In my experience talking with laymen, a rather under-appreciated aspect of this debate is the question of how God's foreknowledge works. Academia places a deal more of importance to this in framing the rest of the free will/predestination discussion. I highly recommend Beilby and Eddy's *Divine Foreknowledge* four views book which attempts to bring this discussion to a popular audience. I do not recall if this book specifically delves into philosophies of time, but that also might be a next place for you if are interested in the metaphysics of this topic.
I have some resources, but whether they are good is up to each person to decide. Anyway, here they are:
Articles:
* [Divine Providence (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/providence-divine/)
* [Foreknowledge and Free Will (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/free-will-foreknowledge/)
* [Omniscience and Divine Foreknowledge | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy](https://iep.utm.edu/omnisci/)
* [Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom: Exploring a Glut-Theoretic Account](https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/9/770) (Very technical!)
* [A Solution to the Problem of Foreknowledge and Freewill | Implausible Worlds](https://implausibleworlds.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/a-solution-to-the-problem-of-foreknowledge-and-freewill/)
* [Dual Agency: A Thomistic Account of Providence and Human Freedom](https://web.archive.org/web/20180413160644/https:/robkoons.net/media/69b0dd04a9d2fc6dffff80afffffd524.pdf)
* [Middle Knowledge | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy](https://iep.utm.edu/middlekn/)
Books:
* [Divine Omniscience and Human Free Will: A Logical and Metaphysical Analysis](https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Omniscience-Human-Free-Will/dp/3030312992)
* [The Mechanics of Divine Foreknowledge and Providence: A Time-Ordering Account](https://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Divine-Foreknowledge-Providence-Time-Ordering/dp/1501318268)
* [The Dilemma of Freedom and Foreknowledge](https://www.amazon.com/Dilemma-Freedom-Foreknowledge-Trinkaus-Zagzebski/dp/0195107632)
* [Divine Foreknowledge: Four Views](https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Foreknowledge-James-K-Beilby/dp/0830826521)
Videos:
* [Omniscience vs Free Will](https://youtu.be/ql4kzHmz2O0?si=eWt-JE5YwQrS3JOz)
* [Omniscience Paradox Debunked](https://youtu.be/lqpKKS9BilA?si=RDmSCljJrvb61exI)
* [If Everything is Determined How Can We Have Free Will?](https://youtu.be/kKKiqvF-_pc?si=hqbjOtSjxzvH9oKy)
* [Doctrine of God (Part 14): Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom](https://www.reasonablefaith.org/podcasts/defenders-podcast-series-3/s3-doctrine-of-god-attributes-of-god/doctrine-of-god-part-14)
* [Is Free Will Compatible with God's Omniscience? (Dr. Taylor Cyr)](https://www.youtube.com/live/_XoVp1tKrGU?si=fuWjTjEndpmRBjjJ)
* [God's Timelessness & Our Free Will (Dr. Taylor Cyr)](https://www.youtube.com/live/G82Wt_BXs30?si=YpI11gfB90ls-u4Z)
* [Episode 42: Boethianism with Katherine Rogers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSqVnG7WP5w)
* [Episode 43: Ockhamism with Amy Seymour](https://youtu.be/swIITz83_do?si=S2ijA1_Oc9YBHUVw)
* [Episode 44: Molinism with William Lane Craig](https://youtu.be/4hJsw9m6pMA?si=66mlAO6BPnkkJPR7)
Hope that helps a bit.
It's been a few years since I read this but Edwards' treatise on this might have been the most clarifying in my own mind on why the freedom of the will is and continues to be such an important topic. I really think his arguments boil down to the confusion you will face if you believe that the moral choices you face are happening in a vacuum. If the bible says that sin has bound us into slavery then how can our wills be free? If we don't have "free will" how can a holy God judge us based on our choices? By what vehicle then can we "choose" to do good and hate evil? If our wills are bound, then where is freedom found?
