Roman Catholic and Protestants share little in common. Very few things unify them—yet it seems that among Roman Catholics and non-Lutheran Protestants, a particular distaste for the theological prowess and confessional doctrine of Martin Luther and his theological allies creates a superficial sense of concord between them. For, while both the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant denominations of the 21st century owe Luther a debt of gratitude on several fronts, they scoff at his theological positions and the great work he and the Reformers accomplished in bringing the Gospel back to a sorely depraved, abused Church.
The Roman Catholic and Protestant distaste for Luther stems from two different angles but leads to the same spiteful conclusion. The Catholics condemn Luther as a heretic, claiming that he attempted to create a new church and undermine the authority of the pope. Protestants deride Luther for his ironically “Catholic” theology; even in lieu of his reformational work, his doctrine and theology are far too “Catholic” for the comfort of 21st century American Evangelicals.
I say this not to bash our Christian friends in other denominations, but to demonstrate that Luther’s theological and doctrinal pedagogy are often misconstrued, misunderstood, or misrepresented by modern theologians, whether Catholic or Protestant. One such statement of Luther’s, written in a letter to his close friend Philipp Melanchthon on August 1st, 1521, is the phrase “Sin boldly.” It has caught much attention for its alleged incitement to sin against God’s Law and disregard the Lord’s plain commands in Scripture.
First, the context of Luther’s infamous quote is offered below:
If you are a preacher of grace, then preach a true and not a fictitious grace; if grace is true, you must bear a true and not a fictitious sin. God does not save people who are only fictitious sinners. Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly, for he is victorious over sin, death, and the world. As long as we are in this world we have to sin. This life is not the dwelling place of righteousness but, as Peter says, we look for a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13). It is enough that by the riches of God’s glory we have come to know the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). No sin will separate us from the Lamb, even though we commit fornication and murder a thousand times a day.
Excerpt from Martin Luther’s Letter to Philipp Melanchthon, written August 1, 1521, cited in Hendrix, Martin Luther, 121-122.
Melanchthon, Luther’s close ally and an influential academic during the Reformation, was hesitant to implement the various liturgical and doctrinal reforms for which Luther had advocated because he was afraid that doing so would lead to sin. He, unlike Luther, was far more concerned with the interpersonal consequences of the Reformation. He aligned with Luther theologically, but hoped to pursue an ecumenical path forward that united the Church around a shared, agreed upon confession of faith—including similarity in theology, doctrine, and practice. And while this was certainly Luther’s hope, he was unwilling to compromise on doctrines or theological concepts that would fundamentally alter the teachings of Scripture.
And, as stated above, the Roman Catholic Church taught that implanting such changes without the authority of the Church—specifically the pope—is in itself a sin, as it is a challenge to the supposed authority of the Church. Thus, Melanchthon feared that his actions would be sinful, or lead others to assume the same, and thereby nullify any progress he and the Reformers could otherwise make.
To alleviate Melanchthon’s stress that reforming the Catholic Church’s abuses would be sinful, Luther wrote the letter from which the excerpt above is taken to reassure Melanchthon that reformation is necessary when the Gospel is being suppressed. Luther’s exhortation to Melanchthon to “sin boldly” can be summarized thus: If Melanchthon does nothing, he will still sin, and if he does something (that is, if he participates in the Reformation), he will still sin. Luther is exhorting Melanchthon to do the right thing even though he will still inevitably fall short. The desired result may not be perfect, but Melanchthon’s actions would be true allegiance to the Gospel—which most certainly is not sin.
Though we all may sin, our allegiance to the Gospel cannot be forsaken. Whatever actions we take in life, regardless of the circumstances, we will still be sinners. It is nevertheless incumbent on us to correct false teaching and restore the supremacy and centrality of the Gospel wherever it is suppressed. The adversaries of the Gospel, in Melanchthon’s case the papists, cannot prevent the true Church from teaching, preaching, and confessing the totality of Scripture, the sum of which is found in the Church’s doctrine, practices, and preaching.
