Essay/Term paper: Luther

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Religion

The pages 87 – 108 are mainly about righteousness. The heart of Luther"s religion is the justification of faith. Luther writes about the different kinds of righteousness and how they relate to God and Christ. Then Luther talked about Paul wanting to setup a doctrine of Grace. Then he jumps into the kinds of righteousness. Luther says that there is a political, ceremonial, human tradition, law, and faith righteousness.(p.88) In Luther"s own words the most excellent righteousness is faith, because it is not earned but given freely by God. The other kinds of righteousness are active and done by humans not given by God. Luther"s reason for this if we earned grace then God would be in dept to us(97). Next he has 2 paragraphs on the "Human weakness" which is to do the active righteousness(89). "Law until Christ" is saying that we had to follow the laws given by Mosses because they were from God until Christ came along and broke away from those laws 2 worlds says that there is an earthly world, one with laws, and a heavenly world, infinite. The earthly world, which has, laws, the active righteousness, and is limited. While the Heavenly world is the ruler of the earthly not the other way around, and the giver of faith, but that faith most be accepted or rejected by us. Then Luther goes on to Jesus who is righteousness, a giver of wisdom and more. He then says that when you fear or conscience is present then grace is gone and God has hidden himself from us. On Page one hundred Luther writes about how if one does good works then God can infuse charity into him. Next he writes about how Christ and God is the thing of our faith and that we are the faith.
Q: One of the few things that Luther said that I liked was the last line "Christ and God is the thing of our faith and that we are the faith. How do you respond to that?
First look at "we are the faith", we are not the faith then there is no God or Christ. If you look at "God is the thing of our faith", it means to me is that this religion or any other would not be able to survive because it would hold no meaning or sway in their life. This also shows that What ever you chose to worship, like money or people"s thoughts, will run your life for good or evil who knows.
Q2: In the beginning Luther first says that you cannot earn faith but then on page 100 he says that by doing good works you can earn Grace. The question is grace and faith the same? Is Luther contradicting himself? And can you earn grace?
I believe they are one in the same thing. I was taught that if you have faith then you would have the grace of God with you. Next I believe that Luther is contradicting himself because you can be a pagan and do good works and be given God"s grace by your deeds because it shows what your heart is about. Also it is not that person"s fault that they were raised in a different religion.
Q3: On page 95-96 there is " works of law," What is it?
I did not understand this and I was wondering if you knew what it meant.