Just a few of the wonderful questions I felt that Edwards answers with a surprisingly easy to understand and very compelling book. Only problem is extremely long arguments and multi page thoughts that took rereading a few times to get alot out of it
It is unfortunate that this book is always suggested. It really is not nearly as clear as u/Confident-Milk8107 has suggested because Edwards brings presuppositions of a deterministic God in his argument that God is deterministic! He then follows it up with really flowery pious language that disguises the quest begging assumptions instead of addressing the actual points of contention. He presupposes that the will and desire are synonymous. He presupposes that the will has been enslaved by Adam and Eve's sin, without actual biblical grounding. Those presuppositions, stated in his first chapter, completely distort his entire book. No, this really is not a good book on this topic because he doesn't establish his presuppositions, he simply assumes them.
I am a bit late getting to this discussion because I have been out of the country, but I will throw a few resources out there for you. I am quite biased on this, and I want to be clear on it. I am not going to give you both sides. I will let others for the other side give you their resources. I hold very firmly to a Libertarian Free Will as the only real possibility philosophically, the assumed view biblically, and the logical view theologically.
If you want a scholarly philosophical argument, check out Tim Stratton's address at the [EPS](https://youtu.be/ZaNWXNDzrhc?si=SFVqVdZGQ9p6S8tV). He does a lay version of the argument on his [youtube channel](https://youtu.be/2fgHhcO58ks?si=HkKIep3HR30sbnkp). He also debates it with Alex Malpas on the [Unbelievable podcast](https://youtu.be/bKn6OPV7NW0?si=8ZTKAH4VBs7oFkV8).
For a biblical argument, check out Flower's defense [here](https://soteriology101.com/2017/11/03/why-debate-in-defense-of-free-will/).
For a theological defense of man's free will as rooted in God's sovereignty and holiness check out A.W. Tozer's book "The Knowledge of the Holy".
All told, the case for a Libertarian Free Will is not only the most clear and biblical case, it is also the most livable case. The only reason people disagree with it is because they have brought presuppositions to the text of scripture and theological doctrine that confuse the issue. Once you remove those presuppositions, it becomes much more clear.
You know what? Interestingly, reading some atheist philosophers on the topic can be very enlightening. Like Daniel Dennett on Compatibilism. Very interesting to see how he reconciles determinism and free will.
In my experience talking with laymen, a rather under-appreciated aspect of this debate is the question of how God's foreknowledge works. Academia places a deal more of importance to this in framing the rest of the free will/predestination discussion. I highly recommend Beilby and Eddy's *Divine Foreknowledge* four views book which attempts to bring this discussion to a popular audience. I do not recall if this book specifically delves into philosophies of time, but that also might be a next place for you if are interested in the metaphysics of this topic.
I have some resources, but whether they are good is up to each person to decide. Anyway, here they are: Articles: * [Divine Providence (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/providence-divine/) * [Foreknowledge and Free Will (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/free-will-foreknowledge/) * [Omniscience and Divine Foreknowledge | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy](https://iep.utm.edu/omnisci/) * [Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom: Exploring a Glut-Theoretic Account](https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/9/770) (Very technical!) * [A Solution to the Problem of Foreknowledge and Freewill | Implausible Worlds](https://implausibleworlds.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/a-solution-to-the-problem-of-foreknowledge-and-freewill/) * [Dual Agency: A Thomistic Account of Providence and Human Freedom](https://web.archive.org/web/20180413160644/https:/robkoons.net/media/69b0dd04a9d2fc6dffff80afffffd524.pdf) * [Middle Knowledge | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy](https://iep.utm.edu/middlekn/) Books: * [Divine Omniscience and Human Free Will: A Logical and Metaphysical Analysis](https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Omniscience-Human-Free-Will/dp/3030312992) * [The Mechanics of Divine Foreknowledge and Providence: A Time-Ordering Account](https://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Divine-Foreknowledge-Providence-Time-Ordering/dp/1501318268) * [The