Man’s Enslaved Will.
 

John 1:13 Who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

It appears quite clear from this scripture that man does have a will.

However, the contention is, whether man’s will is free? Can man be said to have a “Free Will” if his will is in slavery to sin?
Anything that is in slavery cannot be said to be free.

John 8:34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.
Romans 6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

The meaning of will here is used to express, desire, choice, willingness, consent, or in negative constructions refusal.
So, to understand what John 1:13 is saying, we need to understand what is not achieved by blood or the will of the flesh or the will of man.
The answer to this seems to be the new birth. (Being born again) or (Born of God).

Joh 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

New birth does not come about through the natural relation of child to father (blood). New birth does not come about through exertion or physical effort (the will of the flesh) or an act of mans will, wishes, desires. determination, i.e. choice or inclination.

New birth comes about only by God.

Furthermore Paul tells us in Romans:
Romans 9:16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

It is also clear in scripture that man, when God made him, did endow him with a will that was free.
For God said that Adam mayest freely choose.
 

Gen 2:16  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 
Gen 2:17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 

We see in Genesis 2:16 that Adam had a free will, a will that is free to choose between obedience or disobedience.

However, using that freedom of choice, Adam chose to disobey.
The consequence of that free choice was, “for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”. 

This death was the penalty of sin, disobedience.
Adam, where God was concerned, was now spiritually dead and this sin and death separated him from God.
Adam knew he had done wrong and that’s why he hid from God.
 

Gen 3:8  And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 

However, God in His mercy, deferred His punishment of physical death until Adam was 930 years old.

Genesis 5:5: "And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died."

The state of man after the fall was spiritually dead to God.
Adam could still choose to do one thing or another physically but could not spiritually choose God goodness.
Why? Because he was spiritually dead.
Adam had a will but it was no longer free. It was now bound in sin.

Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
 

Since Adam and because of Adam’s sin, man is also in this spiritually dead state.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned—

We too have a will of the flesh, (the will of man) but that will is bound also because of sin.

Consequently this will of man cannot be truly called “Free will” but “Bound will”, a will that is enslaved to sin..

Salvation is available to men. However, man by his own will, cannot come to God.
No one seeks after God,

Romans 3:11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.

How then, does man make a choice to follow Christ, to believe the gospel?

Before a man can come to Christ, his will must be set free. Set free from a dead state.

Mans will is set free by the power of the Holy Spirit.
This is revealed in scripture as “Quickening”. Raising from the dead. Being made alive.
 

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 
Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 

The account of Lazarus in the Gospel of John chapter 11 is a good example of this.
Lazarus died physically. He was wrapped in grave clothes and his face was covered with a cloth and he was laid in a tomb.
Had his sisters Mary or Martha called to him to come out of the tomb, he would not have, because he couldn’t, he was dead.
He could not hear, he could not speak, he could not comprehend.
However, when the Word of God, the Logos, who is Christ, spoke, Lazarus heard and was raised from death.
What was it, that enabled Lazarus to come alive? He heard the voice of Jesus.
He was quickened by the words of Christ, through the power of the Holy Ghost, he was rejuvenated, made alive, revived and was given the ability to respond.
This did not come from his flesh or his own will but from Christ.

Notice, that Lazarus needed to be let loose from his grave clothes and his face cloth taken from his eyes, so that he could walk and see and speak. All this was done from outside himself.

It was the Word of God that regenerated Lazarus.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Lazarus of his own will could not come out of the tomb, he could not call on the name of the Lord.

This was when the will of Lazarus was set free to obey the words of Christ.
The first move was from Jesus who spoke a Rhema, (Greek) (Logos in action).

The initiator of life was Christ through the word.

Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
 

Until the quickening happened, Lazarus could not be said to have free will, but a bound will, a will that was enslaved in sin.

This is what caused Martin Luther to write his work, “The Bondage of the Will”. This was in response to Erasmus of Rotterdam, who claimed that man’s will was free to choose God.
Which is in opposition to scripture.

Ephesians 1:4-5 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 15:16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
Matthew 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
 

It also cause Charles Wesley to write:

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.…

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