LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW - Brock University

ZWECK: LUTHER ON JAMES 65
This can be demonstrated by many of Luther’s statements. Note the
following:
The entire Scripture points only to Christ. 35
Take Christ out of the Scriptures and what else will you find in them 36
The cross of Christ appears everywhere in Scripture. 37
All Scripture teaches nothing else but the cross. 38
One must not understand Scripture contrary to Christ, but in favor of
him; therefore Scripture must be brought into relation to Christ or must
not be regarded as Scripture. 39
Moreover, the futility of the “Gospel reductionist” approach is revealed
by the inextricably interwoven nature of the formal and material principles.
As soon as one appeals to the “Christ principle”, the need arises of defining
which Christ The Christ of Islam The Christ of the New Age Of course,
the only Christ with whom the Christian has to deal is the Christ of
Scripture. One cannot have a “Christ principle” apart from the “Scripture
principle” and remain a Christian. To be a Christian, one must adhere to
both, equally.
12. APOSTOLICITY AND CHRISTOCENTRICITY.
In equating Christocentricity and apostolicity, Luther was simply being
faithful to the content of the Scriptures themselves, and to the practice of the
ancient church.
Justin Martyr insisted that apostolicity was the criterion adopted for the
establishment of the canon. In his First Apology (AD 155), he writes:
And on the day called Sunday there is a meeting in one place of those
who live in cities or the country, and the memoirs of the apostles or the
writings of the prophets are read as long as time permits. 40
The equating here of the “memoirs of the apostles” with the “writings of the
prophets” shows that it is Scripture that is being referred to. The definition
of the canon of Scripture implies those books that are read in the regular
worship services. Just as the criterion for the canonicity of the Old
Testament was the prophetic authority of the writings, so also the criterion
35 Qtd Preus 112.
36 Qtd Preus 112f.
37 Qtd Preus 113.
38 Qtd Preus 113.
39 Qtd Preus 114.
40 Apology I:67.3; Library of Christian Classics I:287.