In our July issue, we reviewed Shall Never Perish by J

In our July issue, we reviewed Shall
Never Perish by J. F. Strombeck. In trying to unravel the apparent double
talk of the author on the subject of free will or man’s "free moral
agency," we fear our own tongue got somewhat twisted. This issue should be
clarified for the reader and some of our statements on pages 87 and 88
corrected.

"Free moral agency"
for man means that he has the free and unaffected ability to choose and act as
he may desire. It does not necessarily imply the knowledge of good and evil as
we previously stated. In the garden of Eden before Adam fell into sin, he was innocent
and knew neither good nor evil, but he did know God’s will for him. Dominion
over creation was given him; he was to dress the garden and eat its fruit
except that of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He was and acted as
a free moral agent until he disobeyed God. Adam did not cease to be a moral
agent after his disobedience even with the newly acquired knowledge of good and
evil. But he was no longer free and found himself estranged from God and
enslaved to sin and Satan. Men have not descended from Adam when he was
innocent (as a free moral agent) but rather from Adam fallen in sin.

The following Letter on Free
Will by J. N. Darby may further clarify the truth.                                     

If the
Son therefore shall make, you free, ye shall be free indeed. Joan 8:36