The Bondage of the Will

'Whoever sins is a slave to sin.'

This book is being heralded as Martin Luther's defense of predestination. It foreshadows the brilliant work of Jonathan Edwards, 'Freedom of the Will,' which is also considered a defense of predestination---as are the works of other men such as John Calvin, who also wrote a similar treatise called 'On the Bondage and Liberation of the Will,' and we must not forget that centuries before any of them lived, Augustine taught predestination based on the Apostle Paul's writings. While the doctrine of predestination is set forth in all these discourses on the will, for Luther predestination, though important, had not yet moved to the center of his theology, as it did for Calvin and later Calvinists such as Jonathan Edwards. Luther did not flinch in setting forth Paul's doctrine of predestination, but that is not what this book is about. This book, like his Galatians commentary, is about salvation by grace through faith alone. It is his response to Erasmus' treatise on free will, which claimed that man had the ability in himself to respond to the Gospel (which smacked of Pelagianism to Luther), yet had to concede that this happened only with the assistance of God's grace, and only after regeneration in Christ. Luther forcefully demonstrates the inconsistencies in Erasmus' argument, showing that if humanity is hopelessly lost in sin, according to the biblical doctrine of original sin in Adam, then he has neither the ability, nor even the desire, to turn to God. Luther proves that God 'has mercy on whom he will have mercy' not according to any merit in the person whom he saves, or any action the person performs. The sovereignty of God in the salvation of men (as Edwards also expounded) is the subject of Luther in Bondage of the Will. With that proven, Luther demonstrates the futility of our attempts to please God in ourselves, and the necessity of believing in Christ for salvation, in accepting it as a gift from God. Luther was careful to teach that it was not man's place to inquire into God's hidden will, but to embrace the grace given and let it destroy Adam, the old self, before endeavoring to study predestination. It is not for 'babes' in Christ to drink this 'strong wine' (as Luther put it) but for the mature Christian who has made 'his calling and election sure.' For Luther, as for Augustine, God had not issued a decree from eternity of who would be saved and who would be damned, but was in mercy saving from the 'lump' of sinful humanity some (indeed, as Christ says, 'MANY'- Matt 20:28) to be transformed and conformed to the image of His Son, and indeed Christ's sacrifice was for the whole world, though only those who believe truly embrace the free gift. I am a living example of the damage that can be done if the doctrine of predestination is mishandled. I am also living proof that the human will truly is in bondage until the Son of God sets it free. 'Whoever sins is a slave to sin.' Luther's point is that sin is what we desire, it is in fact our very nature, and even the best in man 'falls short of the Glory of God' until we are re-created, or 'born anew.' In Christ we are new creatures created in the will of God, and this is our freedom from the bondage of our own will.

3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

luther's magnum opus

this is luther's greatest historical work in one of the world's greatest debates concerning free will and sin...erasmus was one of the brightest scholars in the history of christianity, but unfortunately he met a man with the thunderous authority of an old testament prophet....this is the doctrine, said luther, in which all else hinges... a christian classic that every one should own...

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

The introduction makes this edition the best

The best aspect of this excellent translation of the classic work of Luther, defining the central doctrines of the Reformation, is the introduction and its explanation of the fundamental theological issue the Reformers grappled with: is regeneration the monergistic work of God and his grace, or is it a synergistic work in which the action of the individual is key? The authors deal with this issue with fairness and balance, though they come down with Luther (and Paul) on the side of God's sovereignty and grace in the work of salvation.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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