‘By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight’ (Rom. 3:20)….Had he said, the Jewish people, or the Pharisees, or certain ungodly persons, he might have appeared to be leaving out some who by the power of ‘free-will,’ and by the help of the law, were not altogether unprofitable. But when he condemns the very works of the law, and makes them ungodly in God’s sight, it becomes clear that he is condemning all that were mighty in zeal for the works of the law. And none were zealous for the works of the law but the best and most excellent men, and that only with their best and most excellent faculties, that is, their reason and their will. If, then, those who exercised themselves in the works of the law with the highest zeal and endeavour of reason and will, that is, with all the power of ‘free-will,’ and had the help of the wlaw as a God-given aid, instructing and spurring them on—if they are condemned for ungodliness, as not being hereby justified, and are declared to be ‘flesh’ in God’s sight, what then is left in the entire human race which is not ‘flesh’ and ungodly? For all who are of the works of the law are condemned alike. It makes no difference whether they exercised themselves in the law with the highest zeal, or with lukewarm zeal, or with not at all. They all could perform only works of the law; and works of the law do not justify; and if they do not justify, they prove that those who work them to be ungodly and merit the wrath of God! These things are so clear that nonce can whisper a word against them (Luther, Bondage of the Will).
When the Scripture sets out that “by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight,” it means something. It tells us that the law is utterly powerless to justify a person and Scripture clearly says that the law was not even given for that reason. The law was given in order to make sin known. So if the law was not given in order to justify a person, then why is it that we still think that there is something that a ‘free-will’ can do in salvation? What can the will do that is not in accordance with the law? Doesn’t it follow that if no one can do anything according to the law in order to be justified that there is nothing that a person can do in order to be justified? If the will is not free to justify itself, then what can the will do to partly justify itself or contribute to its justification?
When the Scripture sets out that no one will be justified by the deeds of the law, it is telling us that on person can be justified by the deeds of the law. That is a universal statement and it does not leave any single person out. When the Scripture tells us that no one will be justified by the deeds of the law, it includes all the works of the law as well. Not of deed is left out and not one law is left out. All deeds and all laws are included in the statement. But, as Luther points out, many will think that they are more moral and have a better will than others. But Scripture tells us without equivocation that no one can do this. No one has the power of the will to do this. The law was not given in order that by keeping it men may be justified by it. The will has no power to keep the law and cannot do one deed in accordance with keeping the law.
Sinners are left utterly and totally helpless in utter need of grace and grace alone to save them. When God decides to save a sinner, He does not do so based on what the sinner can do and what the sinner’s will can perform. God needs no one but Himself in order to save sinners. God started off with a dead womb in the case of Sarah and that ended with Abraham and Sarah having Isaac the child of promise. God started off with a virgin with Mary and He needed no help in the conception of Jesus. In much the same way God starts off with sinners who are dead in sins and trespasses, who are by nature children of wrath, and who are in the bondage of sin. God does not need any help and if He did the sinners could not help Him. He is totally sufficient to save by His grace alone and sinners are totally without the slightest shred of sufficiency in themselves.
The Scriptures are constant in the witness to the total sufficiency of God and the total insufficiency of human souls. When the sinner looks to self to be saved, that sinner is not looking to the total sufficiency of God. When the sinner looks to self to just believe in Christ to be saved, the sinner is not looking to Christ alone to be saved. The Gospel of grace alone is virtually unknown in our land today while the gospel of works (whether one work of faith or many works) goes on boldly being proclaimed. Pelagianism is widely taught and Arminianism is as well. Each of those systems looks to self to do something in order to be saved, whether they use that language or not. “Reformed” people will not teach the utter helplessness of man to sinners in need of salvation, so people continue to look to self. Where are those who will drive men to the end of self so that they may look to Christ alone? They are afraid that they will run people off or make some in the denomination angry. So they don’t preach the Gospel.
God Loves... Himself 
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