God Loves… Himself

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.

Now let us hear of a case of ‘free-will’. Nicodemus is surely a man in whom you can find no lack of anything for which ‘free-will’ avails. What in the way of effort and endeavour does he leave undone? He confesses Christ to be true, and to have come from God, he refers to his signs, he comes by night to hear and discuss further. Does he not seem to have sought by the power of ‘free-will’ all that pertains to godliness and salvation? But see what shipwreck he makes. When he hears Christ teach the true way of salvation, by new birth, does he acknowledge it and confess that in time past he sought it? No; he starts back, and is confounded; and not only says that he does not understand it, but turns from it as an impossibility. (Luther, The Bondage of the Will)

As people think of the case for or against ‘free-will’ it may not occur to them to think of Jesus and His encounter with Nicodemus. Yet when one looks at this passage (John 3) it is actually very strong against ‘free-will’ and its contribution to salvation in any way. Nicodemus was born a Jew and was evidently (being a leader among the Pharisees) very trained in the law. But those who practice the law apart from the Holy Spirit practice the law according to the power and choice of their own will. Apart from the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His indwelling Spirit, all keeping of the law has to be by the will that is free of His power and life in the inner man.

So Nicodemus was a man who had lived by the power of his own will in keeping the law and his whole life as a Pharisee was based on his own efforts and endeavors. One could argue that the whole concept of the Pharisees, at least in the time of Jesus, was based on the power of their own wills to be holy and keep the law. When Jesus attacked their interpretation of the law and what it meant to keep the law, He was attacking the very heart of the Pharisees and their ability to keep the true law and its true interpretation. When the true interpretation is seen and understood, the ability of the will to keep it is destroyed. The heart of the law is spiritual and that is beyond the flesh of human beings to keep it apart from the Spirit.

Nicodemus heard the teachings of Jesus and saw the signs that He was doing. The signs were undeniable to Nicodemus and so he went at night to speak with Jesus. He confessed what would have gotten him in big trouble with his friends, which was that Jesus was a teacher sent from God. The power and ability of the will, however, had reached its end. It is almost as if Jesus looked at this leader and man of high position and went right after this man’s profession of Him as a teacher sent from God. It seems that as soon as the man’s confession of Christ as a teacher from God escaped his lips, Jesus wanted to see how deep that profession was and said this: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

This simple but profound statement would have rocked the world of Nicodemus. His being born a Jew was just dashed to the ground as a basis for hope in being in the kingdom of God. The idea of keeping the law as a basis for thinking he was in the kingdom was dashed to the ground. All hope in his ability to keep the law or to do something that he may enter the kingdom was dashed to the ground. Jesus also went a short step more in this: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). He then went on to show that the power of the new birth was the Spirit and not the power of the will of man: 6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:6-8).

What power of the will did this leave Nicodemus? He is told that he must be born from above (again) to even see the kingdom and then enter the kingdom. He is then told that only that which is born of the Spirit is spirit and that this new birth is a work of the Spirit who does that work as He wishes. This had to have been like a bomb going off in the mind of Nicodemus and exploded his hopes for salvation by his own will (the way of the Pharisees). Nicodemus was left with no hope in anything he could do. All the power of the will is stripped and left as useless when it is the sovereign Spirit regenerates lost and dead sinners as He pleases. Even if Scripture did not state in the clearest of terms that human beings are born dead in sins and trespasses, that teaching would be a necessary doctrine in light of this teaching of the new birth. The freedom of the will for salvation is cast down and trod in the dust by the teachings of Jesus in the new birth. Nicodemus and all his efforts and works are cast down and the glory of God’s power and ability stand. The ‘free-will’ has no power to work any part of the new birth and so it has no choice. The new birth is by the power and choice of the Holy Spirit who alone is free to do as He pleases.

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.

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 is a very, very important paragraph in Luther’s book that gets at one of the most important points in the battle of the Gospel of grace alone versus that of ‘free-will’ and its fight to obtain grace by its own work. Three statements in this paragraph go right to the jugular vein of ‘free-will’. 1) “By devising many works, rites, observances and vows, by which they aim to appease Christ so that He may give them grace.” 2) “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.’” 3) “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’!” The heart of the statements give us the following points: 1) They aim to do something so Christ will give them grace. 2) They do not look to Christ alone to obtain grace by His blood and grace. 3) They count the blood and grace of Christ as of less worth than the efforts and work of ‘free-will’.

