God Does Not Work in Us Without Us
On the Understanding of Divine–Human Cooperation in the Thought of Martin Luther
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20251580 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Knut Alfsvåg (0000-0002-4385-209X, VID Specialized University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2023-12-16 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Open Theology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2300-6579 • E-ISSN: 2300-6579 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1515/opth-2022-0239 |
| OpenAlex | W4389829400 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 21 |
Roman-Catholic scholars tend to interpret Luther’s emphasis on the exteriority of salvation as a critique of the goodness of creation. Through an analysis of De servo arbitrio, this article shows this to be wrong. While emphasizing the unconditionality of God’s work in both creation and salvation, Luther still insists that humans are created in God’s image as his co-operators, thus repeating the divine lordship over creation. This is further emphasized in other works that go beyond De servo arbitrio in finding Christology to be a key to the relationship between God and humans. Luther thus has an integrated understanding of all aspects of human life as the area of divine creation and should not be seen as a forerunner of a modern, secularized worldview. This role rather belongs to Erasmus, who insists that God stands idly by while humans make up their minds about how to live their lives
Art · Art history · Epistemology · Erasmus · Martin luther · Secularization · Sociology · Theology · Medieval Philosophy and Theology · Philosophy · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity · Theology and Philosophy of Evil
| Highly cited | No |
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