Theology of the CrossTheology of the CrossCross as the Basic Model of Relationship between Human Being and God in Martin Luther’s theology

What is Theology of the Cross?What is Theology of the Cross? ”CRUX sola est nostra theologia” (AWA 2, 319, 3) Theology centered on the satisfactory death of Christ

on the cross in Golgotha? Theology where suffering is in the center of living as

a Christian? Theology trusting in the goodness of God regardless

of experience (vs. theology of Glory)? Something else?

The ’Classical’ Interpretation’: The ’Classical’ Interpretation’: von Loewenichvon Loewenich ”20. He deserves to be called a theologician,

however, who comprehends the visible and manifest things of God seen through suffering and cross” (Luther at Heidelberg Disputation 1518)

God cannot be known through creation, reason or good works, but through experiences of suffering

These experiences make God the Crucified accessible to one’s understanding

Theology of the Cross is an epistemological principle

Why one cannot know GodWhy one cannot know God

Senses and reason cannot reach God Selfish love of the fallen humanity drive

people away from where God is present More specifically: The (theological) intellect and will are corrupted because of the Fall in sin

The object of faith is above senses, The object of faith is above senses, reason and experiencereason and experience

”In these times there are two things, which will hinder you most from knowing what is right.

First, this Christ – who was crucified, killed and condemned by you, and on God’s authority was even cursed according to the Law of Moses – is proclaimed as Lord over all Lords. It is most difficult of all to recognize as King one who has died such a desperate and shameful death. The senses are strongly repelled by such a notion, reason abhors it, experience denies it, and a precedent is lacking. Plainly this will be folly to the Gentiles and a stumbling block to the Jews (1. Cor 1:23) unless you raise your thoughts (lat. mentem) above all this. …

The object of faith is contrary to visible goodThe object of faith is contrary to visible good…The second difficulty is that through His reign this King

teaches that all the things you hoped for in the Law should be condemned, and that all the things you feared should be loved. He offers the cross and the death. He advises contempt for the good that one sees, and likewise for the evil, since He will confer on you a much different good, namely, that which the eye has not seen, the ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man (1. Cor. 2:9). You must die in you would live under this King. You must bear the cross and the hatred of the whole world. You must not flee from ignominy, poverty, hunger, and thirst, in other words, all the evil that floods the earth. For this is the King, who became a fool to the earth and died, and who thereupon destroys His own with a scepter of iron and smashes them like a potter's vessel. …

The object of faith is grasped The object of faith is grasped with the intellect of faithwith the intellect of faith…How can anyone stand such a King if he relies on his own

senses, defines things rationally, and stands in the doorway of his tents and cannot see the face of Moses (Ex. 33:7-10)? Therefore intellect and teaching are necessary, that you may rise above this, regard the visible thigs with contempt, and be raptured to the invisible, as you understand, not to that which is on the earth but to that which is above, where Christ is (Col. 3:1-2 ).”

Intellect of faith continuedIntellect of faith continued

…work and strive for this intelligence that you become intelligent and understand spiritual and heavenly things; or, as we say in our vernacular: "Be wise and undestanding." in accordance of Ps. 32:9: "Be not like a horse or a mule without intellect." However, this is not the intellect of which the philosophers have opinions; it is faith itself, which in prosperity or adversity can see things that are not seen.(AWA 2, 106, 19 – 107, 21)

You cannot approach God, You cannot approach God, but God can approach youbut God can approach you According to Luther, the fallen human

beings cannot approach God, because they seek from wrong places and in wrong ways

However, God approaches us with his Word

God’s approach breaks the well-being of the natural desires (flesh), and therefore causes suffering

Ps. 2:9 ”Thou shalt break them with a Ps. 2:9 ”Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron…”rod of iron…”

”You see, however, that this verse, too, is wholly allegorical, and not without reason, since it signifies an allegory which comes to pass in reality and in life itself. For since the Word of Christ is the Word of salvation and peace, the Word of life and grace, and since it works not in the flesh, but in the spirit, it must supress and cast out the salvation, peace, life, and grace of the flesh. When it does this, it appears to the flesh harder and more cruel than iron itself. For whenever a carnal man is touched in a wholesome way by the Word of God, one thing is felt, but another actually happens.” (AWA 2, 97, 12-18)

