Analysis Of Martin Luther’s "Justification By Faith"

Martin Luther’s idea of justification by faith was not a whim. It was anInstantaneous detection which came from studying Paul’s “justification by faith” andthe predecessor Elkhart’s “light of the mind” with the stimulation of the towerexperience. Martin Luther’s “justification by faith” achieved god’s subjectificationand secularization. First, the transformation of Luther’s idea about god’s justificationled to the reversal of the relationship between god and human, that is, from the“people-centered” relationship between god and human to “god-centered”relationship between god and human. On the surface, human’s status decreased andgod’s status increased. But in fact, divinity was led into human’s spirit. Thesubjective principle was uplifted. So the true relationship between god and humanconverted from “god-centered” to “people-centered”. Try to understand how“god-centered” relationship between god and human can achieve god’ssubjectification and secularization through interpretation about “faith”.First, god’s subjectification and secularization achieved in the transformation ofLuther’s idea about god’s justification. God was on longer the judge who committeda crime punishment, and no longer the employer who past salvation to the peoplewho did good works. The essence of god’s justification converted from“justification-oriented” to “mercy-oriented”. Believers converted from Catholicswho believed one could receive salvation with “the efforts of people” to Protestantswho believed one had nothing but the favor of god’s justification. The spirit ofprotestant was set free, and the divinity was led into human’s real life. Theconsciousness reached self-reconciliation. The relationship between god and humantransformed from “people-centered” to “god-centered”.Second, this new “god-centered” relationship between god and human gave godabsolute and complete subjectification. At the same time, human possessed nothingand became absolute passivity. God performed initiative and manifest itself as Christ.God established an internal belief relationship between god and human with theintermediary of Christ. Therefore, it accomplished a situation of god-human unitythat human could directly communicate with god. Thus it realized god’ssubjectification and secularization. During the process of god’s subjectification andsecularization, it formed a principle of rationalism supremacy. The pursue ofspiritual freedom deeply influenced the pursue of spiritual freedom in Germanclassical philosophy. Last, since Martin Luther’s religious reform, it achieved god’s subjectification.The relationship between god and human became “people-centered”. After Luther,the protestant theology also concentrated on “people-centered” and it developed intotwo directions. One was the legitimism theology that rationalism continuouslystrengthened. Hegel’s philosophy inherited the rational tradition of legitimism. Theother one was pietism theology that moralism continuously strengthened. Kant’sphilosophy inherited the moral traditions of pietism. Martin Luther’s religious reformimplemented god into human’s belief through intermediary of Christ. But Germanclassical philosophy implemented rationalism in to human’s spirit throughintermediary of concept. Marx’s philosophy implemented liberty into human’sproduction through intermediary of concept. These three let object eventuallyachieve the secularization of human life through different methods.