Luther's Argument for Universal Salvation

Erasmus of Rotterdam was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, theologian, and public critic of Martin Luther.  Thus, it is noted that Erasmus’ perspective on the freedom (or bondage) of the will comes from his humanist and enlightenment views.  While Erasmus began as a follower of Luther and wrote reform papers alongside him, he became distressed when the reforms were taken “too far.”  In order to distance himself from Luther, while still holding true to the reform efforts, Erasmus chose to write against some of Luther’s teachings on free will.  Erasmus considered his writing to be “thoroughly irenic [in] spirit, with no intention of attacking Luther personally.”   Luther’s general response to Erasmus’ claims are incendiary and ultimately assert that Erasmus himself is not a Christian if he believes what he wrote.  Luther (in his glorious wit) writes that he “felt profoundly sorry for [Erasmus], defiling as [he was his] very elegant and ingenious style with such trash.”  This conclusion is rightfully forceful, because Luther claims that the argument is a matter of salvation (as we will discuss further in this essay).  Luther’s ultimate goal is to help his opponent and all people better understand the truth.  

Luther begins his reply to Erasmus by stating the importance of doctrine.  Religion is not a mere matter of opinion: God has revealed God’s truth through scripture, thus scripture defines the parameters for that which we can believe.  Erasmus relies too much on human reason and not enough on what scripture so clearly states.  One of the mottos of the Reformation is sola scriptura, so it follows that Luther defends the relevance and ultimate authority of scripture.  Secondly, Luther focuses on Erasmus’ exegesis of scripture.  Erasmus is focused on man-centered exegesis (humanism), while Luther is focused on a theocentric interpretation of scripture.  Luther asserts that Erasmus lacks spirituality and the work of God, saying “Christianity as you describe it includes this among other things: that we should strive with all our might.... These words of yours, devoid of Christ, devoid of the Spirit, are colder than ice, so that they ever tarnish the beauty of your eloquence.”  Erasmus is too wishy-washy or accommodating according to Luther.  The doctrine of free will is not a matter to take lightly: “What I am after is to me something serious, necessary, and indeed eternal, something of such a kind and such importance that it ought to be asserted and defended to the death.”  What we say about free will and salvation also says much about God.  Salvation is at stake in this argument according to Luther.  

If the thread of Luther’s argument on free will (or against it) follows through, there is a fine argument for universal salvation.  If there is no human action required in the salvation of a human and it occurs only through God’s action, God who desires all of creation to be reconciled to Godself denies no one the Spirit and denies no one salvation.  This issue of salvation is one that is alive and well today.  If we consider the view of Erasmus, God is a God of picking and choosing arbitrarily and cruelly who is saved and who is “left out.”  We believe in a God of mercy, a God who gave God’s only son to die on the cross to save us from eternal death and damnation.  We believe in a theology of abundance: God has more and gives more than we could ever want or need.  Salvation is not limited to those who are given the Spirit or those we choose to do good works.  Salvation is given freely from God to all people.  As such, we, who have already come to realize and understand God’s salvation, are called to extend that saving message to our brothers and sisters.  

Free will, according to Luther, is not free will at all.  There is no such thing.  In the Fall, all of humanity fell under the power of satan.  People had no ability to choose between good and evil - we were in bondage to sin.  We could not be freed from this bondage by our own actions.  Paul is very clear in stating that even the commandments set forth by God are not capable of bringing us into right relationship with God.  Salvation comes not from anything we are able to do.  We are completely fallen and unable to be redeemed without God’s action.  God desires that all of creation be reconciled to Godself and according to Luther, that reconciliation is what happened in Christ’s death.  After the life, death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, God’s people were freed from sin’s bondage.   We are no longer bound to death and the devil.  Therefore, in the triumph over death, sin, and the devil, all are redeemed through Christ’s faithfulness.  All of creation is reconciled to God, justified and made in right relationship with God.  If we believe in God who is faithful and merciful, one who extends salvific grace freely, we must understand God to extend that grace to all, not just those who accept God’s grace.  

