September 09, 2002
Last week saw me getting political. This week I'm going theological.
For my admissions essay to Covenant, I'm writing about Martin Luther and the Reformation. Specifically, whether or not he was scripturally justified, and what scriptural principles affect my responsibility for social and church justice. The kicker is that the essay is only supposed to be 2 pages long. Granted, this is primarily aimed towards high school seniors so I'm guessing they don't want something as in-depth as what came to my mind when I read the question. But since I'm not from a Reformed (Presbyterian, Lutheran, etc.) church background, I have a lot of reading to do on the subject to sound intelligent when I write about it. Fortunately, this sort of thing is my bag, baby, so the research is fun.
The first good article I found online (thanks, Google!) was one by R.C. Sproul entitled Was Luther Wrong? The article goes extremely in-depth into the theological issues behind the Reformation, primarily the issue of sola fide, which means "faith alone." Basically, the Catholic church believes that a man is justified by Christ, through faith and works, and Reformed (and most evangelical churches) churches believe that a man is justified by Christ alone, through faith. The phrase I used in my headline, Simul Justus et Peccator, means "At the same time, just and sinner" -- we are justified by Christ while yet sinners. The article also goes deeply into the concept of "imputation" whereby our sin was imputed upon Christ (absolving us of their penalty) and Christ's righteousness is imputed upon us (bestowing upon us the benefits thereof).
It's a very long read (give yourself a good 45 minutes) but well worth it if you are at all interested in such things. Getting a fuller understanding of theology really helps me develop a greater appreciation for the grace of God and a greater love of Christ. My 3-4 years at Covenant are going to be amazing.
Posted by at September 9, 2002 04:33 PM | TrackBackMr Hawbaker:
Having no knowledge of your religious orientation and the depth thereof, I will attempt as accurately as possible what it may be and address your concern accordingly. If you have any questions, please ask.
First, Lutherans are not "Reformed," nor "Protestant." The Reformed (Zwingli; Calvin; Bucer) protested against Luther and the Reformation Fathers, who at the time were called "Evangelische kirche" (evangelical church). There is no such thing as the Protestant Reformation. The Protestants protested against the Reformation.
"Simul justus et pecccator" is Dr. Luther's explanation of the Christian condition. The cardinal doctrine of Christianity (per Lutherans) is justification, which means to be saved from the consequences of sin (breaking God's divine laws) by grace alone (sola gratia) through faith alone (sola fide) in Christ's atoning death on Calvary's cross alone (sola Christus et sola crux). Sola fide may have appeared to have been the "primary issue" of the Reformation in the apologetic confessions, i.e., Concordia (Book of Concord of 1580), but an in-depth reading of it will convince you all of soteriology (theology of salvation) was at issue.
Simul justus et peccator confesses the truth of St. Paul's dilemma re. sin in Romans 7:7-25. It deals with the Christian in the process of sanctification, that is, after salvation, living the Christian life. Before that there is no "justus," and there is no absence of "peccator" until death.
Hey man, my sisters fight all the time, they're still Roe's. Just 'cause Luther & Calvin never got together to work out their squabbles over The Lord's Supper (and other things too of course) doesn't mean they both weren't Protestant.
C'mon. We can be friends, me and you, Reformed & Lutheran. It's all cool. I know I know, we owe you & Luther. We're getting back together. Mikey Mike Horton & Rod Rosenbladt.
And heck, lets be honest. Since at the time both groups were really all about being anti-Rome, seems fair to lump them in the same category. Unless you don't want Mother Rome putting any labels on you.
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