by Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560)

Theses on Law, Gospel & Faith


by Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560)


The following theses have been extraced from Philip Melanchthons's Loci
Communes Theologici (Common Places in Theology, or perhaps, Fundamental
Docrinal Themes. This book was originally published very early in the
Protestant Reformation (1521), and according to Martin Luther, "Next to
Holy Scripture, there is no better book." In fact Melanchthon's Loci was so
highly revered by Luther that some have used this to explain the fact that
Luther himself never wrote a systematic theology of his own. Again,
according to Luther, "You cannot find anywhere a book which treats the
whole of theology so adequately as the Loci communes do...." Thus, if you
want to understand the mind of Luther, from the perspective of systematic
theology, Melanchthon's Loci is a good place to start. These theses on Law,
Gospel and Faith begin at the conclusion of the chapter heading titled,
"Love and Hope." This e-text was edited and uploaded by Shane Rosenthal for
Reformation Ink .



FROM PHILIP MELANCHTHON'S LOCI COMMUNES THEOLOGICI


      Let us bring this whole discussion of law, gospel, and faith together
      under several theses:


      1. The law is the doctrine that commands what is and what is not to
      be done.

      2. The gospel is the promise of the grace of God.

      3. The law demands impossible things such as the love of God and our
      neighbor.

      4. Those who try to keep the law by their natural powers or free will
      simulate only the external works; they do not give expression to
      those attitudes which the law demands.

      5. Therefore, they do not satisfy the law, but they are hypocrites,
      "whitewashed tombs," as Christ calls them in Matt 23:27. Gal 3:10
      says: "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse.

      6. Therefore, it is not the function of the law to justify.

      7. But the proper function of the law is to reveal sin and especially
      to confound the conscience. Rom 3:20: "Through the law comes
      knowledge of sin."

      8. To a conscience acknowledging sin and confounded by the law, the
      gospel reveals Christ.

      9. Thus John reveals Christ at the very time he preaches repentance:
      "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John
      1:29).

      10. The faith by which we belive the gospel showing us Christ and by
      which Christ is received as the one who has placated the Father and
      through whom grace is given, this faith is our righteousness. John
      1:12: "But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave
      power to become Children of God."

      11. If it is actually faith alone that justifies, there is clearly no
      regard for our merits or our works , but only for the merits of
      Christ.

      12. This faith calms and gladdens the heart. Rom 5:1: "Therefore,
      since we are justified by faith, we have peace."

      13. The result of faith is that for such a great blessing, the
      forgiveness of sins because of Christ, we love God in return.
      Therefore, love for God is a fruit of faith.

      14. This same faith causes us to be ashamed of having offended such a
      kind and generous father.

      15. Therefore, it cause us to abhor our flesh with its evil desires.

      16. Human reason neither fears God nor believes him, but is utterly
      ignorant of him and despises him. We know this from Ps. 14:1: "The
      fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" Luke 16:31 "If they do
      not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if
      someone should rise from the dead." Here Christ points out that the
      human heart does not believe the word of God. This madness of the
      human heart is what Solomon railed at in the whole book of
      Ecclesiastes as can be seen from ch. 8:11: "Because sentence agains
      an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the sons of men
      is fully set to do evil."

      17. Because the human heart is utterly ignorant of God, it turns
      aside to its own counsels and desires, and sets itself up in the
      place of God.

      18. When God confounds the human heart through the law with a sense
      of sin, it does not yet know God, that is, it does not know his
      goodness and therefore hates him as if he were a tormentor.

      19. When God comforts and consoles the human heart through the gospel
      by showing it Christ, then finally it knows God, for it recognizes
      both his power and his goodness. This is what Jer 9:24 means: "But
      let him who glories glory in this, that...he knows me."

      20. The heart of him who has believed the gospel and come to know the
      goodness of God is now fortified so that it trusts in God and fears
      him and consequently abhors the thoughts of the human heart.

      21. Peter said very fittingly in Acts 15:9 that hearts are cleansed
      by faith.

      22. Mercy is revealed through the promises.

      23. Sometimes material things are promised, and at other times
      spiritual.

      24. In the law, material things such as the Land of Canaan, the
      Kingdom, etc. are promised.


      25. The gospel is the promise of grace or the forgiveness of sins
      through Christ.

      26. All material promises are dependent on the promise of Christ.

      27. For the first promise was a promise of grace or Christ. It is
      found in Gen 3:15: "He shall bruise your head." This means that the
      seed of Eve will crush the kingdom of the serpent plotting agains our
      heel, that is Christ will crush sin and death.

      28. This was renewed in the promise made to Abraham: "By your
      decendants shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Gen.
      22:18).

      29. Therefore, since Christ was to be born of the descendants of
      Abraham, the promises added to the law about the possession of the
      earth, etc. were obscure promises of the Christ who was to come. For
      those material things were promised to the people until the promised
      seed should be born, lest they perish and in order that in the
      meantime God might indicate his mercy by material things and might
      thereby exercise the faith of his people.

      30. By Christ's birth the promises to mankind were consumated, and
      the forgiveness of sins, for which Christ had to be born, was openly
      made known.

      31. The promises of the Old Testament are signs of the Christ to come
      and also of the promise of grace to be broadcast at some future time.
      The gospel, the very promise of grace, has already been made known.

      32. Just as that man does not know God who knows only that he exists
      but does not know either his power or his mercy, so also that man
      does not believe who believes only that God exists but does not
      believe both in his power and his mercy.

      33. He really believes, therefore, who, looking beyond the threats,
      believes the gospel also, who fixes his face on the mercy of God or
      on Christ, the pledge of divine mercy.
      So much on faith; we shall add certain things on love a little later
      after we have dealt with the difference between the law and gospel.