The Bondage of the Will

Martin Luther's The Bondage of the Will is fundamental to an understanding of the primary doctrines of the Reformation. In these pages, Luther gives extensive treatment to what he saw as the heart of the gospel. Free will was not merely an academic question for Luther. Rather, he believed that the whole gospel of the grace of God was bound up with it and stood or fell according to how one understands the human will in relation to salvation. Luther affirms our total inability to save ourselves and the sovereignty of divine grace in salvation. He upholds the doctrine of justification by faith and defends predestination as determined by the foreknowledge of God. Luther considered this refutation of Erasmus to be his finest theological work and it has remained a classic in the history of Christian thought.

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Reviewed by Jonathan (Fort Worth, TX), February 17, 2009

First published in late 1525, this work represents Luther's fullest treatment on the issue of "free will." Luther interacts with his contemporary, Erasmus of Rotterdam, considering the nature of human "freedom" and its implications for understanding how one responds to the Gospel. Luther gives a classic reformed (i.e., Augustinian) response to the question, emphasizing the depravity of man and espousing a will-of-inclination view of man (i.e., man does what he most wants to do). Thus, while God permits evil, sinful people desire to do sinful things, are ultimately responsible for their own actions, and can only be saved by God's provident grace acting upon them and enabling them to respond in faith. This is one of Luther's most insightful and colorful writings. Luther argues full-voice against his opponent, taking a harsh (one might even say caustic) tone throughout. While this work is not a good place for those new to the subject to begin, those in the church interested in the historical theology, intermediate students in theology, pastors, and academics will find this work helpful for understanding the issues related to the free-will debate as well as a window into Luther's thought. It is to this audience that I highly recommend the book. This volume has an excellent introductory essay by J. I. Packer, outlining both historical and theological issues surrounding the work.

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