Luther's Theology of the Cross (Happy Reformation Day)

Today, October 31, in the year 1517, Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses on the church door in Wittenberg. Though it was Luther's first attempt of many at writing or speaking against the theological thinking of his day, it was and continues to be a defining moment in history. The Ninety-Five Theses ushered in the dawn of the reformation.

Of the ninety-five theses, it is Luther's ninety-fifth that leads us to consider what some say is the heart of understanding Luther's theology. It reads: Away, then, with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Peace, peace," and there is no peace. Blessed be all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Cross, cross," and there is no cross! Luther is concerned with those who speak peace without the cross and offer glory without suffering.

In 1518, in another set of theses prepared for a debate at Heidelburg, Luther further defined his theology of the cross. He wrote: That person does not deserve to be called a theologian who looks upon the invisible things of God as though they were clearly perceptible in those things which have actually happened. He wrote further that he deserves to be a theologian, however, who comprehends the visible and manifest things of God seen through suffering and the cross.

In the Heidelberg Disputation, it is important to understand that Luther is contrasting his theology of the cross with what he termed a theology of glory. A theology of glory was the medieval practice of theology that involved mere metaphysical speculation and attempted to find God by one's own reasoning and wisdom. In contrast, a theology of the cross finds God on the cross through faith. Luther wrote that he who does not know Christ does not know God hidden in suffering. Therefore he prefers works to suffering, glory to the cross, strength to weakness, wisdom to folly, and, in general, good to evil.

For Luther, to know God is to know him on the cross. Walter Von Loewenich writes in regard to this principle that God reveals himself in concealment, God's wisdom appears to men as foolishness, God's power is perfected in weakness, God's glory parades in lowliness, God's life becomes effective in the death of his Son.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians: Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. Would we have chosen the cross and suffering as God's mode of saving the world? The cross is so scandalous and is only for the severest of criminals. Who would look for God on the cross? And yet Paul, and Luther, directs our gaze at God on the cross hidden in the midst of suffering.

Luther, beginning with his 95 Theses begins to direct the church of his day back to the cross. The question we must ask is do we need to recover a theology of the cross as a church? Do we prefer glory, strength, and wisdom compared to humility, weakness, and foolishness? Knowing that following Christ involves taking up our cross, are we willing to live sacrificial lives for the sake of gospel and others? Douglas John Hall writes that a theology of the cross…insists that God, who wills to meet us, love us, redeem us, meets, loves, and redeems us precisely where we are: in the valley of the shadow of death. As a result, will we engage the world around us and meet others with the truth of the gospel in the midst of their pain and struggle?

May we stand as Luther and proclaim and live life under the cross. And, may we daily remind ourselves that the word of the cross…to us who are being saved…is the power of God (1 Cor. 1:18) Therefore, far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 6:14).

Jeff

For more blogs concerning Reformation Day visit Tim Challies blogsite.

The Most Important Institution Shaping Western Culture

I work on the campus of Texas Tech University so the following excerpt from the book Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview by J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig profoundly encourages and challenges me.

For the single most important institution shaping Western culture is the university. It is at the university that our future political leaders, our journalists, our teachers, our business executives, our lawyers, our artists, will be trained. It is at the university that they will formulate or, more likely, simply absorb the worldview that will shape their lives. And since these are the opinion-makers and leaders who shape our culture, the worlview that they imbibe at the university will be the one that shapes our culture. If the Christian worldview can be restored to a place of prominence and respect at the university, it will have a leavening effect throughout society. If we change the university, we change our culture through those who shape culture.

Are You Spiritually Healthy?

Are you spiritually healthy? Important question. Many times we evaluate spiritual health with actions such as church attendance, etc..., but spiritual health is much more than just activity. It involves the motivations and attitudes of the heart. 

Consider the following questions as you gauge your spiritual health:

1. Do you thirst for God?

2. Are you governed increasingly by God's Word?

3. Are you more loving?

4. Are you more sensitive to God's presence?

5. Do you have a growing concern for the spiritual and temporal needs of others?

6. Do you delight in the bride of Christ (the church)?

7. Are the spiritual disciplines increasingly important to you? (ie. Bible study, prayer)

8. Do you still grieve over sin?

9. Are you forgiving of others?

10. Do you yearn for Heaven and to be with Jesus?

(questions taken from Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health by Donald Whitney)

The Weightlessness of God

David Wells writes:

It is one of the defining marks of Our Time that God is now weightless. I do not mean by this that he is ethereal but rather that he has become unimportant. He rests upon the world so inconsequentially as not to be noticeable. He has lost his saliency for human life. Those who assure the pollsters of their belief in God's existence my nonetheless consider him less interesting than television, his commands less authoritative than their appetites for affluence and influence, his judgment no more awe-inspiring than the evening news, and his truth less compelling than the advertisers sweet fog of flattery and lies. That is weightlessness. It is a condition we have assigned him after having nudged him out to the periphery of our secularized life.

-God in the Wasteland by David Wells, pg 88

Too Busy? Remember Your End!

Our days are numbered on this earth. But I'm not sure we believe it. We dash through our days attempting to keep afloat in a sea of hurried madness. We rush to work. We speed away to pick up our kids from school and then dart off to get them to soccer, baseball, band, and church. We eat fast food and microwave dinners. We have instant access via computer to more information than any generation and yet we get upset when files do not download fast enough. Even when we are not hurried, we live as though we are. Consider the way we drive. How many times do you find yourself getting aggravated at the slowness of traffic even when you are out for a leisurely drive?

Is this hurried pace the way we are to spend our days? We appear to be doing a bunch of "stuff" and yet in reality we are not doing much of anything. There seems to be an abundance of hollow activity as we hop from activity to activity. Could it be we have forgotten that our days our numbered? Does a dying man wish for days of frantic busyness or days of building on things that are lasting? In the last moments of a person's life, one does not spend time on the trivial.

David, the psalmist writes: O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath (Ps. 39:4-5).

May we understand the brevity of life in order to understand what needs to be priority. Time with God. Time with family. Time with friends. Time spent with a lonely neighbor. Life is too short not to spend time reading the Bible to your family. It is too short not to spend time praying for others. It is too short not to share your wealth with others. It is too short not to eat a slow meal with a good friend. It is too short to be caught up in the "rat race." 

Lord, remind us of the shortness of our days...

Jeff

Why Another Blog?

Why another blog? After all, there are already so many blogs yet so little time. Each day I seem to discover a new blog site with good stuff. True, there are many blogs that are not worth the effort to click on, but many of which I have been faithful to read have been helpful. (Between Two Worlds and Tim Challies are just a couple of which I frequent.)

So, why another blog? Well, I have a few reasons:

1) For the glory of God! Though this could be assumed, I never wish to not state the obvious.

2) For the renewing of our minds! (Thus, the blog title) We must learn to think biblically!

3) For sake of truth! In a post-modern world, we must hold on to that which is true.

4) For the depth of our souls! My hope is that this blog avoids the trivial that captures so much of our attention in this world.

5) For personal reflection! Writing causes me to think and work at expressing the truth.

So here is my attempt at a blog. For those who read it I hope you enjoy it, but more importantly, I pray it serves as a catalyst for the renewal of your mind.

Jeff