What does it mean to be Lutheran?

Those who have known me for a long time would be able to confirm that, as I have grown and learnt more, I have changed my views, sometimes radically, on various social and political issues.  Yet when it comes to the Christian faith I have only grown in my appreciation of its Lutheran expression.  Why is this and what is it that Lutherans hold to and teach?  My appreciation and allegiance is not due to the significance of global Lutheranism with some 80 million plus who identify as such (though not all authentically) or the 800 million to 1 billion Protestants spawned by this movement.  It is, rather, much more due to the following.
 
The origins of the Lutheran Church
 
When looking at the origins of the Lutheran Church most would expect the focus to shift to Martin Luther and the explosive, Western culture changing Reformation that he helped ignite by nailing 95 thesis, or points for discussion, to the door of a Church in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1517.  The powerful Western Church had become corrupt, keeping people in ignorance and fear, promoting many distorted man made teachings and practices, even to the point of the widespread selling of forgiveness for cash through much of Europe, with the funds flowing back to Rome for huge building projects and self promotion.  The account of Luther and the Reformation is a fascinating story and drama of the highest order.  Viewing one of the various movies or even documentaries is highly recommended.  Most find it riveting.  Yet Luther was adamant that this was not about him.  He never wanted a Church named after him, nor did he and his many associates in this Reformation movement want to leave the one Western Roman Catholic Church of the time (he was eventually expelled), but simply to reform it and bring it back to Jesus Christ and the New Testament teaching of the Apostles who Jesus chose and authorised. 
 
The five solas:  A simple summary of Lutheran essentials. 
 
A helpful way to get to the heart and essence of the Lutheran articulation of the Christian faith is to look at the five solas’s (Latin for ‘only’ or ‘alone’) of the early Lutheran reformer’s .  While these have been popularised in more recent times they are all well and truly contained in the prolific writings of the various founding Lutheran reformers and their official statements of belief called ‘The Lutheran Confessions’.  They are as follows:

• Scripture alone (sola Scriptura)  Philosophers have sometimes accused people of projecting themselves onto God and making up the ‘god’ we want.  Christianity is to be different.  God takes the initiative and reveals himself or makes himself known.  God tells us who he is, and how he is to be worshipped.  Apart form this we would only be guessing what he is like or, as the philosophers accuse, be guilty of making God in our own image or creating the god we want.  The bible is adamant.  God makes himself known and insists that we know him and approach him according to his word and not our own ideas.  The bible or Christian Scriptures are our source for a true and trustworthy knowledge of God.  Classical Lutheranism insists that we listen to and obey God by presenting his word purely!

 

• Christ alone  (solus Christus)  Lutherans teach that the whole of the bible is God’s inspired word or revelation to us.  However, the bible itself gives us various tools as to how it is to be interpreted.  Jesus said to some opponents ‘You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life’. (John 5:39-40)  Jesus, God in the flesh, is at the heart of the Scriptures and the One to who they point and through whom they should be read.  Jesus, the eternal Son, makes God most fully known because he is God (more about this as I do an article on the Trinity in the near future).  The Old Testament is God’s word but needs to be read through and interpreted in the light of Jesus (and the New Testament or covenant) to whom it points and for whom it prepares us.

 

• Grace alone (sola gratia)  God’s universal commands (as distinct from the specific ones given to Israel), reinforced in Christ’s teaching, are applicable and binding for all people.   These show us how we should live and what is good for us, yet in doing this they also show us how far short we fall of the perfection God requires.  They show us that above above everything, we need a saviour.  The corrupt medieval Church that the Reformers confronted was not wrong in teaching about God’s judgment, but in offering distorted answers or solutions.  Their position was that humans are capable of earning God’s acceptance through all sort of heroic actions, works and expressions  of devotion, even stating that those who rejected marriage were closer to God and earned more of his favour.   In addition they taught that a person could purchase forgiveness for themselves and for loved suffering after death in their made up realm of purgatory.  Today many people think that they are OK if they simply live a decent sort of life, not knowing how far short of God’s standards they fall.  Instead of hoping for the best by trusting our own distorted lives and efforts, the bible reveals God’s underserved grace to us by presenting Jesus as the saviour.  He comes to do what none of us, since the fall into sin at humanities beginning, can do.  He lives the perfect life none of us have lived for us, bears the punishment we deserve for our sins on the cross in our place, and rises triumphantly over sin, death, hell and all of the forces of evil, darkness, injustice and cruelty.  He will return to raise the dead and put all things right and usher in a perfect new heavens and new earth where he will dwell with his people who will be totally transformed to be like the resurrected Jesus.  In Jesus ‘Christ alone’, we find forgiveness and a gracious God!

 

• Faith alone (sola fide)  We receive the benefits of Jesus Christ’s gracious sinless life, sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection for us through faith.  Through ‘faith alone’ we receive pardon and a new relationship with God.  It is a gift and through the free gift of baptism we are officially united to Jesus and officially become God’s children and heirs.  In baptism God adopts us as his children.  Through this faith we are made new and given new powers that enable us to live new lives.  As God’s children we are to seek to live as our good heavenly Father wants us to.  If our lives are not turned towards God and if we do not experience sorrow over our sins we have not come to this faith.   However,  our lives and performance will always fall short this side of heaven.  From first to last we are put right with God and saved from God’s righteous displeasure over sin, from hell and condemnation, through God’s ‘gracious’ gift of ‘Christ alone’ received through ‘faith alone’.  Through Jesus Christ alone we have peace with God. 

 

• God’s glory alone (Soli Deo gloria)  The Christian life is God centred.  We realise our powerlessness and that God rules over everything.  We are totally dependant upon God.  We worship firstly to receive.  God bestows his forgiveness and assures us in various ways through worship.  We are strengthened in faith, instructed, guided and blessed in all sorts of spiritual and temporal ways.  We offer prayers and sing praises acknowledging God both as our creator and as Lord and ruler of all.  Everything comes from God, and so we are to love, trust and give God the glory, now and forever.  As St Paul communicates (and I paraphrase) ‘Why should we boast?  What do we have that we have not received’ (1 Cor 4:7). 

 
The above is only a brief introduction to the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective.  Below are some resources to enable further exploration.  I am also available for consultation in order to answer any questions or assist in further exploring the Christian faith. 
 

• Luther's small catechism:  This is a short, simple booklet created to explain and teach people the basics of the Christian faith.  It is readily available online for free from many sources including here:  https://els.org/beliefs/luthers-small-catechism/
• The Lutheran Confessions:  Sometimes also called ‘The Book of Concord’ this sets forth the Lutheran position on many issues or controversies from around or soon after the Reformation.  They claim to be a true or pure exposition of God’s word.   The Reformers knew what they were on about as these weighty and comprehensive documents have withstood the test of time.   A good place for a casual enquirer to begin reading may be with the Augsburg Confession, which the link here will lead to:  http://bookofconcord.org/augsburgconfession.php#article1
• Martin Luther: The idea that changed the world.  An excellent 2017 doco-drama on Luther and the start of the Reformation.  Available on Netflicks. 
• Luther: 2003 movie starring Joseph Fiennes as Luther.   A dramatized introduction to the life of Luther and the beginnings of the Reformation.  
• God connects:  Twelve short film clips of about 7 minutes each that present some of the basics of the Christian faith.  In addition to further investigating subjects touched on above, interesting topics such as prayer, Holy Communion and the end of time are explored.  https://www.lhm.org/godconnects/