A Legacy Lost to the Reformed Imagination

Luther and Confessional Lutheranism on the Extent of the Atonement

Bibliographic Data

ID4314642
AuthorsPaul Anthony Hartog (0000-0002-4917-3485, Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume15
Issue2
Pages228
Publication date2024-02-16
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel15020228
OpenAlexW4391893470
LanguageEN
References cited21

The "Young, Restless, Reformed" movement has sought to establish itself upon reformational foundations rooted within the sixteenth century. The new movement's undertaking, however, has virtually ignored the differences between its own adherence to "limited atonement" and the developed theology of Martin Luther. Even on an academic level, the legacy of gratia universalis ensconced within confessional Lutheranism has been largely lost to the Reformed imagination. This article focuses upon relevant materials in Luther's Lectures on Galatians (1531/1535) and his Sermon on John 1:29 (1537), as well as the pertinent statements found within early Lutheran confessions. What emerges is a Lutheran tradition that espoused both "unconditional election" and a robust form of "unlimited atonement," a divine provision of redemption and satisfaction for all. In Lutheran theology, this provision in Christ extra nos serves as an objective foundation for confident faith. As contemporary Reformed scholars increasingly delve into the diversity of the Reformed tradition within early modernity, the distinctive Lutheran voice is another legacy worth remembering

Art · Atonement · Confessional · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Theology · Law · Philosophy · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity · Religious studies

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