Christ for Us
On October 31, 1517, a monk teaching at the relatively new university of Wittenberg posted a set of theological arguments on the door of the castle church in order to invite an academic debate. This was not terribly out of the ordinary and nine times out of ten – actually, make that 9999 times out of 10,000 – would have occasioned little more than an opportunity for academics to do what they love to do most: argue about things that seem of little consequence to those outside their circles.
But this time was different.
Because of a strange overlap of circumstances – religious, political, societal, cultural, and even technological (think “printing press”) – this teacher’s theological theses eventually went viral and was the spark that set off the conflagration later called the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther, the monk in question, ended up being one of the pivotal figures in Western history, arguably the most published author in the West and the most written about, excluding Jesus.
As I write, it’s October 31, 2016, the 499th year after Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses. As we approach the anniversary commemorating the 500th anniversary Reformation, I thought I would share each week a quotation from Luther and what light it sheds on Luther’s thought and, perhaps more important, what it may mean to us as we continue to try to live into a church and world that knows God’s love, grace, and mercy.
For this initial post, I decided to post a brief passage from his 1520 work, “On Christian Freedom.” It has always been an important guide for me in relation to preaching, the subject I taught at seminary for so many years and the thing that is perhaps my favorite task as a leader and pastor in the church.
What is striking to me about this particular insight it how relevant it is to us. For where many traditions – apparently then but also most certainly now – tend to stress the “cognitive” dimension of the faith – knowing proper Christian doctrine, being confident of what you believe, etc. – Luther stresses what I’d call the “existential” dimension of the faith. That is, how any particular doctrine affects us, what claim it makes upon us, and what difference it may make to us. The important part of the matter, Luther stresses, is not simply that Christ lived, taught, died…in general, as a mere historical fact, but rather that he did this things “for us.” And it is this pro nos, “for us” that is so central to his thought.
When it comes to preaching, I’d always invite students to answer the question, “So what?” in their sermon. That is, they should imagine that someone in the congregation, after hearing the biblical passage read, would say, “So what, Pastor? Why should I care about this passage of the Bible?” I told them the benefit of this exercise was that, indeed, each and every week there would be people in their congregation asking themselves this very question!
So, from “On Christian Freedom,” Luther on the point of our preaching and teaching and, indeed, the Christian faith more generally:
It is not enough or in any sense Christian to preach the works, life, and words of Christ as historical facts, as if the knowledge of these would suffice…. Rather ought Christ to be preached that faith in him may be established and that he may not only be Christ, but be Christ for you and me, and that what is said of him and is denoted in his name may be effectual in us. Such faith is produced and preserved by preaching why Christ came, what he brought and bestowed, what benefit it is to us to accept him.
Luther’s Works, Volume 31, page 357.
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