 |
|
     |
|
|
|
Oswald Bayer says that for Luther faith is "divine work in us," and that means for Luther that God "slays the old nature that belongs to the old world, the old Adam, and makes us new creatures, a new creation." This is, in Bayers' summary, the "decisive aspect of the Word [which faith responds to] that creates justifying faith. For Luther the customary alternative of 'forensic' or 'effective' is no alternative at all. The forensic is effective and the effective forensic. That is his answer to the much-debated question. What God says, God does. The reverse is also true. What God does, God says; his doing is not ambiguous. God's work is God's speech. God's speech is no fleeting breath. It is a most effective breath that creates life, that summons into life. It is the 'nature' of God to create our of nothing, to be the Creator by the Word alone. This is not a speculative thought, for those who confess the one who creates out of nothing and gives life to the dead are those who have experienced the truth that God justifies the ungodly by his Word, creating a new self for the old Adamic self."
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, November 26, 2004 at 04:27 PM
Permission is given to use material on this site, provided the source is cited, blog entries are republished in full, and the author is notified in advance.
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
