Part 2: The Rise of Autonomy – How Origen Introduced Libertarian Free Will
I. Introduction: A Foreign Idea Finds a Home
In the early centuries of the Church, as Christian doctrine was being forged in the crucible of persecution and theological controversy, one of the most influential figures was a man whose brilliance was matched only by the danger of his speculation. His name was Origen of Alexandria.
To many, Origen was a hero of Christian intellectualism—a defender of Scripture, a master exegete, and a philosophical bridge between the Church and the Greco-Roman world. But behind the admiration lies a reality far more sobering: Origen was the first theologian to systematically introduce libertarian free will into Christian theology. He did so not because of biblical exegesis, but because of philosophical necessity. He believed that for God to be just, man must be free in an ultimate sense—free even from God’s sovereignty.
This part will explore:
• Origen’s historical context
• His theological system and sources
• His doctrine of the will
• How he introduced libertarianism into theology
• Why his overall system was later condemned
• And why this matters for us today
II. Who Was Origen?
1. Background and Education
Origen was born in Alexandria around 184 AD, during a time when Christianity was still illegal in the Roman Empire. His father was martyred, and Origen’s brilliance as a student quickly brought him into prominence. He studied under Clement of Alexandria, absorbing a heavy dose of Platonic philosophy. By his early twenties, Origen was teaching theology and philosophy in Alexandria’s famed Catechetical School.
Origen was a deeply devout man, known for his asceticism, memorization of Scripture, and rigorous lifestyle. He eventually wrote the Hexapla (a massive textual comparison of the Old Testament), countless commentaries, and his most famous theological work, De Principiis (“On First Principles”)—the first known systematic theology in Church history.
But his desire to reconcile Christian doctrine with Greek philosophy led him into dangerous territory.
2. The Intellectual World of Alexandria
To understand Origen, we must understand Alexandria. It was the intellectual capital of the Greco-Roman world, steeped in:
• Platonic dualism: spirit is higher than matter
• Stoic determinism: fate governs all, but the sage must align with reason
• Middle Platonism: merging metaphysical hierarchies with moral ascent
• Gnostic esotericism: salvation through hidden knowledge
Philosophers of this era asked questions about the soul, evil, and divine justice. If God is good, how could He create evil? If the soul sins, is it by necessity or choice? Origen took these questions seriously and attempted to answer them using both Scripture and philosophy—but the result was a system in which human freedom became the keystone.
III. Origen’s Theological System: An Overview
Origen’s theology can be summarized as a cosmic narrative of fall and return:
• All souls were created by God as pure spiritual beings with equal status.
• Through misuse of free will, souls fell away from God in varying degrees.
• Depending on the degree of fall, they were assigned to different states: some became angels, others demons, others human beings.
• The material world was created to train fallen souls to return to God.
• Salvation is a long process of moral purification through free choice.
• Eventually, all souls—including Satan—will return to God in a universal restoration.
In this system, the soul’s condition is determined by its own will—not by God’s sovereign decree, not by inherited sin, and not by a divine plan of redemption rooted in grace.
IV. Origen’s Doctrine of the Will
1. Libertarian Freedom as a Theological Necessity
Origen’s central concern was to defend God’s justice. He believed that if God predestined people to salvation or damnation, or if souls sinned by nature, then God would be unjust. Therefore, he argued that souls must be free in the strongest possible sense: they must be able to choose either good or evil without being determined by God, nature, or anything external.
In De Principiis, Origen writes:
“It is our own doing that we are good or bad, for we are free agents.”
— De Principiis, 3.1.6
This is libertarian free will—not merely the ability to choose, but the ability to originate one’s choices independent of any prior cause.
2. The Preexistence of Souls and Moral Diversity
Origen observed that people are born into very different circumstances—some rich, some poor, some with more moral sensitivity than others. To explain this, he proposed the preexistence of souls, arguing that the differences in earthly life reflect previous choices made in a spiritual realm before birth.
“The diversity among rational beings arises from the exercise of their free will in their preexistent state.”
