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First published in 1525, Martin Luther's Bondage of the Will is acknowledged by theologians as one of the great masterpieces of the Reformation. It...
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Mar 30, 2008
Paul
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In the chapter before the conclusion of On the Bondage of the Will, Luther belches out this rather shocking paragraph:
"Only observe, therefore, the simplicity of the words By the law is the knowledge of sin; and yet, these alone are of force sufficient to confound and overthrow Free-will altogether. For if it be true, that of itself, it knows not what is sin, and what is evil, as the apostle saith here, and Rom. vii. 7-8, I should not have known that concupiscence was sin, exce More...
"Only observe, therefore, the simplicity of the words By the law is the knowledge of sin; and yet, these alone are of force sufficient to confound and overthrow Free-will altogether. For if it be true, that of itself, it knows not what is sin, and what is evil, as the apostle saith here, and Rom. vii. 7-8, I should not have known that concupiscence was sin, exce More...
Aug 30, 2011
Amber
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Excellent engagement with the various passages used by Erasmus to support the Catholic view of free will in salvation. Also, very helpful images throughout to explain the arguments. One image I found particularly helpful: Erasmus posited that God would not give man a command (for instance, to believe unto salvation) without also giving him the ability to comply. Luther counters with the image of a man who is bound from head to toe in chains but who believes himself unencumbered -- One might comm
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Jun 08, 2011
Christopher
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Luther admitted he thought this was his best work and I am inclined to agree. In this response to Erasmus of Rotterdam he presents a compelling case for the exhaustive sovereignty of God over all of creation and particularly in electing and predestining those whom he saves, he also shows how this does not conflict with the idea that man is held responsible for his sin, addressing the same question Paul does in Romans 9, "How can [God] still blame us, if no one resists his will?" Luther
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Dec 20, 2009
Full of contradictions. Full of what is, in truth, despair--"We [human beings:] being evil by nature" and "For one devil is stronger than all men, and on these terms no man could be saved."
Reveals more than any other Luther-text I've read that Luther constructed his theology basically to placate his hyper-sensitive conscience. After he has achieved his own understanding of God, he has "the comfortable certainty that I please God, not by reason of the merit o More...
Reveals more than any other Luther-text I've read that Luther constructed his theology basically to placate his hyper-sensitive conscience. After he has achieved his own understanding of God, he has "the comfortable certainty that I please God, not by reason of the merit o More...
Sep 03, 2011
Ken
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Luther’s, The Bondage of the Will, is a doctrinal treatise first arguing against Erasmus’ doctrine of free will, and then arguing for the Bible doctrine of the will’s bondage. Luther argues that, counter to Erasmus’ view, man is not able to freely choose Christ for his salvation. Man is enslaved in his sin and unable to act in any way towards his own salvation. Apart from divinely initiated grace, man is incapable of not only meriting salvation through his works, but of even choosing God. L
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May 03, 2009
Douglas
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Just great. Little pieces of Erasmus flying everywhere. Also read in June of 1988.
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Apr 11, 2011
Jay
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This book was very difficult to get through because so much was packed in each sentence. While reading this book I found myself on a number of occasions reading less than a page in a sitting. With that said, this book was worth the effort.
Luther absolutely obliterates Erasmus, and he is anything but cordial in doing so. This book is laden with sarcasm, insult, and downright nastiness at times. This book is as intense as a polemic could be. While I typically tire of fundamentalis More...
Luther absolutely obliterates Erasmus, and he is anything but cordial in doing so. This book is laden with sarcasm, insult, and downright nastiness at times. This book is as intense as a polemic could be. While I typically tire of fundamentalis More...
Oct 23, 2009
Mitch
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A great handling of the Scriptures' references to human will and God's sovereignty. Luther spared no words in letting Erasmus have it for his assertions that human beings' "free will" can produce some good, while at the same time saying it could do no good without God's grace. The only flaw here is that Luther is answering some silly arguments. While he answers them well, you almost want to see him answer some better ones. Also, Luther finds a hundred ways to attack the same point
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Feb 07, 2009
Chuck
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Martin Luther's classic exposition of why faith in Jesus is solely the work of God and not something we fallen and sinful humans can "just choose". It's Martin Luther at his peak: passionate and at times vitriolic. If you're puzzled and/or confused by "calvinism" (the quotes are there because much of the basis for calvinism is actually shared among all the churches of the reformation-- Calvin, Lutheran, and Anglican) this book is a wonderful start.
J.I. Packer prov More...
J.I. Packer prov More...
Jul 19, 2011
Calvin
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What a book! - Luther doesn't hold back much in this defence of his position on Freewill versus All of Grace. Many of the sections answer directly and in heavy going detail Erasmus' initial rebuttal of Luther in his 'Diatribe' and rightly or wrongly I struggled to see the modern day application, given that the arguments are not being had on such fine detail. However page after page underscored for me the need to come to the scripture as absolute truth and God breathed, and that even to understa
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Aug 08, 2010
Brandy
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I would actually give it 4.5 stars.
