The Dead Have No Will
Ephesians 2:1

The Word of God declares emphatically that we "were dead in trespasses and sins" when the Lord God quickened, regenerated, and called us to life in Christ by the sovereign, irresistible power of his almighty grace.

It is impossible for anyone to understand the bondage of the human will and the total inability of man, by an act of his own free will, to come to Christ and get saved , apart from the revelation of God in Holy Scripture and the unction of his Spirit, who teaches us all things spiritual (I John 2:20, 27) .

The new birth is much, much more than a reformation of life. Any man can, by sheer determination, reform his life, if he wants to bad enough. Drunks, dopeheads, thieves, murderers, and whoremongers can be reformed, and can reform themselves, and become model citizens. But the new birth is more than a reformation.

The new birth is more than a religious experience. Judas had big religious experiences, but not the new birth. Heathen men, in dark lands where voodoo and witchcraft are practiced, have deep religious experiences. But they are not born of God. And many have been worked up into a state of frenzied excitement or deep sorrow by slick soul winners, who have never experienced the new birth.

The new birth is more than embracing an orthodox creed. Men can learn doctrine. Very small children can be catechized. But the new birth is something more than a head full of doctrine.

The new birth is a resurrection from the dead (John 5:25; Rev. 20:6). To be born again is to pass from death to life. That takes more than a decision. That takes more than a choice. That takes the power of God. Dead souls have neither the will, nor the ability to arise from their spiritual death and come to Christ. The dead have no will! Therefore, the new birth is always ascribed to the will of God and never to the will of man (John 1:13; 3:8; 6:63; Rom. 9:16).