An interesting story “hot off the wires,” so to speak. One to watch. Will Rome extend the same invitation to Lutherans and make provisions similarly for them? And what will be the response and reaction if it does? From Scott Richert’s blog:

This article puts a major dent in claims that the Shroud of Turin is the actual burial cloth of Jesus Christ. A scientist claims to have reproduced it using only materials and techniques known in the Middle Ages. The original is on the left, the copy on the right. What do you think?

The Catholic Church would, however, “today deal with such a provocation in a different and a better way,” said the bishop. And so ends an interesting article on what a Roman Catholic bishop in Osnabrück, Germany had to say about Martin Luther.

Interesting comments indeed. I welcome them, as should all confessing Lutherans, but….I would find the kind words about Luther to be a tad more satisfying, to say the least, if the Vatican at some point would apologize for Luther’s excommunication and the Vatican’s role in having him declared a public criminal. But, for what it is worth, it’s nice to read these kinds of moderating remarks, and frankly, these comments are better than we hear most of the time from much of the leadership of the German state union churches, which are a mixtum compositum of truth, error, Lutheran, Reformed, and only God knows what else!

German Catholic bishop says Luther is a ‘fascinating personality’
ENI-09-0711

Osnabrück, Germany, 4 September (ENI/epd)–The Roman Catholic bishop of Osnabrück in northern Germany has said that the 16th-century Protestant Reformer Martin Luther offers a “positive challenge” to Protestant and Catholic churches.

“It’s fascinating just how radically he puts God at the centre,” Bishop Franz-Josef Bode said in an interview with the German Protestant news agency epd, in advance of a 6 September service Osnabrück’s Lutherkirche at which the bishop will preach on Luther.

Luther, said Bode, had rightly denounced failures in the Church and he had recalled the roots of faith.

Bode described Luther as a “fascinating personality for both churches”, noting that the Reformer had not intended to divide the Church though the dissemination of his 95 Theses of 1517, but that his teaching had later been exploited by other people for their own purposes.

Luther had been more concerned in dealing with the fundamental question of how God turns towards human beings.

In the Church of that era there had been tendencies that contributed to “misunderstandings”, said Bode citing grace and forgiveness of sins as things that certainly can not be bought, in a reference to the practice in Luther’s time of the Catholic Church selling indulgences.

“The focus on Christ, the Bible and the authentic Word – are things that we as the Catholic Church today can only underline,” said Bode. He noted that especially with the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has been able to understand and address in a new way Luther’s thought and his esteem for the Word of God.

The Second Vatican Council met from 1962 to 1965 and it led to the Catholic Church accepting for the first time that there could be coexistence of different forms of faith in Christ, said the bishop.

The 50th anniversary of the council in 2015 takes place in the decade preparing for the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in 2017. Bode said he would work within the German (Catholic) Bishops’ Conference to ensure that the ecumenical aspects of the Second Vatican Council are underlined.

Still, said Bode, there remain elements of division between the Catholic Church and Luther. These divisions centre on the understanding that Luther developed from his own experience of the Church, the priesthood and the sacraments.

The Catholic Church would, however, “today deal with such a provocation in a different and a better way,” said the bishop. [408 words]
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The Pope has released some new/old liturgical laws. Read it for yourself here.

Thanks to Pastor Weedon for this blog post, which I’m simply copying here. I should note that the book to which Pastor Weedon refers in his post prefaces the reworked prayer by noting that the Reginia Coeli, is an evil prayer in its original form.