The previous paragraph should be seen as exposing ‘free-will’ for what it really is and what it really tries to do in terms of obtaining salvation before God. Most likely those who defend ‘free-will’ will not defend the statements above, yet that is precisely what ‘free-will’ has to do in order for men to be saved through the will. 1) The ‘free-will’ must be exercised, according to those who advocate it, to be saved because God will not force a person to be saved but rather leaves the choice up to them. Therefore, the ‘free-will’ does aim to do something in order to receive grace. 2) The ‘free-will’ looks to itself to obtain grace by its own free action and as such does not look to Christ alone to obtain grace. Therefore, the ‘free-will’ does not look to Christ alone and His blood and grace to obtain grace, but instead to itself and its own action to obtain grace. 3) The ‘free-will’ does not believe that the blood and grace of Christ has enough value to obtain grace without the effort of the ‘free-will’ doing what it can. Therefore, at the point of obtaining faith which grace comes through in order to believe in ‘free-will’ one has to count the blood and grace of Christ as of less worth than the efforts and work of ‘free-will’.

This is truly ‘free-will’ unmasked and set out for what it is. “Free-will’ is nothing less than an idol and a false idol and yet it is thought to be crazy in our world today to deny it a legitimate place at the bar of the Gospel of grace alone. If we think of an idol as that which we supremely trust in, rely on, and love at some point rather than God; then it is glaringly obvious that the ‘free-will’ is an idol for all believe that it must be exercised to obtain salvation. How can one value grace and yet value that which cheapens grace at best and in reality denies grace alone which is true grace? How can one truly believe in grace alone and love grace alone while holding to that which denies grace alone in reality? How can this be possible? It is quite unclear how lovers of grace alone can defend those whose position logically requires them to defend the three statements above, which is clearly a strong denial of grace alone. Perhaps there are many adherents of grace alone who adhere to the words and not to the true position.

What saves the soul apart from Christ, His death and blood, His righteousness, His resurrection, and His continuing offices? While Luther did not mention the Holy Spirit in the paragraph above, yet part of the work of Christ was to obtain the Holy Spirit who would apply the works of Christ to the soul. So the Father chose by grace, The Son purchased the grace, and the Holy Spirit applies the grace to the soul. The Holy Spirit either applies grace to the soul on the basis of the Father’s choice or the soul’s ‘free-will’ choice. The Spirit either applies grace to the soul on the basis of the blood of Christ and purchased grace or according to the ‘free-will’ and its efforts. The Spirit either applies grace to the soul freely by grace or by something the ‘free-will’ does to obtain it. Once again, it can be seen that ‘free-will’ overthrows the work of the Trinity in the Gospel in saving sinners to the glory of God and changes the Gospel to one that is man doing a critical and necessary work for himself. It simply cannot be.
Man must give up all hope in himself and his own will in order to be saved, though indeed that in and of itself must not be viewed as a work to obtain salvation. This is more than something that man must know about, but it is simply what true repentance is. It is man being turned from any and all hope in self to obtain any aspect of grace based on himself or any work that he can do. This is necessary to have a grace that is truly grace rather than one work that enters in to make it grace that is no longer grace (Rom 11:6).

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)

Some might argue that this paragraph (as well as many others) is really toward Roman Catholicism and not toward ‘free-will’ in and of itself. But Luther would argue, and I think correctly, that the ideas and distinctive doctrines of Roman Catholicism grew out of ‘free-will’ which shows one result of the main problem. If the state of justification comes as a result of one act of the ‘free-will’ as many Protestants claim, it would be hard to be consistent and argue against several acts of ‘free-will’ as necessary for justification. The doctrine of grace alone stands against all protectors and propagators of ‘free-will’ as being opposed to the Gospel of grace alone. The doctrine of grace alone along with Romans 4:16 both demand that faith alone stand in line with grace alone and as such a work of the human flesh that would be free of grace is simply against the Gospel of grace alone. What Luther says above against Rome specifically also falls upon all in a general way who uphold ‘free-will’ in their teaching.

