Co-missioners,
As our beloved editor, and now my co-editor, Jerry Burce announced last week, starting with today I get to help him carry the torch of the Thursday Theology tradition. What an honor! In keeping with existing patterns, this involves receiving and sharing contributions from others (you perhaps?) and, on occasion, throwing in some thoughts of my own.
I also bring to this task a personal love for our website’s online library (a work in progress). This is how I was first introduced to Crossings, by coming upon articles by Schroeder, et al. through random web searches. I found the depths of the Crossings library to be an unexpected treasure trove of theological resources at a time early in my pastoral ministry when I was starving for the good stuff. And I thought, “Who are these people?” Now, I guess, I too am “these people”. Part of my mission as co-editor will be to unearth some of those treasures and share them with you.
For today and the following week, we’ve got a two-part essay by revered LSTC emeritus professor Dr. Kurt Hendel, in which he gives a timely summary of what Lutherans (classically) mean when they talk about the relationship between faith and works. Timely, because the discussion ever rages about what and how the Gospel impacts our collective and individual actions as human beings in this broken world, and how those actions connect us to God. Discussions at the recent Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA (denominational home to many, though by no means all, Crossings friends) exemplified both the urgency and the diversity (and confusion?) with which Lutherans approach this topic. All the more timely, therefore, is also the upcoming 2026 Crossings Conference, which will take place January 11-14 in St Louis, whose theme is: In Christ for Good: The Gospel and Christian Behavior. Dr. Hendel’s article is a welcome primer for the conversations we’ll have in a few months.
Note also that Hendel is the editor of Johannes Bugenagen’s Selected Writings in English (Fortress Press). In this first installment of his article, he makes ample reference to one of Bugenhagen’s works, as well as Luther’s Works and the Book of Concord. Looking at all these bibliographical notes, I can think of worse ways to spend an afternoon than to crack open a cold one and slowly plug through Hendel’s article with those volumes open side-by-side. I’d be properly read up on the topic, that’s for sure!
Well, I suppose that tells you my idea of “fun”, but to each their own, eh? :)
Peace and Joy,
Co-editor Robin Lütjohann
on behalf of The Crossings Community
_______________________________________________________
Faith and Works in the Lutheran Confessional Heritage, Part 1
by Kurt K. Hendel
Bernard, Fischer, Westberg Distinguished Ministry Professor Emeritus of Reformation History at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
Kurt K. Hendel
Defining the nature and functions of faith and good works in the Christian life and clarifying their intimate relationship as well as their necessary distinction were significant priorities for the Lutheran theologians of the sixteenth century. I will briefly explore the sixteenth-century perspectives by highlighting Martin Luther’s and Johannes Bugenhagen’s contributions. The two Lutheran reformers and many of their colleagues were deeply concerned about these matters because they had crucial implications for the doctrine of God; for Christology, particularly the sufficiency of Christ’s redemptive work; for the Holy Spirit’s activity; for soteriology and the doctrine of justification; and for divine and human agency in the relationships between God and humans, between humans, and between humans and the rest of creation. The evangelical theologians also addressed these theological and spiritual concerns because they disagreed significantly with the teachings of the late medieval church regarding these matters. Thus, Luther and his colleagues dismissed the scholastic doctrine of synteresis (also synderesis; the innate inclination and ability of human beings to act morally), opposed the Nominalist affirmation of facere quod in se est, (“to do what one is able to do”; literally, “to do what is in oneself”), critiqued the glorification of works of supererogation, and insisted that fallen humanity had lost the freedom of the will. They also rejected the church’s penitential system, including the selling of indulgences. According to the Lutheran reformers, these theological assertions and practices of the church promoted an idealized anthropology, affirmed a theology and piety of works righteousness, and compromised the gospel message of God’s radical grace and love revealed particularly in Jesus Christ.
What, then, did the sixteenth-century Reformers confess about faith and works? Impacted by the Augustinian theological heritage, particularly during his years as an Augustinian friar; by his study of Scripture, especially the writings of St. Paul; and by his own spiritual journey, Luther emphasized that faith is a gracious divine gift created and nurtured by the Holy Spirit through the means of grace, namely, word and sacrament. According to the Reformer, faith plays a crucial role in the doctrine of justification. Through faith God grants all the benefits of Christ’s redemptive work to believers as God justifies them. The righteousness of Christ, the active presence of the Holy Spirit, reconciliation with God and with fellow human beings, forgiveness of sin, the restoration of the freedom of the will, and the liberty to love God and the neighbor and, thus, to perform the good works that are pleasing to God are the divine blessings granted to the believer in and through faith. Luther often uses the word fiducia as a synonym for faith because, on the basis of Scripture and his own spiritual journey, he perceived faith to be the ability to trust God’s promises and, thereby, to receive what God promises. Johannes Bugenhagen, Luther’s Wittenberg colleague and pastor, also describes faith as the ability to trust God and God’s promises. (Johannes Bugenhagen, “Concerning the Christian Faith and Proper Good Works” in Johannes Bugenhagen: Selected Writings, p. 250. Hereafter Bugenhagen, p.)
