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).
If indeed, as the quote says, to accept the principles of Luther in The Bondage of the Will would certainly involve a revolution, then it is true that not many will want a revolution like this to occur. People are comfortable in their pastorates, their denominations, and in general religious ministries. To come to the realization that one needs to accept principles in reality (not just in theory) that would shake up their whole lives is not something that people will accept easily. It would be hard for those whose preaching is liked or whose evangelism has been successful in terms of numbers to come to the position that they need a radical change. But that is precisely what the teaching of Luther leads to. If the will of human beings is enslaved to sin and cannot help itself at all and can only be helped by a God-centered God who is under no obligation to show grace, then ministries need to be changed. Preaching must change and evangelism must change. Denominations and seminaries must change. Change is dreaded because it might mean that I would lose my position, honor, and perhaps power. But do we love the glory of God or not? If change is needed, then I must change. Wait a minute! Change and hard times are for other people. Hard times are the things I need to preach about rather than experience?
It is far easier to say that I believe the Westminster and/or the 1689 Baptist Confession than it is to really believe it much less practice it. It is easier to believe one of them in some superficial way than it is to dive to the depths of their teachings and actually apply them. It is easier to stand in the pulpit and tell people that they are dead in their sins than it is to say what that really means, but even more it is harder to look someone in the eye and tell them what it really means to be dead in trespasses and sin. This is why change is hard. It costs the esteem and honor of others. It costs positions and income. But without this change the professing Church will not be marching forward but will continue to be fleeing from the fight. We want to be friends with those who are enemies of the Gospel and so we hold hands with them and call it unity. That is change, but it is not the change needed and it is certainly not the change that Luther called for and would call for today.
Martin Luther wrote The Bondage of the Will to defend the Gospel of grace alone. This book gives us his commentary on what justification by faith alone means. We can speak evil of Luther as indeed he was not a perfect man. But we must understand that this book sets out what is necessary for the Gospel that came out of the Reformation. Apart from the doctrine of the enslaved will, there is no justification by faith alone as the Reformers taught it. We ignore this at our own peril and the peril of the souls that we say we minister to. Can we say that we love souls if we don’t teach them what is necessary to understand the Gospel? The pulpits in the land are full of those who love themselves and their own positions more than the souls of those they preach to and the God they say they love. We love to preach about how we should not tickle the ears of the hearers while we tickle the ears of the hearers. We are afraid that if we do not tickle their ears that they will throw us out. This is to love ourselves rather than the people and the God we say we preach for.
But what is that in reality other than to cry out peace, peace when there is no peace? It is a false prophet that will not preach the truth out of fear that men are not saved and are in bondage to their sin. We have a land full of false prophets who do not preach the Gospel of grace alone in truth though they may give lip-service to the words. There is a famine in the land and those who are commanded to feed the sheep are starving them. Those who are commanded to be watchmen on the walls are supposed to keep watch are saying things that may be correct in a sense and yet people are sleeping through them while the enemy is sowing tares. We can memorize our catechisms while our soul sleeps the sleep of spiritual death. We can attain high academic degrees while our souls are in complete ignorance of the knowledge of God in Christ. We can preach according to the creeds in ways that are acceptable to men, but bring the wrath of God. We need the fire of Luther who was bold enough to take on the top academic of his day and the entire religious institution of his day as well. Where are those who will stand for the bondage of man’s will and the sovereignty of God in order to stand for the Gospel of grace alone?
God Loves... Himself 
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