Luther: 2 principles vs reformed 2 covenants

Luther:
Pre-Fall man is in perfection/righteous state and are confronted with a command keeping the law
is to maintain their state of perfection what they already have. Law is a manifestation of what is
natural even post-Fall civil law has a function restraining human nature and enforced by
magistrates. This is a secondary use though. The 1
st
use is horizontal and starts with man. 1
st
use is to
maintain what man has already. After the fall the law takes a secondary nature we are unable to
keep it, in our fallen state so it functions as a principle that confronts humans in the same way but
unfortunately they are unable to keep it. However they still try to keep it by nature this is what we
are made to do but now it is on their own efforts self justification.
The law removes this this self confidence by beating man - demanding an unobtainable sinless
perfection and drives him to repentence for 1. The sin in his life i.e. law breaking/desires etc. and 2.
For the attempt at self-justification.
These principles Law vs Gospel describe the human heart and not a linear history of redemption. it
is an individual existential existence before God you live in the light of the principles one drives you
to the other. No history of redemption or salvation history, no timeline just an experience between
you and God. The characters of the Bible, model these principles and the character of the human
heart. We alternate between Abraham and Moses Grace and Law/ Promise and command etc.
This Lutheran scholasticism Luther was a Calvinist when it came to soteriology. For Lutheranism
the Bible teaches works righteousness as well as Gospel/Grace. Function number two of the Law
(post-Fall) is to drive us to back to Abraham or forward to Christ. Galatians 3 luthers Katarina!
The parenthesis is around Moses (works righteousness) and its all principles and no covenant. Faith
for the Lutheran is always and only applied to justification (scholastic Lutheranism). Justification is is
the end any idea of sanctification is tainted by sin.
Commands always beat you down and drive you back to the cross and this is where you find
forgiveness and maintain your relationship with god. Faith not Law maintains this. Bultmann (Luther
for the modern man 20
th
centurty) The demand for holiness is the problem and not the solution. We
relive the Abraham-Moses or Moses-Jesus dialectic every day every day you are driven to the cross
to get your forgiveness which is the basis of your relationship.
Jesus is the end of the Law the abolishment the last to have to obey it only faith exists after Jedsus.
The Law is only reapplied to my life by God to drive me back to the cross.
Luther gives a 2 kingdoms theology not sure here clarify

Reformed
Against Lutheranism, the Bible is not about the experience of a man. In Lutheranism it is just
between you and God but in Reformed thought there is the doctrine of Federal headship and the
covenant of works. There are only 2 men, 2 Adams the first and the second. The covenant of works
is the Bible. The Bible is not to tell me how I relate to God after the Fall. You start with God not man.
God says I am a legal judge, the Law is the pinnacle of my holiness.
How does the covenant of works, work?
Pre-Fall perfection perfection in the covenant of works
Provisions
Stipulations
Promise
The system starts with the stipulations whereas normally the provisions are the cause of the
stipulations or make them a possibility.
If you dont do the stipulations you are condemned if you do them yyou are blessed
There is a massive line between provisions and stipulations, the provisions are merely enablement
provisions, to enable a tit for tat legal equality that deomonstrates Gods essential legal character
and manifests his glory.
Adam is supposed to obey the stipulations to get something he doesnt have unlike Lutheranism.
The reward is a greater perfection by which they will obey from their nature and will not be able to
sin break Gods law and become immortal just as God is.
This is an escalation not a recapitulation, eschatology as escalation. The garden is PP, probation
period. If they made it through this period then they would have got through to perfection (what
about procreation?)
After the Fall, the covenant of works becomes the covenant of redemption between the Father and
the Son. Humans get what Adam 1 deserves as he is the 1
st
Federal head. By faith we get what jesus
deserves as Adam 2. Lutheranism does not need Federal headship.
What is the covenant of grace then?
It is an unconditional covenant which leads to salvation based on the covenant of redemption.
Provisions Grace of garden is now mercy and gifts
Stipulations obedience to commands Christs federal headship allows us to passively receive
faith this is where the doctrine of election is linked to the covenant. We receive
(passive) a double imputation of Christs active and passive obedience
Promise eternal life and union with Christ a in a perfected state where we can now obey
from our nature



