Thank You, God, for Martin Luther
“A good tree needs no instruction or law to bear good fruit; its nature causes it to bear according to its kind without any law or instruction. I would take to be quite a fool any man who would make a book full of laws and statutes for an apple tree telling it how to bear apples and not thorns, when the tree is able by its own nature to do this better than the man with all his books can describe and demand. Just so, by the Spirit and by faith all Christians are so thoroughly disposed and conditioned in their very nature that they do right and keep the law better than one can teach them with all manner of statutes; so far as they themselves are concerned, no statutes or laws are needed.”
- Martin Luther
- Martin Luther
I just love Martin Luther. He really did rescue Christianity. Christians just need to preach the law and the gospel and leave people alone. Quit moralizing to people for the sake of all that is holy. - DOB
posted by David Browder at 12/11/2007 09:00:00 PM
6 Comments:
These are indeed beautiful words. However, I can never get over the fact that the man who wrote these words also wrote "On The Jews And Their Lies" in 1543, only 3 years before his death. And, although I do not blame Luther's theology for that work, it is an undeniable fact that his theology did nothing to prevent that hateful work near the end of his life, or even to soften its tone. So I am left deeply skeptical, even of "law and grace" teaching, as having much effect on the human heart, when all is said and done.
These words were written about 20-25 years before his writings on Jews. Obviously, those writings were ill-conceived and harmful. That does not, however, make the message wrong.
In the Donatist controversy, there was a debate as to the efficacy of the sacraments consecrated by priests who had apostacized under persecution and returned to the church. It was ruled that the sacraments did not take on the character of the priest or bishops giving them.
In this way, the message must be separated from any flaw the bearer might have. The Gospel's efficacy is not tainted by the flaws of the man.
As for the power of "law and gospel," I disagree with you. This mesage absolutely has the power to change the heart, although imperfectly (of course).
When it comes to the personal foibles of the evangelical "right" and their "law" teaching, you do not seem so insistent on separating "the message from the messenger." What's good for the goose...
The Donatist controversy has no bearing on this issue, since the question there was the objective efficacy of the sacrament, not the claimed effect of a particular idea on its proponent. And, while it certainly is true that "nobody's perfect", that could be said of Pol Pot in defense of totalitarian communism, with an equally hollow ring.
That's true about the evangelical right and their law teaching. That is a particular failing of mine. That does not mean that their law teaching is right, however. And it doesn't mean the message of law and gospel that I bring is wrong. The message bases its validity on the one (God) who gives it.
I think there is a parallel with the Donatists. They were speaking about objective efficacy and the law-gospel message speaks of its efficacy. Scripture asserts the effect of it, not just me, Luther, or anyone else.
My point is not that "law and gospel" is right or wrong, true or false, it is just that I am very skeptical of that or any other set of ideas as "change agents." But maybe I am wrong, perhaps if he had not understood "law and gospel" Luther would have gone out and personally strangled every Jew he could lay his hands on, instead of just writing about it.
I think it is a change agent when the Holy Spirit uses it as a conduit to change hearts. Certainly, my life has been changed among others. Certainly, there is simul iustus et pecator, but you know that. It is certainly the change agent that the law cannot be.
As far as the Jews, I have very little background on what prompted that response from Luther. If memory serves, there was something written that referred to "that whore Mary and her bastard son Jesus." Perhaps that is what sent hm over the top. When I get done here, I'll have to investigate it further because it is an important facet of Luther.
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