Theological anthropologyTheological anthropology

Old creature homo animalis caro natura sensus ratio species visibilia

New creature homo spiritualis spiritus gratia experientia intellectus rem invisibilia

External darkness and crossExternal darkness and cross

When God approaches the old creature, God appears to be hidden as in darkness

This darkness are the external word, sacraments, sufferings and temptations, that is, the cross

When the grace and the Word (i.e. Christ) impact a person and create faith, the human becomes united with the Word (Christ) in faith

Union with God in faithUnion with God in faith

”That which is understood by faith, has no name nor appearance (lat. species). Prosperity or adversity in matters of this present life completely upsets every man, who does not by faith understand the invisible. This understanding (lat. intellectus) comes from faith, as it is written (Is. 7:9): ”If you do not believe, you will not understand”, and it is the entrace into that cloud, where everything that the senses, reason, mind and intellect of man can understand will be dissolved. Faith unites the soul with the invisible, ineffable, unnameable, eternal, incogitable Word of God, at the same time separating it from all visible. This is the cross and the passover of the Lord, in which he makes known this neccessary understanding (lat. intellectus).” (AWA 2, 107-108)

Internal darkness and crossInternal darkness and cross

When a person becomes united with the Word of God in faith, the external darkness and cross become internal

This means, that Christ, who is present in faith, is in darkness for the old nature

For the new creature, faith is a light shining from the face of the present Christ and leading to love the neighbour

The old nature does not want to go, where faith leads. This causes suffering

Presence of Christ: Darkness Presence of Christ: Darkness and lightand light”That in the holy of holies there was no light,

signifies God to be present in the Church via the faith of Christ in their hearts, that does not comperehend and is not comprehended, does not see and is not seen, but still sees all things. It is a poweful proof of present, but not visible things. Likewise the Ark of Covenant was present in the holy of holies, but was not visible, because the Tabernacle was around – in the middle of which at the holy of holies the very seat of God was – as is said in Ps. 46 ’The God is present in the middle of the congregation’, so that they cannot be shaken…

Presence of Christ continuedPresence of Christ continued

…God does not rule among us superficially, with tongue and words, but in might, and they do not remain unshaken, who believe with tongue and words, but ’those who believe in the heart, are justified’, in the middle of whom God is present. They are the strong, who receive help from the face of God (that is, the presence of God), as Ps. 46: ’They will be helped from the face of God’, or, ’in daybreak’, that is, in the presence of the might and divinity and the face of God.” (WA 5, 506, 12-25)

Light of faithLight of faith

According to Luther, faith is an ontologically divine light guiding the believer

It is comparable to Augustine’s idea of divine illumination happening in the light of the uncreated Word

Principally, the light of faith allows the believer to grasp the invisible presence of Christ in the external word and sacraments, and to rely on God’s promises and goodness

The light of faith leads the believer through the temptations and tribulations in life

The light of faith remains incomprehensible to the old nature

Mystical theology?Mystical theology?

To describe the presence of God in faith, Luther uses images from the tradition of mystical and negative theology

These include: the cloud, rapture, wilderness, and bridal chamber

Even though God is present in faith, the divine nature cannot be analyzed: the light of faith is suprarational

Cross-shaped faithCross-shaped faith

The cross is the struggle between the old nature, relying on things seen and felt, and the new nature, relying on the invisible

Because of this struggle, Christian faith for Luther is in essence cross-shaped

The cross is also everything that God does, which is contrary to the old nature

Furthermore, the cross is the way God is at the same time present, but hidden, in created reality

In this way, cross is a common denominator of all Lutheran theology

Theology of the Cross and Theology of the Cross and JustificationJustification According to the Theology of the Cross, there is

no natural basis in the human being for communion with God

In this sense Luther differs from almost all preceding theological anthropology

Luther insists on the neccessity of God’s preceding grace, which is contrary to the nature

In this sense Theology of the Cross is a part of the concept ”grace alone, faith alone”