Their choosing was according to their nature as creatures, not because they were not good at first, but because of humanity's God-made make-up of intellect, emotions, desires, preferences, and reasoning which affect their will. The heart is what drives man's choices. Whatever he prefers the most at the moment will drive the free choices he makes. Whether the preference is one of intellect or emotion or desire or reasoning, it has a direct and determining force upon their choice. Their choice is freely chosen, unless it is coerced by outside threat or force.
However, mankind cannot choose beyond what is in his nature. For instance, as an amoral choice, he may desire to fly, but as a human, it isn't in his nature to fly, so he cannot take off the ground and fly like a bird. As a moral choice, he may prefer to be the one who decides what is right and what is wrong, but it is not in his nature to set standards of morality. That is within God's nature alone to decide. Certainly, mankind can make laws that are moral and just. And man can decide to establish his own moral standards apart from God's. This is within our sphere of human nature, but establishing moral standards that are infallibly good or evil is not given to man by God.
It is my best guess that man would have sinned without the temptation of Satan as a reaction to God giving them a command of what not to do. Likewise, I don't think that Adam and Eve had it within themselves as to their nature to remain sinless forever. As with the elect angels, this would have required God to grant grace to cause this to occur, as He will do for believers when we are glorified.
But God, in His wisdom did not sovereignly choose to do this according to His over-reaching purposes in creation, to show forth all of the glory of His Perfect, Infinite Being expressing all that He is outwardly to creation as well as inwardly to the distinct Persons within His One Being (as He always was doing in eternity.
Pt. 2
Their choosing was according to their nature as creatures, not because they were not good at first, but because of humanity's God-made make-up of intellect, emotions, desires, preferences, and reasoning which affect their will. The heart is what drives man's choices. Whatever he prefers the most at the moment will drive the free choices he makes. Whether the preference is one of intellect or emotion or desire or reasoning, it has a direct and determining force upon their choice. Their choice is freely chosen, unless it is coerced by outside threat or force.
However, mankind cannot choose beyond what is in his nature. For instance, as an amoral choice, he may desire to fly, but as a human, it isn't in his nature to fly, so he cannot take off the ground and fly like a bird. As a moral choice, he may prefer to be the one who decides what is right and what is wrong, but it is not in his nature to set standards of morality. That is within God's nature alone to decide. Certainly, mankind can make laws that are moral and just. And man can decide to establish his own moral standards apart from God's. This is within our sphere of human nature, but establishing moral standards that are infallibly good or evil is not given to man by God.
It is my best guess that man would have sinned without the temptation of Satan as a reaction to God giving them a command of what not to do. Likewise, I don't think that Adam and Eve had it within themselves as to their nature to remain sinless forever. As with the elect angels, this would have required God to grant grace to cause this to occur, as He will do for believers when we are glorified.
But God, in His wisdom did not sovereignly choose to do this according to His over-reaching purposes in creation, to show forth all of the glory of His Perfect, Infinite Being expressing all that He is outwardly to creation as well as inwardly to the distinct Persons within His One Being (as He always was doing in eternity.
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