In his relatively brief yet incisive 1520 treatise, The Freedom of a Christian, Luther glories in the effects or functions of faith in the life of the believer and highlights four benefits of faith, namely, that faith fulfills the law and justifies without works; (LW 31:349; see also LW 44:31 and Bugenhagen, pp. 250-251) frees the believe from the demands and judgment of the law; (LW 31:349) honors God by trusting God and considering God to be trustworthy and righteous; (LW 31:350-351) and effects an intimate relationship with God as it unites the soul of the believer with Christ. Christ and the soul are, therefore, joined in a spiritual marriage by faith and “become one flesh.” [Eph. 5:31-32] (LW 31:351). As a result of this union a “happy exchange” occurs. Luther uses marriage imagery in the treatise to emphasize that through faith all the benefits of Christ’s redemptive work are granted to the believer, and all the believer’s detriments that result from original sin become Christ’s. The believer is justified or declared righteous through faith, and Christ’s righteousness is the believer’s righteousness. In turn, the believer’s sin and its punishment are Christ’s. Luther rejoices, therefore, that through the gift of faith every believer becomes “a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none.” (LW 31:344) Throughout his treatise on faith and works, Johannes Bugenhagen affirms Luther’s focus on faith and its wondrous efficacy.
According to the two Lutheran reformers, faith thus plays a crucial role in humanity’s justification since human beings are justified through the gift of faith. (LW 32:236; LW 31:271; Bugenhagen, pp. 206-207, 227-229) However, faith is also operative in the Christian’s life journey and, therefore, it is not only an essential reality in the divine-human relationship but also in the realm of ethics and good works which is profoundly impacted and shaped by God’s justifying work and by the divine gift of faith. In The Freedom of the Christian, Luther, therefore, also insists that the believer is “a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.” (LW 31:344, 358) Thus, the Christian’s freedom is necessarily and freely exercised through the service of God and of the neighbor, and this service is accomplished by doing good works that benefit the neighbor and are pleasing to God. As they pursue their service vocation, believers imitate Christ who became incarnate to be humanity’s Servant.
Divinely pleasing works are not devised by humans with their own wisdom and their own desires. Rather, they are the works that are commanded by and that fulfill God’s law. Both Luther in his catechisms and in other writings and Bugenhagen in his treatise on faith and good works and in other publications point to the Decalogue as a resource for identifying the works that God expects from God’s people, that serve God and the neighbor, that are pleasing to God, and that are true fruits of faith. The two Reformers thus affirm the third use of the law, namely, that God’s law serves as a resource and guide for the ethical life of the Christian. (LW 44:23; Bugenhagen, pp. 239-240) It is important to note, however, that neither Luther nor Bugenhagen credit the law with inspiring and enabling the good works of the neighbor. Rather, both insist that faith frees, enables, and inspires believers to do good works. (LW 44:25-26, 31, 34; Bugenhagen, pp. 268-269)] Luther also makes this point indirectly in his explanations of the commandments in the Small Catechism when he begins each explanation with the words, “We should fear and love God.” The fear and love of God are not inspired and enabled by the law but by the gospel and by faith. Believers also have the rest of Scripture, particularly the example and teachings of Christ, as resources that clarify the good works which please God and benefit the neighbor. The believer’s servant vocation and ethical life are, therefore, evangelical in nature rather than legalistic. They are ultimately the fruits of the Holy Spirit’s presence and labors and of faith. The works of faith that God inspires and does in and through the believer are necessary because they are natural expressions of faith, but they are done freely (LW 44:36) and without hope of divine or human reward. (LW 44:26-27) That should be expected, for when believers do works of love, they emulate God’s free and gracious activity in Christ. As God in Christ freely served us, so we serve others freely and joyfully. (LW 31:367) Thereby we become “Christ to the other that we may be Christs to one another.” (LW 31:367-368) This is the primary and ultimate vocation of all Christians. Luther is careful to point out, however, that it is ultimately not the believers who do the good works that enable them to be “Christs to one another.” Rather, the faith that they have received as a divine gift is the ultimate agent of their good works. The Formula of Concord affirms Luther’s perspective as it describes faith as “the mother and the source” of truly good works. (BC, FC SD IV:576,9) Of course, since faith is God’s work, believers know and rejoice that their good works are ultimately Christ’s work. (LW 31:56)
The good works of faith are absolutely essential, and they must be a priority for the believer. The Lutheran Confessions emphasize that works are necessary, first of all, for God’s sake. God requires them. (BC, Ap IV:150,188; BC, FC SD IV:576,14) They praise God, (BC, AC XX:56,27) and they are pleasing to God. (LW 44:27; BC, FC SD IV:575,8) They are also indicative of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the believer. (BC, FC Ep IV:499,15)
From Canva
Secondly, the works that faith inspires are necessary for the believer’s sake. While the Reformers emphasizes the altruistic nature of love and its manifestations, both Luther and Bugenhagen also assert that one purpose of good works is to benefit oneself. Specifically, good works are done in order to discipline humanity’s sinful nature. (LW 31:358-359, 365; Bugenhagen, pp. 252-253) When that is accomplished, people of faith are inspired, inclined, and prepared to serve the neighbor more faithfully and effectively (LW 31:364-365). Thus, even when they are done for the believer’s own benefit, they are ultimately done for the sake and wellbeing of the neighbor.
