In looking at this great doctrine of the enslaved will, it is important to be reminded again and again that this doctrine is not just a horrible doctrine that just a few horrible individuals in history have believed. It has been believed by the greatest of theologians and the greatest of the creeds that this doctrine is at the heart of the Gospel. It is not the Gospel itself by itself, but apart from it there is no need of the Gospel of grace alone. To the degree that a person denies (whether literally or practically) the doctrine of the enslaved will, is precisely the degree that a person will veer from grace alone in the Gospel. The problem with that is that grace will not stand for any co-workers at all. Grace will not stand for anything that wants to share in its glory.
The God of all glory has created all things for His own glory. The God of all glory has designed all creation that it would manifest His glory and He has designed the Gospel that it would be to the praise of the glory of His grace alone (Eph 1:5-6). The doctrine of the enslaved will is a necessary teaching for the Gospel of grace alone and the Gospel of the glory of God. No one can shout forth the glory of God and His grace alone that also trumpets man’s ability in spiritual things. If that which comes from man is from the strength of the self and the will of self, then it is the self that is shining forth. But if what comes from man is the shining forth of the glory of God, then it is God and His glory that is shining forth. If we teach the ability of man in spiritual things, then we may be praised by modern people but we will not be declaring the truth of grace alone.
Luther and the Reformers were used to set forth a Gospel of grace alone and revival broke forth and raced throughout the earth. The Gospel that they preached was the Gospel that was built and depended on grace alone, but to that end they preached the enslavement of the will of man in spiritual things. Even if people in the modern day preach the same doctrines with the same words as the Reformers, apart from a clear declaration of the enslaved will of human souls the same Gospel will not be taught. The Reformers were concerned to defend the sovereignty of grace because that is the only kind of grace there is. Apart from the enslaved will the sovereignty of grace is compromised. A Gospel that teaches explicitly or implicitly a salvation that is anything less than grace alone (which is a sovereign grace), is a different gospel than that of the New Testament.
A great problem with those who teach the ‘free-will’ of man is that they cannot preach the free grace of God consistently. They will use words that salvation is by grace alone, but they cannot show how that can be. A Gospel that is to the glory of God alone is a Gospel that is of the will of God alone. It is only when it is God who wills salvation of Himself and according to Himself and His own glory that salvation is by grace alone and to His glory alone. As soon as the so-called ‘free-will’ of man edges into the picture, salvation stops being by grace alone and to His glory alone and man (so to speak) has a share in the matter. The Gospel, after all is the Gospel of God and as long as human beings trust in themselves (part of that is the ‘free-will’) they will not trust in Christ alone. A.G. Illierap, in his personal testimony, points to this as a major issue:
For some time past I had been in the not uncommon condition of “sinning and repenting, sinning and repenting;” my will power for resisting temptation, never at any time very strong, growing weaker and weaker. At last, realizing my utter helplessness, I lost all confidence in myself, and despaired of ever being any better. But, blessed by God, deliverance is found when a man despairs of self. Sorely baffled, in deep anguish of soul, knowing not whither to turn for help, with bitter tears and sincere repentance I was constrained in my misery to fall helplessly at the feet of Jesus, my agony of spirit speaking louder than any words. I was not left long in my despair, for “the Lord is night unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”…I realise now, that not until a man loses faith in himself, can he possibly know his need of a Saviour. Thus it is recoreded that “when we were yet without strength, in due season, Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom 5:6). While we have hope in ourselves our case is hopeless, but as soon as we give up all pretensions to merit or righteousness of our own, and submit ourselves as lost and ruined sinners to God, He willing, and on a perfectly righteous basis (see Rom 4:26) justifies us “freely by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:25). Thus I found it.
This testimony points to the fact that a human being cannot trust in his or he own will or self and trust in Christ alone at the same time. So many in the modern day hold to the great doctrines of the past and yet do so in a manner where they trust in themselves. They trust in their intellects to believe certain truths. They trust in their own wills (though they say words as if it is all of God) to trust in Christ. They are Pelagians at heart though they give verbal assent to Reformed creeds. It is not enough to give intellectual assent to these great truths of the past and of the Bible. But instead, one must truly give up all hope in self and in the will of self in order to rest in Christ alone. Until the soul despairs of all hope in itself (including its own will and power or choice) it will not rest in Christ alone. This is the great truth that Luther and the Reformers found in Scripture and in their own experience. Until a sinner utterly despairs of self that sinner has faith in self to some degree. Until that great truth is discovered and actually experienced in the soul, the sinner has hope in self even if that sinner is orthodox to the letter. We live in a dark day, not only because of the lack of orthodoxy, but perhaps to some degree because of orthodoxy that rests in the mind alone. True enough there are also those who rest in themselves, their orthodoxy, and their elevated feelings, but still that is not resting in Christ alone. We must utterly despair of anything to do with self and look to Christ alone.
God Loves... Himself 
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