What ways have Protestants devised to obtain grace in some way? Certainly it is clear that the basic teaching of ‘free-will’ stands firm on the fact that the sinner must perform one act of the will and God wills save him or her. What is that but doing one act of the flesh in order to obtain grace and salvation? But to go even deeper into this, many Protestants have made Bible study, prayer, evangelism, tithing; holiness, church membership and attendance as ways to obtain the grace of God. Sure enough it may not be phrased that way exactly, but that is what it means. People are promised the blessings of God if they do those things. Can God bless someone based on works or does He bless by grace alone? These things can be hidden underneath the concept of “means of grace”, but again just because something is a means of grace does not mean that God rewards something with grace. God is never under obligation and can never be put under obligation to show grace.

The means of grace must be understood in a way that makes room for grace to always be pure grace. While it is true that God does give grace through the means of grace, that does not mean that people are to think that they can obtain grace from God if they do those things. People should study the Scripture in complete dependence on God to give them insight into the Scriptures if He is pleased to do so. Studying the Scriptures is no guarantee that He will give grace, especially if the person thinks that s/he can obtain grace by simply studying the Scriptures. People should pray knowing that God gives grace through prayer, but grace cannot be obtained simply because people pray. The Lord’s Supper is a means of grace, but grace is not given simply because a person takes the elements. The Word of God tells us with clarity that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. A truly humble person would never think that his or her actions would put any obligation on God to give grace. Even the presence of humility does not obligate God to show grace though humility is itself a work of grace in the soul. God will be gracious to whom He will be gracious and He gives grace in accordance with His pleasure and glory. A truly humble soul would not want grace other than by true grace in accordance with His pleasure and glory.

The result of seeking the grace of God by ‘free-will’ is that people abandon Christ as the only way to the Father by and for grace and trust in their ‘free-will’ and works to do so. In doing this, as Luther points out, they “account His blood and grace as of less worth than the efforts and endeavours ‘free-will’ and in doing that they trust in their own works to obtain grace rather than Christ to obtain grace by grace. For the lovers of free grace rather than ‘free-will’ this would be the point where their stomachs would be nauseated by ‘free-will’ or anything like it. While many may protest that it is not true, yet the position of ‘free-will’ demands that at the point that the will is free the will is not trusting in Christ for salvation and the grace only found in Him but in the act of the will to obtain grace. At that point the will does in fact account the power of the blood and grace of Christ to obtain grace as less than their own will. That is far, far from the Gospel of Christ alone and of grace alone. It is also not the Gospel of the glory of God alone. When the concept (there is no reality of it) of the ‘free-will’ of man is asserted into the Gospel, the will of man becomes what men trust in rather than Christ. Boiled down to its core, it is man trusting in himself to obtain grace from God rather than resting in Christ and His merits to obtain grace. It is a horrible teaching that attacks the truth of grace, of Christ, and the glory of God.

And I wish the guardians of ‘free-will’ would be taught by this passage [John 1:5, 10-13, 16] to recognize that when they assert ‘free-will’ they are denying Christ. For if I obtain the grace of God by my own endeavour, what need have I of the grace of Christ for the receiving of my grace? When I have the grace of God, what do I need besides? The Diatribe said, and all the Sophists say, that we obtain the grace of God by our own endeavour, and are thereby made ready to receive it, not, indeed, as of condignity, but as congruity. This is plainly to deny Christ. It is for His grace, the Baptist says, that we receive grace…Thus it is that the ungodly Sophists, together with the Diatribe, deny the Lord Christ, who bought us, more than ever the Pelagians or any heretics ever did! So utterly does grace refuse to allow any particle or power of ‘free-will’ to stand beside it! (Luther, The Bondage of the Will)

Luther makes the shocking claim that those who assert ‘free-will’ actually deny Christ. This is a bomb in the laps of those who hold to ‘free-will’ in our day as well, but it is also a bomb in the laps of many Reformed people today who say that while the Reformed truths are true the distinctions are not vital to Christianity. Yet Paul said that to add work to grace makes grace no longer to be grace (Rom 11:6). Paul did not specify or distinguish where it was okay to add grace and not okay to add grace, but at the least the implication is that if one adds to grace at any point it makes grace no longer to be grace. In John 1:16 we see that it is grace for grace.

