56%
Confidence
Belief overview
Bound will and the need for grace
The human condition is incapable of saving itself without the gracious action of God.
2
Supportive
0
Contrary
0
Neutral
What it is: Classical Lutheranism maintains that the fallen human condition cannot, by itself, produce salvation or autonomously cooperate with it as the foundation of divine favor.
How the religion understands: Faith and new life depend on the gracious action of God. The theme connects with the Lutheran critique of religious self-confidence and the affirmation of the primacy of grace.
Context: This language appears forcefully in historical controversies about freedom, merit, and conversion.
Documentary evidence
Supportive
Ephesians 2:8-9
Salvation by grace through faith.
Reference: Ephesians 2:8-9.
Content: Salvation is described as the gift of grace through faith.
Use in debate: It supports the Lutheran emphasis on the primacy of grace.
On the Bondage of the Will
Luther's work on the human will and grace.
Reference: On the Bondage of the Will, by Martin Luther.
Content: The work argues that the fallen human will is unable to produce salvation by itself.
Use in debate: It is an important source for the Lutheran doctrine of the primacy of grace.