Luther argues, there is no choice between good and evil, but only the freedom to respond to God’s providence in all that we do.  Therefore it is not a matter of if we are saved by God’s grace (we are), but what we do in response to it.  There are people in this world that have not come to know God’s mercy and life-giving salvation yet.  These people maybe have not heard the saving message, felt the freedom of grace, or their hearts have been hardened for unknown reasons.  However, this does not contradict the fact that they (as all people) are already redeemed through the saving act of Christ Jesus.  They have simply not come to know or understand their salvation.  They will eventually (either in this life or in the next) come to know and understand God’s immense love for them.  On the other hand, there are people who have come to know the good news of Christ and are able to live into (and in response to) God’s mercy and salvation in this life.  People who know and believe in their salvation from Christ in this world are called to proclaim that salvation to all of creation.  We have the privilege of sharing God’s salvific love and mercy with people who have already received it but have not yet realized it.  We are enabled by the Holy Spirit to share the gospel and the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of people in order to bring them to realization.  

A biblical example of this witness is the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch.  Although the eunuch was reading scripture before Philip arrived, it was not until the Spirit worked through Philip and he began to teach and help the eunuch understand that he was called to be baptized and called into the ministry of the Kingdom of God to proclaim the good news to the rest of the world. The Holy Spirit worked through someone who already knew the story in order to help another realize the redeeming love of God.  It is in baptism that we are called into participation with the Holy Spirit and the Kingdom of God.  Baptism is the outward, explicit example of God’s goodness and abundant mercy.  It is a gift given by God so that we might come to know God’s work in our lives.  Because we (those of us who know the grace of God) are called to participate in the Kingdom of God by sharing the good news of Christ Jesus so that others might participate in the Kingdom of God through the Holy Spirit. 

This type of evangelism must keep in mind that people who know God’s goodness are no better or different than people who do not yet know God’s grace.  All people are saved through God’s grace in Christ Jesus.  All of creation is reconciled to Godself through God’s redeeming power.  This means that evangelism is not about “saving souls” or “winning people for God.”  God has already done the work of salvation.  As Luther argues, human beings can do nothing to gain salvation, it is the action of God.  Therefore, evangelism should be carried out only in order to invite people into participation with the Kingdom - without expectation and without condemnation.  If evangelism was carried out in this way, the Church today would look much closer to the Kingdom of God: a loving, reconciling community of people who believe and trust in the saving work of God through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit. 

All of this is to say that if we follow Luther’s logic to the end (God’s grace and salvation come from God alone and not from any action on our part), we must recognize that all of creation is already redeemed through Christ Jesus.  With this knowledge, we go out as humbled servants of the Lord to proclaim Christ to the world so that others may come to realize their own salvation and participate (out of freedom) in the Kingdom of God. 

Sources: 

Philip S. Watson (ed.), Luther’s Works vol. 33, “Career of the Reformer III”, The Bondage of the Will, (Fortress Press: Philadelphia, PA).

Carl R Braaten, Principles of Lutheran Theology, (Fortress Press: Minneapolis, MN).

The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Edited by Robert Kolb and Timothy J. Wengert. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000. (Large Catechism). 

Eric W. Gritsch and Robert W. Jenson, Lutheranism: The Theological Movement and Its Confessional Writings, (Fortress Press: Philadelphia, PA).

Dr. Daniel Bell, “Lecture 5C: Providence,” Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, 2014.  

Acts 8:26-40

Our Visit to the National Mosque

Last week we went to the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. And let me tell you, I learned a lot. I wanted to share some of the things I learned and how my heart has been changed this year, because I know not everyone has a chance to live in a beautiful country like this one and I understand some people don't feel comfortable asking potentially offensive questions about our Muslim sisters and brothers.

Wait back up- you voluntarily went to a mosque?

Islam has an incredibly obvious influence on Malaysia's culture, people, architecture, and basically every other part of Malaysia. We wanted to not only see this incredible landmark, but we hoped to learn a little more about what makes Malaysia so unique and beautiful. We also couldn't pass up this opportunity to learn more about our sisters and brothers. 

Did you have to wear one of those things on your head? 

People who enter mosques, whether they are Muslim or tourists, are expected to respect and observe the modesty enforced by the religion. Knowing this, I gladly ventured to the mosque in a long skirt and long sleeves, carrying a scarf to cover my head when we arrived. Daniel and his brother wore long pants and shirts with sleeves as is expected of them. We also took off our shoes, as we were instructed, before entering the main area of the mosque. 

Didn't you feel oppressed, having to cover your head like that? 

I have become fairly used to dressing modestly here in Malaysia. My experience as a pastor this year has also changed my view on modesty - especially as it pertains to my religious beliefs and piety. It is beautifully expressed in the pamphlet I picked up inside the mosque: 

"Women are not here to be displayed. Her body is not for public consumption. She will not be an advertisement tool. She has a soul, a mind, and she is the servant of Allah. Her worth is defined by the beauty of her soul, her heart, her moral character. With her headscarf she put her faith on display rather than her beauty. Her submission is not to fashion, nor to men, but to the Creator." (Read the rest of the pamphlet here.) 

