There is a painting that hangs above the altar in St. Peter and Paul Church in Weimar, Germany. In that painting, Luther is pointing to an open Bible in his hand.
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The Mass had become property, something to be bought and sold. Huge sums were brought into the churches through the sale of the forgiveness of sins.
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We are all on pilgrimage — to appear before God in judgment. That Day is approaching, whether or not we feel its nearness. Every day, we are miles closer in our journeys.
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Again, what has this to do with Scripture? What does the Word of God say about the matter? Someone says that a spirit told them to do something. How convenient.
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We have a rule to live by: sola Scriptura. This does not mean, as some think, that we speak only where Scripture speaks and are silent on all other matters.
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See where human reason takes you without the Word of God? One invention demands another until you have a system of traditions that cannot be supported from the Scripture.
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What is written? One must look to the Scripture, then to the Church Fathers, and only listen the Fathers when they have heard the Word.
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What Christ instituted is sometimes quite different from what is practiced. So, let us be clear on what was actually done by our Lord, instead of what has been invented since.
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Millions of angels bow before Christ, who is worthy to be exalted over all creation. This is heard in Revelation’s septave of complete praise: power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing.
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We confess in the Third Article of the Creed that we believe in the communion of saints. Personal Communion would say otherwise.
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The mission of Jesus was to take upon himself the sin of the whole world (those who have ever lived, as well as those who ever will).
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The principal abuse of the Mass itself, was that it took the glory away from Christ. People are justified through faith in Christ alone, without the merit of additional sacrifices and works
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Justification is the thing around which all else circles. Look to any doctrine or practice of a church and observe how a person is justified to God.
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Christ’s words stand on their own; we do not need — nor should we — add anything to them in order to make them effective. The reason for this, is that it is his word that makes them effective.
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While it may be “omitted without sin and danger,” it may not be done without danger of sin. If people believe that Holy Communion is a work, a sacrifice done by a priest, and a service performed by themselves to receive God’s grace and forgiveness, then they are in real danger.
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Luther speaks here of the money-making Roman Mass. We have dealt earlier with masses paid for in order to absolve the dead, or others not present.
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Jesus Christ paid the price for our sin. The blood of the perfect Lamb of God was the redemption price, liberating us from not only sin, but death and the devil to boot.
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Divine justice owes humanity nothing. We do not deserve to be justified to God because of anything we do. Indeed, our sin and sinfulness deserves exactly the opposite.
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Divine justice owes humanity nothing. We do not deserve to be justified to God because of anything we do. Indeed, our sin and sinfulness deserves exactly the opposite.
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The justification of sinners is received as God’s gift, not because of religious or moral activity. Justification is a legal term, appropriated by the Apostle Paul to express God’s great gift.
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In this great, narrative sentence, there is one subject and a countless number of direct objects. Let us begin with the objects of the subject.
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Faith in God is essential. Without faith, we are like ships tossed about on the waves. But if Christ was not raised from the dead, our faith is futile.
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Luther wanted unity in the Church, but not if it meant sacrificing the very truths that upheld that Church. Three memorable, Latin slogans that came out of the Lutheran reform movement can help us determine when we are parting from Christian truth.
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The force of Luther’s writing up to this point is that the German reformers and the church in Rome held to the same basic, credal beliefs.
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With the Nicene Creed, Luther confessed that God the Father is eternal, that the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, and that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son.
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Luther begins with the beginning: that God is that One God, the Only God, who has created everything. This beginning includes the great mystery of the Christian faith...
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Oh! the dawn of that glorious Day! When Jesus returns, what need will there be of Councils? Every knee will bow before him and his word will be enough for all.
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We busy ourselves with a kind of mundane yet exuberant piety, the machinations of religion, so that we might deceive ourselves (and others, I suppose) into thinking we are holy and righteous.
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The more things change, the more they stay the same. The old adage rings as true today as it seems it did in Luther’s day.
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The more things change, the more they stay the same. The old adage rings as true today as it seems it did in Luther’s day.
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