Gerðir kirkjuþings - 1995, Blaðsíða 119

- 'Catholic doctrine knows itself to be at one with the Protestant concem in emphasix-
ing that the renewal of the human being does not ’contríbute’ to justification, and is
certainly not a contribution to which he could make any app>eal before God.
Nevertheless it feels comp>elled to stress the renewal of the human being through
justifying grace, for the sake of acknowledging God’s newly creating power; although
fchífi renewal in faith, hop>e, and love is certainly nothing but a respwnse to God’s
unfathomable grace' (LV:E 52f).
- 'Insofar as the Catholic doctrine stresses that ’the p>ersonal character of grace, and
its link with the Word’, this renewal ... is certainly nothing but a response effected by
God’s word itself and that ’the renewal of the human being does not contribute to
justification, and is certainly not a contribution to which a person could make any
appeal before God’ our objection no longer applies' (VELKD 89,12-21).
To 4£: The Relationship of Laiv and Gospel (paras. 33-35)
- According to Pauline teaching it refers to the Jewish law as means of salvation. This
was fulfilled and overcome in Christ. This statement and the consequences from it
have thus to be understood.
- With reference to Canons 19f of the Council of Trent the VELKD (89,28-36) says as
follows: 'The ten commandments of course apply to Christians as stated in many
places of the confessions. If Canon 20 stresses that a ’person ... is bound to keep the
commandments of God,’ this does not apply to us; if however Canon 20 affirms that
faith has salvific p>ower only on condition of keeping the commandments this applies to
us. Conceming the reference of the Canon regarding the commandments of the
church, there is no difference between us if these commandments are only expressions
of the commandments of God; otherwise it would apply to us.'
- The last p>aragraph is related factually to 4.3, but emphasizes the ’convicting func-
tion’ of the law which is imp>ortant to Lutheran thinking.
To 4.6: Assurance of Salvation (paras. 36-38)
(LV:E 53-56; VELKD 90ff)
- 'The question is: How can, and how may, human beings live before God in spite of
their weakness, and with that weakness?' (LV:E 53).
• 'The foundation and the point of departure (of the Reformers)... are: the reliability
and suffíciency of God’s promise, and the power of Christ’s death and resurrection;
human weakness, and the threat to faith and salvation which that involves' (LV:E 56).
- The Council of Trent also emphasizes that 'it is necessary to believe that sins are not
forgiven, nor have they ever been forgiven, save freely by the divine mercy on account
of Christ;' and that we must not doubt 'the mercy of God, the merit of Christ and the
power and efficacy of the sacraments; so it is px>ssible for anyone, while he regards
himself and his own weakness and lack of dispositions, to be anxious and fearful about
his own state of graœ' (Council of Trent, Session 6, chapter 9, 674).
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