Luther wrote this book as a response to a book Erasmus wrote on free will, attacking Luther's position. It is basically the hinge on which reformed theology swings. According to the writers of the introduction (J.I. Packer and O.R. Johnston) it is Luther's magnum opus. In this book he clearly sets out the doctrines of man's total depravity in sin and God's sovereign election. Luther rends Erasmus to pieces and does it with a fair amount of snark More...
Luther wrote this book as a response to a book Erasmus wrote on free will, attacking Luther's position. It is basically the hinge on which reformed theology swings. According to the writers of the introduction (J.I. Packer and O.R. Johnston) it is Luther's magnum opus. In this book he clearly sets out the doctrines of man's total depravity in sin and God's sovereign election. Luther rends Erasmus to pieces and does it with a fair amount of snark More...
Mar 30, 2011
Aaron
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I wish I had known about this book when I was in high school. For much of my formative years I have struggled with seeing free will in the Bible, being taught about the "age of accountability" and told that it was very explicit in the pages of Scripture. It came down to a single decision: stand alone on the argument against free will or submit to the teaching of the church. Submit was what I thought was my only option.
Happy I was to find out more than a year ago that I w More...
Happy I was to find out more than a year ago that I w More...
Oct 18, 2011
Trice
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3/20/2011 halfway through the first part of the Discussion
Keep feeling like I'm taking it in great gulps and then realize only 30 pages have passed - this definitely takes more concentration as each sentence is full. I've ended up reading half of it out loud and for some reason it seems to be clearer this way. The parts where he focuses on the issue at hand are definitely better (more important? more informative? more grace-filled?) than the parts where he's lashing away at Era More...
Sep 30, 2009
Jonathan
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I don't know whether it is the translators' translation or Luther alone, probably both, but Luther was killer. Erasmus did not have a prayer, literally, it seems.
A powerful wit:
An insightful heart:
A powerful wit:
One who talks as you do must imagine that the living God is no more than a wild inconsequent ranter shouting from a soap-box, whose words you may interpret, receive or refute as you please, according to their observed effect on the ungodly.
An insightful heart:
I frankly confMore...
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Nov 28, 2010
Austin
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***NOTICE: If you are seeking this book, you must get the translation by J.I. Packer and O.R. Johnston. They are the only ones that do Luther justice in an English translation.*** This book is not by your contemporary Lutheran, but by Luther himself. I know that seems like a "duh" statement, but what I mean by it is that the modern Lutheran is quite removed from the man they named themselves after. Every Lutheran interested in theology should pick this up and start evaluating Luther by
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Feb 23, 2010
Melissa
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Acutally, I heard this on sermonaudio, which means not all of it sank in, but I got the gist of it. Luther was a deep thinker, and he has many good points here, most of which I agree with. At times he was perhaps a little too harsh and dogmatic, but overall a good book to sink your teeth into. It probably deserves more than three stars, but it was not the most easy listen, and thus not the most enjoyable to me.
May 21, 2011
Steve
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A bit difficult to follow as I'm not as familiar with the details of Erasmus' claims, but several very clear themes are easy to pick out. It's amazing that some of the issues Luther addresses are still plaguing the church today. Worth reading more than once.
Dec 21, 2011
Jeremy D. Goodwyne
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This was really instructive, and also hilarious the way he deals with Erasmus. I'm not sure I should like that as much as I do, but just what I know about Luther and his earthiness, and the way he lights into Erasmus... I don't know. It's funny.
May 27, 2009
The Gatekeeper
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I think that this was probably a really good book. The problem is, I had 2 weeks to read it. Because of all the tough theology and long, complicated arguments, that wasn't nearly enough time for me to really understand everything. I liked what I did understand, though. I like Luther's bluntness. :) I'll probably read the book again someday when I have time.
Nov 10, 2009
Adam
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majorly affected my thinking when i was first introduced to the doctrines of grace. still one of the seminal texts on total depravity and worldview, in my opinion.
Dec 13, 2010
Bob
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Classic work by Luther showing the need of regeneration before faith. Also really shows that Luther was more reformed in his soteriology than modern Lutherans.
Jan 15, 2011
CJ
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Fantastic and powerful treatise, thoroughly smashing Erasmus' half-hearted effort. Luther's command of the Scriptures shows on every page, as well as his theological skill. His first section, dealing with the sufficiency of Scripture is tremendous, and maybe more important and valuable today than even the following dismantling of Erasmus' version of free will.
When turning to the texts, Luther destroys Erasmus - the scholar is not the equal of the exegete. And this is where the debate is ce More...
When turning to the texts, Luther destroys Erasmus - the scholar is not the equal of the exegete. And this is where the debate is ce More...
Feb 13, 2011
benebean
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It's hard for me to review/rate this one because the various narrators (audiobook) from several versions of audiobooks greatly influenced how much I paid attention/did not pay attention to what was being read.
Luther was a good deal more "colorful" than I expected. But from the parts where my attention was well-focused, Luther wrote/argued a good deal more clearly than most authors of philosophical/theological material I have come across-- whilst also tackling stickier issue
Luther was a good deal more "colorful" than I expected. But from the parts where my attention was well-focused, Luther wrote/argued a good deal more clearly than most authors of philosophical/theological material I have come across-- whilst also tackling stickier issue
