On the bondage of the will

David Engelsma argues that the doctrine of the bondage of the will—the teaching that the unregenerate human will is enslaved to sin and unable to choose God or salvation—is fundamental to the Reformation's recovery of the gospel of grace. The article contends that denial of this doctrine in modern churches represents a betrayal of the Reformation itself and amounts to a loss of the true gospel, since it affirms that salvation depends entirely on God's sovereign work rather than human choice or decision.