If the sinner does obtain grace by his or her own endeavor, then what does that do to the biblical teaching of grace alone? It destroys it. It is easy for people to see that Roman Catholics do a lot in order to receive grace, but it is not so easy for them to see that ‘free-will’ teaches that it is necessary for the soul to do at least one work if not many in order to obtain grace. If the will is free, it is free of grace and so it is not grace that moves the will but rather it is the natural man that moves the will of his or her own flesh. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, but that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6). This should be driven home to every soul. If the soul of any human being who was born of the flesh is born again according to an act of that same flesh flesh, then that soul is not born of the Spirit but of the flesh. It is a soul obtaining grace by an act of the flesh. This is not biblical teaching.

Luther points out that if we have the ability to obtain grace of ourselves then we have no need of the grace of Christ in order to receive grace. If the soul is able to obtain grace by itself, then why does it need a continuing Mediator? It is not as if the ‘free-will’ stops working for grace as soon as it has obtained it the first time, but instead it is taught that grace is continually obtained by an act of the ‘free-will.’ We are always at the point of how grace is obtained by the soul. The soul either obtains it by an act that is free of grace and of depravity when it obtains saving grace or it is grace alone that gives the soul grace. The saved soul is to live by grace and so must receive grace in accord with how it first received grace. The soul that received grace by an act of the ‘free-will’ is bound to constantly receive grace by an act of the ‘free-will’ and as such it boils down to a system of grace received by works. But the biblical teaching is that the soul receives grace by grace and so the soul is always completely and utterly dependent on Christ alone for grace alone.

It can surely be easily and clearly seen that a system that starts off with an act of the ‘free-will’ is one that must continue based on acts of the ‘free-will’ as well. Roman Catholicism set up a whole system that made grace obtainable by acts of the ‘free-will’ though that is not what they would say about it. But boiled down their system makes grace available to the person who will do certain things. While there is a difference with ‘free-will’ Protestants, still the issue is that men and women are said to obtain grace by what they do. We have what some call “means of grace,” and that is not totally off base, but using the means of grace is not dependent on the ‘free-will’ but rather the grace of God. Indeed sinners are to use the means of grace, but in no way does that obligate God to give grace as any obligation on God’s part makes it something less than grace.

Luther puts it this way: “So utterly does grace refuse to allow any particle or power of ‘free-will’ to stand beside it!” This is very correct. The biblical doctrine of grace alone refuses any help from anything of anybody and that includes the slightest particle or power of the ‘free-will.’ Grace to be grace must be free of merit, ability, or sufficiency of the human soul at any point and of any kind. Grace must never be watered down as if it depends on the ‘free-will’ of a human being to act in order to receive it. That is simply to make grace to no longer be grace as it makes grace dependent on the fleshly act of the human soul.

‘But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on his name; which were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God’ (John 1:12-13). By this exhaustive division he rejects from the kingdom of Christ ‘blood’, ‘the will of the flesh’, and ‘the will of man’. ‘Blood’ means, I think, the Jews; that is, those who expected to be the children of the kingdom because they were the children of Abraham and the fathers, and so gloried in their ‘blood’. ‘The will of the flesh’ I understand as the efforts which the people exerted in the works of the law for ‘flesh’ here means carnal men without the Spirit, who were certainly possessed of will and endeavour, but who, because the Spirit was not in them, possessed them in a carnal manner only. ‘The will of man’ I understand in a general sense, of all the efforts of all men, that is, the nations, or any man whatsoever, whether in the law or without the law. So the sense is; the sons of God become such, not by carnal birth, nor by zeal for the law, nor by any other human effort, but only by being born of God. Now, if they are not born of the flesh, nor trained by the law, nor prepared by any human discipline, but are born again of God, it is apparent that ‘free-will’ avails nothing here. (Luther, The Bondage of the Will)

The Gospel of grace alone leaves any hope in human will dead as the will is in any corpse. The Gospel of grace alone is about life and very life of God in the human soul. No will of a corpse can give life to its own self. No corpse can make itself alive and no corpse can will itself alive. No corpse has any hope in itself or its own dead will, and as such should not have any hope in itself and its own ability to do one thing that requires life in order to be able to do it. Live alone can bring life to a dead soul and a living soul that is spiritual is the only soul that can make a spiritual act of faith. If justification is by faith alone, then that faith is by a soul that has been given life by grace alone. If justification is by faith alone, then it is a spiritual faith and so came totally by the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel of grace alone not only needs no help, but will not have any help either. It is only sinners that Jesus came to save, and it is only dead and helpless sinners that love to hear of grace. Sinners who do not understand their deadness and inability still hope in themselves to some degree and do not love to hear of a sovereign God who saves by grace and grace alone. Sinners who have no hope in themselves love to hear of a sovereign God who saves to the praise of the glory of His grace. Sinners who see that they are really dead in sins and trespasses love to hear of a God who has no need of anything from them to raise them from the dead, but instead does this by grace alone. Sinners who realize that they are by nature children of wrath love to see that it is by grace alone that God changes their hearts and makes them children of God.

