Rev. Arturo Mendez

Sermon Theme: Freedom of the Will

Sermon Text: Rom:8:7; 1Cor:12:3

 

     ⁷ For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.

During This Lent Season we began our Series regarding on Lutheran Doctrine meaning on what we believe teach and confess about the creation of the World and today we are go deep in what we believe about the Freedom of the Will.

Lets see what  Dr Martin Luther teach us about this. Martin Luther addressed this issue in his work "De Servo Arbitrio" (On the Bondage of the Will), in response to the ideas presented by the Catholic theologian Erasmus of Rotterdam.

Luther teach that, due to original sin, the human will is enslaved and not free to choose good on its own. He maintained that the human will is completely inclined toward evil and can only be freed by the grace of God. In other words, human freedom is constrained by total depravity of sin, and without divine intervention, humans cannot choose God or do good in a true and lasting sense.

This perspective has significant implications for our Christian life. First, it acknowledges our total dependence on God's grace for our salvation. We cannot save ourselves through our own works or decisions. Only God, through Christ, can liberate us from the power of sin and grant us true freedom in Christ.

Second, this understanding of freedom of the will leads us to profound humility and total trust in God. We recognize that our best works are imperfect and tainted by sin, and we rely on Christ's redemptive work as our only hope for salvation.

As a human beings our tendency is always to Sin and rejected God, since the beginning in the Graden of Eden God create Adam and Eve and everything was perfect God Commanded to them to do not eat from the Tree of  the Life, they will have freedom and rule over the whole creation and over the animals and to eat from all of them as well  the trees of the whole creation except of the tree pf life and knowledge, until the enemy came and lie to Eve to eat the of the Fruit of the Knowledge, since that day the Humans was Curse to disobeying God’s Command, Sin and  human death came into the world because of the Disobedience of the Word of God given to them, the freedom of the Will was curse we are no longer free, because of our Thoughts and all our Deeds are evil,  and we are enemies of God, we are totally separated from God because our Sins our Unrighteousness separate us from the Righteous and Holy God, our nature is to refuse and rejected the Gifts and blessings from God the Father, we are not be able to follow his Law our nature and tendency is to disobey God, and thinking that we are free or in this case we have the freedom of will to do and choose as we wish, but that its totally false, the freedom of our will is that our will is  been tainted by sin and the curse so our will and our nature is totally evil and contrary to God we are totally contrary to God because we cannot believe in Jesus  as our personal savior we cannot choose and follow Jesus by our own, we only reject the gift  and blessings that come from Him, so it is only by Jesus Christ by His Redeeming Work in The Cross that we are saved and through the Help of the Holy Spirit, that and by His Word that Faith start working in our hearth it is only by this gift of grace that we can be saved and rescue from this Condemnation, as the Text from the Apostle Paul said in Romans:8:7 we read earlier  ⁷ For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.

But also the Apostle Paul tell us in 1 Cor:12:3  ³ Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

In the Explanation of the Apostles Creed in the Third Article Martin Luther teach us "I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; this is certainly Truth. By our own strength we cannot choose or decide for Jesus it is only through the Holy Spirit who is the one who works faith in our hearts, this come outside from Us, not by our own power or ability, it is a Gift of faith and grace it is only by God’s grace that He Come to Us and rescue to us,  by His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ He is the one who come to Us, thanks be to God for His Plan of Salvation, it is only through the means of grace that has enlighten us with his gifts and sanctifies us and keep me in the true faith. By The mean of grace of the Holy Baptism, He saves me and give me faith  by the water attached to the Word of God our sins are washed out and our names are written in the book of life, by the mean of grace of Holy absolution when we confess our sins to God our Father and repent from them Our Sins are being forgiven, by the mean of grace of the Word and Gospel proclaimed to us we have Hope and Peace and by the mean of Grace of the Holly Supper, there one more time our sins are being forgiven, participating on eating and drinking the body and blood of Christ, we all are united to Him, until he come again and live with Him forever in His Kingdom, that is His Promise it is there were we are secure in his arms by this most beautiful Gift of Grace of the Cross of Christ by Giving His Life in Ramson of all of us.

So what does this mean? Means that the freedom of  our will its bound Dr. Martin Luther remind us as the Apostol Paul as well in His Scripture that,  as human beings, we are enslaved by sin, and our will is so corrupted that we cannot, by our own means, choose or seek God. We cannot save ourselves a death man cannot save himself because is death. He cannot bring himself back to life because is death. If we tray to help ourselves and point in ourselves pretending to be righteous in our imperfect live and unrighteousness we are lose. That’s why wee need a Savior to rescue us, in Jesus Christ we have Life and eternal Life in Heaven,

What does this mean in Jesus?

God the Father is the One who Choose us in His Perfect love toward us He Sent His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ to give us His Life for all of us for our Sins and transgressions, He live perfectly for us, He will be Obedient to God the Father by fulfilling the law for us because we cannot do it, we are dead by our Sins and we cannot be obedient to God, we only reject God, and His Law we cannot fulfill it, it is only Bad and wrong in Our Heart and that, separate us from God the Father, as Pastor Bog’s Mention a drowned person cannot rescue himself  when we try to put or own Thoughts and trusting in ourselves, instead to trust in God and in His Son Jesus Christ we are lost and dead by our Sins, He is the one who Rescue us by giving His Life in the Cross purchasing with His Blood as a perfect lamb that take away the sins of the World, and through His Holy Spirit He gave us Faith, Forgiveness life and Salvation, by His Means of Grace, the Word the Holy Baptism and the Holy Supper,  by our own strength we cannot save and rescue us, so the Word and the Holy Spirit Stirs in us to work Faith in Our Hearts and by His precious Gift of Faith, we became His Children, by the Holy Baptism He cleans us from all our Sins and Transgressions and give us Life,  our names are written in the Book of Life Thanks be to God the Father  and the Holy Spirit, that By His Gift of Faith and His Word, we can be partakers of His Kingdom, The Holy Spirit Stirs in us to work Faith in us, and by being in His Word seeking daily our Sanctification, and produce Fruit’s of Faith and the Will by His Help to act in Love to our Neighbors, sharing the love of Christ in our Lives and by His own Love we together as a believers can confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and Lord of Our Lives, that we can serve Him and serve others trough the Help of The Holy Spirit, rejoicing by His Grace that it is Upon Us, Believers, singing Hosana, Hosana, Blessed is He that come in the Name of The Lord, His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior to His Glory in Jesus Name we Pray.

 Amen !