Luther on Human Will
A thoughtful abridgement of The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther based upon the original Latin text of De Servo Arbitrio, as translated by Henry Cole in 1823 and edited for the 21st century reader by Leon Stansfield. The primary goal in editing this public domain manuscript has been to update the text into twentieth century English as far as possible without altering the theology or expression of Luther. This 500th Anniversary Abridged Edition presents the essence of Luther's teaching in a significantly more succinct and focused volume, and is believed to be the first effort at an abridgement of the book. Includes twentytwo illustrations, a brief biography of Luther, and twenty-five mostly brief chapters with very brief chapter introductions. Formatted for eye appeal and easy reading. 6" x 9" trade with 12 point text. 214 pages. Endnoted.
- Is a person's will active in making a decision to follow Jesus Christ, and is his will the impulse which brings about the new birth, or is God's sovereign will the key instrument which works to take a person from spiritual death to spiritual life?
- Is true conversion to Christ a matter of the Holy Spirit's drawing, but the person's will giving assent to that work to complete the regeneration?
- Is true salvation ninety-nine percent God's work and one percent man's work?
- Is it logical to think that a person whose spiritual birth is a gift from God could become unborn spiritually?
- Could it possibly be that regeneration precedes faith for salvation?
The text of this abridgement of Martin Luther's work has been divided into twenty-five completely new chapter titles, taken sequentially and logically from the original work. Each of these chapters has a brief introduction to clarify what Luther will say in that chapter. Let it be clear that this newly edited and abridged text is based entirely upon the original text of The Bondage of the Will, the public domain manuscript which was translated by Henry Cole in 1823. It has been significantly edited by Leon Stansfield to bring the language somewhat into the twenty-first century, but with every intent to convey only Luther's thoughts.
Contents |
Forward | 5 |
Table of Contents | 8 |
Table of Illustrations | 9 |
Who Was Martin Luther? - A brief biography | 11 |
Introduction | 17 |
1 Assertions, Convictions, Theses 21 |
2 Are the Scriptures Obscure or Clear 43 |
3 Why the wise of this world do not understand the gospel 51 |
4 Erasmus' definition of free will and Luther's response 54 |
5 On man's complete inability to will good 67 |
6 Concerning the inscrutable will of God 75 |
7 On basic rules for interpreting Scripture 83 |
8 On the hardening of Pharaoh's and others' hearts 89 |
9 Where ungodly interpretation of Scripture will lead us 90 |
10 Did God really say what He meant? Absolutely! 92 |
11 Scripture's facts and Erasmus' figures 94 |
12 The "Well Meant Offer" doctrine and God's impotence to save 97 |
13 More regarding the goodness of God 100 |
14 The effects of a sinful nature upon the sinner 103 |
15 Let God be God! 108 |
16 Regarding Judas the traitor and God's divine foreknowledge 113 |
17 God's foreknowledge imposes necessity upon our wills 115 |
18 More on Judas the traitor 122 |
19 Jacob and Esau. 124 |
20 The total depravity of all men 132 |
21 God's wrath toward man is fully justified 145 |
22 The Apostle John' testimony 173 |
23 Luther's personal testimony against free will 187 |
24 A review of God's justice in damning the ungodly 189 |
25 In praise of God Almighty 193 |
APPENDIX |
Ninety-Five Theses for the Twenty-First Century Church 196 |
About the Author 210 |
Endnotes 212 |