Emendata

That is, fixed, emended. Today I’ve had the joy [thanks to a heads up from Pr. Paul McCain and the kind sharing of Pr. Ben Mayes] of looking over two texts that were rewritten, apparently by Urbanus Rhegius (confessor of Smalcald and evangelical bishop of Lüneburg). The originals were very popular and beloved antiphons to the Blessed Virgin. In the Lutheran Reformation, they were transformed into hymns to Christ (and the original chant lines preserved). I’m no Latinist, so pardon any goof ups in the translations, but I think they’re mostly on target:

Here’s the Salve Regina:

Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiae,
Hail, Queen, Mother of mercy,
vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
our life, sweetness and hope, hail!
ad te clamamus
to you we cry
exsules filii Hevae,
exiled sons of Eve.
ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
to you we send up our sighs, groaning and moaning
in hac lacrimarum valle.
in this valley of tears
Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos
Turn, our advocate, upon us
misericordes oculos ad nos converte;
Your merciful eyes
et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
And Jesus, the blessed fruit of your womb,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
show to us after this exile,
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

What happens with the Lutherans got hold of it? Check it out:

SAlue Iesu Christe, Rex misericordiæ,
Hail, Jesus Christ, King of mercy,
vita dulcedo & spes nostra,salue,
Our life, sweetness, and hope, hail!
ad te clamamus exules filij Euæ,
To you we cry, exiled sons of Eve
ad te suspiramus gementes & flentes,
To you we send up our sighs and moanings
in hac lacrymarum valle,
in this valley of tears,
Eya ergo, aduocate noster, illos tuos
Turn, therefore, our Advocate upon us
misericordes oculos ad nos conuerte,
Your merciful eyes
O Iesu benedicte, faciem patris tui nobis
O blessed Jesus, show to us the face of your Father
post hoc exilium ostende,
after this exile.
O clemens, O pie, O dulcis Iesu Christe.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Jesus Christ.

Similarly, the Regina Coeli:

Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia:
Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia:
Quia quem meruisti portare. alleluia,
For He whom you merited to bear, alleluia,
Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia,
Is risen, as He said, alleluia,
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.
Pray for us to God, alleluia.
Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad, Virgin Mary, alleluia.
Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.
Because the Lord is risen indeed, alleluia.

is now sung with these words to the old chant:

LÆtemur in Christo redemptore Alleluia
Rejoice in Christ the Redeemer Alleluia
quia quem percussit pater ob scelus populi sui Alleluia.
For he was struck by the Father for the sins of his people Alleluia.
Resurrexit (Cœlos ascendit / Spirtum
misit) sicut dixit (sicut dixit / Vt promisit) Alleluia.
He is risen (to heaven ascended/ sent the Spirit) just as He said (as He said / as He promised) Alleluia
Ora pro nobis Christe, qui ad dexteram Dei Patris locatus es
Pray for us, Christ, who at the right hand of God the Father are located
victor peccati, mortis, inferni,
Victor over sin, death, hell,
vnus es nobis propitiator pontifex, ecclesiæ caput:
Our one propitator, high priest, the church’s head
O rex pie, Fac nos tecum resurgere (Fac nos tecum ascendere / Da nobis tuum
Spiritum) Alleluia.
O loving King, make us rise with you (make us ascend with you / give to us your Spirit). Alleluia.

If the medieval Marian cult had for all intents and purposes shoved our Lord off the center and placed His most holy Mother there, it only makes sense that in the Lutheran Reformation, the beauty of the chants would be retained, but the spotlight would shift from the the Most Blessed Virgin to Him who was born of her, and to the triumph of what He accomplished and His constant intercession for us before His Father.

[The emended texts, by the bye, came from this work that Pr. Mayes showed to Pr. McCain this a.m. - I'm jealous! I want a copy!!!]

Just this week in the Treasury of Daily Prayer we are reading in the Smalcald Articles and tomorrow will come to Luther's comments about Repentance. The controversy over indulgences sparked the Reformation and this article demonstrates that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Richard John Neuhaus died today. I feel a sadness of heart and an emptiness of spirit. A place at the table of enriching conversation that I enjoy with a number of people across Christendom is now empty, a very large empty place, indeed. Father Neuhaus, once LCMS Pastor Neuhaus, then ELCA Pastor Neuhaus, was, for me, a source of ongoing inspiration and encouragement.

