief-is-to-sing-a-song-without-the/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith. We do not rely solely upon science and reason, because these are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/our-belief-is-not-a-belief-our-principles-are-not-a-faith-we-do-not-2/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“You are wrong. If there is anything I have learned in my travels across the Planes, it is that many things may change the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-avellone/you-are-wrong-if-there-is-anything-i-have-learned-in-my-travels/) [Chris Avellone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-avellone/) > [“Why does anyone do anything? Belief. A belief that they are right and just in their actions. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/why-does-anyone-do-anything-belief-a-belief-that-they-are-right-and/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [Our success in influencing or elevating others is in proportion to their belief in our belief in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-drummond/our-success-in-influencing-or-elevating-others-is-in-proportion-to/) [Henry Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-drummond/) > [Action will furnish belief,-but will that belief be the true one? This is the point, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hugh-clough/action-will-furnish-belief-but-will-that-belief-be-the-true-one-this/) [Arthur Hugh Clough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hugh-clough/) > [“And here is the point, about myself and my co-thinkers. Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith. We do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/and-here-is-the-point-about-myself-and-my-co-thinkers-our-belief-is/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [This is a very central part of the psychedelic attitude toward the world, to entertain all possibilities but to never commit to belief. Belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/this-is-a-very-central-part-of-the-psychedelic-attitude-toward-the/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [No one can control his own opinion or his own belief. My belief was forced upon me by my surroundings. I am the product…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-can-control-his-own-opinion-or-his-own-belief-my-belief-was/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Deep Song Belief is what buries us—that & the belief in belief— No longer do I trust liltlessness —leeward is the world's way—Go on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/deep-song-belief-is-what-buries-us-that-the-belief-in-belief-no/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [“Do you believe? "I believe," he said softly. What do you believe? "I believe that I will kill these two to save my wife…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/do-you-believe-i-believe-he-said-softly-what-do-you-believe-i-believe/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) ## More by Thomas C. Foster > [“I can’t go as far as Barthes in killing off the author, but I’m with him on the importance of the reader. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/i-can-t-go-as-far-as-barthes-in-killing-off-the-author-but-i-m-with/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“of his need to assert responsibility for his own life. It may be that Adela does panic in the face of Nothingness, only recovering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/of-his-need-to-assert-responsibility-for-his-own-life-it-may-be-that/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“When it's over, we may feel wooed, adored, appreciated, or abused, but it will have been an affair to remember.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/when-it-s-over-we-may-feel-wooed-adored-appreciated-or-abused-but-it/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“The novels we read allow us to encounter possible persons, versions of ourselves hat we would never see, never permit ourselves to see, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/the-novels-we-read-allow-us-to-encounter-possible-persons-versions-of/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“Education is mostly about institutions and getting tickets stamped; learning is what we do for ourselves. When we're lucky, they go together. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/education-is-mostly-about-institutions-and-getting-tickets-stamped/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“The novels we read allow us to encounter possible persons, visions of ourselves that we would never see, never permit ourselves to become, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/the-novels-we-read-allow-us-to-encounter-possible-persons-visions-of/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“we accept fictions as fictions, as things that might be true in their world, if not quite in ours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/we-accept-fictions-as-fictions-as-things-that-might-be-true-in-their/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“We sometimes hear of the death of literature or of this or that genre, but literature doesn't die, just as it doesn't 'progress' or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/we-sometimes-hear-of-the-death-of-literature-or-of-this-or-that-genre/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“corollaries—where have I seen his face, don’t I know that”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/corollaries-where-have-i-seen-his-face-don-t-i-know-that/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“Always" and "never" are not words that have much meaning in literary study. For one thing, as soon as something seems to always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/always-and-never-are-not-words-that-have-much-meaning-in-literary/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“What happens if the writer is good is usually not that the work seems derivative or trivial but just the opposite: the work actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/what-happens-if-the-writer-is-good-is-usually-not-that-the-work-seems/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“characters as rich and complex as those we believe ourselves to be”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/characters-as-rich-and-complex-as-those-we-believe-ourselves-to-be/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“So how do we get from there to a pattern of experience that can stand for the whole of postcolonial Latin America? Ah, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/so-how-do-we-get-from-there-to-a-pattern-of-experience-that-can-stand/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“Every novel is brand-new. It’s never been written before in the history of the world. At the same time, it’s merely the latest in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/every-novel-is-brand-new-it-s-never-been-written-before-in-the/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“The process of dehuminazing the locals was under way, and it had very little to do with veracity. The Puritan narratives would continue that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/the-process-of-dehuminazing-the-locals-was-under-way-and-it-had-very/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) [Explore all 29 Thomas C. Foster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) ## More Belief quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Rigid traditions capture souls prisons of spiritual thought man’s religion has captured a god grown too small and very weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/rigid-traditions-capture-souls-prisons-of-spiritual-thought-man-s/) [David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. 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