My personal preparation for Good Friday and research for a paper collided this week as I came across this intriguing thought from Walther von Loewenich:
For [Martin] Luther the cross is not only the subject of theology; it is the distinctive mark of all theology. It has its place not only in the doctrine of the vicarious atonement, but it constitutes an integrating element for all Christian knowledge. The theology of the cross is not a chapter in theology but a specific kind of theology. The cross of Christ is significant here not only for the question concerning redemption and the certainty of salvation, but it is the center that provides perspective for all theological statements. Hence it belongs to the doctrine of God in the same way as it belongs to the doctrine of the work of Christ.
Luther’s Theology of the Cross, (emphasis mine)
I’m not quite sure what I think about that, but I’m pretty sure I won’t stop thinking about it after Friday.
1 Comment
April 7, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Good words from Martin Luther. Thank you. I don’t think I dwell on the cross enough. Blessings.