Finger and Thumb

"Comparing Holy Scripture with other writings, we observe that no book is apparently so full of contradictions as the Bible, and that, not only in minor points, but in the principal matter, in the doctrine of how we may come to God and be saved. In one place the Bible offers forgiveness to all sinners; in another place forgiveness of sins is withheld from all sinners. In one passage a free offer of life everlasting is made to all men; in another, men are directed to do something themselves towards being saved. This riddle is solved when we reflect that there are in the Scriptures two entirely different doctrines, the doctrine of the Law and the doctrine of the Gospel." -- The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, C. F. W. Walther

As a system of theology, Lutheran doctrine can be very unsettling. As with many churches there are always those who try to discredit that which they do not wish to obey. However, Lutheran teaching is perhaps best distinguished by its ability to and insistence that we maintain a delicate balance between ideas that appear on their face to be mutually exclusive. For those who rely on reason, this is an incredibly disquieting perspective. Even those who steadfastly place God's word above reason often do so on pins and needles. After all, can an infallible, inerrant Scripture contradict itself in its central message?

Here Walther touches on what is perhaps the most important of these questions: Faith alone? Grace alone? Or not? Do we earn our place in the kingdom of God by our works, or are we welcomed in spite of them? What must we do to be saved? What CAN we do to be saved? Can we do anything at all to be saved?

On one hand we read that we must keep God's law in order to be saved. In Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus affirms the law, and says, "...unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." In case you weren't sure just how high that bar is, that same chapter ends with v. 48, "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Jesus says it again so that even the disciples are astonished. Matthew 19:16-22 relates the story of the rich young ruler. He poses a very straight-forward question to Jesus: "What good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?" Jesus responds, "If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." When the rich young ruler tells Jesus he's done all those things, Jesus brings it home to him. "Sell everything you have and give it to the poor." The rich young ruler went away grieving.

So we gain eternal life by not sinning, right?

Wrong.

The disciples are astonished at Jesus' conversation with the rich young ruler. "Then who can be saved?" -- An honest question, asked by those who understand just how sinful each man is. James tells us that, "Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all." (2:10) The disciples understood this.

Hinting at the big picture, Jesus tells them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Of course, if we were perfect we could not only save ourselves -- we wouldn't need saving! But like the scribes and the Pharisees, we have to confess that we are not without sin. (John 8:7-9)

We would have no hope, but with God, all things are possible. With God, our righteousness can and does exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. Philippians 3:8-11 shows us how, "...not having a righteousness of my own, derived from the law, but ... the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith." (V. 9) Jesus fulfilled all righteousness. (Matthew 3:15) He is the manifestation of righteousness. (Romans 3:21-24) That righteousness is given to us as a gift. (Romans 5:17-19)

In Lutheran theology, the musts and the must-nots, the shoulds and should-nots, the dos and do-nots are understood to be the Law. The declaration of what Jesus has done for us is called the Gospel.

The teaching on the distinction between Law and Gospel, introduced by Paul, described by Augustine, and relied on by Luther, is brilliantly expounded by Walther, who explains that it's not a question of contradiction but of application. It's like asking, "How does a surgeon save a life, by cutting open or sewing up? The answer is that they are both life-saving medicine when used at the right time with the right patient and the right diagnosis, and they're both harmful when used wrongly. So it is with Law and Gospel. Used well, both work together to save eternal lives.

The Law tells us what we have to do to be saved. The Gospel tells us what Jesus has done to save us. If we could keep the Law perfectly, it too might save us, but because we can't, it will continually rub our noses in our failure until we admit defeat and turn to the Gospel. This is why God's design in giving us both works so perfectly -- the Law shows us why the Gospel is our only hope.

Rather than opposing one another, these two messages work together like finger and thumb, to pick us up and set us right. Rather than contradicting each other, they show the incredible unity of the scriptures, whose beginning, end, and center is Jesus Christ.