The will of men and the efforts of man amount to something less than zero in terms of righteousness or merit, so those who trust in their own wills or efforts are trusting in that which is less than nothing while those who look to grace alone in Christ alone bow truly rest in a perfect and infinite righteousness. Oh how those who will not give up their rights and their ‘free-wills’ are resting in less than nothing and which has no power to save. Those who are trusting in their own act or choice are trusting in that which has no power to save and no power to bring life. God alone can bring life to the soul so the soul can have a true and living faith. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, so clearly it takes a soul born of the Spirit to be a spiritual soul and there cannot be a soul that is born mostly of the Spirit and partially of the flesh. The only power in the universe that can bring life to dead souls is the power of the living God who created the soul and can do with it as He pleases.

The Scriptures (specifically John 1:12-13) has said that the new birth is not of the will of man. The text does not say that the new birth is mostly of the will of God and partially of the will of man, nor does it say that the new birth is 99.9% of the will of God and .01% of the will of man. When the text is so clear on this issue we can safely conclude that ‘free-will’ has nothing to do with the new birth and as such should not even be in the conversation. God saves to the praise of the glory of His grace alone and the will of man must not be allowed to share with Him in the glory of it at all. Sinners are freed from the bondage of the sin of their wills by the Holy Spirit in applying the work of Christ to them rather than their wills having a part in saving themselves. Oh how men and women need to hear the freeness of the grace of God who alone can save them from bondage rather than hearing of their ‘free-will’ which is part of their bondage. Oh how men and women need to be delivered from their trust in themselves as they trust in their ‘free-will’ to do something so that they can rest in Christ alone by His grace alone. How glorious the Gospel is when the ‘free-will’ is kept out of it and grace alone is set forth.

‘But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on his name; which were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God’ (John 1:12-13). By this exhaustive division he rejects from the kingdom of Christ ‘blood’, ‘the will of the flesh’, and ‘the will of man’. ‘Blood’ means, I think, the Jews; that is, those who expected to be the children of the kingdom because they were the children of Abraham and the fathers, and so gloried in their ‘blood’. ‘The will of the flesh’ I understand as the efforts which the people exerted in the works of the law for ‘flesh’ here means carnal men without the Spirit, who were certainly possessed of will and endeavour, but who, because the Spirit was not in them, possessed them in a carnal manner only. ‘The will of man’ I understand in a general sense, of all the efforts of all men, that is, the nations, or any man whatsoever, whether in the law or without the law. So the sense is; the sons of God become such, not by carnal birth, nor by zeal for the law, nor by any other human effort, but only by being born of God. Now, if they are not born of the flesh, nor trained by the law, nor prepared by any human discipline, but are born again of God, it is apparent that ‘free-will’ avails nothing here. (Luther, The Bondage of the Will)

The teaching of John regarding the new birth is a direct attack on any aspect of human ability, power, and works having anything to do with the new birth. This passage strips all real argument away from anything that the human soul can offer in terms of helping to any degree in the new birth. It is also at the point of the new birth that the human will must be free for there to be any reason to argue for a ‘free-will’ at the point of conversion. It is at the point of the new birth that human inability is seen in its contrast with the glorious ability of God and of free grace. It is always one or the other and not both. It is always the ability of God and not the ability of man. It is always either the ‘free-will’ of man or the free grace of God. The two cannot be mixed for the mixing of the two will leave either a will that is not free or a grace that is no longer grace (Rom 11:6).

No soul is going to be born again because of the blood or because of what one is by birth. This may be clear to many in our day, but then again it may not be. While most would agree that one is not a Christian because of one’s nationality, it is not as clear that one is not a Christian because one’s parents are Christian. The teaching of Scripture at this point is absolutely devastating to those who look to their nationality or parents for any reason that they are or will be born again. One is only born as a child of God by the will of God rather than according to anything that went before them in terms of nationality or parentage. Scripture specifically and clearly points to the will of God as the only cause in the matter of the new birth. There is little difference between the Jews who thought they were born into the kingdom because of their relation to Abraham and being a Jew and those who think they are born again because they are children of believers. The only because in the new birth is the will of God, though the grace of God could be included as well but that is not adding anything to the will of God.

