A Luther Gem

The entirety of what follows is an insightful post by the Rev. Eric Brown (LCMS). He quotes Dr. Martin Luther and then comments upon it:

Get used to believing that Christ is a real Savior and that you are a real sinner. For God is neither joking nor is He dealing in imaginary affairs, but He was deadly serious when He sent His own Son into the world and sacrificed Him for our sake, etc. (Romans 8:32; John 3:16). Satan – who is alive and well – has snatched these and similar reflections, which come from soothing Bible passages, from you memory. Therefore, you are not able to recall them in your present great anguish and depression. For God’s sake, then, turn your ears my way, brother, and hear me cheerfully sing. I am your brother. At this time I am not afflicted with the desperation and depression that is oppressing you. Therefore, I am strong in my faith. The reason I am strong in the faith – while you are weak and harried and harassed by the devil – is that you may lean on me for support until you regain your old strength.

Note especially that end. . . therefore I am strong in my faith - and the reason. Not because I am awesome, not because I am great - but so that while you are weak and Satan is beating the tar out of you, you may lean against me and I may speak God's Word of life to you so that you regain strength.

And of course, the opposite is true - there will be times when I am weak, when I am beat down and weary - and that those times it may be that you are strong. Why are you strong? Because of your own awesomeness? No - but so that you might speak a word of comfort to me and bolster me to stand in the face of Satan.

Everything in our life, even the strength of our faith, our confidence, those moments of surety which we have - these are for our neighbor, these are so that we might love the neighbor.

I think this is what Romans 1:17 means - consider Romans 1:16-17 - "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (17)For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

God's righteousness is revealed, is spoken by me in faith, for the sake of your faith. God's righteousness is revealed, is spoken by you in faith, for the sake of my faith. We constantly proclaim the Gospel to each other, bolstering each other, lifting each other up - and thus we live.

It's a wonderful, wonderful observation. My life is never about me - Just as Christ's life was never about Himself - it's always about you (whoever you happen to be).

HT: Confessional Gadfly

Why Luther Is Not Protestant

Today's post is a re-post from Pastor Peters, wherein he comments ably on the article "Why Luther Is Not Quite Protestant," by Phillip Carey of Eastern University. Enjoy...  

[In the article,] Carey examines the logic of faith in a sacramental promise.  In other words, he spends his time comparing and contrasting the role of faith and the promises of God that form the means of grace.  He sees in Luther something not quite in keeping with the way Protestants generally see things.  This is the catholic Luther (the only real Luther) who does not make faith itself the primary foundation upon which conversion, baptismal regeneration, absolution, and the Lord's Supper are based.  According to Carey this is, at least in part, the reason why there is "no revivalist tradition native to Lutheranism" and why the revivalist tradition of Protestantism is foreign to Lutheran understanding of the working of God and the faith that apprehends His work.

For Protestants (read this Calvinists, especially), the certainty of salvation rests upon faith.  Carey has put it this way:  Whoever believes in Christ is saved (major premise); I believe in Christ (minor premise); therefore, I am saved (conclusion).  But for Luther it did not work this way.  For Luther, justification does not require either a conversion experience or a decision.  These are acts of the will that detract from Christ and His work.  The minor premise in all of Luther's approach is "Christ never lies but only tells the truth" - not "I believe..."

So for Luther the certainty rests not on MY faith but on CHRIST and His Word/Promise:  It looks like this, according to Carey:  Christ said "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (major premise); Christ never lies but always tells the truth (minor premise); therefore, I am baptized (I have new life in Christ, I am saved, etc.) -- conclusion.

The sacramental Word is wholly external.  There is a great difference between having faith in Christ and depending upon that faith for your new life, justification, and salvation.  The efficacy is in the sacramental Word and not in the faith itself.  This is key to Luther and the key difference between Lutherans and the Protestants.

This is especially pointed when it comes to sacramental absolution.  Calvin thought it wise and good pastoral practice to offer private absolution but not as a sacramental act.  Instead, Calvin saw this as a conditional statement -- conditional upon faith in Christ -- but for Luther this is the unconditional Word of Christ that does what it promises.

Calvin:

    Christ promises absolution to those who believe in Him.

