Romans 7:18–24 records the ongoing struggle experienced even by the regenerate Apostle Paul, who laments, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh… Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” This illustrates that, even for the believer, the will is present but power is lacking without Christ. True freedom, then, is not about autonomous independence but about deliverance from oneself—being freed from the tyranny of internal sin and self-deception. Thomas Boston, in *Human Nature in Its Fourfold State*, describes fallen man as “worse than nothing” in himself, yet most people are unwilling to accept this view. Men tend to have inflated opinions of themselves—comparing themselves with others and perceiving themselves as good enough because they see many worse than themselves. J.C. Ryle, in *Holiness*, emphasizes that “the heart of man is naturally proud, self-righteous, and self-flattering.” We only begin to truly see our sinfulness when we compare ourselves to God’s perfect standard revealed in His Word. Only an external authority—namely, the self-attesting Word of God, illuminated by the Spirit of truth—can shatter this illusion and bring us to sober, honest self-awareness. 

The discipline of meditating on Scripture, therefore, is not merely about adjusting our moral self-estimate but about demolishing the entire framework of self-flattery and self-deception. Through the Spirit, God's Word functions as a mirror (James 1:23–25), revealing the hidden motives, insincerities, lusts, hatreds, covetousness, and countless degenerate thoughts that course through our minds unbidden. It also acts as a sword (Hebrews 4:12), piercing into the deepest recesses of the heart, exposing the root causes of our sinfulness. John Calvin, in his *Institutes of the Christian Religion* (2.2–3), defines the will as “so enslaved by sin that it can only choose evil of itself.” While civil virtues and external morality may be present, these are rooted in self-love rather than love for God and are ultimately insufficient before divine righteousness. Calvin describes the human mind as being “completely alienated from God’s righteousness,” incapable of true goodness apart from divine grace. The only true escape from the self-flattering illusions of moral self-reliance is divine revelation. The Spirit, working through the Word, exposes the hypocrisy, insincerity, and hidden motives that lurk beneath the surface. The Spirit’s work demolishes the false framework of self-righteousness and forces us to confront the depths of our depravity—step by slow step, often painfully. 

Sanctification is rarely rapid; it is a gradual process that involves repentance, humility, and a higher esteem of Christ. Real spiritual change is always Spirit-wrought, accompanied by increased self-awareness, deeper self-hatred of sin, and a greater love for divine grace. Romans 3:10–18 provides a comprehensive biblical diagnosis, quoting from Psalms and Isaiah, showing that “none is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.” Their throats are open graves, their tongues deceive, and their feet are swift to shed blood. This passage underscores the universality and radical nature of total depravity: it is not limited to occasional or outward sins but encompasses a pervasive corruption of every human faculty—mind, will, affections, speech, and actions. While moral choices do exist, they are always made under the dominion of sin; the natural human heart is enslaved and cannot willingly choose God or seek righteousness without divine intervention. In sum, the freedom that we possess is genuine but fundamentally misdirected and corrupted. We are free to choose what we most desire, but fallen desire—what Luther calls “incurvatus in se”—is curved inward upon itself. 

Every moral act, even those that appear outwardly virtuous, is tainted by this inward curvature unless the Spirit intervenes to renew the heart. The doctrine of total depravity does not deny that humans make choices or perform civil good; rather, it affirms that no choice can originate from a heart truly seeking or pleasing God without divine grace. Psalm 53 and Psalm 14 depict sin as not episodic but cannibalistic—men consume one another for self-preservation and comfort, revealing a profound lovelessness and spiritual hunger that cannot be satisfied apart from God. James 1:23–25 emphasizes that Scripture functions as a mirror; without it, self-reflection is delusional. The only reliable mirror for our true spiritual state is God's Word, and obedience flows from truly seeing ourselves as we are. Martin Luther’s classic work, *The Bondage of the Will* (1525), remains a foundational statement against human self-reliance. Luther boldly asserts that “free will belongs to none but God only,” and that man’s will is like a beast caught between two riders: if God rides, it wills and acts according to God's will; if Satan rides, it wills and acts according to Satan’s will. 

The will is not neutral or autonomous but is captive and enslaved. Luther condemns claims to “free choice” in spiritual matters as Pelagian arrogance, rooted in self-flattery. He emphasizes that “man is by nature unable to want God to be God,” and instead desires to be his own god. What appears to be moral choice or genuine freedom is, upon closer inspection, deeply compromised by the very nature of depravity. Both unbelievers—those who have not received divine grace—and even many believers, are often deceived into believing they possess moral independence. But their moral agency remains ensnared by self-flattery, self-justification, and a comparative moralism that masks their true spiritual condition. These mechanisms serve to obscure the depth of human depravity, preventing true self-awareness and honest assessment of one’s spiritual state. Genuine self-knowledge, the kind that leads to repentance and humility, is impossible without divine revelation, which alone can pierce through the illusions of self-righteousness. Given this reality, the very idea of “free choice” based on a neutral or autonomous human nature collapses under scrutiny. 

The concept begins with an anthropological assumption—an idealized view of man as essentially good or at least capable of choosing good— which is fundamentally flawed. We tend to measure our moral freedom by our own self-constructed standards, often granting ourselves generous latitude while judging others harshly. This comparative moralism is itself a symptom of the depravity it seeks to deny. It functions as a form of self-flattery—an attempt to elevate ourselves and diminish the depth of our sinfulness—because confronting the truth of our depravity would be terrifying and humbling. The reality is that we flatter ourselves precisely to avoid the confronting horror of our true condition: worse than we imagine, and far less capable of moral goodness than we pretend. Jonathan Edwards’ *Freedom of the Will* (1754) clarifies that true liberty is not libertarian indifference— the ability to choose contrary to one’s strongest inclination—but rather acting according to one’s strongest motive. Since the Fall, the strongest desire in every unregenerate person is self-love and self-gratification. Edwards asserts that “natural men… always choose according to the strongest apparent good,” but that “good” is invariably sinful or self-centered. Genuine freedom, he argues, only occurs when the Holy Spirit gives a new heart that finds its highest delight in God. Without divine grace, the natural man’s actions are driven solely by self-interest.