istinguishes between posse non peccare and possibilitas peccandi. That is, the possibility of sinning was necessary unto Adam's freedom but sinning itself was not. In the garden potential freedom from sin belonged to Adam prior to the Fall and its opposite (viz., potential slavery to sin) was equally implied.15 Had Adam chosen to follow his holy inclination, things would be somewhat different today. Second, after the Fall Adam had only one inclination, posse peccare, viz., the ability to sin. Freedom is not thereby removed. It simply takes the shape of self-determination. Fallen persons voluntarily determine to follow their own bent toward evil. They are self-determined rather than God-determined. "Adam prior to the fall had freedom including both the ability not to sin (posse non peccare) and the ability to sin (posse peccare). But all the descendants of Adam, by reason of their inheritance, have only ability to sin (posse peccare) until they are redeemed."16 Nevertheless, the unregenerate are periodically capable of complying with the demands of God, sporadically though it may be, in doing those things which are in accordance with God's Law (cf., Rom. 2:14-15). This is not to say God's Law is fulfilled in any sense in the way it is with believers through the Spirit (cf., Rom. 8:4). It is unlikely Augustine was correct in applying Romans 2:14-15 to Gentile Christians.17 It would be quite difficult to explain why Paul says of these so-called Christians that they are "a law unto themselves," not to mention Paul's purpose of the entire pericope (Rom. 1:18-3:20) is to demonstrate that all persons live under the dominion of sin. That some do, on occasion, comply with God's moral standards is the most this reference says. And this is a far cry from regeneration. Persons aren't free to live righteous lives unless they are free from an unrighteous life. The third stage of freedom in the saga of human history is after regeneration. That it take...
