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Rev. Mark Jamison

Article 6 of the Augsburg Confession - part 2

Last month we talked about Article 6 from the perspective of the Lutheran disagreement with the Roman Catholic Church over the relationship between faith and good works. The Lutherans maintained that good works flow naturally from faith like fruit from a tree. Following Jesus and St. Paul, they rejected the Roman Catholic notion that faith is formed by love. It is interesting today that research by the Gallup Organization confirms the Lutheran teaching on this subject. In identifying the world's best companies and managers, Gallup has stated that the most productive and effective employees get to spend most of their time doing what they do best which naturally flows from their talents and strengths, and that workers will have far greater improvement potential in these already existing strength areas than in their weaknesses where they have little talent or natural ability.

Gallup is emphasizing that it is important that companies get workers into roles where they get to use their strengths most of the time. Performance reviews then could be based on how well workers are maximizing their strengths, instead of unrealistically expecting workers to improve in areas where they are not capable of improving. The theological way of saying that is that “our being” (strengths and talents) creates the fruit of “doing” (productive, effective results from workers). Other psychological profiles such as Myers-Briggs, and the ones used by Wilson Learning Systems, are getting at the same thing when predicting that certain personality types are likely to behave in the work place in certain ways.

This in no way suggests that the secular business world is driven by the dynamics of grace and mercy. Employees are still judged by their productivity and overall good to the company. But the best and brightest of secular wisdom now sees that it is in the self interest of a company to make sure they don't set up workers to fail. If only the same could be said of so much of popular Christian writing. The book, The Purpose Driven Life, by Pastor Rick Warren, whether consciously or unconsciously, employs the old Roman Catholic/Aristotelian method. Warren acknowledges that you only get into Heaven by God's grace shown in Christ. But the rewards you earn in heaven or your other worldly fitness (your worthiness or being) is created here on earth in this life by doing the things that make for a purpose driven life.

The irony of this is almost amusing. Warren starts out by telling us the purpose driven life is about God, not us. Then he turns around and tells us in the rest of the book that it is about us because we have to earn heavenly rewards by our own efforts. The focus is “the self” and so is the preoccupation. The motivation can't help but be about the self instead of the needs of the neighbor. People know the truth of this in common daily experience. When I am concerned or fearful or anxious about gaining something from another person or avoiding his/her anger and disapproval, I become a distracted listener. When you get the feeling that you are walking on egg shells around another person, it is much harder to notice and pay attention to other people. Parents are not at their best as parents with their children when these kinds of concerns and feelings are weighing them down. If one spouse is very uncomfortable being around the other spouse, it is hard for both spouses to give each other what they need.

In theological terms, the Law (e.g. the command to love our neighbor as ourselves), can't put love into our hearts or give us selfless concern for the neighbor. Only Christ and the Gospel can do that. The Law does not free us from self preoccupation. The Gospel does. When I trust that I am free from having to earn salvation and heavenly rewards myself, and I know that I am rewarded solely for Christ's sake, I don't have to look at my neighbors as a means to an end. Then I am free to look at their needs and concerns, not my own.

The fruits of good works that come from the Gospel and faith are the best because there is less self-interest in them than the works that come from “doing” creating “our being.” The more we think about our neighbors, and the less we think about ourselves and what we are getting out of being nice to them, the more genuine and Christ like the good work of love is. But this only happens as Christ lives and works in us through faith. This will make us better in all of our relationships. It will even make us better employees, Gallup tells us. And who knows, God may even use Gallup's insights to help much of American Christianity learn how to distinguish between Law and Gospel. When that happens, the fruits of good works will be plentiful and juicy.

Discussion questions:

1. Why is there so much satisfaction in getting to do what you do best most of the time? Why is that so energizing?
    

2. What are some common distractions and preoccupations that keep parents from being as attentive to their children as they should be? How about spouses?
    

3. How have you experienced the Law as the pressure and the demand of “your doing” creating “your being” (your worthiness or acceptability to a boss, a company or relationship)?
    

4. How does it help your faith to know that the Gospel frees you to be more selfless to your neighbor? What is the hope and comfort of knowing that our good works flow naturally from our faith rather than our good works creating our faith?
    

5. If you knew what your talents and strengths were, how would that help you understand what kinds of good works might flow naturally from your faith?

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