"Our most merciful Father...sent his only Son into the world and laid upon him...the sins of all men saying: Be thou Peter that denier; Paul that persecutor, blasphemer and cruel oppressor; David that adulterer; that sinner which did eat the apple in Paradise; that thief which hanged upon the cross; and briefly be thou the person which hath committed the sins of all men; see therefore that thou pay and satisfy for them. Here now comes the law and saith: I find him a sinner...therefore let him die upon the cross. And so he setteth upon him and killeth him. By this means the whole world is purged and cleansed from all sins."
Mark 10:45- "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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7 comments:
Beg your pardon for perhaps breaching the scope of this post, but there are some who assume that atonement contains propitiation and others who feel that it refers only to sin and not the resulting wrath. In the abundance of references to "atonement" and little to "propitiation", I find myself not including that part of the gospel message when shared.
How does "atonement" relate to the "propitiation" of God's wrath? And is it true to say that both are included in the ransom (e.g. Mark 10:45)?
re:
John 3:36
Romans 5:9
Hebrews 2:17
1 John 2:2
1 John 4:10
Revelation 16
First, I'm amazed that Luther wrote in King James English!
But more to the point, why did you post this? Did you find it controversial or surprising that Luther wrote this? Or is it that Luther believes the law to be a person? I'm not sure that I can buy into the idea that it is the law that killed Jesus or that it can pronounce a death sentence on him.
Could you elaborate just a bit?
Ben,
Wonderful questions. It really isn't possible for me to detail everything here in this post except to say that propitiation is absolutely connected with the atonement. See 1 John 1:18, Romans 3:25-26; God's wrath was poured out upon Jesus. In this way He atones for our sins. He "became sin for us" and therefore was punished for our sins on the cross. His Father turned away from Him. So yes the ransom price is paid by satisfying God's justice. God's holiness must punish sin (this is wrath). This just scratches the surface, but send me an e-mail if you want further clarification.
Steve,
Once again, excellent questions. The reason I published this is because I thought it an excellent synopsis of what God has done for us in the atonement. Luther does not believe the law to be a person, but often gives different objects personality to make a point more vivid (for example he talks about "mother reason" or in some places "that whore reason.").
To your second point, the law does indeed pronounce a death sentence upon all who are imperfect. God has made a covenant with all humanity. They have broken that covenant. The punishment is actually a death sentence. Check out Galatians 3:10-14. It is not the law per se that killed Jesus; the Father killed Jesus because he became the lawbreaker on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21).
Hmmm,
Well I still think Luther went a little too far in his imagery.
And he should learn to write in modern English
;-)
Interesting dialogue. I think Luther is in bounds here and is quite Pauline with regard to the personification of the Law.
Romans 3:19 "Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, . . ."
Romans 4:15 "For the law brings wrath, . . ."
2 Corinthians 3:6b "For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
Now whether Luther believed the Law to be a "person" I cannot say for sure, but I doubt it. I agree that the Law does not operate "per se," but the biblical language permits some elbow room for a didactic such as Luther's concerning the Law.
I am in favour of the post and want to suggest that Luther isn't just in bounds here but well and truly orthodox. Great words and great imaginary. Thanks for sharing.
-Craig-
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