No soul is going to be born again because of the will of any flesh. This has been taken to mean differing things, but regardless of how one interprets this passage it excludes all works of any will of any flesh. John 3:6, in the context of the new birth again, says this: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” John 6:63 sets out the flesh as opposed to the Spirit: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” But both are speaking of the actions of the physical or natural nature as opposed to the work of the Holy Spirit. No act of the will which is from the flesh or according to the flesh is free to be a causation of any kind in the new birth. It is by the will of God alone.

No act of any will of any man can aid or be a cause in the new birth. Once again, this is interpreted in various ways, but regardless of how it is interpreted it is quite clear in taking out any part of the human will in the new birth. A soul is born as a child of God because of the will of God Himself and not because of the will of any human soul whether it is the will of the soul needing the new birth or the will of the father or the will of a priest or minister. This text of Scripture not only ascribes the birth of a child of God as being totally because of the will of God, but it also shreds any hope in the human will and leaves no room for a ‘free-will’ at all. The Gospel of grace alone stands alone as the hope of the human soul and leaves no hope for a will that is free of grace in salvation and as such leaves no room for ‘free-will’ at all. If there is no room for the ‘free-will,’ then that leaves us with an enslaved will with no hope but grace alone. The Gospel is of grace alone to those who are enslaved in sin.

And take the case of Paul, when he was Saul—what did he do with all the power of his ‘free-will’? Certainly, if his state of mind be regarded, his heart was set on what was best and highest. But look at the endeavour whereby he found grace! Not only did he not seek grace, but he received it through his own mad fury against it! (Luther, The Bondage of the Will)

The Gospel of grace alone means exactly that. It means that the Gospel which is the good news of what grace has done and what grace has done was planned by the Father alone, was accomplished by Christ alone, was and is applied by the Holy Spirit alone, and as such is always for the glory of God alone. Grace is not just an acronym (God’s riches at Christ’s expense), but instead is far more. Grace is an attribute of the one and only God who is triune. Grace is an attribute which in one sense and at certain points is at a pinnacle (so to speak) by which when one stands on top of one can see more of the grandeur of God’s glory and other attributes. Grace is the lenses by which the human soul is able to how God manifests His glory through. Grace can never be earned or merited in the slightest as that makes grace no longer to be grace.

It is when we see Saul or Paul not seeking grace but instead fighting against it that we see an aspect of grace shining in its brilliance. Grace seeks out sinners and saves them even when they are fighting against the glory of God in the Gospel. Paul did not seek God in any sense, but instead God sought Paul and saved him despite himself. The glory of grace is seen in such brilliance in the dark background of Paul’s venom and fury against it. There was nothing in Paul and his religious arrogance and hatred of truth that would move God to save him, but because grace finds all of its reasons to save in God he was saved to the praise of the glory of God’s grace. The grace that arrested Paul cannot be mistaken or confused with the slightest bit of ‘free-will’ as Paul was dead set in his fight against it. He was saved by God alone who of His good pleasure set His grace on Paul and brought him to faith. It was grace that regenerated his soul and gave him faith. It was grace because it was God alone who did all the seeking in accordance with His good pleasure. It was grace because it was God who was moved by Himself rather than what He found in Paul.

It is this grace of God that sinners are to trust in rather than anything in themselves including ‘free-will.’ For the soul to look to themselves for an act of the will is to look to something other than grace alone to be saved. But sinners are dead in sins and trespasses and cannot make themselves alive and so they have no way to do an act of life. No one can have an act of life (such as faith or an act of faith) until s/he is alive. A dead sinner must be made alive and only life can bring a dead sinner to life. The will of a dead person cannot make the dead person alive, and so the will of one that is dead spiritually cannot make a spiritual act to make itself alive. It is by grace alone that the Holy Spirit takes what Christ has purchased for the glory of God for that sinner and make a sinner alive. It is only after the soul has life can it then act like a live soul. The doctrine of ‘free-will’ is at odds with grace alone, the sovereignty of God, and of the total inability of man. As such it is at odds with the gospel of grace alone.

