Confessing Evangelical

Talking of the Gospel, the following words are, I dare say, familiar enough to many of us. But they struck me with fresh force last night, when I had cause to look them up for the first time in a number of months; and they certainly bear repetition.

Martin Luther, in the Smalcald Articles (Book of Concord, Kolb edition):

Here is the first and chief article:

That Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, "was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification" (Rom. 4[:25]); and he alone is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1[:29]); and "the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53[:6]); furthermore, "All have sinned," and "they are now justified without merit by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus...by his blood" (Rom. 3[:23-25]).

As CS Lewis says in Mere Christianity, "That is the formula. That is Christianity. This is what has to be believed."

And that is why it is not simply "wrong" or "incorrect", but nonsensical to introduce any element of human works or merit into the Gospel (to talk about "the law of the Gospel", like Roman Catholics, or "Gospel imperatives", like some modern Calvinists [see comments]). The Gospel is a set of declarations: Christ "was handed over", "is the Lamb of God"; we "have sinned", "are now justified". You can't "earn" those statements: you can only believe them, or disbelieve them.

As Luther goes on to say:

Now because this must be believed and may not be obtained or grasped otherwise with any work, law, or merit, it is clear and certain that this faith alone justifies us, as St. Paul says in Romans 3[:28,26]: "For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law"; and also, "that God alone is righteous and justifies the one who has faith in Jesus."

Nothing in this article can be conceded or given up, even if heaven and earth or whatever is transitory passed away. As St. Peter says in Acts 4[:12]: There is no other name...given among mortals by which we must be saved." "And by his bruises we are healed" (Isa. 53[:5]).