JACKSON, Tenn. — March 14, 2018 — Ronald K. Rittgers, professor of history and theology at Valparaiso University, said Martin Luther鈥檚 theology is structured around the juxtaposition of divine love and human love.
Rittgers spoke on 鈥淟uther as a Theologian of Love鈥� at the first of four Scholar-in-Residence lectures at 51社区 Tuesday. His lecture series is titled 鈥淭he Irreducible Luther: Four New Interpretations鈥� and will continue through Thursday.
鈥淲e are attracted to that which we find attractive, so if you want someone to love you, you make yourself attractive to them,鈥� Rittgers said. 鈥淏ut Luther鈥檚 point is a very simple one: That鈥檚 not the way God works. God doesn鈥檛 love that way. We don鈥檛 have to make ourselves attractive to God for him to love us.鈥�
God鈥檚 love works just the opposite, Rittgers said. Rather than loving something because it is attractive, God鈥檚 love makes something attractive. He said most theologians of Luther鈥檚 day were thinking too humanly about love and therefore placing the burden on people to make themselves attractive to God.
Luther saw perfect love of God and neighbor as God鈥檚 standard of righteousness and was frustrated in his attempts to reach that standard.
鈥淟uther鈥檚 dread can be attributed to the painful realization that he could not love God and neighbor perfectly and of his own accord,鈥� Rittgers said.
He said in trying to solve this problem of love, Luther came to understand the difference between human and divine love. This freed Luther to pursue spiritual growth through the lens of God鈥檚 love. He saw Christ鈥檚 love flowing to him and through him to his neighbor.
鈥淭he indwelling Christ who is himself the Christian鈥檚 righteousness is also himself the source of the Christian鈥檚 growth in love,鈥� Rittgers said.
Rittgers said Luther鈥檚 theology of loving God is often expressed in his writings in terms of faith.
鈥淔aith for Luther is actually a kind of love,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 kind of childlike, loving trust of God. You love God, but you do so by trusting him.鈥�
Rittgers also gave a lecture Tuesday evening on 鈥淟uther the Word-Prophet.鈥� His lecture series will continue Thursday at 12:15 p.m. with a lecture on 鈥淟uther the Evangelical Mystic鈥� and conclude Thursday at 7 p.m. with a lecture on 鈥淟uther and the Reformation of Consolation.鈥� Both lectures will take place in Hartley Recital Hall on the 51社区 campus.