The Religion of Morality
Via Franz Pieper, Christian Dogmatics Vol. 3
Titian, "Abraham & Isaac" (1542-44)
Thieme reports that the Lutheran doctrine that good works are not necessary for salvation has been given up by most modern Protestant theologians, including the so-called “positive” theologians; instead, they have generally adopted the “idea of the religion of morality, that the fruit of faith is necessary for salvation (R.E. 3d ed., XXI, 120). Unfortunately that is true. Modern Protestant theology generally rejects the concept of Christ’s ‘satisfactio vicaria’ as being too “juridical”; “it would deepen the concept of expiation by making the transformation of human life into its God-pleasing form a factor in the work of the Atonement.” That, however, is fundamentally the Roman doctrine of the meritoriousness of good works and agrees altogether with the Tridentinum in its rejection of the doctrine that the Gospel is the absolute promise of the eternal life “without the condition of observing the commandments” (Sess. VI, can. 20). It follows that the “good works,” which modern Protestant theology teaches as necessary for salvation, do not, as little as do the Papistical works, belong in the category of good works. Rather, they dishonor the perfect propitiation of Christ and thereby draw down God’s condemnation and curse upon all that teach and do them (Gal. 1:6-9; 5:12; Phil. 3:2; Gal. 3:10). Max Mueller has truly said that such works as are not the grateful offerings of faith, but are done for the purpose of earning salvation, belong in the realm of paganism. See Vol. II, 2, footnote 6. One cannot teach truly good works and at the same time teach that they are necessary for salvation. The latter cancels the former. When the adherent of modern Protestant theology really performs a good work, he does so because in his heart has has abandoned his theory of the necessity of good works for salvation (the theory that “the transformation of man is a factor in the work of atonement”), and does the good work solely as a thankoffering for the grace and salvation obtained ‘sola fide.’
