Luther and Erasmus: Free Will and Salvation

Info for First-time Users......Page 0
Luther and Erasmus: Free Will and Salvation......Page 1
Half Title Page......Page 2
General Editors Page......Page 3
Title Page......Page 4
Copyright Page......Page 5
General Editors' Preface......Page 6
Contents......Page 8
Abbreviations......Page 12
The Erasmian Enigma......Page 14
The Lutheran Riposte......Page 25
The Language of the Debate......Page 41
Erasmus: On the Freedom of the Will......Page 46
Erasmus Acknowledges His Limitations and States His Point of View......Page 48
His Dislike of Assertions......Page 50
The Obscurity of Scripture......Page 51
Some Truths Are Not for Common Ears......Page 53
The Dangers Inherent in Luther's Teachings......Page 54
Luther Is Opposed Not Only by Scripture but Also by Weighty Authority of the Church Fathers......Page 55
How Can Inspiration and Authority Be Tested?......Page 57
Definition of Free Choice and Discussion of Ecclesiasticus 15:14-17......Page 60
Man Before and After the Fall: The Forgiveness of Sins Restores Freedom of Choice Through Grace......Page 61
The Work of the Will, and the Threefold Law of Nature, Works, and Faith......Page 62
Different Kinds of Grace, and Three Views of Its Relation to Free Choice......Page 64
Further Old Testament Passages Implying Free Choice......Page 67
New Testament Texts Examined. Matthew 23:37 and Other Words of Christ......Page 72
St. Paul Also Is a Champion of Free Choice......Page 74
Exodus 9:12; Romans 9:17: The Hardening of Pharaoh's Heart......Page 77
The Problem of the Will and Foreknowledge of God......Page 79
Two Kinds of Necessity: The Case of Judas......Page 81
Jacob and Esau......Page 82
The Potter and the Clay......Page 83
Genesis 6:3: The Meaning of "Flesh" and "Spirit"......Page 87
The Will Is Not Powerless Though It Cannot Attain Its End Without Grace......Page 92
Man's Cooperation with God......Page 94
What Merit Is There Without Free Choice?......Page 97
A Reasonable Approach to the Problem......Page 98
A Mediating View, and a Parable of Grace and Free Choice......Page 102
The Extravagances of Those Who Totally Deny Free Choice......Page 104
The Dire Results of Exaggerated Views......Page 108
As to Which Side Is Right, Let the Reader Be Judge......Page 110
Luther: On the Bondage of the Will......Page 112
Luther Explains His Delay in Replying and Admits Erasmus' Superior Talent......Page 114
Christianity Involves Assertions; Christians Are No Skeptics......Page 118
The Clarity of Scripture......Page 122
It Is Vital to Know the Truth About Free Choice......Page 126
God's Foreknowledge; Contingence and Necessity......Page 130
Should Divine Truth Be Kept from Common Ears?......Page 137
Should the Truth of God's Necessitating Will Be Suppressed?......Page 147
Divine Necessity and the Human Will......Page 152
The Evidence of Tradition on Behalf of Free Choice......Page 157
The True Church, Which Does Not Err, Is Hidden from Men's Sight......Page 167
Scripture, with Its "Internal" and "External" Clarity, as the Test of Truth......Page 171
Erasmus' Definition of Free Choice......Page 182
Three Views of Grace and Free Choice—or Three Statements of One View?......Page 190
Ecclesiasticus 15:14-17. The Foolishness of Reason......Page 195
Other Old Testament Passages, and the Imperative and Indicative Moods......Page 201
Erasmus' Failure to Distinguish Between Law and Gospel......Page 207
God Preached, God Hidden; God's Will Revealed, God's Will Secret......Page 213
New Testament Passages: Matthew 23:37—Man Must Not Pry Into the Secret Will of God......Page 218
Precepts and Rewards in the New Testament: The Question of Merit......Page 221
Erasmus' Arguments Undermine His Own Case......Page 228
Part IV. Defense of Arguments Against Free Choice......Page 232
Erasmus' Use of Tropes in Interpreting Scripture......Page 233
Exodus 4:21—The Hardening of Pharaoh's Heart......Page 236
How God's Omnipotence Can Be Said to Work Evil......Page 245
How God's Foreknowledge Imposes Necessity......Page 252
Two Kinds of Necessity: The Case of Judas......Page 259
Jacob and Esau......Page 262
The Potter and the Clay......Page 268
Erasmus'  Way of Reasoning Does Not Let God Be God......Page 271
Genesis 6:3 and the Biblical Meaning of "Flesh"......Page 276
Other Old Testament Passages—the Universal Sinfulness and Impotence of Man Under the Law......Page 279
The Whole Man—Body, Soul, and "Spirit"—Is "Flesh"......Page 284
How Erasmus Persistently Evades the Issue......Page 291
John 15:5, etc.: Free Choice Is "Nothing"—Coram Deo......Page 294
Divine Grace and Human Cooperation......Page 301
Part VI. A Display of the Forces on Luther's Side......Page 305
St. Paul: Universal Sinfulness Nullifies Free Choice......Page 306
Free Choice May Do the Works of the Law but Not Fulfill the Law......Page 315
"Congruous" and "Condign" Merit......Page 322
The Righteousness of Works and of Faith; and a Summary of St. Paul's Testimony Against Free Choice......Page 325
St. John: Free Choice Is of "the World," "the Flesh"; Grace Is of Christ, by Faith. The Two Are Opposites......Page 332
The Two Kingdoms, of Christ and of Satan. The Assurance of Faith......Page 340
The Mercy and Justice of God in the Light of Nature, Grace, and Glory......Page 342
That the Case Against Free Choice Is Unanswerable Let Erasmus Be Willing to Admit......Page 345
Appendix: On the Adagia of Erasmus......Page 348
General Index......Page 354
Biblical References......Page 358