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
Luther was very concerned about what people thought the term ‘free-will’ meant. It is thought to be virtually heretical (if not fully heretical) even by many people who think of themselves as Reformed to deny free-will. But Luther understood that to use the term without a lot of definition and clear teaching people will misunderstand what is meant. Notice that he uses the language that “if the must at all hazards assign some power to men.” He is afraid that when we assign power to men it is a great hazard to do so. Luther was far less afraid of hyper-Calvinism (what we would call it today) than he was of assigning power to human beings by using the term ‘free-will.” He thought that the meaning conveyed to the minds of the people would be far different than what the theologians meant by it. But today the theologians evidently believe much of what the people then misunderstood.
While it is the standard today for people to fight if one does not want to use the phrase ‘free-will,’ that comes from a human-centered point of view. Luther was God-centered and so he was afraid that people would think of their own power too highly in light of the sovereignty of God. Today people are afraid of human beings and want to water down the sovereignty of God in order to make people feel better. Indeed we are so backwards in our day that we have seeker-sensitive churches and seeker-sensitive services that do nothing but water everything down so that the so-called seeker will be comfortable. While the term “seeker-sensitive” is old, the idea is still prevalent. But we are supposed to seek God first and foremost. We are supposed to seek God above all things. When the church is at worship it is supposed to seek God in spirit and truth rather than make seekers comfortable. If a person is truly seeking God, then that person will not be comfortable. The presence of a holy, holy, holy God is not comfortable to anyone outside of Christ at any time, and believers are uncomfortable when God comes among His people.
The natural man understands the term ‘free-will’ as the power to turn himself and choose what he wants to. He thinks that he can choose to do good as he pleases and that he can choose God for salvation as he pleases. The term ‘free-will’ in that sense is utterly opposed to the Gospel of grace alone and that was what Luther fought. He defended the grace and glory of God and not human beings. Human beings have to understand God in truth in order to understand themselves. The priority must be to defend the freedom and sovereignty of God at all costs rather than the so-called ‘free-will’ of man which is so misunderstood and vaults man to the throne of God. If preachers are going to be faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in any day the common idea of ‘free-will’ must be taken on and attacked in order for people to understand the Gospel.
The Belgic Confession sets this out with clarity:
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.
The language of this Confession is stark and clear. It sets out what is true and what is false. It leaves us with virtually no wiggle room at all. Man is a slave to sin and has nothing unless it is given him from heaven. No one of himself can do any good thing. No one can be or do or understand anything conformable to the divine will but what Christ does in the person. The Confession here is quite clear in denouncing the so-called ‘free-will’ of man in many ways. It allows for no good to come from a man other than what Christ has worked. So clearly there can be no good choice of a human soul to make for God unless Christ has worked in that soul a new heart. The teaching of the enslaved will is necessary to the Gospel of grace alone that comes from the one and only Sovereign God.
God Loves... Himself 
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