Something from .... Luther's "The Bondage of the Will" (entry #2)

INTRODUCTORY NOTES:  During the life of Martin Luther, Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus, was urged by Roman Catholic Church leaders to challenge Luther’s teachings and to condemn him.  Although Erasmus would rather have kept the peace in the Church, Erasmus was finally goaded into attacking Luther.  Erasmus intended to defend the official Roman Catholic teaching that God’s grace was needed to do the works by which man could then merit additional grace.  Luther’s response to Erasmus is known as The Bondage of the Will (De Servo Arbitrio).  Although Luther had published a myriad of writings in his career, he did not consider them worth preserving.  Luther regarded The Bondage of the Will as a rare exception to that rule.  In it, Luther writes at length that “free will” in spiritual matters is a lie, and that, if man actually has free will, then God loses such attributes as grace, omnipotence, and even his right to be God.

            The quotations from Luther in this blog post come from The Bondage of the Will translated by J. I. Packer and O. R. Johnston, Baker Academic: Grand Rapids, MI. © 1957.

            The following are thoughts concerning Luther’s arguments, urging us to LET GOD BE GOD.  Something from Luther’s The Bondage of the Will.

LET GOD BE GOD: Let God be clear.

            Do all teachings of God’s word matter?  Does love allow for some of God’s word to be a matter of preference?  Are we free to agree-to-disagree? 
            For example, Lutherans hold that Holy Baptism is a means by which God bestows forgiveness of sins, clothes people with the righteousness of Christ, marks people as his redeemed children, and sets them apart for himself for good works now and for eternity in heaven.  In short, we confess that “Baptism now saves you.” (1 Peter 3:21)  Evangelicals (e.g., non-denominational) argue that baptism does no such things; rather, it is the Christian who is doing something for God in his baptism.  Lutherans insist on baptism as a means by which God saves and state that we will not budge from our teaching and practice, which results in a division among Christians.  Evangelicals will respond that we should not get hung up on little things.
            But who gets to decide if baptism is a “little thing”?  Which teachings of God are not essential?  Which are negotiable?
            Luther insisted upon letting God clearly speaking in his word from which he made assertions.  There is no way we can know what must be taught if God has not spelled it out clearly.  To be in a state of confusion—or worse, in doubt!—about what God has said is a terrifying place to be.  What confidence can anyone have if he cannot know from God’s word what God clearly states?

Luther was driven back to God’s word to see what matters and what does not, to see when we must confess and when we must remain silent.  A serious study of God’s word does not lead us to dismiss things that are difficult or questionable; it leads us to confess those things appropriately.  If God states it, it is true.  It is to be taught and confessed.  If we are to shrug our shoulders about something (e.g., if we will see our pets in heaven), it is God who leaves the question mark there because he has chosen not to answer it.

            Let God be clear, and confess what is clearly taught in his word.  If God is clearly silent on some matters, then we will say so.  But we may not negotiate amongst ourselves about it.  We will let God make himself clear on which is which.  Something from Luther on the clarity of Scripture and the certainty of God’s teachings.            “If you are referring to essential truths—why, what more irreligious assertion could a man possibly make than that he wants to be free to assert precisely nothing about such things?  The Christian will rather say this: 'So little do I like sceptical (sic) principles, that, so far as the weakness of my flesh permits, not merely shall I make it my invariable rule steadfastly to adhere to the sacred text in all that it teaches, and to assert that teaching, but I also want to be as positive as I can about those non-essentials which Scripture does not determine; for uncertainty is the most miserable thing in the world.'” (pages 68-69)