That the protectors of ‘free-will’ deny Christ is proved, not by this Scripture only, but by their own lives. By this doctrine they have made Christ to be, no longer a sweet Mediator, but a dreadful Judge, whom they strive to placate by the intercessions of the Mother and the Saints, and by devising many works, rites, observances and vows, by which they aim to appease Christ so that He may give them grace. They do not believe that He intercedes before God and obtains grace for them by His blood, and ‘grace’ (as is here said) ‘for grace’. And as they believe, so it is unto them. Christ is in truth an inexorable judge to them, and deservedly so; for they abandon Him in His office as a Mediator and kindest Saviour, and account His blood and grace as of less worth than the efforts and endeavours ‘free-will’! (Luther, The Bondage of the Will)
This paragraph of Luther’s is quite chilling as it sets out the reality of what ‘free-will’ is despite the masks that are put on ‘free-will’ by those who claim it and the Reformed who will not take a stand against it. The unmasking of ‘free-will’ shows how ugly and horrid it is as opposed to the glory of free grace in Christ Jesus. Paul was very, very clear in Galatians chapter one.
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! 10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.
Those who adhere to ‘free-will’ in terms of the Gospel need to see what this ‘free-will’ must do in order for it to be free and in order for it to be part of salvation. The adherents of ‘free-will’ say that God will not force Himself on the soul and so the soul must make a free choice and then God saves the soul. The preaching of the so-called Gospel that earnestly pleads with man to pray a prayer or make a choice is depending on the will to do something in order for God to save that soul. However, what is that but the effort to get the soul to make a choice apart from grace in order to receive grace? It is teaching that the soul must rely on itself to obtain faith or make a choice in order that God would give grace to that soul. That is contrary to the Gospel of grace alone which teaches that God finds nothing in man to move Him to show grace and that He saves sinners to the praise of the glory of His grace. God does not respond to the faith that man came up with on his own apart from grace and then gives saving grace, but instead God gives grace when sinners cannot do one thing to help themselves. Teaching sinners to depend on themselves to believe or come up with an act of faith is to teach that which is contrary to the Gospel of grace alone.
Sinners who look to themselves for the ability to come up with faith rather than for grace to give them faith (what ‘free-will’ must be able to do if things are as the adherents say they are) cannot believe in any consistent way that all spiritual blessings are in Christ and from Christ (Eph 1:3-14). Sinners who look to themselves for faith are not looking to Christ alone for all things needed for salvation. This, one would think, is self-evident. Ephesians chapter one has a prayer of Paul in which he gives the real origin and source of faith. The source of faith is “the surpassing greatness of His power toward” those “who believe in accordance with the working of the strength of His might.” This shows us that it takes a great power to have true faith and true faith comes from the “working of the strength of His might.” Not only that, but it takes “the surpassing greatness of His power” for sinners to believe. The person that believes in ‘free-will’ for faith is trusting in his own strength and power to do what the power of God alone can do. It is almost beyond belief that anyone could trust in self for faith rather than the power of God.
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies.
The true Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches sinners to rest in grace alone for all things rather than any so-called ‘free-will’ or any other power of man. The gospel that teaches men to look to themselves for faith is one that is relying on the broken twig of man instead of the grace of God. The true Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches sinners to look to the almighty power of God to raise sinners from the spiritual dead and give them true faith, but the false gospel of men tells them to trust in their own power to come up with the ability to be a believing soul. When sinners do this, they abandon the triune God in order to trust in themselves. They abandon the electing grace of the Father for what they can do, but also they abandon the true nature of free grace in order to trust in themselves to obtain grace. They abandon the work of the Spirit in regeneration and producing faith in the soul for their own work. They abandon Christ as Mediator and trust in their own power of prayer or choice, but also they do not count the blood of Christ and His work as being quite enough. Rather than trust in Him alone, they look to what their own wills and efforts can produce. Those who trust in the ‘free-will’ have completely overthrown the Gospel of grace alone in their efforts to maintain the ‘free-will.’ It is a false gospel and all should turn from it with abhorrence. Those who claim to be Reformed and will not renounce ‘free-will’ as a false gospel should realize that they are not standing against the teaching of a false gospel and we know what Galatians 1 says about that. It is that serious.
God Loves... Himself 
Leave a comment