In the state of innocency, man “had freedom, and power to will and to do that which was good and well pleasing to God.” It is important to note that “innocency” does not refer to someone who has simply not been found guilty of wrongdoing, as the common understanding of the word “innocent” today may suggest. God made man, not as a blank slate or a neutral being, but as a righteous one (Eccl. 7:29). Adam and Eve were not fifty-fifty between good and evil and had to make their own choice which they would like to be. That is not what free will means. Man was made in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26), which means that his will had every tendency towards that which is good.

Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom, and power to will and to do that which was good and well pleasing to God; but yet, mutably, so that he might fall from it.
WCF 9.2 (Eccl. 7:29, Gen 1:26; Gen 2:16-17; 3:6)

In this paragraph 2 of chapter 9, we begin by looking at the first of what is often known as the fourfold-state of man as it relates to the nature of his will, which are his states of innocency, sin, grace, and glory.

In the state of innocency, man “had freedom, and power to will and to do that which was good and well pleasing to God.” It is important to note that “innocency” does not refer to someone who has simply not been found guilty of wrongdoing, as the common understanding of the word “innocent” today may suggest. God made man, not as a blank slate or a neutral being, but as a righteous one (Eccl. 7:29). Adam and Eve were not fifty-fifty between good and evil and had to make their own choice which they would like to be. That is not what free will means. Man was made in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26), which means that his will had every tendency towards that which is good.

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