Martin Luther was an Augustinian monk who launched the Reformation by posting his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany (then part of the Holy Roman Empire) on October 31, 1517.
The Roman Catholic Church, headed by the Pope, insisted that it possessed supreme authority to formulate the truths of the Christian faith: “He who does not accept the doctrine of the Church of Rome and pontiff of Rome as an infallible rule of faith, from which the Holy Scriptures too draw their strength and authority, is a heretic.” In other words, when it came to the interpretation of the scriptures, the Pope always got the last word. Those who disagreed were branded as heretics and burned at the stake. This fate befell the Czech reformer Jan Hus in 1415.
Just over a century after the death of Hus, Martin Luther famously debated Catholic theologian Johannes Eck at Leipzig in 1519. Eck demanded that Luther submit to the traditions of the Catholic Church as articulated by church councils and enshrined in canon law. Luther responded by insisting on the ultimate authority of scripture.. He declared, “A simple layman armed with scripture is to be believed above a pope or a council without it.” Eck accused Luther of following Jan Hus down the road of heresy.
After the debate, some followers of Hus secretly sent Luther a book containing Hus’ views. Luther had never read Hus’ writings since they had been banned by the Catholic Church. Luther was stunned to learn that Hus had contended that Christ alone, not the Pope, was the head of the church. The Czech reformer refused to recant unless his accusers could refute him using the scriptures. Luther exclaimed, “We are all Hussites without knowing it!”
Martin Luther was eventually called before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet (an imperial assembly) of Worms on April 17 & 18, 1521. The Emperor demanded that Luther recant his teachings. In that remarkable moment, Luther courageously clung to his convictions: “Since your most serene majesty and your lordships require of me a simple, clear, and direct answer, I will give one, and it is this: I cannot submit my faith either to the Pope or to the councils, because it is clear that they have fallen into error and contradicted themselves. If, then, I am not convinced by proof from Holy Scripture, or by cogent reasons, if I am not satisfied by the very text I have cited, and if my judgment is not in this way brought into subjection to God’s word, I neither can nor will retract anything; for it is neither safe nor honest for a Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.”
Evangelicals proudly claim that they’re committed to the authority of the Bible. The Latin phrase sola scriptura (scripture alone) was one of the great cries of the Reformation. Indeed, the Bible ought to be our final authority on all matters of faith and life. But sadly, evangelicals are not immune from misunderstanding the scriptures. This blog has often noted how evangelicals take bits & pieces of the Bible out of context in order to construct theological systems which are quite foreign to the writers of scripture.
One such passage comes from the Apostle Paul’s letter to Titus. Paul commissioned Titus to minister on the mountainous Island of Crete, in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Greece.
Evangelicals love to recite Titus 3:5a “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” It’s not particularly surprising that this isolated text should garner such attention. At first glance, it seems to provide knock-down proof for salvation “by faith, not by works.” Yet it takes only a little investigation to realize that Paul is making a very different point.
As always, let’s begin by including the larger context: “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus the Messiah our Savior…” (Titus 3:3-6)
Paul begins by describing the corrupt state of humanity apart from God’s grace.
In Biblical terms, the fool has convinced himself that there is no God. This fundamental mistake leads him into all kinds of wickedness. This dynamic is summarized in Psalm 14:1: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who goes good.”
The opposite of foolishness is wisdom. And all wisdom stems from the acknowledgement of the one true God and his righteousness. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)
This is not a matter of intelligence versus stupidity. Even the simplest person who earnestly seeks to please God can enjoy His peace and blessing. On the other hand, even the most clever & cunning individual who rejects God’s wisdom will eventually come to ruin.
Paul notes that before the revelation of God’s kindness in Jesus the Messiah, humanity (including himself) was “disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.” This is nearly identical to his assessment in Ephesians 2: “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts.”
This dark assessment concludes “We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.” In Galatians 5, envy finds a place on Paul’s list of the acts of the sinful nature, which are immediately contrasted with the fruit of the Spirit.
Paul’s point is that all this unrighteousness characterized people prior to the unveiling of God’s love in Jesus the Messiah. We can all thank God that his salvation did not depend upon our condition before we submitted ourselves in loyalty to the Lord Jesus!
Paul then proceeds to elaborate on the nature of God’s salvation: “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” At this moment, Paul does not mention Jesus’ death on the cross or the forgiveness of sins. Of course, we know that these are a vital parts of salvation. But Paul here chooses to emphasize the saving work of the Holy Spirit, who radically transforms the lives of those who follow Jesus.
The mention of “washing” is directly parallel to Paul’s thoughts in I Corinthians 6: “Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
The whole emphasis of this passage is that the Corinthians were formerly mired in sinful behaviors, but this is no longer the case. The text hinges on this key phrase: “And that is what some of you were.” Because of Jesus the Messiah and the Spirit, the Corinthians have turned away from iniquity and towards righteousness.
This same pattern is present in Titus 3. When Paul says “at one time we too were foolish,” he implies that we’ve now attained wisdom; we were disobedient, but we now follow God’s commands; we were deceived, but now we’ve come to know the truth; we were enslaved by the sinful nature, but now we produce the fruit of the Spirit.
Therefore, when read in context, Titus 3 indicates that we aren’t saved by any righteous things which we had done before we came to know Jesus. But salvation most certainly does require the work of the Holy Spirit, who gives us the power to live righteous lives pleasing to God.
This is a far cry from the way that this passage has been misunderstood and misused by many evangelicals. By selectively quoting only part of verse 5, they reinforce the mistaken notion that altered human conduct has no part to play in the drama of salvation. Evangelicals need to remember that when they proudly declare their fidelity to sola scriptura, that should mean all the scriptures, not just the parts that seem to support your system.
