ROUGHLY EDITED COPY LUTHERAN CONFESSIONS LC2 50 Captioning Provided By: Caption First, Inc. P.O. Box 1924 Lombard, IL 60148 800 825 5234 www.captionfirst.com *** This text is being provided in a rough draft format. Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) is provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings. *** >> NICK: To live my life according to God's will. But I've heard some people say that the law has no place for the Christian believer. On the other hand, I've heard others who emphasize the law so much it seems that the Gospel disappears. Does God's law play a role in the life of the converted believer? Should it? >> DR. RAST: Nick, you're asking a question that Lutherans ask themselves. In fact, they ask themselves the question within this context: Did Luther even see a role for the law in the life of the believer? There are some cases where Luther speaks very strongly saying things like now that we know the Gospel, now that we've heard this good news of Christ, the law no longer applies. And in a sense, he has a point. Specifically when we're talking about the article of justification. Works of the law have no place in the article of justification. However, there are many other places, as we'll see as we discuss this, where Luther talks about the life of faith. Now, the question is: Does the law have a role in that life of faith? Not surprisingly as we've seen so many times over the course of this class, Lutherans were divided in their opinion on this particular point. Some went so far as to say the law has no application whatsoever. We heard the most extreme example of that in the previous article with Agricola, the law no longer applies at all. However, after Luther's death, others said the law applies when we preach condemnation. But once a person has been regenerated, then there is no more law. No function of the law whatsoever. The Formula of Concord says yes there is a function of the law. A limited kind of function of the law. An instructing function of the law for Christians that guides them in the will of God as they seek to fulfill that in their own lives. So, Nick, your point is a good one. We, as the people of God, do want to do the will of God. We desire to do the will of God. We struggle in fulfilling that will. We struggle mightily. And fail repeatedly. But the fact remains: The law is still there. So let's see how that works itself out according to the understanding of the authors. What really drove this issue and led the formulators to their final conclusions was this ongoing conversation over the nature of the law. There were a few theologians who were saying that the law had a limited or in some cases no function in the life of the Christian believer. For example, a pastor by the name of Andrew Poach who died in 1585, pastor in Nordhausen and Ereford (ph) said very bluntly, the law has no place in the Christian life. Other pastors, for example, Anton Otto, all said that the law does have a limited place in the proclamation of the sinfulness of humankind, but after conversion has no role whatsoever. Others who jumped into the mix are Andrew Musculus and Michael Neander. On the other side of the issue, those who did say that the law had some kind of a function in the life of a Christian were people like Kemnitz, Flacius, and Merlin. What did these theologians like Kemnitz teach? First, they discussed the various uses of God's law. They saw generally speaking, three uses of the law. The first was to maintain external discipline and respectability against desolate disobedient people. Now what does this mean? Well basically what they're saying is that the law functions as a curb against the sinful human inclinations. I often times think of it in terms of a political or external use of the law that helps to keep the worst excesses of sinful human nature in check. Let me give you a case in point. I, myself, like to drive well a little over the speed limit generally speaking. People like me can put a lot of other people at risk if our inclinations are not kept in check. Hence, speed limit signs, max speed 55, 65, and the like. There's a threat there. If you go beyond this, you risk a ticket. Now, being a sinful person, I do what? I think I can get by a little bit. Drive a little faster. And, hopefully, if the policeman sees me, he'll say well that's within the general limits. Well, we know with the law of God there are no general limits. There are absolutes. You either fulfill it or you do not. And driving too fast is breaking the law. A stop sign or a stoplight, if these weren't in place, I would never stop until I reached my destination. So the signs are there to curb my desire to serve myself at the expense of my fellow human beings. They keep the worst inclinations of my own human nature somewhat in check. Not always, as my driving record would show. Let me give you another story of how this place out. One time I was at a stoplight. I was the second person in line at this stoplight. It was late at night. About 11:00. And there was nobody else there other than we two cars. We were waiting for a light to change leading out from a mall to a main road. And we sat and we sat and we sat and we sat. And for the longest time that light kept in check the inclinations of the car in front of me. But finally, he couldn't take it anymore. After about four and a half minutes of sitting there and the light not changing, this guy pulled out into what he believed was an empty street. Of course at that moment the police officer showed up. The lights flashed and the poor guy