All in the family. ("Nobody could make this s*** up")

A Colby Jones cartoon of the young Martin Luther

Having recently become Lutheran, I'm struck repeatedly by the concept of "doing nothing" to be saved, because, as a Baptist, I felt we were the only ones that could claim we do nothing to be saved (an interesting claim - "we are the biggest do-nothings!"), but of course, we do "do" something - we use our noodle, which involves electrons, neurons, synapses, sympathetic motor activity, and some quite intentional motor activities - prayer, bible reading, public confession, etc..

What is it then that Luther was getting at, or Calvin or Zwingli or Knox?

I can't speak for the others, but for Luther, I am coming to a slow understanding that it's about the communion - not only the bread and wine per se, but the commune, the community, the communication, of Christians.

When you're a member of a family, you do things because of that relationship (help with chores, mind your elders, take care of your little brother or sister). None of those earn you membership in the family, but they're part of the package that comes with it.

If you stop doing those things, you eventually become so alienated, the relationship ends.

I'm still learning, but that gets close to my layman's understanding of sola fide.

Lutheran "family chores" (to extend the metaphor, not to trivialize) minimally include baptism, communion, and confession (the only three recognized sacraments).

[2014-05-28]

c0

Best quote I've read in a long time:

Tertullian said (of the Resurrection) "certum est, quia impossibile,"... The literal translation is "It is certain, because it is impossible," which can also be rendered as "Nobody could make this shit up,"...

--Mike Peterson

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[2014-06-06]