Saturday, June 17, 2006 · no responses · comments closed

In today’s reading from By Faith Alone, Martin Luther writes about the mistaken idea that we must somehow be worthy to pray, taking the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee as his text. Luther says that if we trust in our own worthiness, we’ll never be able to pray. Instead, “We become worthy to pray when we risk everything on God’s faithfulness alone.”

I love Luther’s choice of words: risk everything.

It occurs to me that this is why legalism becomes such an attractive approach to Christianity. If I take God at His word and trust His promises, I’m risking everything on something outside my control. But if I trust myself, I know what I’m capable of (or at least I think I do — more about that later). Putting trust in my own worthiness, based on a checklist mentality — see the Pharisee’s prayer in the parable — gives me the illusion of risk-free righteousness. Or, as a coworker once called it, Salvation for Dummies. Follow the rules and you’re saved; no need to give much thought to what you’re doing.

The problem is we don’t really know what we’re capable of. I’ve done plenty of things that shocked me. If you had asked me “Would you ever…?” I would have said “never!” But I did it anyway. Consider Peter: he vows to never deny Jesus, yet he does it a few hours later. Do you think Moses believed himself capable of murder? Did Lot imagine that he would father his own grandchildren?

Fact is, the real risk is trusting myself. That’s when I risk everything.