This is the third reason why good works are necessary, and evangelical theology insists that it is the primary purpose and goal of good works. While God expects the believers’ good works and is pleased by them, God does not need them. Although it is personally beneficial to do good works, believers are ideally outward focused rather than inward focused. Thus, they do not do good works primarily to benefit themselves. They are more concerned about others than about themselves because they seek to emulate Christ and because they trust that they have a host of caregivers, namely, God and their neighbors, who are eager to assist them. These neighbors also need the believers’ good works during their own time of need. Therefore, believers eagerly do them in order to benefit the neighbor, to foster the neighbor’s wellbeing, and to serve and please God. (LW 44:27; Bugenhagen, pp. 268-269). The believers’ service of the neighbor does, indeed, please God, and it is a manifestation of a living faith that is active in love. (LW 44:27; LW 31:365) Luther encourages believers to do the good works that benefit the neighbor by reminding them that they have received such abundant riches in and through the gift of faith that their whole life and all their works are a gracious surplus with which they are able to serve others. Christ is always the perfect example of such a total life of service. (LW 31:367) Works of love cannot be done selectively, however. Christians cannot help some but ignore and neglect others. It does not matter whether people are friends or enemies or whether they are thankful or not. (LW 31:367) All in need must receive assistance from believers, and people of faith must think only of the wellbeing of the neighbor. Luther therefore insists boldly that a person of faith “…lives only for others and not for himself.” (LW 31:364) Bugenhagen also emphasizes that the chief purpose of works is to serve God and the neighbor, and he cautions that the works of loving service must be done with humility and gratitude. (Bugenhagen, pp. 268-270) Christ’s servant ministry is always the model for the disciples of Christ.
Both Luther and Bugenhagen remind Christians that their diverse vocations in the world provide them with regular opportunities to perform their good works. It is not only the priests, the nuns, and the monks that do God-pleasing works. Since all Christians are priests by virtue of their baptism, all their callings are spiritual as well, and they are able to serve God and the neighbor by fulfilling their own vocations. (LW 44:130; LW 44:99; Bugenhagen, pp. 271-272) The Reformers’ altruistic and spiritual vocational perspective has crucial implications for ethical decisions and ethical actions. Faith guides and inspires Christians when they choose to do acts of love that are always concerned about the wellbeing of the neighbor and are always intended to address the needs of those neighbors. Such acts are, by definition, ethical and spiritual and, therefore, they foster the ethical life. The diverse callings of Christians are given new meaning and purpose when they are recognized as divine gifts through which God is at work accomplishing God’s purposes and bringing a variety of blessings into the lives of people. The Christians’ vocations as children, parents, spouses, citizens, and people pursuing specific professions are then not simply responsibilities that must be fulfilled; roles that are thrust upon them, sometimes without any choice on their part; or necessary means of earning a living. They are much more than that, since the Christians’ vocational pursuits are blessed opportunities to be God’s instruments and to benefit not only themselves and their families but also other human beings who experience specific needs. The vocations of believers are, therefore, the persistent and practical contexts for ethical living.
The crucial roles of faith and works in the divine-human relationship and in the relationship of human beings with each other and the rest of creation receive much attention in the theological writings of Martin Luther and Johannes Bugenhagen. Clarity about those roles is essential as Christians are comforted by the gospel and are called to proclaim God’s gracious good news and to manifest its freeing and empowering role in their lives. Careful attention to these theological themes is, therefore, also warranted in our own time as Christ’s disciples strive to pursue their apostolic calling faithfully.
___________________
Bibliography
Bugenhagen, Johannes. 2015. Johannes Bugenhagen: Selected Writings, Volume I and Volume II. Edited by Kurt Hendel. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
Luther, Martin. Luther’s Works, American Edition. 1955-2025. Edited by Jaroslav Pelikan (vols. 1-30), Helmut T. Lehmann (vols. 31-55), and Christopher Boyd Brown and Benjamin T.G. Mayes (vols. 56-79). St. Louis and Philadelphia: Concordia Publishing House and Fortress Press.
Kolb, Robert, and Timothy J. Wengert. 2000. The Book of Concord (New Translation): The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
Thursday Theology: that the benefits of Christ be put to use
A publication of the Crossings Community
