|
Rambling's From The Rev. |
|
|
Pastor Jim
Johnson |
|
|
When Martin Luther began his work as a professor of Scripture at the University in Wittenberg he began lecturing on the Psalms, the Book of Romans and Galatians. When he was preparing his lectures on Romans 1:17, Luther had a revelation, or epiphany, or break through, ah ha moment regarding the righteousness of God. He realized there are two kinds of righteousness, in the same way there are two kinds of sin, which led to the realization that there are two kinds of gospels, two kinds of kingdoms, and two natures within us.
Luther liked to use different terminology to define these two distinctions: Alien versus Proper, or Passive versus Active, or Spiritual versus Civil, or one could say Eternal versus Temporal, or as Paul says, Spirit versus Flesh. In the same way that we talk about the difference between Original Sin (capital S) versus acts of sin (small s) or wrong doing, so we come to understand the difference between two kinds of righteousness. Just as Original Sin is an Alien Sin, meaning that it comes to us from the outside and we passively receive, not by choice but by condition, even from our mother’s womb (Ps. 51), so it is with righteousness. There is a righteousness that belongs to Christ which is imputed or instilled in us through the sacraments and receiving the gospel. It does not properly belong to us but to God, and is given to us as a gift, or by grace. And just as there are acts of sin, which are Proper to us, or we actively commit, so it is with righteousness. There is Proper Righteousness, or acts of righteousness or good deeds we perform. But with regard to righteousness, Luther’s break through in Romans 1:17 was that it is only this Alien Righteousness that leads to our salvation, not Proper Righteousness.
With this distinction of grace and works, gospel and law, Spirit and flesh, righteousness by faith and righteousness by us, Luther began to distinguish between two kinds of gospels: Christ as gift and Christ as example. Before we ever ask WWJD (What Would Jesus Do), we must receive Jesus as pure gift of salvation, otherwise we turn Jesus into another Moses, Mohamed, Mahatma Ghandi, or Martin Luther King Jr. (great examples and guides, but not saviors). Likewise with two kingdoms: there is the kingdom above (heaven) which we receive passively by grace alone; and there is the kingdom below (earth and flesh) which we actively work, strive, love and serve. In the same way we have two natures: saint and sinner, or in Paul’s language, Spirit and flesh. Both of these natures we receive passively by birth: sinner or flesh we receive from our mother’s womb; saint or Spirit we receive in our second birth, in baptism.
We live and operate out of these two realities we live in/with. It is not an either/or, but a both/and. We are simultaneously saint and sinner, of the Spirit and of the flesh; simultaneously given righteousness by faith and called to live righteously; we are simultaneously citizen of both the kingdom above and of this kingdom below; we take Jesus both as savior and example. But of utmost importance for our salvation is grace; receiving Jesus, heaven, righteousness, holiness or saintliness, the Spirit, which God gives to us and we receive by faith (which itself is a gift from God). Out of this reality, this new creation, new being or nature works of righteousness, good deeds, love and charity follow – not in order to become a Christian or saved, but because we are, therefore we do…
Peace be with you.
Pastor Jim
|
|