On this side of the fall provisions have moved from enablement to causation, i.e. election is the
provision. Therefore Arminian before Fall (supralapsarian) and Clavinist after the Fall
(infralapsarianism)
In the garden grace is resistable obedience is optional. This is a fundamental point. Wesley
believed in a Call but balked at whether it was resistable, therefore not fully Arminian.
Reformed then use typological formations to interpreyt events in Bible- dont want to be accused of
dispensationalis sensus plenior. E.g. Abraham looking forward to Jesus they are ironic reversals or
as beale puts it, creative transcendent transformations. SJH they are so ironic they contradict the
text!
The parenthesis is around the Mosaic covenant which is there to be a teacher in history and Israel is
a recapitulation of Adam and his covenant of works just as Jesus is. Example of ironic reversal?
Works given to Adam, then Moses and finally Jesus if we did not have the Law we would not have
a fuller understanding of the nature of God the Decalogue, for example.
The same Spirit that brings faith is the same one that brings sanctification it is irresistible just as
much as justification.
So we have moved from the covenant of works to the covenant of grace throught the covenant of
redemption (made in eternity according to Vos)
God promises to replicate in us what he has doen in Jesus. Jeus has perfectly obeyed the 3 parts of
the Law, Moral, Civil and Ceremonial but he was a Jew and we now only need to keep the Moral
Law. Jesus purpose was to create the church but we are not under the Old covenant.
Moral Laws are from the Garden for believers in their perfected state in union with Christ.
Decalogue is an encapsulation of the one command in the garden not to eat the fruit.
Cultuarl mandate was the beginning of the civil Law but is only redemptive for Jews now. What
about Sabbath keeping then? In Jesus results in just going to church day not important as early
church witnesses just when you can.
What of the believers Spirit led obedience the blessings of the covenant of grace?
3 options:
Reward - future
Gratitude heightened spititual awareness - present
Assurance/Evidence of Election (initial justification) - past
Is Spirit obedience then retroactive (past)/present or future and why do we grow at different rates?
Therefor ein Reformed dogma we have Justification plus works (sanctification) i.e.trust and obey,
redemption is transformation not just forgiveness
Chuch takes over the world in Lutheranism
Lutheran critique is that saints are known by their perseverance, justification by works again!
SJH You have to define faith biblically it is neither the passive reception of the will nor the assent of
the mind.
Active view of faith obedience as radical monergism
Monergism describes the position in Christian theology of those who believe that God, through
the Holy Spirit, works to bring about effectually the salvation of individuals through
spiritual regeneration without cooperation from the individual. Monergism is most often associated
with Calvinism (like many American Presbyterians and Dutch Reformed) and its doctrine
of irresistible grace and in particular with historic doctrinal differences between Calvinism on the
one hand and Arminianism on the other
We neither want to be synergistic nor Catholic! 7 point Calvinism
Synergism: the belief that God and individuals cooperate for salvation. Lutherans generally adhere to
a modified and less stringent form of monergism.
What are the implications of these models for hermeneutic?

Dispensationalism
Jesus takes over the world
A literal hermeneutic meets Lutheranism and covenant theology harmony fundamentalism hybrid
derivative of the other two models. Most noses after Catholic Catechism and ironically the
ironically was originally cessassionist but is now the main Pentecostal hermeneutic.
There is no inaugurated eschatology the kingdom is not here. The Church is bracketed out Promise
is the anomaly as the main dispensations ate covenants of works which will be eventually re-
established with a new Temple and a re-establishment of Torah etc when Jesus returns and the
Kingdom finally reigns and is established. No ironic fulfilments here just literal ones.
2 ways of relating to God Plan A is works Garden, Moses and Jesus eventually the coming Kingdom.
PlanB was Abraham and the church. The rapture is not to escape persecution but to let plan A get
back on track. Church is not the kingdom this was rejected by Israel in Moses and Jesus time.