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Why Lutherans (and others) don’t really like God’s grace

In ecumenical discussions, I have often heard that the unique gift that Lutherans bring to the table is an emphasis on God’s grace.  After all, it was Martin Luther’s discovery of a gracious God in the pages of Scripture that led to the Protestant Reformation and eventually the formation of the Lutheran church. 

While the passages that Dr. Luther initially focused on were from Romans, this verse from Ephesians is one of the best summaries of what God’s grace means:  “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8).  In other words, we do not receive salvation because of how good we have been or how many good deeds we have done.  We receive salvation as a gift, through faith in Jesus Christ and what he has done. 

Our faith is centered in what God has done in Christ and continues to focus on what God is doing today.  However, if the truth be told, most of us would much rather focus on what we are doing.

As I listened to our Hindu guest this past week, it struck me that Hinduism (and dare I say, most religions in the world) is/are entirely focused on what we do as human beings.  Thus, according to Hindu belief, if you act rightly, and practice non-violence, and respect all living things, and don’t accumulate any “debts,” your soul will return to God – if you are good enough.  Many Christians also prefer this method of accounting.

Actually, we like it when everything depends on us.  We like to be in charge of our own destiny.  We like to do it ourselves, which starts at a very early age. (“No! I do it myself!”)  We have trouble accepting gifts, and we don’t want to be “beholden” to anybody – even God.  This keeps us very much focused on ourselves rather than God.

However, there are many passages in the New Testament that talk about the freedom that is ours in Christ.  Even, “for freedom Christ has set us free” (Gal. 5:1).  Martin Luther, too, wrote about the freedom of the gospel, and even an entire treatise entitled “On the Freedom of a Christian.”  In it, he writes about how clinging to the gift of salvation that is given to us through Christ sets us free.

That freedom could be described in this way:  First off, when we have confidence in God through our faith in Jesus Christ, there is no need to be constantly adding things up to see if we have done enough to be saved.  In other words, we don’t need to spend our time focused on our own salvation.  Instead, we are set free to be able to turn outward toward God and neighbour, secure in God’s love.  In fact, that is how Christian freedom is meant to be used – for the good of the neighbour.

Unfortunately, this focus on the good of the neighbour has been lost in many Lutheran churches.  In fact, in Denmark, Lutheran pastors are disciplined if they do any teaching about the responsibilities and the growth in faith that are to follow baptism.  In this case, the second part of that passage from Ephesians has been totally lost: “For we are what [God] has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life” (Eph. 2:10).

Thus, God’s grace is not a free pass for us to do nothing.  We still get to do something, but not in order to climb some imaginary ladder into heaven.  Instead, we are set free to love God and neighbour, for it is Christ who died and rose, and who came for the salvation of the world.  Thanks be to God!

In Christ,

Pastor Lynne Hutchison