Longish excerpt today.... apologies to those of you with shorter attention spans like mine.... ;-) So, we return to the issue of the free will, as we turn to Article II in the Solid Declaration. As noted when we went through this in the Epitome, the issue here is not your freedom to choose what to do with your life, which route to take to the grocery store, or what to have for dinner (hmmmmmm.... dinner.....). The theological issue of the will and its freedom concerns only one question: do you have, by your natural birth from Adam and Eve, the ability to want God, seek after God, accept God, love God, and follow God (irrespective of whether you do that perfectly or imperfectly, weakly or strongly, quickly or haltingly, etc.)? To this day, this question is one of the fault-line that runs through Christianity - as it is a yes/no question, and there can be no compromise on the issue. Furthermore, how one answers this question influences practically every other doctrine we teach and confess (what did Christ do at Calvary? how is one converted? what do the sacraments do? what role do works play in the Christian life? etc.). I will not judge whether an error on this issue is faith-destroying (thats not really my call, now is it?) - but I will confess that an error here is not a minor issue. I will further note that even in Lutheran circles, much of what passes for evangelism would seem to blithely ignore what is set down in this article (after all, when was the last time you got a dead man to make a decision for life?). But, enough of me, read on..... In order to explain this controversy in a Christian manner, according to the guidance of Gods Word, and by His grace to decide it, our doctrine, faith, and confession are as follows: Namely, that in spiritual and divine things the intellect, heart, and will of the unregenerate [i.e. not born again, still only possessing the powers and abilities of natural birth - ed.] man are utterly unable, by their own natural powers, to understand, believe, accept, think, will, begin, effect, do, work, or concur in working anything, but they are entirely dead to what is good, and corrupt, so that in mans nature since the Fall, before regeneration, there is not the least spark of spiritual power remaining, nor present, by which, of himself, he can prepare himself for Gods grace, or accept the offered grace, nor be capable of it for and of himself, or apply or accommodate himself thereto, or by his own powers be able of himself, as of himself, to aid, do, work, or concur in working anything towards his conversion, either wholly, or half, or in any, even the least or most inconsiderable part; but that he is the servant [and slave] of sin, John 8:34, and a captive of the devil, by whom he is moved, Eph. 2:2; 2 Tim. 2:26. Hence the natural free will according to its perverted disposition and nature is strong and active only with respect to what is displeasing and contrary to God. This declaration and principal [general] reply to the chief question and statement of the controversy presented in the introduction to this article is confirmed and substantiated by the following arguments from Gods Word, and although they are contrary to proud reason and philosophy, yet we know that the wisdom of this perverted world is only foolishness before God, and that articles of faith must be judged only from Gods Word. For, first, although mans reason or natural intellect indeed has still a dim spark of the knowledge that there is a God, as also of the doctrine of the Law, Rom. 1:19ff, yet it is so ignorant, blind, and perverted that when even the most ingenious and learned men upon earth read or hear the Gospel of the Son of God and the promise of eternal salvation, they cannot from their own powers perceive, apprehend, understand, or believe and regard it as true, but the more diligence and earnestness they employ, wishing to comprehend these spiritual things with their reason, the less they understand or believe, and before they become enlightened and are taught by the Holy Ghost, they regard all this only as foolishness or fictions. 1 Cor. 2:14: The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him. 1 Cor. 1:21: For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Eph. 4:17f.: They (that is, those not born again of Gods Spirit) walk in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart. Matt. 13:11ff; Luke 8:18: Seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand; but it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Rom. 3:11. 12: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are all together become unprofitable, there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Accordingly, the Scriptures flatly call natural man in spiritual and divine things darkness, Eph. 5:8, Acts 26:18. John 1:5: The light shineth in darkness (that is, in the dark, blind world, which does not know or regard God), and the darkness comprehendeth it not. Likewise, the Scriptures teach that man in sins is not only weak and sick, but defunct and entirely dead, Eph. 2:1. 5; Col. 2:13. Now, just as a man who is physically dead cannot of his own powers prepare or adapt himself to obtain temporal life again, so the man who is spiritually dead in sins cannot of his own strength adapt or apply himself to the acquisition of spiritual and heavenly righteousness and life, unless he is delivered and quickened by the Son of God from the death of sin. (Solid Declaration, Article II.6-11) This is why, by the way, that all the empirical arguments for Christianity (even the good ones), and all the cogent and sober replies we have for the current crop of atheists (again, even the ones that hold water) dont usually convince anyone. The problem with the average unbeliever is that she or he is perfectly happy in unbelief and doesnt want to change. That said, that doesnt relieve the Church of proclaiming the Gospel - as you never know when the Spirit will use the Word to turn a heart to faith (its surprised a few atheists Ive known over the years, and Im still somewhat surprised that I believe anything.... ;-) ). Also, there is good reason to help believers who have been buffaloed by the culture with strong apologetical material so that they know that the Church does have a response to Her cultured despisers. But here, as we encounter both our own hearts, and the hearts of others, we need in humility to start with prayer, patience, and the stark recognition that only God moves people to faith in Christ - for there is nothing in us that naturally wants to have anything to do with God, much less Jesus.....
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 21:20:59 +0000
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