Following on from our articles on how John Calvin and Martin Luther denied that man has free will in regards to his salvation, we turn now to the man who stands behind them both: St Augustine. Luther, the Augustinian monk, was inspired by this greatest of all Western Saints more than any other extra-Biblical figure, …

Continue reading St Augustine’s Refutation of Free Will

This is a catalogue of Biblical passages that I believe show faith to be a supernatural gift of God, and that without this gift we cannot come to have faith. 1 Corinthians 12:3No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 2:8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And …

Continue reading Faith is a Gift of God Alone: Biblical Texts

This catalogue of Biblical quotes is intended to show that God's Word reveals us to be so enslaved to sin that we cannot turn our wills towards God (and thus we have no free will) but that God mercifully turns our wills towards Himself without our cooperation. See also: Biblical quotes that show God is …

Continue reading Monergism and Our Inability to Will Good: Bible Quotes

What follows is a summary of Martin Luther’s masterpiece (Luther himself said it was his greatest and most important achievement) ‘The Bondage of the Will,’ wherein quoted passages from the work are sorted into categories. This work argues that man has no free will, which it says is the central claim of the whole Reformation. …

Continue reading Luther’s Refutation of Free Will

I said in my previous article that Calvin denied that man has free will. Now, while some of the later Reformed scholastics would go on to uphold free will in a nuanced sense, their opinions have no bearing on my original article since the Anglican Formularies predated them. As far as we are concerned with …

Continue reading Calvin’s Refutation of Free Will