{
  "id": "dict_006026",
  "term": "will",
  "slug": "will",
  "letter": "W",
  "entry_type": "doctrine",
  "entry_family": "doctrine",
  "tier": 2,
  "aliases": [],
  "short_definition": "will is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work.",
  "simple_one_line": "In Christian theology, will means a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work.",
  "tooltip_text": "Biblical doctrine or theological term.",
  "lede_intro": "Will is a doctrinal category that should be defined from the passages that establish it, located within the biblical storyline, and stated with clear theological limits.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Will is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work. This doctrine should be read from the passages that establish it and kept distinct from nearby theological claims.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Will should be defined from the biblical texts that establish it rather than from slogan-level shorthand alone.",
    "It belongs within the larger witness of Scripture and the history of redemption, so related doctrines must be distinguished carefully.",
    "A sound account states what this doctrine affirms, what it does not require, and why it matters for the church's teaching, worship, and discipleship."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Will is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work. As a doctrine, it should be stated from the passages that establish it and distinguished carefully from adjacent theological claims.",
  "description_academic_full": "Will is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work. This doctrine should be defined from the passages that establish it, located within the larger storyline of Scripture, and stated with care in relation to nearby doctrines. Responsible use clarifies what the term affirms, what limits belong to it, and why it matters for the church's teaching, worship, and discipleship.",
  "background_biblical_context": "will belongs to Scripture's teaching on holy life, worship, and covenant obedience and should be read within that moral-spiritual setting rather than as a generic virtue term. Its background lies in the moral order of creation, covenant obligations, wisdom instruction, and the Spirit-shaped life of God's people, so the doctrine is formed by Scripture's account of holy love, obedience, and worship.",
  "background_historical_context": "Historically, discussion of will received sustained treatment when theologians needed precise doctrinal language rather than merely devotional paraphrase. From patristic debate through medieval synthesis, Reformation polemics, and modern dogmatics, the term helped mark distinctions, preserve scriptural claims, and stabilize theological instruction.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": null,
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Gen. 1:26-28",
    "Jas. 2:26",
    "Gen. 2:7",
    "Ps. 8:3-8",
    "Col. 3:10"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Heb. 4:12",
    "Eccl. 3:11",
    "Gen. 9:6",
    "Eph. 4:22-24"
  ],
  "original_language_note": null,
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "theological_significance": "will matters because doctrinal precision in this area protects the church’s speech about God, the gospel, the church, or the last things and helps prevent distortions that spill into neighboring doctrines.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "Philosophically, Will functions as a bridge between exegesis and dogmatic reasoning. Discussion usually turns on conceptual scope, doctrinal location, and the difference between helpful clarification and speculative overextension. Its philosophical value lies in making doctrinal reasoning more exact while keeping the underlying scriptural claims primary.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not use will as a catch-all doctrinal label that settles questions the relevant texts still require you to argue carefully. Read the doctrine through the church's scriptural and theological distinctions about divine unity, persons, attributes, and works, preserving mystery without turning revealed language into speculation or philosophical reduction. State the doctrine at the level of what Scripture and responsible historical theology can warrant, and name secondary disputes as secondary rather than turning them into tests the text itself does not impose.",
  "major_views_note": "Will has a broadly shared doctrinal center, but traditions differ over its precise definition, theological location, and practical implications. The main points of disagreement concern how the category should be defined in relation to sin, virtue, freedom, habit, and the renewing work of grace.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Will should be defined by the scriptural burden it actually carries, not by a slogan, party marker, or imported philosophical abstraction. It must not be inflated beyond the texts that warrant it, but neither should it be thinned into a merely emotive or metaphorical label. The point is to let will guard a real doctrinal boundary while still leaving room for legitimate intramural distinctions in explanation and emphasis.",
  "practical_significance": "Practically, will matters in daily ministry because what the church confesses here will eventually shape worship, hope, and obedience. It equips believers to pursue holiness with humility and discernment, resisting both moral carelessness and anxious self-reliance.",
  "related_entries": [],
  "see_also": [],
  "meta_description": "Will is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work.",
  "jsonld_description": "Will is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work. This doctrine should be defined from the passages that establish it, located within the larger storyline of Scripture, and stated with care in relation to nearby doctrines. Responsible use clarifies what the term affirms, what limits belong to it, and why it matters for the church's teaching, worship, and discipleship.",
  "source_basis": "scripture-led synthesis",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/bible-dictionary/will/index.html",
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  "authority_status": "finalized",
  "review_state": "finalized",
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}