Encouragement? Yes, encouragement to be and remain the very best Lutheran God allows me to be. Now why do I say this? I fervently differed with Father Neuhaus on several core issues of the confession of the Christian Gospel, and he knew that. Over the many long years I had struck up a very informal and not-frequent-enough conversation with him, as I'm sure thousands of other people. I know he kindly entertained my letters and thoughts because of our shared Lutheranism, a Lutheranism he believed fervently was realized fully in communion with Rome, a Lutheranism I believe must remain apart from Rome as long as Rome clings to its Gospel-obscuring errors.

Having said that, I am already cringing at the possibility that there will be featured in a certain newspaper from New Haven a graceless, ham-fisted tirade against Richard John Neuhaus the Catholic convert and more's the pity. But the Roman Church has its share of graceless, ham-fisted apologists and I suppose we must have our fair share too.

I always enjoyed my back-and-forths with Father Neuhaus. He opened several doors for me while I served The LCMS President, making it possible for LCMS leadership to make direct contact with the Vatican, when ELCA leaders were intent on cutting us out of formal conversation with Rome. Father Neuhaus was able to make direct personal appeal to Pope John Paul which led to direct contacts with Cardinal Ratzinger, with the result that the The LCMS was again given a place at the table of discussion and dialog with Rome, and most importantly, a point sadly lost on some, the chance in this formal context to make the good confession of faith. I learned from Father Neuhaus how the highest levels of the Vatican looked with considerable appreciation on the bold confession The Missouri Synod made at the time of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, and it was from Father Neuhaus that I learned that Cardinal Ratzinger had made the point, "If the Lutherans do not take their Confessions seriously, why should we?" But then he would always say, "But there is the Missouri Synod!"

Father Neuhaus kindly asked me to write a couple pieces for FIRST THINGS and he was always interested in what The LCMS was up to. He introduced me to George Weigel and others through the years. Like I said, these kindnesses were commonplace and I know many, many others shared my experiences with Father Neuhaus. 

As much as I disagreed with Father Neuhaus, I agreed with so much of what he wrote in
First Things. Of course, he was a constant advocate for his "new" church, but he was fair and even-handed in his criticism, liberally applied, from a conservative point of view, of all trends and movements in Christendom. I admired his rhetorical and writing skills and the first section I always turned to in First Things was his column at the end. I suspect most First Things readers did! His wit, wisdom and breadth of engagement with contemporary trends in our culture was breathtaking. What a noble and bold spokesman for unborn human life he was!

I will miss Father Neuhaus. Through all the years he was a Roman Catholic priest there was no doubt that his Lutheran piety and catechesis was clearly a part of his very being. I felt Richard John brought to the Romanism he embraced a hearty and full measure of the joyful Gospel rediscovery of Martin Luther, for which I am grateful.

I will miss Father Neuhaus, and I join with many others in expressing my appreciation for his life and work, both for what he did that I fervently agreed with, which was much, and that which I had to disagree with, which was substantial. In both cases, he challenged me to think, to reflect, to grow and to strive for excellence in our common confession of Christ. Here is a nice reflection from a fellow Lutheran who worked with Father Neuhaus, Anthony Sacramone.

And here are comments from Fr. Neuhaus, reflecting on his own death, written a number of years ago:

“When I come before the judgment throne, I will plead the promise of
God in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. I will not plead any work that I
have done, although I will thank God that he has enabled me to do some
good. I will plead no merits other than the merits of Christ, knowing
that the merits of Mary and the saints are all from him; and for their
company, their example, and their prayers throughout my earthly life I
will give everlasting thanks. I will not plead that I had faith, for
sometimes I was unsure of my faith, and in any event that would be to
turn faith into a meritorious work of my won. I will not plead that I
held the correct understanding of “justification by faith alone,”
although I will thank God that he led me to know ever more fully the
great truth that much misunderstood formulation was intended to
protect. Whatever little growth in holiness I have experienced,
whatever strength I have received from the company of the saints,
whatever understanding I have attained of God and his ways – these and
all other gifts received I will bring gratefully to the throne. But in
seeking entry to that heavenly kingdom, I will…look to Christ and
Christ alone.”

