"The Bondage of the Will" is a must for anyone interested in the doctrine of predestination. Luther himself declared this book to be one of the best he had ever written. The book is a response to "The Diatribe Concerning Human Freedom" by Erasmus. A great work by a masterful theologian, "The Bondage of the Will" covers what Luther believed concerning human free will, God's knowledge and future contingents, predestination, prevenient and efficacious grace, as well as the providence and glory of God. Luther is somewhat overbearing at times in his responses to Erasmus, but this simply helps the reader to understand Luther's personality a little better. Some will see "The Bondage of the Will" as nothing more than Martin Luther's combative apologetic against the doctrine of free will and works salvation. But this is precisely why it ranks among the best ever written because it passionately, logically, and decisively deals with the error concerning free will and the error adding any human merit to salvation. The subject matter according to Luther is "the hinge on which the whole gospel turns." "The Bondage of the Will" should be a standard text in Bible schools and seminaries.
About the Author: Martin Luther (10 November 1483 - 18 February 1546) initiated the Protestant Reformation. As a priest and theology professor, he confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his The Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. Luther strongly disputed their claim that freedom from God's punishment of sin could be purchased with money. His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the emperor. Martin Luther taught that salvation is not from good works, but a free gift of God, received only by grace through faith in Jesus as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority of the pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with Luther's teachings are called Lutherans. His translation of the Bible into the language of the people (instead of Latin) made it more accessible, causing a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation into English of the King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of singing in churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant priests to marry. In his later years, Luther became strongly anti-Judaic, writing that Jewish homes should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money confiscated and liberty curtailed. These statements have made Luther a controversial figure among many historians and religious scholars.