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Free Will?

Do we have a free will?

Luther:

By no means, because of many reasons. I shall summarize thusly:

If you believe that God knows and guides everything beforehand, you also believe that He cannot be wrong and that nothing can deter Him from His purpose. But when you believe that nothing can happen that He does not want, then there also can be no freedom of choice. Not in humans, not in angels and not in any other creature.

If you believe that Satan is the ruler of the world and that he will never release us as long as he is not overcome by the power of God’s Spirit, then it is once more clear that there cannot exist any free choice.

If you believe that original sin has killed us so that we are totally under its spell and we suffer under it, even if we are guided by the Spirit, then there is apparently no person that does the good without God’s Spirit. The only way they live is be evil.

If the Jews do their very best in good works, but were not righteous and if the nations pursue godlessness, but despite themselves end in a righteousness which they have not hoped for, then this shows clearly that humans without grace only can desire the wrong.

And finally: If you believe that Christ saves people by His blood, then we have to recognise that the whole human species was lost. Otherwise the work of Christ would not be necessary or He would only be the Saviour of the remnant of humanity. And that is blasphemy and sacrilege.

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