"I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that al of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought." (1 Corinthians 1:10)
Philip of Hesse called the Reformed and Lutheran Protestants together to see if there could be unity among the Protestants. He was also hoping, if there was unity in theology to have some kind of mutual defense agreement against the medieval catholics. There was so much agreement. The agreement, I believe, was mainly by the Holy Spirit. Zwingli claimed his reformation began (almost simultaneously) in Zurich as the reformation began in Wittenburg for the German-Holy Roman empire.
At Marburg not just 14 of 15 statements were agreed upon. But against the medieval papal notion, bot the priest and the people were encouraged to take the bread and cup (as the disciples did in the Bible). Hus had earlier been condemned for this idea (utraquism). They also agreed that the Lord's Supper was important and should be given more often than the medieval practice of once or twice a year (Easter and Christmas). The meaning of the Supper (eucharist) was the rub. The Roman Catholics believed that when the priest blesses the bread (or cup) the elements become transformed into the physical body and blood of Christ (transubstantiation). Luther said that the presence of Christ is physically there- in with and under the elements. Luther said it was like when you stick a rod into a fire and cannot tell which part is fire and which part is the rod when it glows- so we cannot tell which part is bread and which part is Christ (sometimes labeled consubstantiation). Zwingli said the supper was an ordinance- a command: "Do this in remembrance of me." He said that the bread symbolized the body and reminded us of the body- but Christ was not sacrificed again (there is only one sacrifice necessary- Hebrews 10:12). The point boiled down to the phrase Luther repeated "This IS my body." Zwingli pointed out that Jesus said, "I am the door" but that didn't mean he was a door, or a gate, or a light. Bucer (and later Melanchthon and Oecolampadius and Calvin) emphasized that it is a spiritual presence of Christ in the bread and cup. But neither Luther nor Zwingli were in a mood to listen to a mollifying position. Yet, there was so much agreement. In 1988 LWF and WARC suggested all Lutheran and Reformed churches should enter into fellowship. In 1997 the Evangelical Lutheran Church and three Reformed churches (PCUSA, RCA, UCC) joined in a "Formula of Agreement" that recognized full communion with each other. This meant that the divisions of the past were over- and Lutheran pastors could serve in Reformed/Presbyterian pulpits and the people could share communion freely in each others' churches. In 2017 the LWF signed the Wittenburg Witness with the WCRC (World Communion of Reformed Churches) affirming the call to continued renewal and cooperation to "fully express the communion we already have in Christ."
At Marburg the Reformed and Lutherans agreed (this is a summary):
1) That there is one God described in the Nicene Creed.
2) That Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and was without sin.
3) That Jesus died, buried, rose again, ascended to heaven and will come again.
4) All people are born into sin (original sin).
5) Belief in Christ's death on the cross for our sins is the only way to salvation (not any good works)
6) Faith is a gift of the Spirit and not of works or merit.
7) Such faith is our justification before God- in which we are made righteous and enjoy salvation and life.
8) The Holy Spirit gives faith not apart from the Word of God but with it.
9) Baptism is a sacrament- not just a sign. It supports our faith through which we are saved.
10) Our faith, given by the Spirit, produces in us good works- love, prayer, endurance, et al.
11) Confession to a pastor should not be coerced but is free and useful. Absolution comes from the Gospel.
12) That secular authorities (rulers, courts, laws) are not forbidden but correct and proper. Those who rule can be
saved to salvation as anyone else (this is contrary to the Anabaptists or some papists).
13) Christian traditions can be followed or abandoned as long as they are not contrary to the Word of God in order to keep the peace fo the church.
14) That infant baptism is correct and the baptized children are granted God's mercy and accepted into the church.
These are the beliefs agreed upon by both Reformed and Lutheran scholars and clerics.
15) The Lord's Supper is a necessary part of the Christian life. In contrast to the papists the people should receive both bread and the cup. That we take part in the true body and spirit of Christ when we take part.
The Reformers added this: "And although we have not been able to agree at this time, whether the true body and blood of Christ are corporally present in the bread and wine [of communion], each party should display towards the other Christian love, as far as each respective conscience allows, and both should persistently ask God the Almighty for guidance so that through his Spirit he might bring us to a proper understanding. Amen."
While many say this was a failure of unity, in some ways it- along with Augsburg spelled out what it meant to be a Protestant. Sadly, because there was not complete agreement, the Lutherans, Swiss, and some French (Alsace and Huguenots) would not enter into a defense compact. This meant Zwingli would be killed in the battle of Kapel where Zurich was attacked by the Papists.
No comments:
Post a Comment