DEVOTION//Cross or glory?

During his Heidelberg Disputation, Martin Luther argued we have two ways to live. One is directed by the theology of the cross; the other directed by the theology of glory.

The theology of glory vs the theology of the cross

The theology of glory drives one to seek fame, riches, prestige, and pleasure. Christians who live by this theology see faith in Christ as the key to becoming successful. Christians who cling to the theology of the cross find their highest good in the gospel, in spite of enduring suffering, pain, and loss.

Theology-of-the-cross Christians realize that life on earth will be filled with hardship and distress. They accept that afflictions will multiply for anyone who follows Jesus. Yet, buoyed by God’s love in Jesus, they willingly take up their crosses. They trust that, throughout the hardships they face, their Father will work out his loving and wise will for them. These believers have learned to accept life’s difficulties rather than making it a priority to avoid or alleviate them.

Luther on the theology of the crosse vs the theology of glory

Luther describes the difference between a theology of the cross and a theology of glory in this way:

A theology of glory calls evil good and good evil. A theology of the cross calls the thing what it actually is.

This is clear: He who does not know Christ does not know God hidden in suffering. Therefore, he prefers works to suffering, glory to the cross, strength to weakness, wisdom to folly, and, in general, good to evil.

These are the people whom the apostle calls “enemies of the cross of Christ” [Philippians 3:18], for they hate the cross and suffering and love works and the glory of works. Thus they call the good of the cross evil and the evil of a deed good.

God can be found only in suffering and the cross, as has already been said. Therefore, the friends of the cross say that the cross is good and works are evil, for through the cross works are destroyed and the old Adam, who is especially edified by works, is crucified.

It is impossible for a person not to be puffed up by his good works unless he has first been deflated and destroyed by suffering and evil until he knows that he is worthless and that his works are not his but God’s.

Source: What Luther Says, paragraph 308