- Richard John Neuhaus.  Death on a Friday Afternoon.  New York:  Basic Books, 2000)  p. 70.

Requiescat in pace

So, the Bishop of Rome has stated, in the remarks reproduced below, that "Luther's expression 'sola fide' is true." But, dear reader, please note very carefully how finely nuanced the Pope's remarks are. He says Luther's statement is true "if." If what? If faith is understood to be our activity as well as as the receiving instrument by which we are given salvation. This is the nothing other than the classic Roman Catholic error in regard to salvation by grace alone, through faith alone.

While I appreciate some aspects of the Pope's remarks, we still have, at the end of his remarks, a view of faith that is not the Biblical understanding of faith as "trust" but rather faith defined as activity, yes, activity made possible only by God's grace, but nonetheless same view of faith as Rome has held since Trent. Hence, the Pope concludes: "by love of God and neighbor, we can be truly just in the
eyes of God."

The Lutheran Confessions explicitly, clearly and specifically reject this view of faith as  for example:

"The adversaries are in no way moved by so many passages of Scripture, which clearly credit justification to faith. Indeed, Scripture denies this ability to works. Do they think that the same point is repeated often for no purpose? Do they think that these words fell thoughtlessly from the Holy Spirit? . . .  They say that these passages of Scripture (that speak of faith) ought to be received as referring to faith that has been formed (fides formata). This means they do not credit justification to faith in any way, but only to love. . . if faith receives forgiveness because of love, forgiveness of sins will always be uncertain, because we never love as much as we ought to. Indeed, we do not love unless our hearts are firmly convinced that forgiveness of sisn has been granted to us. . . We also say that love ought to follow faith . . . yet, we must not think that by confidence in this love, or because of this love, we receive forgiveness of sins and reconciliation, just as we do not receive forgiveness of sins because of other works that follow. But forgivenss is received by faith alone." (Apology of the Augsburg Confession IV.110ff; Conocrdia, p. 100).

Vatican City, Nov 19, 2008 / 11:10 am (CNA).-
On Wednesday morning, Pope Benedict XVI continued his weekly teachings
on St. Paul while speaking to the thousands of pilgrims gathered in St.
Peter’s Square.  The Pontiff further explained the apostle's teaching
that believers are justified by faith in Christ and by the acts that
flow out of love for him.  

Read more…

“Let my prayers rise before you as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” is what we sing in the order of Evening Prayer, and Lutheran Service Book indicates that the use of incense is appropriate. It is a beautiful thing indeed.
But, I’m thinking now that there is sense and nonsense when it comes to the use of incense, after watching this video.

Following is the prepared text of Pope Benedict XVI’s
remarks at an ecumenical prayer service with Christian leaders at the
Church of St. Joseph in Yorkville, Manhattan, on April 18, as supplied
by the Vatican. I would note that the event was not what some would consider "ecumenical" in the sense that everyone is given equal time on a platform to represent his or her particular beliefs. It was a simple service, with an invocation, a couple of prayers, the Lord’s Prayer chanted together, a hymn sung, a reading from Eph. 4:1-6, and a concluding prayer and blessing. The pope was wearing his ordinary garb, not worship vestments. Only Roman Catholics were in the chancel and leading the event. Here are the pope’s remarks:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, My heart abounds with gratitude
to Almighty God — “the Father of all, who is over all and through all
and in all" (Eph 4:6) — for this blessed opportunity to gather with
you this evening in prayer. I thank Bishop Dennis Sullivan for his
cordial welcome, and I warmly greet all those in attendance
representing Christian communities throughout the United States. May
the peace of our Lord and Savior be with you all!