It seems that Islam has a better view of women than many Christian churches I have encountered (sorry 'bout it).

Hijaab (modest dress) is not only to cover nudity, to protect, and to decorate, but it is the spiritual clothing of "piety," similar to the way a nun or monk might wear a habit or hood. It is a symbol of her identity as a Muslim, in the same way my collar identifies me as a pastor.

Right, but Daniel didn't have to cover his head. 

Men are also expected to observe a certain dress code within Islam. For both genders, clothes are to be modest and humble (loose, not transparent, nothing showy). Men are expected to be covered from their navel to their knees.

So people were nice to you? They didn't kick you out since you're Americans?

All the people we encountered were not only super welcoming, but they seemed genuinely interested in answering our questions. We weren't entirely sure what to expect, but they told us about the main prayer room and made sure we knew we could pick up informational pamphlets. They pamphlets (very obviously directed toward tourists) were written in several languages including English, Spanish, Mandarin, Portuguese, Italian, and German. I picked up the ones that seemed most interesting (read: things I knew nothing about) like "Hijaab" (mentioned above), "The Shariah," "How does a lady raised in Alabama become a Muslim?" and "Jihad."

So what else did you learn? 

Jihad is the duty of Muslims to struggle for peace, justice and truth. The pamphlet says "fighting tyranny, corruption, exploitation, occupation and oppression is jihad."

The forceful, defensive parts of the pamphlets made me sad that they even needed to include them. But it must be said more often that "to say Muslim terrorists represent Islam is like saying the Ku Klux Klan represents Christianity." The pamphlet that explains Shariah says that the majority (about 70%) deals with rituals of worship, about 25% deals with personal laws (like dietary regulations), and only 5% are penal laws for "crimes which are most destructive for society and the family, like murder, adultery and theft."

In truth, there was nothing to be afraid of or even nervous about, walking into that mosque. And there is nothing to be afraid of when it comes to Islam. We have a lot in common with our Muslim sisters and brothers - even if we aren't able to see it right away (there may be a crazy comparative theology blog post coming soon).

I certainly understand people's hesitation or fear (whichever it might be) when it comes to the public displays of devotion and piety of Islam. Before moving to Malaysia, I didn't see many people in hijaab in my daily life. I never walked into a mosque before last week. But I have come to understand that our fear is mostly caused by the unknown. When we begin to learn about those who are seemingly unlike us, we can start to see common ground and understand one another.

It's my prayer that my fear of the unknown will always be overshadowed by my love for God's children and my desire for understanding. It is my prayer for you, my friends and family, as well. I know it's not easy, but it starts with small steps - like taking off our shoes (sometimes covering our heads) and stepping into the holy unknown.

A Terrifyingly Beautiful Call

(Sermon at Luther House Chapel on April 10, 2016 - John 21:1-19)

Last year when I was working in a church, I was approached by a parishioner after preaching. He said, "Sarah, you should really stop starting your sermons with 'I love this story of Jesus.' Surely you don't love every story of Jesus. And anyway, you use the same beginning for every sermon."

At the time, I smiled sweetly and said, "Oh but I do love every story of Jesus. There is not a single story of Jesus and his disciples that does not bring me great joy. I love them. And I love telling them! But you're right - I should probably stop repeating myself."

And I do. I love every story of Jesus - but I understand his point. Sometimes saying I love every story of Jesus doesn't quite do every story justice. Take this story, for instance - I do love this story of Jesus and his disciples. The imagery is rich, Jesus nourished his friends - it is a beautiful scene. But I don't just love this story - this passage actually terrifies me.

Like the disciples, we really have no idea what we are getting ourselves into when we encounter God incarnate in Christ Jesus. We encounter God - or rather God comes crashing into our life - and suddenly things are turned upside down and inside out. It's terrifying.

My husband calls these "mountain-top experiences." And I would guess that many of you have had these experiences throughout your life. It could be while you are on a mission trip, it could be the moment you hold your newborn baby in your arms for the first time, it might be in the midst of great pain and sorrow... You can have these experiences throughout your entire life - in fact, for some of us, it is what brought us to church in the first place.

One of my mountain-top experiences happened in the Central American country of Honduras, literally on the side of a mountain in a small village.

It is the kind of experience that makes God feel so close. Suddenly and beautifully you know that you're walking on holy ground and the existence of God and the love of Christ are undeniable. And somehow, in some way, you know your whole life has changed. You know your identity has shifted and your goals and your mission in life are new and more important.

