Then, in the second place, this hypocrisy of theirs results in their valuing and seeking to purchase the grace of God at a much cheaper rate than the Pelagians. The latter assert that it is not by a feeble something within us that we obtain grace, but by efforts and works that are complete, entire, perfect, many and mighty; but our friends here tell us that it is by something very small, almost nothing, that we merit grace [act of a ‘free-will’]…For if we are justified without works, all works are condemned, whether small or great; Paul exempts none, but thunders impartially against all. (Luther, Bondage of the Will)
Luther was very opposed to ‘free-will’ because of its attack on the heart of Christianity and the Gospel of grace alone. The ‘free-will’ seems like such a small thing, but the reality of the matter is that it is at the heart of the Gospel of grace alone. He was also opposed to it because it seemed to be so small and yet it was a vicious attack on the Gospel in reality. It was insidious because it was so well hidden and yet did so much damage. The doctrine of the bondage of the will strikes at the heart of human pride in many ways. It strikes at the pride of self-sufficiency and the pride of man in wanting to determine his own destiny as he pleases. This small, little, even tiny act of the ‘free-will’ (when its darkness is exposed by the light) is that which fallen man loves more than anything else. It shows a love for self and is a very man-centered teaching that is opposed to a God-centered teaching.
The will is not a sovereign but is always ruled over by another. The will is part of the soul and so the soul is sovereign over it (in a manner of speaking) or God is sovereign over the will. Faith either comes from the soul as a self-sovereign or it comes from God as sovereign over the soul. If faith comes from the self, then that is a work of the flesh and so how can that faith be any more an acceptable work to God than the righteous deeds of the Pharisees? True and acceptable faith to God must be the handiwork of the Spirit because of the work of Christ or it is not acceptable to God at all. Again, faith is either a work of the soul or something purchased by Christ and applied by the Spirit. The faith that is from the so-called ‘free-will’ is a work of the flesh and as such could never move God to anything but wrath. Nothing good can come from the flesh and that includes the choice of the flesh.
Those who promote the teaching of ‘free-will’ need to be asked what happens after free-wills make their choices for salvation. Does Christ reign in His temple or does self reign in the temple? It would appear, if one follows the thought consistently, that the one that makes that momentous choice is the one that rules in the temple. If the will is free enough to make that final choice for salvation, then that will continues to be free with each choice after that. This means that the ‘free-will’ that chooses salvation is lord of itself and the captain of its own salvation, but not only that it is the captain of its own soul in sanctification as well. The ‘free-will,’ then, overthrows the lordship of Christ and sets itself up as ruler of the soul.
Since the ‘free-will’ is captain of its own sanctification, then holiness must come from the choices of ‘free-will’ rather than be from God. While Scripture tells us that Christ is our sanctification (I Cor 1:30) and that true holiness is for the soul to share in His holiness (Heb 12:10), the teaching of ‘free-will’ overthrows that as well. If salvation begins with an act of the ‘free-will,’ then surely it must continue by the acts of the will as well. So if justification is by faith plus one act of the will, sanctification can only come to the soul by many acts of the will. Yet Scripture is quite clear that salvation from beginning to end is by grace alone through faith.
The salvation that starts with one act of the ‘free-will’ must have its life (of the soul) from the ‘free-will’ and its continuing acts as well. While Scripture teaches that the self must die so that Christ is the life of the soul, ‘free-will’ teaches that salvation begins with one act of the will and as such it must continue with repeated acts as well. This would include love as well since love is either an act of a ‘free-will’ or it comes by the work of the Spirit of love in the soul. The Scripture teaches that God is the only source of love since He is the origin of love since He is the God who lives in perfect love within His triune being. But ‘free-will’ must assign love as possible for it to work up as well. So the will is set up as a source of holiness, life, and love and be what moves God to give grace. This, surely, is clear that when this is thought to be true the human soul has bowed to self and not God. Oh how deceptive a teaching this is when it creeps into the professing Church and sets itself up and is then bowed down to and trusted in rather than God. It leads to human beings trusting in themselves by their ‘free-will’ rather than the very nature of God. If the soul is justified by grace apart from works, then ‘free-will’ is an idol and it should be treated as such.
God Loves... Himself 
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