Through you, I express my sincere appreciation for the invaluable
work of all those engaged in ecumenism: the National Council of
Churches, Christian Churches Together, the Catholic Bishops’
Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, and many others.
The contribution of Christians in the United States to the ecumenical
movement is felt throughout the world. I encourage all of you to
persevere, always relying on the grace of the risen Christ whom we
strive to serve by bringing about "the obedience of faith for the sake
of his name" (Rom 1:5).

Read more…

A month or so ago, word went out that the Papacy might be considering lifting the charge of heretic against Martin Luther. This rumor was squelched. In the course of talking about it with a friend, we were going back and forth about our feelings about Rome and the Papacy. I offered him these more personal reflections on my experiences with Rome and what a truly painful thing it is to recognize that Lutheranism and Romanism must be, and remain, separate. In light of the Pope’s coming trip to the USA, I thought I would share these thoughts, with a few modifications, more openly here:

The reason I have such strong feelings of frustration and, yes, anger,
with the errors of Romanism is precisely because there is so much in the Roman Catholic Church that
I love and cherish. "Tragic necessity" is no mere polite soundbite to me, nor to many other faithful Lutheran Christians. We cherish the Gospel that is read and heard in Roman Catholic Churches whenever and wherever it is read, or preached. We cherish the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar which is given and distributed in Roman Catholic Churches. We love and cherish these things in spite of the errors that obscure the glory and grace of God in the mercy of Christ.

I developed
close friendships with many Roman Catholics growing up in the Deep
South where Lutheran and Roman Catholics were but two sides of the same
coin in the view of Baptists, Pentecostals, etc. There was a shared history and experience of liturgy and church history that was unknown to many, if not all, Bible fundamentalists.

I attended a
Roman Catholic High School and was so deeply moved and impressed by the nuns and priests there who taught us everything from typing (thank you Sister
Mary Jean!) and drilled us to death in English and grammar (thank you
Sister Mary Margaret!). I loved Latin class when Father Pine, S.J.,
would wander in and engage in Latin with our teacher, and when he
actually corrected my writing one day, walking up and down the rows of
desks, "Ah, excuse me, Mr. McCain, but you seem to have a certain
fondness leaving your "t’s" uncrossed and your i’s undotted." As my face grew red, I was able only but to agree and say "Yes, Father. You are right."

And I recall Father
Foley regaling us with tales of youthful episodes with a
certain "fair lass" in Ireland, where he hailed from, and I recall listening to him
and Sister Mary Ellen rattle away back and forth in Gaelic, their mother tongue, the mother tongue of my ancestors as well.

And they even gave a Lutheran kid best religion student of the year award, twice in a row! And I have the warmest memories of all of the many kind notes and remembrances from the priests, sisters and brothers
who, in their own dear ways, encouraged me to become a Lutheran pastor, with quiet conversations, even whispered in some cases. We shared a love for Christ!

But as for the institution and public doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, here is where the tragic necessity of separation becomes a reality.

But
I sat seething through four years of Masses where the Gospel was
terribly obscured with all manner of nonsense that one can only imagine that would be possible in the mid-seventies, with people trying to impress teenagers
attending Mass. (It became so bad the Bishop announced he would no longer
conduct mass at our high school until the behavior in Mass got better!).

For these very personal reasons, in addition to my passion for theology, I’ve been deeply concerned and interested in Roman
Catholicism for years and feel such a kindred spirit with the Roman
Church, but also at the same time, such a heart-wrenching separation
when I watch the Gospel not really proclaimed sweetly and clearly.

Tragic necessity, indeed. Lord, have mercy.

And so, in light of the visit of the Pope to the USA, lest anyone get too caught up in the moment, or forget precisely why we continue to reject the Papacy and its claims, we need to remember that the Roman Catholic
Church still insists that it is the one, true church on earth and that all
other Christian communities are either defective (the East) or not
church at all (all us Reformation types).

