Day 4
Unlike many of the religions man has come up with, God has revealed that mankind has an inherently high dignity because we are made in the image of God. We are not merely beasts of burden for the "gods," nor are we merely fortunate accidents. Mankind is God's vice-regent who has delegated lordship over the creation. We are given the task of making sense of the world, of bringing it into o...rderly submission. In the fall, we rejected our creaturely dependence on God and distorted the three offices given to man. We have distorted the role of prophet, reinterpreting God's Word to suit our desires. We have distorted the role of priest, serving other gods and false idols. And we have distorted the role of king, ruling poorly and even abdicating our role. Even with all this, God has not condemned us, but provided redemption - not merely restoration - to all who will trust Christ for their escape from the coming wrath.
The medieval authority of the Roman Church was tied to sacramentalism. Luther reduces the sacraments to 2 or 3 (depending on how you view the 3rd). He thought the medieval view of baptism was too low, since one needed the other sacraments when sin rises up in you. Baptism was regenerational in his view. He also believed that transubstantiation in the mass was an Aristotelian import (though it probably was not this), and said that the bread & wine and the body & blood must all be present. And the third sacrament, though he did not stress it or command it because he did not see it in Scripture, was the idea of Penance or confession. He saw this sacrament as a means of tyranny or social control, and the "keys" were not tied to an office, but to the church as a whole.
Unlike many of the religions man has come up with, God has revealed that mankind has an inherently high dignity because we are made in the image of God. We are not merely beasts of burden for the "gods," nor are we merely fortunate accidents. Mankind is God's vice-regent who has delegated lordship over the creation. We are given the task of making sense of the world, of bringing it into o...rderly submission. In the fall, we rejected our creaturely dependence on God and distorted the three offices given to man. We have distorted the role of prophet, reinterpreting God's Word to suit our desires. We have distorted the role of priest, serving other gods and false idols. And we have distorted the role of king, ruling poorly and even abdicating our role. Even with all this, God has not condemned us, but provided redemption - not merely restoration - to all who will trust Christ for their escape from the coming wrath.
The medieval authority of the Roman Church was tied to sacramentalism. Luther reduces the sacraments to 2 or 3 (depending on how you view the 3rd). He thought the medieval view of baptism was too low, since one needed the other sacraments when sin rises up in you. Baptism was regenerational in his view. He also believed that transubstantiation in the mass was an Aristotelian import (though it probably was not this), and said that the bread & wine and the body & blood must all be present. And the third sacrament, though he did not stress it or command it because he did not see it in Scripture, was the idea of Penance or confession. He saw this sacrament as a means of tyranny or social control, and the "keys" were not tied to an office, but to the church as a whole.
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