But that would be Works!

In a conversation that was related to me, a person was confronted with performing an action that a Spirit guided conscience would demand, and the person responded saying, “But that would be Works!”

As you may have guessed, this person is a “Lutheran.”

The response was both asinine and disingenuous. It was deliberately used to hide the person’s desire to ignore what this person knew was good and godly and in keeping with the walk that is in the Spirit. The issue was clearly one of following one’s conscience regarding the true faith, yet the person responded as though doing as the Spirit of God leads one in one’s conscience would be an act of works righteousness.

Contemplating this caused me to ponder the state of Lutheranism in this day. Have Lutherans turned the avoidance of dependence upon works righteousness into an act of works righteousness? Have Lutherans taken the right understanding that no one can be justified before God by works of the Law and turned this into a new form of self-righteousness and justification by works? Have Lutherans imagined that they are righteous through the work of believing that they are not righteous by their own works?

As ludicrous as this sounds, it does seem to be what has happened in many cases.

Moreover, have Lutherans used this as an excuse for not doing what they know is right and true? Have Lutherans claimed to be avoiding the false belief in salvation through their own reason and strength as an excuse for not rightly using the reason and strength that God gives to them?

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