I am not at all bothered by
the Pope’s pronouncement, actually quite pleased by such refreshing
clarity and integrity in the expression of Rome’s position: open and
honest. Too bad liberal Lutherans can’t be as forthcoming at times. It
is troubling that there are groups about that stand for one thing, but
hide their positions so as to try to deceive and mislead people.

So, big news! The Pope is a Roman Catholic!
Here is the official statment from the vatican. Click through to the
extended version to read it. And then, when you are finished reading
the document, read the Smalcald Articles
and the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope for a sound,
Biblical and Gospel-centered refutation of these false claims.

Read more…

OK, here’s an image you usually don’t associate with Roman Catholic Marian piety, and practices, which some might prefer to refer to as Mariolotry. This is a new on me. I present Mary: Exterminatrix of Heresies. And, no, I’m not making this up. I got this from a Roman Catholic blog site and confirmed that this is legitimate.

What is so painfully difficult for those of us who subscribe to the Book of Concord, unconditionally and without reservation, is that the Bishop of Rome and those who regard him as the Vicar of Christ on earth, are our separated brethren. As we Lutherans clearly and repeatedly confess, through even the darkest years of the Roman Church’s history, the Gospel was still read, the Body and Blood of Christ was still received by communicants, and by God’s providence, even in the midst of the darkness of Christ-obscuring error, the Gospel still shone forth, for the Word of the Lord endures forever. That is why it is all the more painful that the Church of Rome still continues to propagate such deeply anti-Gospel teachings.

To any extent that Martin Luther is regarded as less of a heretic by the Roman Catholic Church, we can be glad and rejoice, for to that degree then the writings of Luther will be read and studied and the Holy Spirit can, and will, work through the pure Gospel therein proclaimed to move hearts away from the errors of Rome and into the light of the truth of Christ. For this we can give thanks and rejoice and pray ever more fervently for the unity of the Church, a unity not consisting of compromise and faithless neglect of the truth, but a unity rooted, grounded and growing in the Truth of God’s most Holy Word.

We can all rejoice in any progress away from the traditional errors that still are very much in place, but we dare not forget, neglect the fact that the Bishop of Rome, in his role as Cardinal Ratzinger, was very careful to make it clear that the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification did not, in any way, change, alter or set aside the historic condemnations of the Council of Trent over against the Lutheran doctrine of justification.

Let’s be careful not to forget what Trent declared over against the Gospel:

CANON 9:  "If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema."

CANON 12:  "If any one shall say that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in the divine mercy pardoning sins for Christ’s sake, or that it is that confidence alone by which we are justified … let him be accursed."

Canon 14: "If any one saith, that man is truly absolved from his sins and justified, because that he assuredly believed himself absolved and justified; or, that no one is truly justified but he who believes himself justified; and that, by this faith alone, absolution and justification are effected; let him be anathema."

Canon 24:  "If any one saith, that the justice received is not preserved and also increased before God through good works; but that the said works are merely the fruits and signs of Justification obtained, but not a cause of the increase thereof; let him be anathema."

Canon 30:  "If any one saith, that, after the grace of Justification has been received, to every penitent sinner the guilt is remitted, and the debt of eternal punishment is blotted out in such wise, that there remains not any debt of temporal punishment to be discharged either in this world, or in the next in Purgatory, before the entrance to the kingdom of heaven can be opened (to him); let him be anathema."

Canon 33:  "If any one saith, that, by the Catholic doctrine touching Justification, by this holy Synod inset forth in this present decree, the glory of God, or the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ are in any way derogated from, and not rather that the truth of our faith, and the glory in fine of God and of Jesus Christ are rendered (more) illustrious; let him be anathema.

Here is an excellent Q/A on the issue of Rome, Lutheranism and Justification:

Q. I would like to understand the main problem your church body has with the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (signed October 31 by representatives of the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church). Is it the fact that it implies that we are saved as a result of both faith and works?

