Battle Cries of the Reformation

[its_brad]

State the three theological battle cries of the Reformation. Do you feel that the Protestantism of today has held true to these principles? Why or Why not?

[terri gunderson]

The basic theological principles of the Protestant Reformation are: justification by faith, the authority of Scripture, and the priesthood of all believers. Having said that, I think they each deserve a bit more clarification.

Justification by faith became a "battle cry" due to several factors, none of the least was Luther's own self-imposed response to sin. While the sacrament of penance (and its misuse) contributed to his disgust with the Catholic Church, he really believed that there was no human way possible to live up to the sinless perfection required by Christ. If obedience could not assure him of salvation, he needed something more. Many saints have come to this same place of reconciliation with Christ after realizing their own inadequacy would not satisfy God’s demands. Fortunately, this led Luther to the book of Romans where he found justification by faith to be the answer.

In answer to the question of whether Protestantism has lived up to this principle, I must answer both yes and no. It has continued to affirm that faith is the only way to Christ, yet people continue to distort the Scriptures and feel that it is necessary (for personal reasons?) to add either a type of works to their theology, or they fail to take sin seriously enough which leads to a form of antinomianism. So while we grasp the principle in its most basic form, we fail in living it out practically.

The Authority of Scripture became a “battle cry” because the bible had remained in the hands of the clergy, not the people for so many years. Now, having access to the Scripture in their own language placed a double edged sword in the hands of believers. Initially they held each other accountable at every opportunity as to the content of the Word. They also became aware of how tradition had been held up with equal authority to the Word of God. Slowly, however, the Word has become common place throughout the centuries due to the ease of its access. Most people are even unaware of the fact that Scripture was (and still is not) as accessible as it currently is in our country. We have lost our appreciation for studying, memorizing, knowing, and being responsible for its contents. In many ways this battle cry has given us the means, but the desire to read, study and meditate remains our responsibility left to be fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit. Of course, He desires to be invited in to the process!

Lastly, the priesthood of all believers appears to be the one “battle cry” that has survived the strongest after all of the years that have ensued since the Reformation. Most evangelicals would definitely deny that there is any mediator between God and man. They would defend the right to call Jesus our High Priest (Heb. 4) and claim that we are all equal within the body of Christ. However, equality looks slightly different within each denomination (ie ordination of women), there still remains respect for all persons who call themselves Christians (Gal. 3:28).

[terri gunderson]

The basic theological principles of the Protestant Reformation are: justification by faith, the authority of Scripture, and the priesthood of all believers. Having said that, I think they each deserve a bit more clarification.

Justification by faith became a "battle cry" due to several factors, none of the least was Luther's own self-imposed response to sin. While the sacrament of penance (and its misuse) contributed to his disgust with the Catholic Church, he really believed that there was no human way possible to live up to the sinless perfection required by Christ. If obedience could not assure him of salvation, he needed something more. Many saints have come to this same place of reconciliation with Christ after realizing their own inadequacy would not satisfy God’s demands. Fortunately, this led Luther to the book of Romans where he found justification by faith to be the answer.

In answer to the question of whether Protestantism has lived up to this principle, I must answer both yes and no. It has continued to affirm that faith is the only way to Christ, yet people continue to distort the Scriptures and feel that it is necessary (for personal reasons?) to add either a type of works to their theology, or they fail to take sin seriously enough which leads to a form of antinomianism. So while we grasp the principle in its most basic form, we fail in living it out practically.

The Authority of Scripture became a “battle cry” because the bible had remained in the hands of the clergy, not the people for so many years. Now, having access to the Scripture in their own language placed a double edged sword in the hands of believers. Initially they held each other accountable at every opportunity as to the content of the Word. They also became aware of how tradition had been held up with equal authority to the Word of God. Slowly, however, the Word has become common place throughout the centuries due to the ease of its access. Most people are even unaware of the fact that Scripture was (and still is not) as accessible as it currently is in our country. We have lost our appreciation for studying, memorizing, knowing, and being responsible for its contents. In many ways this battle cry has given us the means, but the desire to read, study and meditate remains our responsibility left to be fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit. Of course, He desires to be invited in to the process!

Lastly, the priesthood of all believers appears to be the one “battle cry” that has survived the strongest after all of the years that have ensued since the Reformation. Most evangelicals would definitely deny that there is any mediator between God and man. They would defend the right to call Jesus our High Priest (Heb. 4) and claim that we are all equal within the body of Christ. However, equality looks slightly different within each denomination (ie ordination of women), there still remains respect for all persons who call themselves Christians (Gal. 3:28).

[lydianurse]

The three theological battle cries of the Reformation are 1) justification by grace alone through faith alone, 2) Scripture as the sole authority, and 3) the priesthood of all believers.