All of that happened to me on that side of the mountain in Honduras - everything change and all of a sudden I knew I wanted to do international mission work. I knew I wanted to travel the world and meet new people and fall in love with all of God's creation. I was so ready for the next adventure, I wanted to change my plans and change my life to go where God was leading me.

But ten days later, I was back in the United States and I decided not to quit seminary, I decided not to immediately become a missionary. I began classes again and I started work once more. And as I entered the usual drudgery of providing for myself and thinking of my own needs, I slowly forgot about all those powerful moments on the side of that mountain. The fire that had been blazing in Honduras started to diminish until it was just embers.

That's exactly where we meet the disciples in the passage this morning. They had been following Jesus for nearly three years - surely having mountain-top moments on a daily basis as Jesus healed people around him and taught them about scripture. Their lives had been changed, their hearts had been renewed and shifted in these moments. There was a fire lit in their hearts that was roaring for the mission that Christ had given them.

But then Jesus died, and the fire faded - they became scared and worried that maybe they couldn't live out this mission for Jesus. And then they witnessed him resurrected - another beautifully terrifying mountain-top experience.  But then he was gone again, and they were left with this mission that seemed too hard and too crazy.

And isn't that exactly where we are today? Two weeks ago, we came to church early (early early) and greeted one another with joy and thanksgiving that our redeemer lives! And we shouted "hallelujah!" And we sang songs and hymns with more energy than we should be able to muster at 6:30am.

And now, only a few weeks later we can barely drag ourselves out of bed to make it to church. We have forgotten that it is still Easter and we should still be shouting "hallelujah!" We have forgotten that Christ lives.

So the disciples are coming down off of all these mountain-top experiences and they know deep within their bones that everything has changed. They themselves have been changed but they are lost and they don't know where to go from here.

So they decided to go back to what they knew before Jesus had entered their lives and completely changed them. But if I know anything, it is that once Jesus enters your life, there is no going back to the way things used to be. You can try, but it will not be the same. So they went fishing. The disciples went back to the everyday drudgery of life. They did what they needed to do to provide for themselves and their families.

But I imagine that the reason they didn't catch any fish might be because they could feel that uneasiness, the restlessness, knowing everything had changed and that fishing was not what they were supposed to be doing. I imagine they felt something similar to what I felt when I came back from Honduras - I was restless and unsatisfied with life. Nothing seemed to be quite right because I tried so hard to go back to my old ways of living - before Jesus had come so close to me on that mountain.

And Jesus, as loving and persistent as he is, and wanting to make sure his disciples completely "get it" before he leaves them, he comes back and reminds them again. He reminds them who he is and what his mission is. He reminds them of whose they are and what their mission is.

And this is the terrifyingly beautiful part - Jesus doesn't just leave the disciples with a new job or a check list of things they need to get done as his disciples. He says, "feed my lambs, provide for my lambs, feed my sheep." He commands them to become shepherds. And if you know anything about being a shepherd, you know that "shepherd" is not a job title, it is an identity.

You can't take your "shepherd hat" on and off as you please. You cannot go out to the fields and throw food out to the sheep and lambs twice a day and call yourself a shepherd. Being a shepherd is 100% effort, 100% of the time. It is our new identity, it is our new mission and our new life. That is what it means to be a disciples of Christ.

Following Jesus is not easy and it is certainly not a list of things that we can check off our to do list every day. And that's why this passage is so terrifying to me. That is why mountain-top experiences are so terrifying and beautiful - because when God comes so close that we can no longer deny God,  we are in for real change. Our lives are no longer about taking care of ourselves. All of a sudden we are given all of these sheep in the form of our brothers and sisters in this world - our loved ones, our friends, our enemies, people in foreign lands we have never met - for whom we are called to lay down our lives. Just as Jesus laid down his life for all.

So this morning and throughout this season I pray that we take these mountain-top experiences, these moments when God comes so close that we suddenly feel changed and re-created, and we do not back away. When Jesus call us to feed his sheep and follow him, I pray that we understand the terrifyingly beautiful call to be his disciples and accept it - empowered by the Holy Spirit and renewed by the promise of our risen Christ and of the coming Kingdom. Amen.

Humanity, God, & Sin

There have been several conversations among the members of our church concerning humanity and sin.  While some sinful people are excused as “only human,” others are dismissed as “pure evil.”  These statements are theological in that they are very real statements about God’s creation, the purpose of humanity, and the nature of sin and salvation.  Our theology on these matters is important because it is related to how we understand salvation and ultimately related to our own salvation.    