A. Yes, you are on the right track here. The recently signed Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) does not signal a change in the Roman Catholic church, but rather, a willingness on the part of the Lutherans who signed it to allow Rome’s doctrine of justification to stand as a valid interpretation of what the Bible teaches us about justification. This is something that the Lutheran church has never done before, and in fact, it is a great tragedy and a profoundly sad moment in the history of Lutheranism.

Rome historically has always taught that we are saved by grace, and grace alone. They emphasize that very strongly. The 16th century Council of Trent makes this point very clear. Thus, there is nothing new on this in the Declaration on this point, even though some Lutherans have made it sound as if Rome’s words about grace signal some marvelous breakthrough.

What you probably have not heard is that the JDDJ very carefully avoid precise definitions of the words grace, faith, sin, etc. That is no accident. Careful definition of those terms would have shown how far apart our two churches actually are on the doctrine of justification.

The problem with Rome’s view of justification is that they view it as a process, whereby we cooperate with God’s grace in order to merit eternal life for ourselves, and even for others (that is a paraphrase of what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches). They view grace as a sort of "substance" that God infuses into us that permits us to do those works that are necessary in order that we might earn more grace. The Bible describes grace as the loving and favorable disposition of God; in other words, grace is all about what God is doing and giving.

We distinguish between the result of justification, which is the Christian life, and the work of God to save us. Rome mixes sanctification with justification. Why is this view troublesome? Because it teaches that something other than trust in Christ is necessary for or salvation. That "something other" is what we bring to the table. And the only thing we do bring to the table is our sin, not our good works. Our works are a response that God works in us, but not a contributing cause to our justification.

The Roman Catholic Church is very careful to state that even this "something other" is made possibly only because God has given us the "initial" grace to desire more grace. But in practical reality, it is apparent that the Roman Catholic Church is finally throwing people back on relying on what they are doing, or can do, to merit eternal life. When we mix in our works in the picture of our salvation, the glory and merit of Christ always end up becoming obscured.

But the Bible is clear that it is purely by grace, not by works, or else grace would just be a "help" for us to do the works that finally are what merit God’s forgiveness. In the Roman Catholic view, justification is a process by which we participate with God in achieving our salvation. The Biblical view is that justification is God’s declaration of our complete righteousness and total forgiveness, apart from any works. This gift is received by faith alone–apart from works (Rom. 3:28; Eph. 2:8-9).

Another point to be made is this: If, in fact, Rome does teach justification as the Bible teaches it, then there should be an immediate change in its view of indulgences, prayer to the saints and the myriad of other extra-biblical traditions that it has embraced. For if justification is the heart and center of the Bible, then these other things are incompatible with it.

I hope this helps you see that the Roman Catholic view of justification and the classical Lutheran view are definitely not complementary, but diametrically opposed to one another. The JDDJ did not change that fact. The Lutherans who signed the document did not insist on careful definition of terms so as to make absolutely clear that our salvation is by faith alone, through Christ alone, by grace alone.

The best short study of the historic differences between Rome and Lutheranism on the doctrine of justification is available in a book called "Justification and Rome" by Robert Preus. You may purchase a copy of this book from Concordia Publishing House (CPH) (800-325-3040).

The most complete treatment of this subject is in the 16th century Lutheran response to Trent, which still stands today as the best and most complete treatment of Trent by a Lutheran. It is "The Examination of the Council of Trent" by Martin Chemnitz, also available through CPH.

And here is a superbly done analysis of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification which shows how, tragically, Lutherans compromised the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I’m fairly certain Martin Luther would actually not be in favor of lifting the label of "heretic" unless and until the Papacy granted the points he makes in the Smalcald Articles about the absolute "non-negotiables" that shall always separate the Biblical Gospel confession of Lutheranism from the teachings of Rome. Here is an interesting story. And so while we pray fervently for the unity of the Church, we must remember that before Christ prayed for unity, he prayed his followers would continue steadfast in the Truth. This will give us all a chance once more to study carefully, reflect deeply and ponder anew the meaning of the Reformation. Here’s the book for that.

