Scribd
Upload
127 views1 page

Theological Writings, (Second Edition), Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005, Pp. 34-39

Luther held strong convictions about grace, sin, nature, will and works in his early life. In his 1517 document "Disputation Against Scholastic Theology", Luther argued that the will is captive and unable to do good without God's grace. He believed that humans are by nature evil and unable to want God, and that every act of nature is against God. Luther also asserted that there is no preparation for grace other than God's predestination, and that what precedes grace is only rebellion. He further stated that people cannot become righteous through righteous deeds, but rather God makes them righteous and then they are able to do righteous deeds through God's grace alone.

Uploaded by

Elí Gutierrez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
127 views1 page

Theological Writings, (Second Edition), Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005, Pp. 34-39

Luther held strong convictions about grace, sin, nature, will and works in his early life. In his 1517 document "Disputation Against Scholastic Theology", Luther argued that the will is captive and unable to do good without God's grace. He believed that humans are by nature evil and unable to want God, and that every act of nature is against God. Luther also asserted that there is no preparation for grace other than God's predestination, and that what precedes grace is only rebellion. He further stated that people cannot become righteous through righteous deeds, but rather God makes them righteous and then they are able to do righteous deeds through God's grace alone.

Uploaded by

Elí Gutierrez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Baylor University

George W. Theological Seminary


Martin Luther THEO 7364
Elí Gutiérrez Briseño
09/06/2017

“Disputation Against Scholastic Theology (1517)”, on Timothy F. Lull, Martin Luher’s Basic
Theological Writings, (Second edition), Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005, pp. 34-39

Reading this document I was surprised that Luther held some convictions about grace, sin,
nature, will and works so early in his life. However, about many of his statements I was a little
confused, I think the fact that he wrote this document as brief theses makes it difficult to
understand his thought, sometimes it would be necessary more argumentation to make his
affirmation convincing. Nevertheless, there are some clear ideas of Luther’s thought that he
strongly maintains. The will is captive and is not able to do good in any sense. Without the grace
of God, the will is evil. The man is by nature evil and unable to want God. In fact, every act of
nature is against God. There is no such thing as preparation for grace, the only preparation is his
eternal election and predestination. What precedes grace is only rebellion. Man cannot do
righteous deed to become righteous, rather God make him righteous and then is able to do
righteous deeds for God’s grace. All these theses were against scholastic theology, Luther
strongly affirms that Aristotelian philosophy is enemy of the grace and Catholic theology, which
do not need logics. The grace of God, if present, is always active, loving and operating. Any action
without his grace is sin and the only to fulfill his law is through God’s grace.

You might also like