“The will is a beast of burden. If God mounts it, it wishes and goes as God wills; if Satan mounts it, it wishes and goes as Satan wills; Nor can it choose its rider… the riders contend for its possession.”
- November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546
- Born in the Holy Roman Empire (Germany)
- Reformer, theologian
- Promoted the Protestant Reformation and published the Ninety-five Theses
Quote
“The will is a beast of burden. If God mounts it, it wishes and goes as God wills; if Satan mounts it, it wishes and goes as Satan wills; Nor can it choose its rider… the riders contend for its possession.”
Explanation
In this quote, Martin Luther uses the metaphor of the will as a beast of burden to describe the human soul’s susceptibility to external forces. Luther suggests that the will itself is not inherently free or independent; rather, it is constantly influenced and directed by either God or Satan. The “riders” in the metaphor represent these two opposing forces—divine will and evil temptations—both striving for control over the individual’s desires and actions. Luther’s view is that the human will, while it may feel autonomous, is actually bound to either righteousness or sin, depending on which “rider” governs it.
Luther’s doctrine of “bondage of the will” was central to his theological arguments, especially in his dispute with Desiderius Erasmus. Luther argued that the human will is not free in the sense that it can choose between good and evil on its own; instead, it is either enslaved to God’s grace or captured by sin. He believed that because of original sin, the human will is inherently biased toward evil unless transformed by God’s grace. This theological position stood in contrast to the idea that humans could, through their own effort, choose righteousness or salvation.
In modern terms, this quote speaks to the inner struggle between good and evil, or the moral and ethical conflicts people face daily. Whether in spiritual, personal, or societal contexts, individuals often feel torn between conflicting desires, such as doing what is right versus acting out of self-interest or temptation. The idea that the will is influenced by external forces can be applied to understand how addictions, peer pressure, and even societal influences can shape a person’s choices. This underscores the importance of cultivating a strong moral compass and spiritual discipline to resist negative influences and align one’s actions with higher values, much as Luther suggested that grace is needed to direct the will toward good.
