To accept the principles which Martin Luther vindicates in The Bondage of the Will would certainly involve a mental and spiritual revolution for many Christians at the present time. It would involve a radically different approach to preaching and the practice of evangelism, and to most other departments of theology and pastoral work as well. God centered thinking is out of fashion to-day, and it recovery will involve something of a Copernican revolution in our outlook on many matters. But ought we to shrink from this? Do we not stand in urgent need of such teaching as Luther here gives us—teaching which humbles man, strengthens faith, and glorifies God—and is not the contemporary Church weak for the lack of it? The issue is clear. We are compelled to ask ourselves: If the Almighty God of the Bible is to be our God, if the New Testament gospel is to be our message, if Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day and for ever—is any other position than Luther’s possible? Are we not in all honesty bound to stand with him in ascribing all might, and majesty, and dominion, and power, and all the glory of our salvation to God alone? Surely no more important or far-reaching question confronts the Church to-day (Johnson and Packer’s introduction to Luther’s Bondage of the Will).
The principles advocated by Luther would certainly involve a mental and spiritual revolution for virtually all Christians and for professing Christians. As 16th century people were blinded by the religion and culture of their day, so is ours. Scripture warns against self-deception, the deception of sin, and the deception of the Deceiver. All of these deceptions can happen in the professing Church and in culture. The world that has virtually taken over the professing Church will stand against true Christianity in the world and in the Church. The manner, method, content, and aim of preaching and evangelism are not even close to what it was during the Reformation and then for some time after. What follows is from the Puritan preacher and writer, John Owen,
Let me add this to them who are preachers of the word, or intend, through the good hand of God, that employment: It is their duty to plead with men about their sins, to lay hold on particular sins, but always remember that it be done with that which is the proper end of law and gospel;–that is, that they make use of the sin they speak against to the discovery of the state and condition wherein the sinner is; otherwise, haply, they may work men to formality and hypocrisy, but little of the true end of preaching the gospel will be brought about. It will not avail to beat a man off from his drunkenness into a sober formality. A skilful master of the assemblies lays his axe at the root, drives still at the heart. To inveigh against particular sins of ignorant, unregenerate persons, such as the land is full of, is a good work; but yet, though it may be done with great efficacy, vigour, and success, if this be all the effect of it, that they are set upon the most sedulous endeavors of mortifying their sins preached down, all that is done is but like the beating of an enemy in an open field, and driving him into an impregnable castle, not to be prevailed against. Get you at any time a sinner at the advantage, on the account of any one sin whatever? Have you any thing to take hold of him by?—bring it to his state and condition, drive it up the head, and there deal with him. To break men off particular sins, and not to break their hearts, is to deprive ourselves of advantages of dealing with them (Of The Mortification of Sin in Believers).
The words of Owen in a very real sense are nothing more than an enlargement of Scripture which tells us that people will gather to themselves teachers who will tickle their ears rather than preach the truth (II Tim 4:3). Even Paul, who brought the Gospel to so many, exclaimed this: “So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?” (Gal 4:16). The truth is not heard gladly by most people. We must not nod our heads and think that these things are not true of those who are orthodox. How many have eased up in preparation or in an actual sermon out of fear that it would make folks mad? Oh, sure, we will use language to excuse our sin. We will say that we don’t want to offend people or don’t want to harm those who are spiritually weak. But it is easy for the orthodox to tickle the ears of the hearers who love orthodoxy as well. It is easy to deal with the known sin of the world and go after that. It is easy to go after the sin of the liberals. It is easy to even go after certain sins and think we have done our duty. But do we really deal with the hearts of the listeners? Sure we will use the word “heart” and so on, but do we really try to show men, women, and children their utter helplessness in their sin? That might mean that we would be accused of being a hyper-Calvinist or of going too far. The real danger, however, is that we will not go far enough and leave many people deceived in their sin. We will drive people into an armory of self-deception where their hearts are hardened and our weak weapons aimed at the outside in nice words will make no impression at all. Our gracious words will do nothing but bounce off hardened hearts and be heard in a way that confirms people in their sin. That is not preaching in the Reformation way at all. It is not how Luther said we must teach if the Gospel is to be interpreted correctly. It is preaching in a modern way that leaves people in their sin while deceived about their eternal destinies. It will take a radical revolution in our preaching before we see change.
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