These three principles continue to be theological pillars in most evangelical churches today, at least in theory. However, I believe that actual practice does not always correspond to these theological foundations. Over the last century in particular, many Protestant churches have either veered away from these principles or have taken them to their extreme.

For instance, the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone has been taken to the extreme. Many evangelistic efforts have so concentrated on conversion, that thousands of professing Christians in America do not know anything about Christian living. In fact, many Christians truly believe that they are going to heaven because they “prayed the prayer” when they were a child. As a result, there is little or no transformation evident in their lives. They think that they can live moderately good lives, and God will forgive their sins because they “believe in Jesus.” Thus, there is confusion about what saving faith is. However, both Paul and James are clear that grace and faith are no excuse for sin. As one person has put it, “Faith that saves is faith alone, but faith that saves is not alone.” The process of sanctification is evidence of true faith. Thus, I appreciate the preaching of Lordship salvation in some conservative circles because they attempt to restore a more balanced and Biblical view of faith in our churches.

Perhaps the greatest attack on Reformation principles has been leveled against the authority of Scripture. More and more theological seminaries and churches have rejected a belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. It is now common for evangelicals to agree that the Bible is authoritative in certain matters of faith but to disagree about its relevance to life, to history, to science, to medicine, to politics, etc. The phrase “all truth is God’s truth” has been used by many evangelicals to justify their turning away from Scripture as the sole authority and turning to other philosophies for answers. Indeed, this has led Christians to accept the theory of evolution, to embrace psychology as the solution to emotional problems, and to act indifferent toward homosexuality, divorce, and abortion within the church! If the Bible were viewed as the sole authority in all matters of faith and life, then certainly churches would neither be supportive nor passive about these things within their congregations.

Finally, it is difficult to find a church today that demonstrates a healthy understanding of the priesthood of all believers. I think that most churches today either lean toward strong leadership with little congregational involvement, or toward weak leadership with high congregational involvement. I think that both of these scenarios are due to the same problem: a lack of understanding regarding the role of church leadership. If elders and pastors better understood their dual role of shepherding the congregation with strong Biblical teaching and of equipping the congregation to do the works of ministry, then I believe we would see a more balanced depiction of the priesthood of all believers. As it is, however, I see many churches where the pastor and a few select others do all the “ministry.” I also see many churches where the leadership allows the congregation to do everything, while the teaching of the Word suffers. However, a balance of these two approaches would be the best.

[lydianurse]

In answer to the question of whether Protestantism has lived up to this principle, I must answer both yes and no. It has continued to affirm that faith is the only way to Christ, yet people continue to distort the Scriptures and feel that it is necessary (for personal reasons?) to add either a type of works to their theology, or they fail to take sin seriously enough which leads to a form of antinomianism. So while we grasp the principle in its most basic form, we fail in living it out practically.

The Authority of Scripture became a “battle cry” because the bible had remained in the hands of the clergy, not the people for so many years. Now, having access to the Scripture in their own language placed a double edged sword in the hands of believers. Initially they held each other accountable at every opportunity as to the content of the Word. They also became aware of how tradition had been held up with equal authority to the Word of God. Slowly, however, the Word has become common place throughout the centuries due to the ease of its access. Most people are even unaware of the fact that Scripture was (and still is not) as accessible as it currently is in our country. We have lost our appreciation for studying, memorizing, knowing, and being responsible for its contents. In many ways this battle cry has given us the means, but the desire to read, study and meditate remains our responsibility left to be fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit. Of course, He desires to be invited in to the process!


I agree that Protestantism has lived up to the battle cries of the Reformation in part. It is true that at the most basic level, Protestants agree in these three areas. However, there is vast disagreement once they begin to define their understanding of these principles in greater detail. Furthermore, it is true that many Christians have added to these principles so that they have become unbalanced in their views (and often un-Biblical).

I don't think that I would attribute the present indifference toward the Bible to the widespread availability of the Scriptures. I think that the very nature of the Bible is under attack. Historical criticism, textual criticism, form criticism and other criticisms have undermined the reliability of the Bible and proposed other methods for interpreting the Bible. As a result, people think of the Bible like every other book. It has lost its power and its relevance in our lives. Furthermore, people reject the Bible as the sole authority because everyone interprets the Bible differently. Thus, they question how the Bible could have anything authoritative to say to them.

