As I mentioned in my last post, I have very much enjoyed the conversations that my blog has started and this ongoing conversation continues today. I received an email asking the excellent question, ‘What was Luther’s problem with the Book of James." Well, I am not sure that there is an easy or perhaps the better word might be “short” answer, but I will certainly try to answer that for you.
First of all let’s be sure that we are on the same page here. We are talking about Martin Luther the 16th century, German Reformer, who was the namesake of today’s Lutheran Church, as opposed to Martin Luther King Jr. who was the assassinated civil rights leader. I remember a Christmas program once where someone portraying Martin Luther was supposed to stroll through the sanctuary while the choir sang a German Christmas Carol. The youth leader suddenly became very concerned asking the question, “Shouldn’t Martin Luther be black?” I just wanted to be sure that we didn’t have this confusion.
One of the foundational beliefs of Martin Luther and of the Protestant Reformers was the doctrine of Sola fide, or “by faith alone.” This doctrine declares that it is only on the basis of God’s grace through the faith of the believer that we are justified and our sins are forgiven. This is one of the key doctrines that distinguish the Protestant faith from that of Catholicism or Eastern Christianity. This doctrine of “by faith alone” is the bases of Martin Luther’s challenge to the Catholic Church who held that it is a combination of faith and good works that are the keys to salvation.
One of Luther’s primary issues with the Roman Catholic Church was the practice of indulgences. This practice essentially held that you could buy your forgiveness, or that of a loved one, by giving money or gifts to the church. In 1517 Pope Leo X offered indulgences to those who were willing to give money to the reconstruction of Saint Peters Basilica in Rome. There was one German Dominican Priest in particular, Johann Tetzel, that especial received the wrath of Luther because of his over aggressive sale of indulgences. Tetzel was credited with the slogan, "As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs"
The scriptural foundation for the doctrine of “by faith alone” is found in the book of Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. The problem that develops with Martin Luther and the book of James is that James says, “You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.” Here is a little more of what James says about faith and works:
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-- and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
James 2:19-26
Uh Oh… so which one is right? Is it by faith alone, or does works have something to do with it? Luther chose to deal with this disparity by holding that the book of James was not important or significant and not to be used for the purposes of doctrine. He was widely quoted as referring to the book of James as the “epistle of straw”
John Calvin, another Reformer and contemporary of Luther, had a different take and simply referred to good works as a consequence or “fruit” of faith. Of course our own John Wesley weighed in on this topic in great detail essentially holding that it is by faith alone that we are justified, and that without being justified by faith, it is impossible to do good works. He further held that once a person was justified by faith through the grace of God, then good works and fruits would naturally flow from this new birth, or being born again. In addition he believed that if works were not evident in someone’s life then perhaps they were not justified at all. Wesley was always very good at taking two opposite opinions and blending them into a relationship that made sense.
So, in a nut shell this was the great controversy. It’s funny that we don’t talk so much about these things today, and perhaps that is a shame. The relationship between faith and works is critical. Can we truly be saved if there is no evidence in our life? Is it possible to do works that are pleasing to God if we are not justified by faith? Does Wesley’s view of good works mean that someone outside of the Christian faith can do nothing pleasing to God? What about someone who dies right after they are justified by faith, and was never baptized where do they fit in? Will they go to heaven?
I love these types of questions! It is in the search of these answers and the answers to countless other questions of faith that one could spend a lifetime in pursuit. What kind of questions are you asking?
Blessings
First of all let’s be sure that we are on the same page here. We are talking about Martin Luther the 16th century, German Reformer, who was the namesake of today’s Lutheran Church, as opposed to Martin Luther King Jr. who was the assassinated civil rights leader. I remember a Christmas program once where someone portraying Martin Luther was supposed to stroll through the sanctuary while the choir sang a German Christmas Carol. The youth leader suddenly became very concerned asking the question, “Shouldn’t Martin Luther be black?” I just wanted to be sure that we didn’t have this confusion.
One of the foundational beliefs of Martin Luther and of the Protestant Reformers was the doctrine of Sola fide, or “by faith alone.” This doctrine declares that it is only on the basis of God’s grace through the faith of the believer that we are justified and our sins are forgiven. This is one of the key doctrines that distinguish the Protestant faith from that of Catholicism or Eastern Christianity. This doctrine of “by faith alone” is the bases of Martin Luther’s challenge to the Catholic Church who held that it is a combination of faith and good works that are the keys to salvation.
One of Luther’s primary issues with the Roman Catholic Church was the practice of indulgences. This practice essentially held that you could buy your forgiveness, or that of a loved one, by giving money or gifts to the church. In 1517 Pope Leo X offered indulgences to those who were willing to give money to the reconstruction of Saint Peters Basilica in Rome. There was one German Dominican Priest in particular, Johann Tetzel, that especial received the wrath of Luther because of his over aggressive sale of indulgences. Tetzel was credited with the slogan, "As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs"
The scriptural foundation for the doctrine of “by faith alone” is found in the book of Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. The problem that develops with Martin Luther and the book of James is that James says, “You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.” Here is a little more of what James says about faith and works:
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-- and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
James 2:19-26
Uh Oh… so which one is right? Is it by faith alone, or does works have something to do with it? Luther chose to deal with this disparity by holding that the book of James was not important or significant and not to be used for the purposes of doctrine. He was widely quoted as referring to the book of James as the “epistle of straw”
John Calvin, another Reformer and contemporary of Luther, had a different take and simply referred to good works as a consequence or “fruit” of faith. Of course our own John Wesley weighed in on this topic in great detail essentially holding that it is by faith alone that we are justified, and that without being justified by faith, it is impossible to do good works. He further held that once a person was justified by faith through the grace of God, then good works and fruits would naturally flow from this new birth, or being born again. In addition he believed that if works were not evident in someone’s life then perhaps they were not justified at all. Wesley was always very good at taking two opposite opinions and blending them into a relationship that made sense.
So, in a nut shell this was the great controversy. It’s funny that we don’t talk so much about these things today, and perhaps that is a shame. The relationship between faith and works is critical. Can we truly be saved if there is no evidence in our life? Is it possible to do works that are pleasing to God if we are not justified by faith? Does Wesley’s view of good works mean that someone outside of the Christian faith can do nothing pleasing to God? What about someone who dies right after they are justified by faith, and was never baptized where do they fit in? Will they go to heaven?
I love these types of questions! It is in the search of these answers and the answers to countless other questions of faith that one could spend a lifetime in pursuit. What kind of questions are you asking?
Blessings
1 comment:
You are so UP on your Luther history. Nicely put. I went to a Lutheran college you know.
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