That Martin Luther? He wasn’t so bad, says Pope

Pope Benedict XVI is to rehabilitate Martin Luther, arguing that he did not
intend to split Christianity but only to purge the Church of corrupt
practices.

Pope Benedict will issue his findings on Luther (1483-1546) in September after
discussing him at his annual seminar of 40 fellow theologians — known
as the Ratzinger Sch�lerkreis — at Castelgandolfo, the papal summer
residence. According to Vatican insiders the Pope will argue that Luther,
who was excommunicated and condemned for heresy, was not a heretic.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, the head of the pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity, said the move would help to promote ecumenical dialogue
between Catholics and Protestants. It is also designed to counteract the
impact of July’s papal statement describing the Protestant and Orthodox
faiths as defective and “not proper Churches”.

The move to re-evaluate Luther is part of a drive to soften Pope Benedict’s
image as an arch conservative hardliner as he approaches the third
anniversary of his election next month. This week it emerged that the
Vatican is planning to erect a statue of Galileo, who also faced a heresy
trial, to mark the 400th anniversary next year of his discovery of the
telescope.

The Pope has also reached out to the Muslim world to mend fences after his
2006 speech at Regensburg University in which he appeared to describe Islam
as inherently violent and irrational. This week Muslim scholars and Vatican
officials met at the pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue in Rome
to begin laying the groundwork for a meeting between the Pope and leading
Muslims, also expected to be held at Castelgandolfo.

Cardinal Kasper said: “We have much to learn from Luther, beginning with the
importance he attached to the word of God.” It was time for a “more
positive” view of Luther, whose reforms had aroused papal ire at the time
but could now be seen as having “anticipated aspects of reform which the
Church has adopted over time”.

The Castelgandolfo seminar will in part focus on the question of apostolic
succession, through which the apostles passed on the authority they received
from Jesus to the first bishops. After the Reformation Protestants took the
view that “succession” referred only to God’s Word and not to church
hierarchies but some German scholars have suggested Luther himself did not
intend this.

Luther challenged the authority of the papacy by holding that the Bible is the
sole source of religious authority and made it accessible to ordinary people
by translating it into the vernacular. He became convinced that the Church
had lost sight of the “central truths of Christianity”, and was appalled on
a visit to Rome in 1510 by the power, wealth and corruption of the papacy.

In 1517 he protested publicly against the sale of papal indulgences for the
remission of sins in his “95 Theses”, nailing a copy to the door of a
Wittenberg church. Some theologians argue that Luther did not intend to
confront the papacy “in a doctrinaire way” but only to raise legitimate
questions – a view Pope Benedict apparently shares.

Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X, who dismissed him initially as “a
drunken German who will change his mind when sober”.

Source

In another reminder that Rome is still Rome, comes a report that alleged bits of bones of the three wise men will be on display in the Tucson, Arizona. The Apostolate for Holy Relics is co-sponsoring the visit along with an area Knights of Columbus group. I’m sure even many good Roman Catholics would beg to differ with Mr. Garcia who exclaimed, "This is the closest I’m going to get to God in my physical lifetime,"
said Arizona Knights of Columbus spokesman John Garcia. "And since this
is a time of Christmas, it puts us closer in touch with the birth of
Christ."

No, Mr. Garcia, the closest you are ever going to be to Christ is when you receive Him in Word and Sacrament.

But, wait! There’s more to be seen. From the article:

The exhibit is also expected to feature relics from the manger,
fabric from the Virgin Mary’s veil and Joseph’s coat, and a bone
fragment from St. Elizabeth, who was the Virgin Mary’s ninth cousin. "It’s a tangible thread between heaven and Earth," said Thomas
Serafin, a lay Catholic who is president of the Apostolate for Holy
Relics.