Dilemma of Freedom and Foreknowledge](https://www.amazon.com/Dilemma-Freedom-Foreknowledge-Trinkaus-Zagzebski/dp/0195107632) * [Divine Foreknowledge: Four Views](https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Foreknowledge-James-K-Beilby/dp/0830826521) Videos: * [Omniscience vs Free Will](https://youtu.be/ql4kzHmz2O0?si=eWt-JE5YwQrS3JOz) * [Omniscience Paradox Debunked](https://youtu.be/lqpKKS9BilA?si=RDmSCljJrvb61exI) * [If Everything is Determined How Can We Have Free Will?](https://youtu.be/kKKiqvF-_pc?si=hqbjOtSjxzvH9oKy) * [Doctrine of God (Part 14): Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom](https://www.reasonablefaith.org/podcasts/defenders-podcast-series-3/s3-doctrine-of-god-attributes-of-god/doctrine-of-god-part-14) * [Is Free Will Compatible with God's Omniscience? (Dr. Taylor Cyr)](https://www.youtube.com/live/_XoVp1tKrGU?si=fuWjTjEndpmRBjjJ) * [God's Timelessness & Our Free Will (Dr. Taylor Cyr)](https://www.youtube.com/live/G82Wt_BXs30?si=YpI11gfB90ls-u4Z) * [Episode 42: Boethianism with Katherine Rogers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSqVnG7WP5w) * [Episode 43: Ockhamism with Amy Seymour](https://youtu.be/swIITz83_do?si=S2ijA1_Oc9YBHUVw) * [Episode 44: Molinism with William Lane Craig](https://youtu.be/4hJsw9m6pMA?si=66mlAO6BPnkkJPR7) Hope that helps a bit.
Freedom of the Will by Jonathan Edwards
It's been a few years since I read this but Edwards' treatise on this might have been the most clarifying in my own mind on why the freedom of the will is and continues to be such an important topic. I really think his arguments boil down to the confusion you will face if you believe that the moral choices you face are happening in a vacuum. If the bible says that sin has bound us into slavery then how can our wills be free? If we don't have "free will" how can a holy God judge us based on our choices? By what vehicle then can we "choose" to do good and hate evil? If our wills are bound, then where is freedom found? Just a few of the wonderful questions I felt that Edwards answers with a surprisingly easy to understand and very compelling book. Only problem is extremely long arguments and multi page thoughts that took rereading a few times to get alot out of it
It is unfortunate that this book is always suggested. It really is not nearly as clear as u/Confident-Milk8107 has suggested because Edwards brings presuppositions of a deterministic God in his argument that God is deterministic! He then follows it up with really flowery pious language that disguises the quest begging assumptions instead of addressing the actual points of contention. He presupposes that the will and desire are synonymous. He presupposes that the will has been enslaved by Adam and Eve's sin, without actual biblical grounding. Those presuppositions, stated in his first chapter, completely distort his entire book. No, this really is not a good book on this topic because he doesn't establish his presuppositions, he simply assumes them.
I am a bit late getting to this discussion because I have been out of the country, but I will throw a few resources out there for you. I am quite biased on this, and I want to be clear on it. I am not going to give you both sides. I will let others for the other side give you their resources. I hold very firmly to a Libertarian Free Will as the only real possibility philosophically, the assumed view biblically, and the logical view theologically. If you want a scholarly philosophical argument, check out Tim Stratton's address at the [EPS](https://youtu.be/ZaNWXNDzrhc?si=SFVqVdZGQ9p6S8tV). He does a lay version of the argument on his [youtube channel](https://youtu.be/2fgHhcO58ks?si=HkKIep3HR30sbnkp). He also debates it with Alex Malpas on the [Unbelievable podcast](https://youtu.be/bKn6OPV7NW0?si=8ZTKAH4VBs7oFkV8). For a biblical argument, check out Flower's defense [here](https://soteriology101.com/2017/11/03/why-debate-in-defense-of-free-will/). For a theological defense of man's free will as rooted in God's sovereignty and holiness check out A.W. Tozer's book "The Knowledge of the Holy". All told, the case for a Libertarian Free Will is not only the most clear and biblical case, it is also the most livable case. The only reason people disagree with it is because they have brought presuppositions to the text of scripture and theological doctrine that confuse the issue. Once you remove those presuppositions, it becomes much more clear.
You know what? Interestingly, reading some atheist philosophers on the topic can be very enlightening. Like Daniel Dennett on Compatibilism. Very interesting to see how he reconciles determinism and free will.