The personal crisis that originally sparked Luther’s change was caused by the Catholic idea that if we have any mortal sins that we haven’t repented, we’re doomed. He was unable ever to believe that he had really done that.
As I understand the conclusion, the Reformation consensus was (1) there are no mortal sins, all sins alike will doom you if you aren’t Christ’s (2) all those who have faith are justified, independent of works.
I’m not finding very many posters that actually hold to what I understand is the Reformation consensus, even Protestants that you’d expect would. It seems that almost everyone has a list of sins that no Christian could possibly commit, and they’re convicted that anyone who hasn’t repented for these sins is doomed. But this is precisely the concept of mortal sin that the Reformation we rejecting.
The original Protestant response would have been that what we’re seeing now is a kind of self-righteousness. I’m OK because I haven’t committed *that* sin. My sins are of the acceptable kind. A few decades ago no Protestant would have tried that. But today it seems like the norm.
Have I missed something?
My theory is that the culture wars have killed justification by faith. Does that bother anyone else?
I think people intuitively know that what they
do counts, even as we need God in order to do it, which is the New Covenant promise, in fact, emphasized by John 15:5: "Apart from Me you can do nothing". We can't sin wantonly and be a serious holder of faith, and the "works prepared for us in Christ Jesus" or those done for the "least of these" certainly aren't "filthy rags", or "works of the law". I think we know that man is still under obligation to be righteous, even if that righteousness cannot be realized while under the law, but only by and under grace.
And, if we're saved by a "faith that is not alone", because such faith necessarily involves good works, then man must actually receive
justice at justification, rather than his justice or righteousness merely being imputed or declared. Otherwise, what would compel him to now wish to
do these works, if nothing has
changed internally. Because we
have changed! We're now cleansed and made new creations, with the Trinity dwelling within. Imputed righteousness has to do with forgiveness and the taking away of sin. We're not just "snow-covered dung-heaps". God wants, and expects, more from and for us than that. He never made us to be worthless sinners after all, even as some think it's all noble and humble to continue admitting that they are. It's a
struggle, but one we're expected to get better and better at overcoming, moving onwards and upwards more than we backslide in the overall scheme of things. We're to "invest" our talents, and
increase them even.