    I believe in Christ.

    [Therefore,] I am absolved of all my sins.

Luther:

    Christ says "I absolve you of all your sins in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

    Christ never lies but always tells the truth.

    [Therefore,] I am absolved of all my sins.

For Luther, to NOT believe in this absolution is to call Christ a liar while for Calvin the priest can never say these words unconditionally and the absolved must posit his assurance in his or her faith to know that he or she is forgiven.

We could go on and on.... in the end, Carey sees Luther's understanding of justification tied to sacramental piety -- a very catholic understanding, indeed.  While there is much to consider in this article, it does highlight the issues within the LCMS about borrowing from those whose revivalist traditions are in direct conflict with our understanding of the means of grace and the efficacy of Christ's Word and promise.  It goes to the heart of what takes place on Sunday morning and to the nature of what should be sung as the hymns or songs of the faithful.  It challenges those who use the language or vocabulary of Protestantism to speak to those outside the Church and the duplicity of a witness which says one thing and means something other (or maybe not, if, indeed, those who do this have lost touch with the efficacy of Christ's Word and promise as the minor premise of this sacramental piety and liturgical life).

HT: Catching Up On My Reading

Faith versus Doubt in the Life of a Christian

Recently I had a conversation with someone experiencing real doubts about one aspect of Christian doctrine. The question centered in an area of the faith that is key to the salvation which Christ Jesus our Lord won for us through His cross and resurrection.

How best to respond to something like this? This individual certainly knew what the right answer was; he/she knew what the Bible has to say about it... the problem is simply that he/she is struggling to believe it. He/she is certainly not alone in this. We have all experienced doubts and questions about the faith. It's hard. It's disturbing. It makes us worry. We might even ask, "the fact that I am questioning this, does this mean I'm losing my faith?"

One thing that is helpful in situations like this is to highlight the distinction between rejecting the Word outright and struggling to accept the Word. It is a key distinction. The thing is: doubt is natural to anyone living in the sinful flesh. This side of eternity, we will never ever be perfectly in tune with all of God's Word, it's just not possible... not without some doubt or struggle with what God tells us in His Word. Even though we may never give up trying, we understand that we will never be able to fully understand and accept everything God says in Holy Scripture.

It's like that time that Jesus told a father whose son was possessed by an unclean spirit, "All things are possible for one who believes" (Mark 9:23). The father's response? "I believe; help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24). Certainly it's true that this "I believe; help my unbelief" characterizes much of the Christian. We are, after all, both saint and sinner.

When we sinners approach our Lord and Savior Jesus in trust, we are at the same time trusting in Him and doubting Him.

When we sinners approach our Lord Jesus, we are at the same time trusting His divine goodness and mercy and struggling to understand how that mercy plays out in our lives.

When we sinners approach our Lord, we are at the same time trusting in the merits of the cross and wondering if all of this can possibly be true, struggling to accept all that His Word says.

We come with both: faith AND doubt. We come with both to lay both at the foot of the cross, under the authority of the Word. We submit ourselves to the authority of the Word even while we struggle to understand and accept all that is in it.

I suppose it's a little like the first day of kindergarten for a little boy. He's scared. He doesn't know what to expect. Everything is new and intimidating. Yet the child walks forward into this great unknown because Mom is holding his hand. He's filled with fears and worries, yet is content to place all those fears and worries in the strength of Mom's presence.

This is a lot like the journey is all for all of us. The future is uncertain, it's new, it's intimidating. We can't know what will come, but we walk into the future hand in hand with the beloved Savior Jesus. Though we may have a thousand questions and a thousand doubts, our trust and our confidence in the sufficiency of His grace (2 Cor. 12:9) gets us through the day.

Hebrews tells us that "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (11:1). And it is by faith that we walk, and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). That faith trusts in things we do not know and cannot understand. That faith trusts in things which we will struggle to accept—  but still it is faith (however weak and however wavering) in the loving mercy of the God who sent His Son Jesus Christ to the cross for us... for us and no one else.

No matter how hard it is, if we look for the answers in God's Word, He will not disappoint us. He will lead us to the Truth which is His own Son Jesus (John 14:6). The Lord says:

"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live" (Isaiah 5:1-3).