[deanne]

The three theological positions of the reformation were 1) justification by faith, 2) Scripture as authoritative, and the priesthood of all believers. I believe that Protestantism, as far as I have seen has been true these principles. I have not attended a church where these three principles were not up held. I have however, seen them carried too far.
With regard to the priesthood of all beleivers I have seen more of a lone Christian attitude. It has not always been by the person's choice. I think it has sometimes been for a lack of support among believers.
Justification by faith has created a strong fear and misunderstanding about what constitutes works. Consequently, such fear of works has led to attitudes of antinomianism and the idea that not all believers are disciples but all disciples are believers.
The Bible as authoritative has come to mean one should not read anything but the Bible even excluding church history. This is not what it meant in the reformation but then if one does not study church history how is one to know?

[deanne]

The three theological battle cries of the Reformation are 1) justification by grace alone through faith alone, 2) Scripture as the sole authority, and 3) the priesthood of all believers.

These three principles continue to be theological pillars in most evangelical churches today, at least in theory. However, I believe that actual practice does not always correspond to these theological foundations. Over the last century in particular, many Protestant churches have either veered away from these principles or have taken them to their extreme.

For instance, the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone has been taken to the extreme. Many evangelistic efforts have so concentrated on conversion, that thousands of professing Christians in America do not know anything about Christian living. In fact, many Christians truly believe that they are going to heaven because they “prayed the prayer” when they were a child. As a result, there is little or no transformation evident in their lives. They think that they can live moderately good lives, and God will forgive their sins because they “believe in Jesus.” Thus, there is confusion about what saving faith is. However, both Paul and James are clear that grace and faith are no excuse for sin. As one person has put it, “Faith that saves is faith alone, but faith that saves is not alone.” The process of sanctification is evidence of true faith. Thus, I appreciate the preaching of Lordship salvation in some conservative circles because they attempt to restore a more balanced and Biblical view of faith in our churches.

Perhaps the greatest attack on Reformation principles has been leveled against the authority of Scripture. More and more theological seminaries and churches have rejected a belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. It is now common for evangelicals to agree that the Bible is authoritative in certain matters of faith but to disagree about its relevance to life, to history, to science, to medicine, to politics, etc. The phrase “all truth is God’s truth” has been used by many evangelicals to justify their turning away from Scripture as the sole authority and turning to other philosophies for answers. Indeed, this has led Christians to accept the theory of evolution, to embrace psychology as the solution to emotional problems, and to act indifferent toward homosexuality, divorce, and abortion within the church! If the Bible were viewed as the sole authority in all matters of faith and life, then certainly churches would neither be supportive nor passive about these things within their congregations.

Finally, it is difficult to find a church today that demonstrates a healthy understanding of the priesthood of all believers. I think that most churches today either lean toward strong leadership with little congregational involvement, or toward weak leadership with high congregational involvement. I think that both of these scenarios are due to the same problem: a lack of understanding regarding the role of church leadership. If elders and pastors better understood their dual role of shepherding the congregation with strong Biblical teaching and of equipping the congregation to do the works of ministry, then I believe we would see a more balanced depiction of the priesthood of all believers. As it is, however, I see many churches where the pastor and a few select others do all the “ministry.” I also see many churches where the leadership allows the congregation to do everything, while the teaching of the Word suffers. However, a balance of these two approaches would be the best.


I think that you have stated well the abuses of these three principles. I agree whole heartedly on the "praying the prayer" and the lack of Lordship in many believers lives.
You also have stated very well the abuses of allowing certain disciplines such as psychology or philosophy to over take biblical authority. Fortunately not all seminaries have lost the balance. Because of this I must contend for the idea of "all truth being God's truth" but it must be kept in balance and not abused as you pointed out. We must remember that even Paul used his knowledge of philosophy in contending for the faith. Another example is the Arian controversy. What was unclear to Arius biblically was made clear by the early church fathers who used philosophical concepts to make the clearest statement about the "substance " of Jesus in the Nicene Creed.
This does not negate your clear examples of abuses of these disciplines. You are absolutely correct that truth is abused and you gave excellent examples

[deanne]

The three theological positions of the reformation were 1) justification by faith, 2) Scripture as authoritative, and the priesthood of all believers. I believe that Protestantism, as far as I have seen has been true these principles. I have not attended a church where these three principles were not up held. I have however, seen them carried too far.
With regard to the priesthood of all beleivers I have seen more of a lone Christian attitude. It has not always been by the person's choice. I think it has sometimes been for a lack of support among believers.
Justification by faith has created a strong fear and misunderstanding about what constitutes works. Consequently, such fear of works has led to attitudes of antinomianism and the idea that not all believers are disciples but all disciples are believers.
The Bible as authoritative has come to mean one should not read anything but the Bible even excluding church history. This is not what it meant in the reformation but then if one does not study church history how is one to know?

