- Indulged
1517 Johann Tetzel ““As soon as a coin in the coffer rings / the soul from purgatory springs”
Indulgences – a financial payment protecting you and/or your family from Purgatory
Semi Pelagianism –a recipe for corruption and Abuse
- Martin Luther and the alternative Trick or Treat
Martin Luther Born 10th November 1483
2nd July 1505 –studying law –nearly struck by lightening “Help Saint Anna, I will become a monk”
1516 Johann Tetzel “As soon as a coin in the coffer rings / the soul from purgatory springs”
31st October 1517 –Nails the 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenburg
April 18th 1521 The Diet of Worms before Charles V King of Spain and Holy Roman emperor
Asked if he will recant
“Therefore I ask by the mercy of God, may your most serene majesty, moat illustrious Lordships, or anyone at all who is able, either high or low bear witness, overthrow them by the writings of the prophets and evangelists. Once I have been taught I shall be quite ready to renounce every error and I shall be the first to cast my books into the fire.”[1]
BUT
“Unless I am convinced by the teaching of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves) I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Here I stand I can do no other.”[2]
NB discussion –Church and Conscience/ Church and Scripture
- The Testimony that underpinned a revolution
“Though I lived as a Monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that he was placated by my satisfaction. I did not love, yes I hated the righteousness of God who punishes sinners… I was angry with God.”[3]
“At last by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely “In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous will live. There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning; the righteousness of God is revealed by the Gospel, namely the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us by faith.” [4]
“Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise through open gates.” [5]
“And I extolled my sweetest word with a love as great as the hated with which I had before hated the word, righteousness of God’.” [6]
- Introducing John Calvin
Born in France – 10 July 1509. Died 27 May 1564
In 1536 he is invited to Geneva to help lead the Reformation from there.
- Developing the Doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone
- Knowledge of self starts with knowledge of God
“Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid wisdom, consists almost parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.”[7]
“In the first place, no man can survey himself without forthwith turning his thoughts towards the God in whom he lives and moves because it is perfectly obvious that the endowments which we possess cannot possibly be from ourselves; nay that our very being is nothing else than substinance in God alone.”[8]
“On the other hand, it is evident that man never attains to a true self-knowledge until he hve previously contemplated the face of God and come down after contemplation to look into himself. For (such is our innate pride) we always seem to ourselves just, and upright and wise and holy until we are convinced by clear evidence of our injustice, violence, folly and impurity.”[9]
This stops us from judging our goodness against a relative standard
- God is Sovereign and Good –in control of the detail of life
“It were cold and lifeless to represent God as a momentary Creator who completed his work once for all and then left.”[10]
“After learning that there is a Creator it must forthwith infer that he is also a Governor and Preserver and that not by producing a kind of general motion in the machine of the globe as well as in each of its parts but by a special Providence sustaining, cherishing, superintending all things which he has made to the minutest, even a sparrow.”[11]
It were cold and lifeless to represent God as a momentary Creator who completed his work once for all and then left.”[12]
(Note for Calvin this includes Predestination –but his aim here is not intellectual discussion but to accurately and pastorally teach Scripture)
“But before I enter on the subject, I have some remarks to address to two classes of men. The subject of predestination, which in itself is attended with considerable difficulty is rendered very perplexed and hence perilous by human curiosity which cannot be restrained from wandering into forbidden paths, and climbing to the clouds, determined if it can that none of the secret things of God shall remain unexplored.”[13]
“It is not right that man should with impunity pry into things which the Lord has been pleased to conceal within himself, and scan that sublime eternal wisdom which it is his pleasure that we should not apprehend but adore, that therein also his perfections may appear. Those secrets of his will, which he has seen it meet to manifest are revealed in his word – revealed in so far as he knew to be conducive to our interest and welfare.”[14]
“There are others who when they would cure this disease, recommend that the subject of predestination should scarcely if ever be mentioned and tell us to shun every question concerning it as we would a rock.”[15]
“Although their moderation is justly commendable in thinking that such mysteries should be treated with moderation, because they keep too far within the proper measure, they have little influence over the human mind, which does not readily allow itself to be curbed.”[16]
- Humans are
- …. made good in God’s Image