— De Principiis, 1.8.1
Here again, Origen’s commitment to libertarian freedom leads him to reject the biblical doctrine of creation and adopt a metaphysical framework borrowed from Plato.
3. Restoration of All Souls (Apokatastasis)
Because all souls are free, and because God is patient and all-powerful, Origen believed that all would eventually return to God—even the devil.
“The end is like the beginning: all things will be restored to their original state.”
— De Principiis, 1.6.1
This doctrine, known as apokatastasis, undermines the biblical teaching on eternal judgment and makes final punishment temporary and medicinal. It is a direct consequence of his belief that freedom is the defining feature of personhood, and that God’s justice requires equal opportunity for all.
V. Philosophical Sources of Origen’s Thought
Origen’s theology is deeply influenced by Greek metaphysics, particularly:
1. Plato: The soul exists before the body; sin is a defect of the will; salvation is the soul’s ascent to the Good.
2. Stoicism: Virtue is rational; moral progress is possible through disciplined will.
3. Neo-Pythagoreanism: The idea of reincarnation and spiritual purification through multiple lives.
4. Middle Platonism: The Logos as a mediating principle between the ineffable God and the material world.
Origen tried to harmonize these systems with Scripture, but in doing so, he replaced biblical categories with philosophical ones. Freedom became the highest good; grace became instructional rather than transformative; and Christ became the ultimate teacher rather than the sovereign Savior.
VI. How Origen Influenced the Church
Despite his errors, Origen’s intellect and prolific writing made him immensely influential. His method of allegorical exegesis shaped centuries of biblical interpretation. His ideas about freedom were passed down—sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly—through other thinkers who admired his synthesis of Christianity and philosophy.
He paved the way for later semi-Pelagianism, synergism, and modern Arminianism by introducing the idea that freedom must be preserved at all costs.
Ironically, many who defend libertarian free will today do not realize they are defending a view that:
• Has its roots in Platonic cosmology
• Was unknown to the apostles
• Was developed in a system that included heresies later condemned
VII. The Church’s Later Condemnation of Origenism
While Origen himself was not excommunicated in his lifetime, his ideas were hotly debated. Eventually, the Church rejected the core elements of his theology.
The Second Council of Constantinople (553 AD) issued anathemas against “Origen and his heresies,” including:
• The preexistence of souls
• The denial of bodily resurrection
• The universal restoration of all beings
These teachings were seen as incompatible with the gospel of Christ and the testimony of Scripture.
VIII. Why This Matters Today
Origen’s influence lives on—not in name, but in assumptions. Whenever we assume:
• That God must give everyone the same opportunity
• That responsibility requires the ability to do otherwise
• That eternal punishment must be unjust
• That grace is a nudge, not a resurrection
—we are echoing the voice of Origen, not of Paul, Peter, or Jesus.
The tragedy is that many evangelicals have inherited Origenist anthropology while thinking they are defending Scripture. They assume that man must be free in order for God to be just, and in doing so, they dethrone grace and enthrone the will.
IX. What Does the Bible Say?
Scripture does not define man by his freedom. It defines him by his dependence on God.
John 1:13 – “[Believers] were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Romans 9:16 – “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.”
John 6:44 – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”
Ephesians 2:1 – “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins.”
Freedom is not the power to choose Christ apart from grace. It is the gift of God that comes when the heart of stone is replaced by a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).
X. Conclusion: Origen’s Legacy and Our Calling
Origen’s theological system placed human autonomy at the center. He constructed a cosmos in which the soul is self-determining, salvation is moral ascent, and divine justice is tied to human freedom. But in doing so, he betrayed the gospel of grace.
As modern Christians, we must be careful not to repeat his mistake. Our dignity is not in our autonomy, but in our creation in the image of God and our redemption by His mercy. Our will is not the key to salvation. Christ is.
“Not my will, but Yours be done.” — Luke 22:42
In the next part, we will turn to Pelagius—a man who took Origen’s freedom and fashioned a gospel of human effort, where grace becomes optional and obedience becomes achievable without Christ.
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