May 3, 2009

• Luther on Galatians 4: any & all false gospels = idolatry

  In Tim Keller's talk The Grand Demythologizer: The Gospel and Idolatry given at The Gospel Coalition 2009 Conference, Keller discussed three types of idols, one of which was religious idols. (See my notes on his talk here.) As most of you know I've become increasingly concerned and burdened over the infiltration of false gospels into the church today. (For example, please see here and here). Any false gospel serves to undermine, distort and corrupt the pure and true Gospel of free grace through Jesus Christ.

  A while back I had started reading Martin Luther's commentary on Galatians and ended up reading on Galatians 1-3 and 5. Only yesterday did I resume reading and picked up in his commentary on Galatians 4 in which we find Luther equating false gospels with idolatry...I thought this to be perfect timing having just blogged about Keller's message on idols only a few days ago...

  Here's Luther (boldface, mine):

  
  

  Verses 8, 9. Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
  
  He [Paul] is deeply displeased with them [the Galatians] for relinquishing their divine doctrine. He tells them: “You have taken on teachers who intend to recommit you to the Law. By my doctrine I called you out of the darkness of ignorance into the wonderful light of the knowledge of God. I led you out of bondage into the freedom of the sons of God, not by the prescription of laws, but by the gift of heavenly and eternal blessings through Christ Jesus. How could you so soon forsake the light and return to darkness? How could you so quickly stray from grace into the Law, from freedom into bondage?”
  
  ...We take great pains in setting forth the doctrine of faith by preaching and by writing. We are careful to apply the Gospel and the Law in their proper turn. Yet we make little headway because the devil seduces people into misbelief by taking Christ out of their sight and focusing their eyes upon the Law.

  But why does Paul accuse the Galatians of reverting to the weak and beggarly elements of the Law when they never had the Law? Why does he not say to them: “At one time you Galatians did not know God. You then served idols that were no gods. But now that you have come to know the true God, why do you go back to the worship of idols?” Paul seems to identify their defection from the Gospel to the Law with their former idolatry. Indeed he does. Whoever gives up the article of justification does not know the true God. It is one and the same thing whether a person reverts to the Law or to the worship of idols. When the article of justification is lost, nothing remains except error, hypocrisy, godlessness, and idolatry.
  
  God will and can be known in no other way than in and through Christ according to the statement of John 1:18, “The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” Christ is the only means whereby we can know God and His will. In Christ we perceive that God is not a cruel judge, but a most loving and merciful Father who to bless and to save us “spared not his own Son, but gave him up for us all.” This is truly to know God.
  
  Those who do not know God in Christ arrive at this erroneous conclusion: “I will serve God in such and such a way. I will join this or that order. I will be active in this or that charitable endeavor. God will sanction my good intentions and reward me with everlasting life. For is He not a merciful and generous Father who gives good things even to the unworthy and ungrateful? How much more will He grant unto me everlasting life as a due payment in return for my many good deeds and merits.” This is the religion of reason. This is the natural religion of the world. “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God” (I Cor. 2:14). “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God” (Romans 3:11). Hence, there is really no difference between a Jew, a Mohammedan, and any other old or new heretic. There may be a difference of persons, places, rites, religions, ceremonies, but as far as their fundamental beliefs are concerned they are all alike.
  
  Is it therefore not extreme folly for Rome and the Mohammedans to fight each other about religion? How about the monks? Why should one monk want to be accounted more holy than another monk because of some silly ceremony, when all the time their basic beliefs are as much alike as one egg is like the other? They all imagine, if we do this or that work, God will have mercy on us; if not, God will be angry.
  
  God never promised to save anybody for his religious observance of ceremonies and ordinances. Those who rely upon such things do serve a god, but it is their own invention of a god, and not the true God. The true God has this to say: No religion pleases Me whereby the Father is not glorified through His Son Jesus. All who give their faith to this Son of Mine, to them I am God and Father. I accept, justify, and save them. All others abide under My curse because they worship creatures instead of Me.
  
  Without the doctrine of justification there can be only ignorance of God. Those who refuse to be justified by Christ are idolaters. They remain under the Law, sin, death, and the power of the devil. Everything they do is wrong.
  
  Nowadays there are many such idolaters who want to be counted among the true confessors of the Gospel. They may even teach that men are delivered from their sins by the death of Christ. But because they attach more importance to charity than to faith in Christ they dishonor Him and pervert His Word. They do not serve the true God, but an idol of their own invention. The true God has never yet smiled upon a person for his charity or virtues, but only for the sake of Christ’s merits.

  * * *

  Have you defected from the divine doctrine, the glorious Gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ? Are you trusting in idols to save you? Are you worshiping false gods? Are you trusting in the law to save you? Are you trusting in your works to save you? How are you balking at God's perfect provision for you in Jesus Christ? How have you been adding to His all-sufficient work for you? Have you been turning to idols – turning back to the law, to your religious observance or ordinances, your good works, and trusting in such things to justify you?  Are you trusting in other gods, in idols to save you instead of wholly trusting in and worshiping the one true God who has revealed to us that there is only one and only one way of salvation, Jesus Christ? Have you ever truly known God as revealed in and through Jesus Christ?

  Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

  –Romans 3:19-28, ESV
  

  May He give you eyes to see your true state before Him! There is no other way, no other name under heaven whereby we can be saved but by the name of Jesus. All other ways are idolatry and falsehood, and in the end lead to death.

  Even as many hirelings and wolves have come in and are trying to steal, kill and destroy the freedom we have in Christ and continue to infiltrate the Church with idols, with false gospels, as they did in Paul's day, may our Lord, the great Shepherd of the sheep, our good Shepherd, continue to guard and keep us His Church, His flock, rooted and grounded and established in His true Gospel of justification by faith. May He give us discernment and guard us from error and being deceived and led away into idolatry.

  

  Luther wrote this of Paul:

  The Apostle always has Christ on the tip of his tongue. He foresaw that nothing would be less known in the world some day than the Gospel of Christ. Therefore he talks of Christ continually. As often as he speaks of righteousness, grace, the promise, the adoption, and the inheritance of heaven, he adds the words, “In Christ,” or “Through Christ,” to show that these blessings are not to be had by the Law, or the deeds of the Law, much less by our own exertions, or by the observance of human traditions, but only by and through and in Christ.
  
  Father, Son and Spirit, might we always have Christ on the tips of our tongues and talk of Him continually so Christ alone would have the preeminence and You alone might receive all the praise, honor and glory!

  Related Posts:
  

  • my deep concern for the churches (my concern over legalism in the Church)
  • Naphtali News: the Ministry of the Word & Prayer (my concern over false gospels in the Church)
  • my posts on true and false religion
  • Good Friday: Are you glorying in the cross or in your works?
  • At Calvary: Can you say, "I'm with Him"?
  • Second Sunday of Advent: FAQ about Santa Claus and the Gospel of Christ
  • First Sunday after Christmas: Are you trusting in the Babe alone?

  
  More on Luther's Commentary on Galatians:
  

  • Luther's Commentary on Galatians
  • April Fool's Day: Have you become like the foolish Galatians?

  More on Luther:
  

  • Reformation Day 490 Years Later: Have You Ever . . .
  • Reformation Sunday: Luther-"Just an individualist who never co-operated" or Contender for the truth?
  • Reformation Day: Martin Luther on "How One is Justified before God, and of Good Works"

  Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  • 9:58 AM
  • 6 Comments