Martin Luther's warped "gospel"

Thursday, October 8, 2009, 10:33 AM

Lucas Cranach the Elder, Crucifixion

Obeying the Law to "love thy neighbour" is the  "fulfillment of the Law", but it is also the hardest part of the Law. So hard, in fact that Martin Luther, the "Apostle of the Apostle", rejects even the very "New Law" that Jesus affirms, because, according to him, being spiritual, it is even more unattainable than the "Old Law" by the fallen humans that we are.

Essentially, Luther affirms that not only the literal Law of Moses, but even the spiritual Law of Jesus is not something to be fulfilled, but only something given to us to make us aware that only God's gratuitous grace justifies and saves us unconditionally. Here is what he says:

[Primum officium Euangeli] est interpretari legem veterem, ut Dominus Matth. 5. illud praeceptum ‘Non periurabis, non occides, non moechaberis’ interpretatur, et sic de literali in spiritualem intelligentiam transferre. […] Haec autem intelligentia legis spiritualiter multo magis occidit, quia facit legem impossibilem impletu ac per hoc hominem de suis viribus desperatum et humiliatum, quia nullus est sine ira, nullus sine concupiscentia: tales sumus ex nativitate.

[The first function of the Gospel] is to interpret the ancient Law, as the Lord [Jesus] interprets that precept in Matthew 5, ‘You shall not swear, you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery’, so as to transfer us form a literal to a spiritual interpretation. [...] This interpretation of the law according to the spirit, though, is even more lethal, because it makes the Law impossible to fulfil, and as a consequence it makes man desperate about his own capacity, and humiliated, because nobody is without wrath, nobody without concupiscence: in fact that is the way we are from birth.

D. Martin Luthers Werke, Weimar, 1883-1983, (WA 1, 105, [#] 6-17) [translation from Latin to English MdS]

It cannot even be said, that, in this attitude towards the Law, Luther follows Paul ...

... all you have to do [to prove Luther's "biased reading and understanding of Paul"] is to put one after the other these two lines:

Paul: For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Gal 5:14; Rom 13:8)

Luther:  'because it is not necessary to fulfil [the law]', ‘quod non sit necesse [legem] implere’ (WA 1, 105, 19-28.37-38)

This is what Luther says [which proves that, for Luther, the Gospel, NOT Luther's "gospel", BUT Jesus' Gospel was "cacangelium", viz. "bad news"]:

Alienum autem Euangelii opus est parare Domino plebem perfectam, hoc est, peccata manifestare et reos arguere eos, qui iusti erant sibi, dum dicit, omnes esse peccatores et gratia Dei vacuos. Hoc autem pessimum nuntium videtur esse, unde potius cacangelium i.e. malum et triste nuntium dici possit.

The improper task of the Gospel is to prepare for the Lord a perfect assembly, that is, to make manifest their sins, and convince of guilt all those, who thought they were just, when it says,  that all are sinners and devoid of God's grace. This, though, seems to be the worst news, whereby, it would be more proper to call it cacangelium, that is bad and sad announcement. D. Martin Luthers Werke, Weimar, 1883-1983, (WA 1, 113, [#] 6-114, 34) [translation from Latin to English MdS]

So, what is Luther's solution, in front of the (asserted) impotence of men to obey NOT ONLY the literal Law of Moses, BUT EVEN the spiritual Law of Jesus? Simple! Total antinomianism: we can simply dump the Law, Old as well as New ...

'because it is not necessary to fulfil it', ‘quod non sit necesse eam implere’ (WA 1, 105, [#] 19-28.37-38)

So what is left for Luther of The Great Commandment, solemnly re-affirmend by Jesus? Essentially ... nothing.

The essential function of Jesus, for Luther is to be ... crucified.

P.S. The links are to the pages, [#] in Read Online format, of:
Werke. Kritische Gesamtausgabe. [Hrsg. von J.K.F. Knaake et al.] (1883)
Author: Luther, Martin, 1483-1546; Knaake, Joachim Karl Friedrich, 1835-1904
Volume: 01
Publisher: Weimar H. Böhlaus
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: German
Call number: AAT-7219
Digitizing sponsor: msn
Book contributor: Robarts - University of Toronto
Collection: robarts; toronto