It is a settled truth, then, even on the basis of your own testimony, that we do everything of necessity, and nothing by ‘free-will’; for the power of ‘free-will’ is nil, and it does no good, nor can do, without grace…It follows, therefore, that ‘free-will’ is obviously a term applicable only to the Divine Majesty; for only He can do, and does (as the Psalmist sings) “whatever he wills in heaven and earth’ (Ps. 135:6). If ‘free-will’ is ascribed to men, it is ascribed with no more propriety than divinity itself would be—and no blasphemy could exceed that! So it befits theologians to refrain from using the term when they want to speak of human ability, and leave it to be applied to God only. They would do well also to take the term out of men’s mouths and speech, and to claim it for their God, as if it were His own holy and awful Name. If they must at all hazards assign some power to men, let them teach that it must be denoted by some other term than ‘free-will’; especially since we know from our own observation that the mass of men are sadly deceived and misled by this phrase. The meaning which it conveys to their minds is far removed from anything that theologians believe and discuss. The term ‘free-will’ is too grandiose and comprehensive and fulsome. People think it means what the natural force of the phrase would require, namely, a power of freely turning in any direction, yielding to none and subject to none. Martin Luther, Bondage of the Will
If the will does nothing good and can do nothing good apart from grace, then clearly the will is not free to do good apart from grace. The will, therefore, is not free. The term “free-will,” therefore, is a term that really can only be used of God. The will that is free, that is, has the power to do as it pleases, can only be ascribed to God alone and ascribing it to human beings is blasphemy in that regard. While it may be the case that it is not improper to refer to the will as free in certain limited regards, this is not how most people use or understand the term. Luther is getting at what people usually understand the term to mean. Most people think of ‘free-will’ as meaning the freedom to do what a person pleases to do. But the Bible does not assign that power to human souls at all. God alone can do as He pleases and be subject to no one else.
Luther spoke of how it is blasphemy to assign the power to do what the will pleases to human beings. In this he is looking at things from a God-centered perspective. In the modern day human souls are the focus of self and thought to have virtually boundless ability to do as they please and resist God as they please. But Luther saw that as man taking self to the throne of God. In other words, the teaching of ‘free-will’ was no minor issue to Luther. In fact, he had no use for the term as people used it and thought that it was ascribing to man what should only be ascribed to God. Yet today we have people who think of themselves as Reformed building bridges to Arminians if not Pelagians while they get angry at those who stand on the teaching of election and the bondage of the will. We truly live in amazing times.
The Belgic Confession speaks very clearly to this as well:
Therefore we reject all that is taught repugnant to this concerning the free will of man, since man is but a slave to sin and has nothing himself unless it is given him from heaven. For who may presume to boast that he of himself can do any good, since Christ saith, No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him? Who will glory in his own will, who understands that to be carnally minded is enmity with God? Who can speak of his knowledge, since the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God? In short, who dare suggest any thought, since he knows that we are not sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves, but that our sufficiency is of God? And therefore what the apostle saith ought justly to be held sure and firm, that God worketh in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. For there is no will nor understanding conformable to the divine will and understanding but what Christ hath wrought in man, which He teaches us when He saith, Without Me ye can do nothing.
So we have Luther and the Belgic Confession speaking with a great deal of clarity on this issue. All teaching concerning the free will of man in salvation was repugnant to the writers of that confession. While it was at the very least repugnant to the writers, to Luther it was blasphemous. That was what the Reformed people used to believe. What does it say about our day? To say the least we have fallen a long way.
God Loves... Himself 
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