Moreover, since Christ is said to be ‘the way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6), and that categorically, so that whatever is not Christ is not the way, but error, not truth, but untruth, not life, but death, it follows of necessity that ‘free-will’, inasmuch as it neither is Christ, not is in Christ, is bound in error, and untruth, and death. Where and whence, then, comes your intermediate, neutral entity (I mean, the power of ‘free-will’) which, though it is not Christ (that is, the way, the truth and the life), should not be error, or untruth or death? If all the things that are said of Christ and of grace were not said categorically, so that they may be contrasted with their opposites…what, I ask you, would be the use of all the apostolic discourses and, indeed, of the entire Scriptures? (Luther, The Bondage of the Will)
It may appear that Luther is grasping at straws or is really reaching if this is not read carefully and just glanced over. On the other hand, if one reads this carefully and deeply, it will be seen that this is quite a powerful argument for Christ and His grace as opposed to a will that is free of grace and in theory free of Christ as well. If those who argue for ‘free-will” truly argue for a will that is free, then those who oppose ‘free-will’ need to strive to be consistent in showing what a truly ‘free-will’ is. That should be repulsive to all who have even a modicum of love for Christ and His grace.
If Christ Himself is the way, then whatever claim one might make that would intrude on Christ being the complete and effectual way would be false and obviously so. In other words, the way must be Christ and Christ alone rather than a way that has mostly Christ and to some degree something else. The way to the Father is either all of Christ or some of Christ and something else. The text before us (John 14:6) specifically and clearly sets out Christ as “the” way and it does not list any other way at all. This same text in the very next words says that Christ is “the truth” and then “the life.” Christ Himself is either the whole truth or He is but partial truth and something else is partial truth as well. Christ Himself is either the whole life or He is but partial life and something else is partial life as well. We cannot have it both ways.
If Scripture speaks in categorical terms, then there is nothing left for ‘free-will’ to be a partial way to the Father, a partial truth, or a partial life. The Scripture speaks of Christ as the only way, the only Truth, and the only life. In other words, the Scriptures leave nothing for the ‘free-will’ to do as it is Christ alone. As Luther so rightly says, “Where and whence, then, comes your intermediate, neutral entity (I mean, the power of ‘free-will’) which, though it is not Christ (that is, the way, the truth and the life), should not be error, or untruth or death?” Once again Luther in the plainest of terms has set out for all to see the great error of ‘free-will.’ It is not some intermediate entity that comes along side of Christ and helps Him out. ‘Free-will’ is not some neutral entity that does not share in error, untruth, or death and so it can help Christ out. But instead, human beings need to be saved from their wills because they are not free but are in bondage to lusts and sin. In other words, part of what it means to be saved is to be saved from the so-called ‘free-will’ because it is not free but is instead in bondage to sin.
The will that is “free” of Christ is a will that is not in the kingdom of Christ but is under the dominion of darkness. If Christ is completely and totally the way, then the ‘free-will’ is completely and totally not the way. If Christ is completely and totally the truth, then the ‘free-will’ is completely and totally in error. If Christ is completely and totally the life, then the ‘free-will’ is completely and totally in death. We cannot have Christ alone and yet leave some part of the will free to share in being a little bit of the way, the truth, and the life. The Gospel is all of Christ and nothing is in man but what man needs to be saved from.
The will cannot be some intermediate, neutral entity if the Gospel is of Christ alone and by grace alone. It simply cannot be. The teaching of ‘free-will’ is nothing more and nothing less than a vicious attack on the Gospel of Christ alone and grace alone. ‘Free-will’ wants to have something to do but for it to have something to do it must not only be an intermediate, neutral entity, but it must also encroach on the work of Christ. The Gospel is all of Christ or some of Christ and some of the will. This must be stressed so sinners and believers can see that ‘free-will’ is an encroachment on the Gospel of grace alone. It cannot be anything else. It is that important.
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