Friday 21 September 2007

Though it is Friday, we will move into a new area of Tuomo Mannermaa's writing - faith formed by Christ.

...Luther holds that participation in the divine life in Christ takes place in faith. In order to analyze the Reformer's concept of faith, it is helpful to examine his criticism of scholastic interpretations of faith, which were familiar to him.
According to scholastic notion which Luther criticizes particularly sharply, faith means that something which is beyond the reach of rational knowledge is regarded as truth; thus, in this view, faith belongs to the domain of the intellect but is logically uncertain.
The relationships with God can be realized, however, with the help of the human being's basic tendency - namely, the will, or the e-motio, that is, love.

Let's just say that nothing...nothing brings us into relationship but the God who in Christ, comes to us and fully enters our lives. We do not love enough and in that love enter into a relationship with God. That would be as though we were saying that our faith is complete in our loving. Without that, there is always something needed. God does 90% and we add 10%. NOT. Manneraa stresses the point that for Luther, takes this notion of faith formed by love and replaces it with what he comes to call faith formed by Christ. It is that complete gift handed to us. Christ is the power in, with, and under our coming to faith. We believe in the one who creates a whole new reality that is not run by that which we can do on our own. This faith is a life that has its basis not in my thought or my love but in the mind and love and being of the Christ who is now present with me in faith.

Connection: Always first is the one who gives the gift...we live from that gift...we begin the day from that gift...this day of our lives is formed by the gift of Christ with us and for us. When things begin like that, we are free to be that gift.

Before the world becomes what we see, you, O God, already have been spinning things into a shape and a form that is your being alive in the world. It makes us alive and courageous and ready to face all things - for you have your hand in all that comes into being. Turn our heads to your active love for us and all creation. Amen.