got a ticket. That's what happens with the law acting as a curb. It keeps us in check. But only to a point. In the end we always seek to serve ourselves. And no matter what the limits are, at some point or another, we'll transgress them. And then the Book of James says it very clearly. You may have kept the book of the law in all other points. But to break it in even one point is to break the entire thing. To bring condemnation of. So the formulators say that function of the law as a curb is there. It does act in that way. There is also a second use of the law. It's more proper or narrow functioning if you will, that convicts us of our sin, that crushes us under its penalty. When that man pulled through the stoplight, immediately the police were there to give the ticket and to show him that in fact he had broken that law. The curb no longer effective, it required a more extreme penalty to get the point across. The second use of the law sometimes described as a mirror showing us our sin, makes it so that no human being can boast of their own efforts. In fact, what it does is show us that we have grievously sinned in all cases and in all ways. And the Lutheran formulators do affirm that as well. The point of the second function of the law is to bring people to a recognition of their sinfulness. These first two functions of the law apply to all human beings. The curb keeping us somewhat in check. The mirror or the hammer showing us crushing us in our sin. In most of Luther's writings in the early Reformation these two uses or functions are at the forefront. However, as time went on, as the Lutheran Reformation developed and particularly as this controversy ensued over a third functioning of the law, other elements came into this and the question was what does this mean? And here's what the authors of the Formula said. Solid declaration, Article 6, paragraph 3. "Against this the other party taught that although those who believe in Christ are truly motivated by the spirit of God, and do the will of God according to their inward person from a free spirit, nevertheless, the Holy Spirit uses the written law on them to teach them so that through it believers in Christ learn to serve God not according to their own ideas but according to his written law and word, which is a certain rule and guiding principle for directing the Godly life and behavior according to the eternal and unchanging will of God." That is to say very simply that the law functions as a teacher for us. You had said that you would like to serve God as his dear child. You have received the great gift of forgiveness of sins. And, Nick, you want to say thank you to God by virtue of seeking to fulfill his will in your own life. This is a good and proper thing. The question you have no doubt is how do I do this? What does God desire of me? And that, say the formulators, is where the third functioning of the law comes in. It instructs us in how to serve God. So that we don't come up with all sorts of things on our own. All sorts of human regulations and the like. But rather we serve God as he desires to be served. Now, what's at work here? Well one point is very simple. We in this life struggle with the reality of our sinful flesh. Though we are fully redeemed by the work of Christ, we continue to struggle as long as we remain in this life with the realities of the sinful flesh that desires to pursue its own ends. That is something we simply cannot rid ourselves of. That will only happen with our passing through death and coming through the resurrection of our bodies. So we struggle with that in this life. And the problem that comes out of that is that our flesh is always trying to seek ways to serve itself and also trying to move us to serve in ways that are not always in accord with the will of God. Thus, what the law does is tell us how God desires to be served. It instructs us in the right ways to serve him. Now, what does this mean? Well it means that we don't set up a whole regiment of human rules and regulations. Now what might be behind this? Think back to some of the complaints that characterized the Augsburg Confession. What were the Lutherans concerned about? Were they concerned that the Roman Catholics were seeking to do good works as Christian people? That was never the issue. They were concerned that Roman Catholicism had created this entire regiment of good works that had to be done in order to please God. Some of the most egregious examples of this in their minds were things like monastic vows and the like where people were forced to serve God. Where we see them creating this new office or vocation that supposedly had a higher standing in God's eyes and produced more spiritually pleasing works. Well, this misses the point as far as they're concerned. What they're simply saying in this text in Article 6 is that the law shows us the way in which God desires us to walk. It does not, they were very clear to say, produce the ability to fulfill these things. Simply saying to a person do this does not enable them to do something. We've seen that before. The human will can resist the will of God. Can reject the will of God. Can turn away from it. So simply saying to a person repeatedly do this, do this, do this will not in and of itself create the motivation to do it. At least from a spiritually proper motivation. What then is the key? The key is the Gospel. Because we have been redeemed by Christ, because God has poured out his grace upon us, because God has brought us into his family and made us his own through holy baptism, we now are given a