In the Gospel of grace alone sinners must be taught to look to the triune God for grace purchases and applied. Sinners need life from God and not just some act of the will by which they can think they are saved by. Sinners need to be taught where the life of grace truly comes from so they can look in complete dependence on grace alone rather than to look to themselves for some dead act that moves God to save them. Sinners must be taught not to look to themselves for anything but instead they are to look to Christ alone for all. Who is it that takes the sinner and yanks him or her from the kingdom (reign and rule) of darkness and puts that sinner into the kingdom of the Beloved Son? Colossians 1:13 tells us that it was God. Sinners do not assist God in that. Who is it that takes sinners and puts them into Christ? I Corinthians 1:30 says that “by His doing you are in Christ Jesus.” The Gospel if of grace alone and sinners must learn to look to God (not their own will) alone to do these things by grace alone.

Even after the sinner has been saved, what is that sinner supposed to look to? “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 1:13). Sinners are not only saved by grace alone, but their only hope for eternity is grace alone in Christ Jesus. Where is grace found for unsaved and saved sinners alike? 1 Corinthians 1:4 gives us the answer: “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus.” Grace is only found in Christ Jesus. One has to be in Christ to obtain grace. Only God can accomplish any and all of that.

And take the case of Paul, when he was Saul—what did he do with all the power of his ‘free-will’? Certainly, if his state of mind be regarded, his heart was set on what was best and highest. But look at the endeavour whereby he found grace! Not only did he not seek grace, but he received it through his own mad fury against it! (Luther, The Bondage of the Will)

The doctrine of the enslaved will cannot be separated from the doctrine of biblical grace and especially sovereign grace. Apart from a sovereign grace there is no real grace at all, which is to say that a non-sovereign grace is a grace that makes grace a non-grace. It is the same as adding a work to grace which makes grace no longer to be grace (Rom 11:6). At what point did the will of Paul help him out in salvation? At what point did Paul decide that he would follow Jesus? Paul was persecuting the Church in his religious zeal which came from his depraved nature. God took him to the sand and shone his glory around him and then into his heart. Grace arrested Paul while he was in the midst of his fury against grace. Grace changed the heart of Paul so that he could pursue the true God and have a will that would choose God. Grace is only shown because God decides to show it rather than because a person makes a choice. This is seen with great clarity in the verses below.

1 Timothy 1:16 Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

Why did Paul find mercy? Was it because he came to his senses and decided to make a choice? Not according to Paul who was an apostle of Jesus Christ. He received mercy so that the perfect patience of Christ could be manifested in Paul who was an example of all who would believe. What example do sinners have from this account of Paul? Do they see that they need to make a choice? Do they see that they need to work hard to come up with faith? Not at all, but rather they can see that sinners are saved for the sake of the glory of Christ. Notice that in the text Paul tells people why he found mercy. It was “so that” “Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience.” It was not because of anything good or of anything free in Paul. It was because of Christ alone.

Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
1:12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
2:7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

In terms of causation, the verses above do not allow any room for a cause from a human will that is free. God saves to the praise of the glory of His grace and not because one human being made a choice from a will that was free from sin and grace to some or any degree. God saves by grace which has been freely bestowed (free of cause within the sinner) and given for the sake of Christ alone. God saves so that those who hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory and not the praise of the human will. God saves so that in the ages to come He might show the greatness of the riches of His grace toward those in Christ Jesus and not toward those who were smart enough or wise enough to make a choice of the will.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The soul that has been born in Adam and from Adam is dead. Not only is that sinner dead in sins and trespasses, but the sinner earns (wages) death by that sin. So sinners are by nature children of wrath and are dead in sins and trespasses, but not only that they have done nothing but earn death by that sin. Can a sinner just up and make a choice for Christ out of love for Christ? That is simply not possible. What it takes for a sinner to have his or her nature changed is to be raised from the dead and receive the gift of life. This gift is free, that is, free of cause within the sinner and so the will could not make a choice that God responds to. The sinner is spiritually dead and needs life in Christ instead of a choice of a spiritually dead will that loves nothing but sin and self and can do nothing but what is in accordance with the nature of a child of wrath. The cause of salvation is, without any question at all if we stick with Scripture, the grace of God and not the will of man. The motive of salvation is God’s love for His own glory and not some response He makes to the one who comes up with faith on his or her own. Oh how glorious grace is as opposed to a dead will that has no power and no being in the spiritual realm.