In short, Paul sets ‘him that worketh’ and ‘him that worketh not’ side by side and leaves none in the middle between them. He declares that righteousness is not reckoned to him that worketh, but is reckoned to him that worketh not, if only he believes. There is no way by which ‘free-will,’ with its effort and endeavour, can dodge or escape; it must either be numbered with ‘him that worketh’ or with ‘him that worketh not.’ If with ‘him that worketh’, you have heard Paul say that righteousness is not reckoned to it, If with ‘him that worketh not, but believeth’ on God, righteousness is reckoned to it. But then it will not be the power of ‘free-will’, but a new creation by faith, and if righteousness is not reckoned to ‘him that worketh’, it becomes clear that his works are nothing but sins, evil and ungodly in God’s sight. (Luther, Bondage of the Will)
In a very real sense when Scripture sets out that there are those that work and those that work not, the words of God are telling us what man can do by nature and what must be done by grace alone. This is so vital that is bears repeating and repeating and repeating over and over again. The soul that works includes all those that trust in their many works or those that trust in themselves for one work. The only soul that does not work does not trust in any work or works. While it may seem that those who trust in one work of the will (all who really believe in ‘free-will’) are closer to grace than those who believe in many works, they are not. We can think of this as all humanity or all time divided into two sets of categories and there are no linking points between the two at all. One category is those who do not work at all. The only other possible category is those who work. Again, there are two categories and two only. Every human being belongs in one category or the other. For a person to be in the category that does not work, that person has to stop all working. That leaves the other category of those who do work as those who look to one work or for more than one work.
Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 “BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED.
Another vital point in this is to notice what the person does that does not work. This person is the one who believes in God who justifies the ungodly. In other words, instead of trusting in anything that s/he has done, will do, or is capable of doing; this person has faith in God who justifies. It is the person who has faith who is credited with righteousness, but the only ones who have faith are those who do not work. If a person does one work of many and God promises salvation to those who do one work or many, then salvation is not credited as favor but as what is due. The person has fulfilled what God requires and so salvation is granted as a wage.
It should be clearly seen, then, how opposed to grace alone that the so-called ‘free-will’ is. The will that is free of grace is never free from its fleshly desires and nature and can never do an act other than a fleshly act. God will not grant salvation on the basis of many works or even one work of the flesh. God saves sinners on the basis of Christ alone and grace alone. Despite the words of those who adhere to ‘free-will,’ their position denies the Gospel of grace alone and Christ alone. The will that is said to be free is not free from sin and is only free from grace and as such it cannot do one good thing, and especially it cannot do one thing that God will give the wage of salvation to.
It bears repeating that a person must be in the category of non-works to be one that believes in Him who justifies the ungodly. God does not look upon that any work(s) of the human will that is free of grace as a work that He will justify the person for doing that one act. As verse 7 of Romans 4 shows, God credits righteousness to those who do not work. Those are the only people that God credits righteousness to. As long as a person believes that s/he has ‘free-will’ that person will trust in his own power or ability to choose and to control salvation according to his or her own desires. To rest in grace alone a person must be one that does not trust in his or her own works in any way, shape, form, or fashion. For the Gospel to truly be by grace alone it must be that no one justified by grace alone and Christ alone would trust in works or in any work of his or her own. Until a person is brought to the point of being broken from all hope in his or her own will or ability, that person will not rest in grace alone.
God Loves... Himself 
Leave a comment