Admittedly, Luther was a seasoned pessimist. He believed that humanity was hopeless in its ability to rectify its sinful inclinations and gloated that humanity would most certainly doom itself to destruction apart from the grace and mercy of God. And while these sentiments certainly are pessimistic, they are realistic. Scripture is abundantly clear on the matter; apart from God, no good exists. Without His aid, especially in the suffering and death of Jesus, there would be no hope for mankind.
None of this, however, led Luther to believe that mankind should not adhere to God’s Law and trust in His Gospel promises. It is clear throughout His myriad theological writings that he trusted in God’s divine providence. He may have been a pessimist concerning human nature, but he was a faithful optimist concerning God’s grace and mercy. God will preserve the true Church throughout every season, even those of dramatic change and resistance. And God uses faithful teachers to do so.
Luther was not perfect. He was a sinner—and he would be the first man to admit it. Yet his faithful preaching of the Gospel underscored his consolation to Melanchthon to “sin boldly,” that is, to take whatever steps may be necessary to restore the Gospel in the Church and condemn false teachings wherever they exist. In Luther’s mind, to sin boldly is to acknowledge that while we are still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). It is to confess that we are called to preach, teach, confess, and cling to the Gospel. Not only this, but also to correct every error that permeated the Church’s evangelistic presentation of the Gospel—including worship practices, dogmas to which the Church demanded allegiance, and other external doctrines.
Concerning the Eucharist, for example, Luther writes that it is “the sum and substance of the Gospel.” Therefore, the Church must actively protect its theological sanctity and administration. Teachings that distort the truth of the Lord’s Supper must be rooted out; practices that conceal the true Gospel-centric nature of the Eucharist are to be eliminated. Whatever our theological adversaries may say concerning the reformative measures Luther had taken to restore and protect the celebration of the Lord’s Supper in the Church, we must not be afraid to make such changes when they are necessary, as they were in Luther’s and Melanchthon’s case.
Luther’s exhortation to “sin boldly” also serves as a word of comfort to the Church. For while we are still sinners, we know that no sin can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39). We may err, but Christ corrects us. Our paths may be crooked, but Christ has made them straight.
Paul writes in 1 Timothy 1:10-11 that the Law is written for those who would hinder “the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God.” In his words to Timothy, we find these two truths: 1) that the Law must be exercised against those who despise the Gospel by their words and actions, and 2) that sound Gospel is informed by the Gospel, rendering all other influences null and void. Hence the foundation of our faith is the Gospel, and the theological framework by which the Church’s doctrine and practices are derived is the Gospel.
It is also noteworthy concerning Luther’s linguistic style that he often exaggerated or hyperbolized the points he was trying to make in order to convey their seriousness and importance. For Luther to encourage Melanchthon to “sin boldly” is also rightly seen as a sarcastic, witty play on Melanchthon’s emotions that would inspire him to do the right thing. It is not that Luther is actually encouraging Melanchthon to “sin boldly,” but rather it would be understood, “If they consider [the Reformation] sinful, then sin boldly!”
And is this not truly the Christian spirit, that whatever accusations and attacks the opponents of the Gospel hurl against the Church, she stands firm in her proclamation of the Gospel and faithful witness to Scripture? For whenever reformation is necessary–and there are times when it is–true allegiance to the Gospel must not be avoided for the sake of those who would claim it is sinful to do otherwise. If it is sinful to preach the Gospel; if it is sinful to honor Christ alone; if it is sinful to adhere to Scripture’s teachings concerning any matter; if it is sinful to be a Christian: sin boldly!
Fantastic article! Man plans, God laughs. As I continue to read and ponder over the Psalms, that truth from Psalm 2 resonates in our world of moralistic therapy that can never give man comfort the way the divine service does. Kill us in the pews and raise us up again with the Lord's Supper. The mercy of Jesus is new every morning. He is my portion therefore I will hope in Him.