On the Bondage of the Will, also known as Bound Will or by its Latin name De Servo Arbitrio was Martin Luther's answer to Erasmus' De Libero Arbit or On Free Will. It was published in December of 1525. At issue was whether human beings, who have been scarred by "the Fall of Man, are free to choose good or evil. The debate between Luther and Erasmus is one of the earliest of the Reformation over the issue of free will. Luther at age 46 (Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1529) The Luther seal Martin Luther (November 10, 1483–February 18, 1546) was a German theologian, an Augustinian monk, and an ecclesiastical reformer whose teachings inspired the Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines and culture of the Lutheran and Protestant traditions. ... Desiderius Erasmus in 1523 Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (also Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam) (October 27, probably 1466 – July 12, 1536) was a Dutch humanist and theologian. ... The Fall of Man by Lucas Cranach The fall refers to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, as recorded in the biblical book of Genesis, and the consequences of that expulsion. ... The Protestant Reformation was a movement which began in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church, but ended in division and the establishment of new institutions, most importantly Lutheranism, Reformed churches, and Anabaptists. ... Free will is the philosophical doctrine that holds that our choices are ultimately up to ourselves. ...

Luther maintained that sin hinders human ability to work out their own salvation, that they are not free to will the kind of good that would bring them to God. In this book, he begins by examining Erasmus' argument, then discusses the power and complete sovereignty of God, then lays out his own argument. His conclusions are that unredeemed human beings are ensnared by Satan. Satan as the prince of this world never lets go of his own without being compelled by a stronger power, i.e. God. When God redeems a person, he redeems the entire person, including the will, which then is captive to God's power.

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Bondage of the Will, by Martin Luther, translated by Henry Cole, London, March, 1823.