Did you know that Lutherans deny the empty tomb? No, I don’t mean liberals like Rudolf Bultmann. I mean confessional Lutherans.
You see, Lutherans insist that, due to the hypostatic union, Jesus is physically ubiquitous. If you dispute this they accuse you of being “Nestorian” cuz you “divide” or “separate” the two natures.
So, if Jesus is everywhere, then he’s still in the empty tomb. If he’s everywhere, then that includes the tomb that Joseph of Arimathea interred him in.
Sure, Peter and John inspected the tomb on Easter Sunday. To their eyes, it looked like the tomb was empty. But this doesn’t mean Jesus wasn’t really there. You see, as one Lutheran epologist recently explained, “suppose Jesus multiplied his flesh as necessary, and made it small so you couldn't see it?”
But because Peter and John were Nestorian heretics, dogmatically committed to their naturalistic philosophy, they had the temerity to say the tomb was empty!
Likewise, did you know Lutherans deny the Second Coming of Christ? That’s because Lutherans don’t think Jesus ever went away. He’s been here all the time!
Likewise, Lutherans don’t really think that Jesus actually went into the upper room. For, if Jesus is omnipresent, then Jesus never left the upper room!
Jesus was always inside upper room and outside the upper room.
How can Jesus still be in the empty tomb when He is right here in my heart? ;)
ReplyDeleteIndeed it seems that if we do not have some kind of doctrine of "REAL ABSENCE", we will be on a slippery slope to pantheism where "God is in everything."
ReplyDeleteOne book I read years ago studying Martin Luther investigated his mysticism. I wish I could remember what it was so I could reference it, but I see the place of Luther's apparent mysticism. And today it seems that when conservative Lutheran theologians encounter some aspect of Lutheran theology that doesn't make sense, they tend to lump it under the big "mystery" category. Despite the theological refinements of later reformed theologians, conservative Lutherans would rather ignore a theological incongruity this way than disagree with Luther.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, genuine apostates have been able to exploit this pattern of theological naivete (probably not the best term to use for it) to the point where they have brought doubt in Lutheran Synods today on even the true things that Luther held. That's why a good apologetic must likewise support a solid hermeneutic.
You're forgetting that Christ had two natures.
ReplyDelete