I recently preached a sermon through Ephesians 2:1-10, perhaps the most straightforward text in Scripture from which we derive the Reformation doctrine of Grace Alone (Sola Gratia). In this sermon, I introduced the congregation to an unsung hero in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. His name was Disiderius Erasmus and he was a brilliant and well-trained Roman Catholic theologian.
Erasmus and Luther
In all his studies, Erasmus became aware of a few issues with the biblical text used by the Roman Catholic Church compared to the original texts, so in 1516 he published his translation which corrected his perceived errors. Unsurprisingly, this translation was of great help to the Reformers—aiding their knowledge, understanding, and teaching of the Scriptures.1
A year later, in 1517, the German monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door at Wittenberg—driving in a formal starting point to the Reformation of the church that had been percolating for a while. Interestingly, the Reformation Sola of “Grace Alone” (Sola Gratia) would be most prominently defined by exchanges between Luther and Erasmus in the coming years.
Following the publication of Luther’s 95 Theses, Erasmus was pressured to distinguish where he stood in relation to the Reformers. It was no secret that classic Augustinian grace was central to the Reformation. Since the Reformers were using the translation Erasmus published to make their case against certain aspects of the Roman Catholic establishment, Erasmus felt the need to define his position. Thus, in 1524 he published a work entitled Diatribe on Free Will.
However, people didn’t debate in Facebook posts or Twitter threads back then. Instead, debates were carried out at book-length levels, so in 1525 Luther wrote back what is now a Christian classic called On the Bondage of the Will. To demonstrate the magnitude of this volume (even in Luther’s own estimation), of all the things Luther wrote, this book is one of the very few he said he hoped would outlive him.
In this work, Luther argues from Scripture that in our fallen state, the human will is bound by sin. Luther says our intuition that our choices are absolutely free is simply an illusion. In our fallen state, our will is bound by the slave master of sin, which leads us to walk the way we do. Therefore, we are in need of someone to graciously intervene on our behalf to liberate our will so that it is no longer bound to sin but freed to walk in righteousness.
A Debate For the Ages
And this was no simple theological exercise of the mind. Author Carl R. Trueman notes, “[Luther] saw the struggle in his own day as a recapitulation of the battles between Augustine and Pelagius in the fifth century.” Back then, Augustine argued that salvation is a gift of sheer grace, while Pelagius argued that humanity has the ability to desire and earn salvation within themselves. Luther believed himself to be reenacting these ancient debates (a debate that still rages on today among professing Christians2).
And of all the things Luther felt needed reforming in the church, he saw this as THE ISSUE.
Near the end of On the Bondage of the Will, Luther says directly to Erasmus,
“I praise and commend you highly for this also, that unlike all the rest you alone have attacked the real issue, the essence of the matter in dispute, and have not wearied me with irrelevancies about the papacy, purgatory, indulgences, and such trifles…You and you alone have seen the question on which everything hinges, and have aimed at the vital spot…”
Martin Luther, On the Bondage of the Will
See, according to Luther, the doctrine of Grace Alone gets to the heart of the entirety of the Protestant Reformation–the heart of Christianity. He says, “the question upon which everything hinges” is this: Who is responsible for the salvation of sinful humans? Erasmus, and others, argued that humanity had some capacity to desire, earn, or contribute in some way to their salvation. Luther, and the Reformers, however, argued that salvation is Sola Gratia (by God’s Grace Alone) from beginning to end.
Footnotes
[1] Historical material on the debates between Luther and Erasmus are drawn from Five: The Solas of the Reformation, S.D. Ellison, and Grace Alone: Salvation as a Gift of God, Carl R. Trueman.
[2] Much of this can be deduced from the biannual survey conducted by Ligonier Ministries. In the most recent survey, about 1/3 of professing Christians stated that our works are part of how we get right with God. In another question, nearly 2/3 of people said, “while everyone sins a little, most people are good by nature.” You can view the statements and responses yourself through the following link. The State of Theology, 2022, https://thestateoftheology.com.
The Drawing Board 