We see from the very beginning of the creation story and creation stories throughout the scripture that God created all things (John 1:3) and everything that comes from God is good (Genesis 1).  Therefore, all of creation is created good.  God did not create evil, nor did God create humanity to be anything less than “ very good” (Genesis 1:31).  God is pure goodness and humanity is good in association and relationship with the Creator.  Because there is nothing in the world that God did not create (thus nothing in the world was created bad), there is nothing in the world that is pure evil.  If everything is good, nothingness is evil.  It is impossible for creatures to be so consumed by evil that they diminish into nothingness.   To say that something is “pure evil” is simply untrue.  This is not to say, however, that there is no evil in the world.  Sin causes evil, but sin was not created by God because God created all things - especially humanity - as good.  The goodness of creation and the goodness of humanity is innately related to the purpose of humanity.       

We see from the Genesis story that God created humanity to be in full communion with divinity.  Before the Fall, God was in such full communion that God walked in the garden with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8).  Creation was created by God as an act of outpouring love so that creation might be in relationship with one another and with God.  It is impossible to deny the fact that God created humanity to be relational with the divine.  The very Trinitarian nature of God is relational.  The truly human are the ones who are caught up in the Trinitarian relationship with the divine.  The theologian Augustine said that “our hearts are restless until they rest in God.”  It was through the Fall that relationships were corrupted and divided.  The Fall, original sin, and evil were not supposed to happen.  God did not create humanity to be separated and constantly longing for God.  Fundamentally social, we were created to be in communion with God, the rest of creation, and other human beings.  In fact, we see that the only thing “not good” about the creation story was that the first human being was without a companion (Genesis 2:8).  We know that through sin and death, there is separation from God that is not natural and not indicative of our created human nature.   

So the question remains: where does evil come from if it was not a part of creation?  Sin and the Fall are a complete surd.  There is no explanation for why the first human beings would turn away from God and toward themselves.  God created everything for humanity and offered everything, including full communion, to humanity, and humanity turned away.  The Fall put humanity in bondage to sin.  The entire world is enslaved by sin and we cannot change this enslavement by simply trying to become better.  We have fallen and it is impossible for us to be redeemed and turn back to God without God’s redeeming power.  But God, being so merciful and completely loving, longs for humanity to be in communion with God.  In the same way, creation continues “its groaning, and its longing to be renewed and perfected.”  Thus God became incarnate in the person of Christ Jesus in order to redeem creation to its original intent.

It is only through Christ that humanity and all of creation might become reconciled to God’s self once again.  Church doctrine claims that Jesus is the perfect human being.  If sin were a natural part of humanity, then Jesus would have to be a sinner in order to be the perfect human being.  On the contrary, Jesus does not sin.  Through this doctrinal statement, we realize that to be perfectly human is to be perfectly in communion with God.  To be perfectly human is to be without evil and without the sin that separates us from our Creator.  Jesus is “God’s proclamation, revealing who we are not and who God created us to be.”  What we think of creation and sin is directly related to how we understand salvation.      

Salvation is to “become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).  Our salvation is not the abandonment of our humanity, but the chance for us to become truly human by participating in communion with God through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus, all of creation has been released from the bondage of sin.  Salvation is the chance for us to be exactly as God created us to be: in full communion with the divine.  Humanity is now completely free to turn toward God.  Theologians such as Athanasius described salvation as God becoming “human that humanity might become divine.”  It is our humanity that longs to be in communion with God.  As the Westminster Confession states, the “chief end of humanity is to worship and enjoy God forever.”  

Saying that a person is “just human” is to say that she or he is longing to be in communion with God.  To say that a person is “purely human” would mean that the person is in full communion with God, the way God intended she or he to be from the beginning of creation.  Statements such as these are indicative of our core beliefs about creation, humanity, and the nature of salvation.  Thus, it is important that we understand and portray such theology adequately.

Sources: 

Dr. Daniel Bell, “Creator, Creation, and Communion” lecture, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir-Rhyne University, September 29, 2014.

Dr. Daniel Bell, “Sin, Death, and the Devil” lecture, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir-Rhyne University, October 6, 2014.

Daniel L. Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publihsing Co., 2004). 

Jann E. Boyd Fullenwieder, “Proclamation: Mercy for the World,” in Inside Out: Worship in an Age of Mission, ed. Thomas H. Schattenauer (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1999).