Luther’s Theology

Luther's Theology

 

 

 

<Luther's Theology : Word of God>

■ Starting and final point for his theology(paramount importance)

■ the word of God is Jesus! and the bible is about Jesus!

■ Final authority rests in the Bible, Gospel and Jesus Christ.

■ Why the bible over church traditions?

- the gospel, Jesus Christ, made the church and the bible

- the bible is a better witness of the gospel than the church, which is often corrupt and corrupted

- The bible trumps the church, the popes, and traditions

■ viva vox evangelii (living voice of the gospel) - the spoken Word; preaching the gospel: the forgiveness of sins; it's powerful!

 

 

<Luther's Theology : Knowledge of God>

■ a priori

- people can know that God exists by rationalization or by nature

- People can know the difference between good and evil

 

(* Theology of glory; Example에 포함되어 있음)

■ One does not get to know God by speculation, all human efforts to know God are futile. Luther calls it "a theology of glory."

■ Theology of glory -true knowledge of God

- God as he knows himself

- Limited humans can never fully know the infinite glory of God

■ Theology of the cross -God of revelation (Luther's proposes, instead of Theology of glory)

- Limited humans can know what God reveals to us especially with the cross

- the cross is the best way to know God

- We know God as the way God wants to be known and can be known

- the cross is very different from glory

 

 

<Luther's Theology: Law and Gospel>

■ In the theology of the cross (aka God of revelation), God presents himself in two ways : law(judgment) and gospel(grace) - they always come together, we have both law and gospel in OT and NT

■ Example

- Mosaic Laws: reveal's God's holiness(law), Drives us to Christ(gospel)

- Forgiveness: Meant that we were under a very harsh law, We have been pardoned

- Law secured sinners in their sinfulness

■ Between law and gospel means that a Christian is at one and the same time both sinful and justified.

 

<Luther's Theology: Two kingdoms>

■ God has established two kingdoms: one under the law, and the other under the gospel.

■ The state, its main purpose is to set limits to human sin and its consequences.

■ Believers, belong to the other kingdom, which is under the gospel.

■ In the Kingdom of the gospel, civil authorities have no power.

■ Christians are not subject to the state, and owe it no allegiance.

■ 1) state

- law / - secular - has the power of the sword (by death)

- Created to control society (to prevent chaos)

■ 2) Church

- gospel / - Spiritual / heavenly /- No power of the sword

- Should not be confused with the state

■ applications

- Rulers follow law(state) not the gospel(church)

- Christians can follow a non-christian ruler

- As sinners, christians are under the authority of the state(to prevent chaos)

- True faith should not to force itself on the state

 

<Church>

■ He convinced that the church was an essential element of the Christian message.

■ Mother church- His theology was a Christian life to be lived within a community of believers. This community he called 'mother church'.

■ There is an organic reality within which all communion with God takes place, and that reality is the church.

■ The doctrine of the universal priesthood of believers strengthens church.

 

<Luther's theology: the sacraments>

* Sacraments - instituted by Christ choosing material elements

- proclaims the forgiveness of sins(gospel)

- Luther comes to conclusion that there are only two sacraments: Baptism & communion.

■ Baptism

- a sign of the death and resurrection of the believer with Jesus Christ.

- Brings new life to Christ, Paedobaptism

- And it is much more than a sign, for by its power we are made members of the body of Christ.

- Without faith is not valid.

- The foundation and the context in which the entire life of the believer takes place.

 

 

■ Lord's Supper: communion

- He rejected a great deal of commonly accepted doctrine regarding communion. Particularly he opposed to the celebration of private masses.

- The manner in which the doctrine of transubstantiation had been used had tied it to the theory that the mass was a meritorious sacrifice, and this ran contrary to justification by God. So he opposed the doctrine of transubstantiation

- He attach great importance to the sacrament itself, and to the presence of Christ it.

- He retained the Word made visible in communion as the center of Christian worship.

- Christ's presence in the element's Consubstantiation, the presence of the body of Christ in, with, under, around, and behind the bread and wine.

- The question of how Christ is present in communion became one of the main points at issue in the debates between Lutherans and Reformed.