THE THEOLOGY OF THE CROSS, THE THEOLOGY OF GLORY, THE LAW

AND GOSPEL

BY

[CITY, STATE]

[MONTH, YEAR]

The theology of the cross, the theology of glory, the law and gospel

Thesis Statement

The theology of the cross and the theology of glory are concepts in parallel with the distinction of law and gospel.

Outline

Theology of the cross

Theologia crucis or the Theology of the Cross is the term coined by Martin Luther in Heidelberg Disputation of 1518.

The cross is the source of spiritual knowledge that tells us what God is and how He saves.

The theology of cross deals with suffering and death and sees them as a way to attain the glory of God.

Theology of glory

The theology of glory considers suffering as bad and its absence is considered as good.

It is in contrast to the theory of cross

Difference between the theology of cross and theology of glory

The distinction of law and gospel in the light of Luther's theology

Establishment of the connection between the law and gospel and the theology of cross and glory

Doctrine of Justification and its relation to the theology of the cross and theology of glory

The Need for the Study

Martin Luther's theology of the cross has generated a considerable amount of studies, debates and discussions. The theology's comparison with the theology of glory has also been the subject of a lot of books and studies. There have also been studies that help in the understanding of the distinction of the law and gospels as stated by Luther. Little have been done to explore the connection of the two dichotomies. The study therefore, aims to provide an understanding of how the two distinctions connect and stand parallel with each other. The recent interest in the theology of the cross can benefit from this study to understand how some of the important concepts bring together a meaningful reality in the direction of Doctrine of Justification.

The Procedure for the Study

In order to find out what Luther provides with an understanding of the gospels and the law, his theology of the cross different researches will be looked at. Exploration would also include an understanding of the theology of glory and the basic differences between the two. The associations with death and suffering of the two theologies and relating them to the distinction between the law and gospels will be the focus of the paper.

A brief study reveals that for Luther, law is not the ...