new will. We desire to fulfill God's word. We seek to do the will of God in our own minds and we pursue it as much as we are able. And the scriptures made clear, this is the work of the Holy Spirit within us. So the law does not create the motivation, if you will, to do this. Because the law can only say the demand. This must be done. Do this. What the formulators the point the formulators are trying to make here is that the Gospel is the means by which the spirit works faith. And then through the law the spirit reproves but also teaches which works are pleasing to God. And in response to that good news, we seek to do those things with the spirit's help. In this respect justification is the work of God as we clearly say. But as much our sanctification is Christ's continual work in us as well. As one of my colleagues has put it, sanctification is Christ in action in us. So what's the difference here then? What's the distinction to be made? Well as the formulators put it, the works of the unregenerate are done by compulsion under fear of God's punishment, out of the demands and necessity of the law. The words of the regenerate, of believers are done out of thankfulness for what God has done. They are in fact the fruit of the spirit at work within us. Now, part of your question was why does some churches teach the law so much? Well, there are plenty of examples in the Bible where we hear, for example, Paul exhorting Christians to the life of faith, to be obedient and the like. And these things are good and proper. That's Paul using the third function, we might say. Exhorting Christians to be what they are, the people of God. However, that is easily blend over or meld over into a proclamation of the law where you have the law itself becoming the motivating factor. Do this, do this, do this. And, if you don't do this, God will be angry. That's no longer Gospel. That's law. And works done in that context are often done out of compulsion. One might say fear of retribution. There are Christian traditions that believe the law motivates people to good works. I, along with the Formula of Concord, thinks this misses the point. It draws the focus off of Christ and his gracious work for us and puts it upon the human being themselves. Now, that is not to say that the proclamation of the law will not result in people doing things. It will in fact. You can threaten people into doing things and force them to do it out of fear. My point is that doesn't produce the spiritual life. Doesn't nurture us in faith and lead us to true service in Christ's name. The Lord gives us a different model and a little earlier in the class I pointed this out. It's in Matthew chapter 25 versus 31 to 46 where we see Jesus describing those who have done works out of compulsion and fear, fulfilling the law who come to him and say, "Lord, we did all of these things in your name" expecting some kind of reward for that. And he turns to them and says, "I do not know you." On the other hand, you have all these people come to the Lord and say, "When did we do these good works in your name?" He puts it like this, verse 35. "For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. And they will answer him saying Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you drink? And the king will answer them truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." He gives us the instruction there of how we serve God by serving our neighbor. But you see how these people don't do this out of compulsion but rather out of love. Love for what they have first received from God. That's the point the Formula is trying to make. The law in and of itself cannot motivate these good works. It simply instructs us and teaches us what God would have us do as his people. But the Gospel alone is that from which our good works flow. They are indeed the fruit of Christ's spirit at work within us. So what would Luther say to all this? Well one neglected part of the small catechism is Luther's table of duties. And that sounds kind of like a law, doesn't it? But what do you find when you take a look at the table of duties? You see Luther talking about living in our calling, whatever t may be, no matter how humorous they may be, father, mother, professor, student, no matter where he with might find ourselves in this life. Living as the people of God, living the life of service. Not in the sense of the law making these demands so that we can become the children of God. Good works are not necessary for salvation. See the connection? But rather doing these things out of love for Christ who has first given himself for us. And doing these things as his people. As Luther would put it in one of his profound theological insights though perhaps most simple, being Christ to our neighbors. It seems so simple. But the Lord has his promise attached to this. These are the ones who whom he will speak that ultimate word "You are my own dear children. You are the blessed. Come into my kingdom." In fact he says that to us repeatedly doesn't he in the Gospel, that is the message that we consistently hear. You are my own dear children. So careful distinction once again by the formulators. Seeing that the law does instruct us still as Christians but noting very carefully that the law and the Gospel must never be confused. That is very truly the highest art and it's one we must continually relearn day in and day out. But as we do this, we always have the sure and certain message of Christ. You are my own, you are my own dear children baptized into my family and you have the promise of everlasting life.