In Name Only
Thesis 13. Free will, after the fall, exists in name only, and as long as it does what it is able to do it commits a mortal sin.
Gustave Doré, "Adam and Eve Driven out of Eden" (1865)
After the fall, free will exists in name only and not in reality. How is this audacious claim to be understood? It is, of course, a very controversial and sensitive issue. We would think it to require a lengthy and involved discussion and demonstration. Luther’s proof in the Disputation is very simple and brief, however. It is a direct conclusion from the fact, nature, and power of sin. The first part of the thesis, he insists, is evident because the fallen will is captive and subject to sin. “Not that it is nothing,” he continues, “but that it is not free except to do evil.” It is important to notice carefully what is being said here. There is indeed a will. We are not dealing here with determinism or fate. The will is not forced to do something “against its will.” It is rather captive and thus bound to sin. The will does what it does because it wills to, and it will not do otherwise. The will is bound to will what it wills. After the fall, it is bound by sin, hence not free.
The scriptural authority Luther cites in this instance is John 8:34, 36, “Every one who commits sin is a slave to sin. … So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” Further backup comes from St. Augustine, “Free will without grace has the power to do nothing but sin” and “You call the will free, but in fact it is an enslaved will.” Sin makes it impossible for the will really to be called free because sin means an enslavement and bondage from which it is impossible for the will to escape. The self seeks its own self in all things, even in its piety. There is no way out. From this point of view the second part of the thesis is almost self-evident. It follows quite naturally that when the will, bound to its own self, tries to do its best, it only commits deadly sin. It commits deadly sin because it refuses to recognize the power of God to save and cuts off from grace. As we have pointed out in reference to the question of works, doing our best becomes a defense against the totality of grace. We refuse to live by the cross. Luther quotes Hosea 13:9, “Israel, you are bringing misfortune upon yourself, for your salvation is alone with me.”