[Haehle]

The battle cries of reformation are: justification by faith, authority of scripture, and the priesthood of believers. Protestantism, is theory, has tried to stay faithful to these tenets.
The problem comes when you throw all of us into the mix! Justification by faith alone? absolutely--but what about that sinner over there? They couldn't possibly be saved--their sin is so heinous. They certainly have to change, (be more like me) EARN the right to be called a child of God. Grace isn't for them is it? It's only for the GOOD people. Yeah, I think as a people we fall far short of understanding and accepting grace. We believe it in theory, but receiving it in fact is difficult to impossible.
Authority of scripture: Yes, we hold to this. Unfortunately I have seen scripture used as a weapon (against grace, not the enemy). It has been used out of context to kill, segregate, and justify all kinds of "ungraceful" behavior. "Text without context is pretext." We need a better understanding of God's Word--read through the lenses of the grace that Jesus dispenses. Priesthood of all believers? I think people have a hard time with this one too. We want a person to tell us we are alright, forgiven, etc...we want someone to dole out the punishment/consequences for our sins and especially the sins of others, so we can feel better and get on with our lives.We neglect the truth that God through the Holy Spirit is present in all believers--not just the ones who go to school and have a shiny degree on the wall. Left to ourselves we seek hierarchy/ authority in people and some will gladly fill that role of "pope" even in protestant churches.
I believe we all have a long way to go--back to Jesus.

[Haehle]

The three theological battle cries of the Reformation are 1) justification by grace alone through faith alone, 2) Scripture as the sole authority, and 3) the priesthood of all believers.

These three principles continue to be theological pillars in most evangelical churches today, at least in theory. However, I believe that actual practice does not always correspond to these theological foundations. Over the last century in particular, many Protestant churches have either veered away from these principles or have taken them to their extreme.

For instance, the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone has been taken to the extreme. Many evangelistic efforts have so concentrated on conversion, that thousands of professing Christians in America do not know anything about Christian living. In fact, many Christians truly believe that they are going to heaven because they “prayed the prayer” when they were a child. As a result, there is little or no transformation evident in their lives. They think that they can live moderately good lives, and God will forgive their sins because they “believe in Jesus.” Thus, there is confusion about what saving faith is. However, both Paul and James are clear that grace and faith are no excuse for sin. As one person has put it, “Faith that saves is faith alone, but faith that saves is not alone.” The process of sanctification is evidence of true faith. Thus, I appreciate the preaching of Lordship salvation in some conservative circles because they attempt to restore a more balanced and Biblical view of faith in our churches.

Perhaps the greatest attack on Reformation principles has been leveled against the authority of Scripture. More and more theological seminaries and churches have rejected a belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. It is now common for evangelicals to agree that the Bible is authoritative in certain matters of faith but to disagree about its relevance to life, to history, to science, to medicine, to politics, etc. The phrase “all truth is God’s truth” has been used by many evangelicals to justify their turning away from Scripture as the sole authority and turning to other philosophies for answers. Indeed, this has led Christians to accept the theory of evolution, to embrace psychology as the solution to emotional problems, and to act indifferent toward homosexuality, divorce, and abortion within the church! If the Bible were viewed as the sole authority in all matters of faith and life, then certainly churches would neither be supportive nor passive about these things within their congregations.



Finally, it is difficult to find a church today that demonstrates a healthy understanding of the priesthood of all believers. I think that most churches today either lean toward strong leadership with little congregational involvement, or toward weak leadership with high congregational involvement. I think that both of these scenarios are due to the same problem: a lack of understanding regarding the role of church leadership. If elders and pastors better understood their dual role of shepherding the congregation with strong Biblical teaching and of equipping the congregation to do the works of ministry, then I believe we would see a more balanced depiction of the priesthood of all believers. As it is, however, I see many churches where the pastor and a few select others do all the “ministry.” I also see many churches where the leadership allows the congregation to do everything, while the teaching of the Word suffers. However, a balance of these two approaches would be the best.

Just a comment about "authority of scripture". I believe the Reformers' intent was to aver that scripture alone--God's Word, was sufficient for salvation and instruction. The Roman Catholic church had long insisted that scripture along with the traditions of the Church were equally important to salvation. This gave the RC church control/influence over people's lives that should be reserved for God alone--the God found in scripture. I don't believe the Reformers' first intent was to hold up scripture as a hammer to force people into a certain way of behavior. Only God can change a person, and it is up to Him and the willing heart that He enters to "work out" the kinks--so to speak. In reading your response I hear a tendency toward wielding of the Word to compel people to act in an "appropriate" way. Looking at Martin Luther's life convinces me that that is not what he intended by publishing "authority of Scripture". He meant it to give grace and freedom to people long oppressed by the RC church's heavy hand and control Forgive me if I have misread your intent.