“We have now to speak of the creation of man, not only because of all the works of God it is the noblest and most admirable specimen of his justice, wisdom and goodness, but as we observed at the outset, we cannot clearly and properly know God unless the knowledge of ourselves be added.”[17]
“God has provided the soul of man with intellect, by which he might discern good from evil, just from unjust and might know what to follow or to shun.”[18]
- ….but fallen and corrupted by sin
Like Augustine he believes in Original Sin. This has affected every aspect of our nature
“Our nature is not only devoid of goodness, but so prolific in all kinds of evil, that it can never be idle.”[19]
“Everything that is in man from the intellect to the will, from the soul to the flesh is defiled and pervaded with this concupiscence, or to express it more briefly, that the whole man is in himself, nothing else than concupiscence.”[20]
“all parts of the soul were possessed by sin.”[21]
The only remedy is a new heart. This is completely an act of Divine Grace
“When the will is enchained as the slave of sin, it cannot make a movement towards goodness, far less steadily pursue it. Every such movement is the first step in that conversion to God, which in Scripture is entirely ascribed to grace.”[22]
- Christ does two things
- His innocent death means he takes the curse and punishment of sin on himself
“We perceive Christ representing the character of a sinner and a criminal, while at the same time, his innocence shines forth, and it becomes manifest that he suffers for another and not for his own crime.”[23] –e.g. Pilate both sentences and absolves him
“The very form of the death embodies a striking truth. The cross was cursed not only in the opinion of men, but by the enactment of Divine Law. Hence Christ, while suspended on it, subjects himself to the cause. And thus it behoved to be done, in order that the whole curse, which on account of our iniquities awaited us, or rather lay upon us, might be taken from us by being transferred to him.”[24]
Is 53:5, 10; 2 Cor 5:21; Gal 3:13,14; 1 Peter 2:24
- His obedient Death on our behalf means that we are justified
Calvin says that we can either attempt to justify ourselves by living a perfect life. Or we can be justified by receiving Christ’s righteousness
“…wherever sin is, there also are the wrath and vengeance of God. He on the other hand is justified who is regarded not a sinner, but as righteous and as such stands acquitted at the judgement seat of God, where all sinners are condemned.”[25]
“As an innocent man, when charged by an impartial judge, who decides according to his innocence, is said to be justified by the judge, so a man is said to be justified by God when, removed from the catalogue of sinners, he has God as the witness and asserter of his righteousness.”[26]
“In the same manner a man will be said to be justified by works, if in his life there can be found a purity and holiness which merits and attestation of righteousness at the throne of God, or if by the perfection of his works he can answer and satisfy the divine justice.”[27]
Christ’s obedience through his whole life but specifically in death leads to our justification
“When it is asked then how Christ, by abolishing sin, removed the enmity between God and us, and purchased a righteousness which made him favourable and kind to us, it may be answered generally that he accomplished this by the whole course of his obedience.”[28]
(Cf Romans 5:19; Gal 4:4-5)
“Scripture however, the more certainly to define the mode of salvation ascribes it peculiarly and specially to the death of Christ.”[29]
- Why this all matters
Neither Calvin (Servetus) or Luther (alleged ant-Semitism) were perfect but both grasped that Salvation is completely by Grace alone.
This removes the need to go through priests and popes for forgiveness. In other words, it refutes all attempts to put human obstacles in the way of a living relationship with a loving God.
[1] Cited in Mark Noll, Turning Points, 153-154.
[2] Martin Luther, Cited in Noll, Turning Points, 154.
[3] Martin Luther, Cited in Noll, Turning Points, 159.
[4] Martin Luther, Cited in Noll, Turning Points, 159.
[5] Martin Luther, Cited in Noll, Turning Points, 159.
[6] Martin Luther, Cited in Noll, Turning Points, 159.
[7] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, I.i.1. (Beveridge, 1:37).
[8] Calvin, Institutes, I.i.1. (Beveridge, 1:37).
[9] Calvin, Institutes, I.i.2. (Beveridge, 1:38).
[10] Calvin, Institutes, I.xvi.1. (Beveridge 1: 171)
[11] Calvin, Institutes, I.xvi.1. (Beveridge, 1:172).
[12] Calvin, Institutes, I.xvi.1. (Beveridge 1: 171)
[13] Calvin, Institutes, III.xxi.1 . (Beveridge, 2:203).
[14] Calvin, Institutes, III.xxi.1. (Beveridge, 2:204).
[15] Calvin, Institutes, III.xxi. 2. (Beveridge, 2:204).
[16] Calvin, Institutes, III.xxi.3. (Beveridge 2:204-5).
[17] Calvin, Institutes, I.xv.1. (Beveridge, 1:159).
[18] Calvin, Institutes, I.xv.8. (Beveridge, 1:169).
[19] Calvin, Institutes, II.i.8 (Beveridge 1:218).
[20] Calvin, Institutes, II.i.8 (Beveridge 1:218).
[21] Calvin, Institutes, II.i.9. (Beveridge, 1:218).
[22] Calvin, Institutes, II.iii.5. (Beveridge, 1:253).
[23] Calvin, Institutes, II.vi,5. (Beveridge, 1: 439).
[24] Calvin, Institutes, II.xvi.6. (Beveridge, 1:439).
[25] Calvin, Institutes, III.xi.2. (Beveridge, 2:38).
[26] Calvin, Institutes, III.xi.2. (Beveridge, 2:28).
[27] Calvin, Institutes, III.xi.2. (Beveridge, 2:38).
[28] Calvin, Institutes, II.vi.5. (Beveridge, 1:437).
[29] Calvin, Institutes, II.xvi.5. (Beveridge, 1:437).
Faithroots 