Justification by Faith Alone

Whilst on a holiday cruise in the Baltic, visiting the capitals and St Petersburg, my companion and I chanced to dock in Helsinki one Sunday. As soon as customs and immigration were cleared we scurried off the ship MV Van Gogh in our finest clothes in order to go to church. We found that there was a mass at Tuomiokirkko - the Lutheran Cathedral at 10.o'clock and resolved to attend there to worship.

The beautiful city of Helsinki is justly proud of its great sons - General Mannerheim, Sibelius, Linus Thorval..., names not widely revered elsewhere. Among these is the architect L S Engels, who designed Senate Square (modelled on a similar one in St Petersburg) and the magnificent cathedral, which had echoes of Palladio and some touch of the baroque in the chancel. It stood on a mound, a clear landmark in the city with its white monumental statement against the clear sky, and superb green domes.

The mass was entirely in Finnish - a language quite unintelligible to the outsider, but phonetically easy to pronounce. We were delighted to discover that the order of service was entirely similar to the Anglican order and we were able to follow it absolutely. The hymns were in straightforward melodies printed in their hymn books and led by magnificent organ playing. We received the blessed sacrament and afterwards were invited into the crypt to speak to the Pastor, at that time partaking of refreshments and being regaled by comfortable conversation - in English of course.

Inside the cathedral was a dominant statue of Luther and it set me thinking on the theological contributions made by that reformer. On a previous visit to my local library I had asked for his biography only to be met with - 'Oh you mean Martin Luther King', to which I demurred, only to find that there were three such tomes on the latter and none at all on the German Reformer who lived between 1483 and 1546. Further investigation revealed that Luther became an Augustinian monk after studying law. It was said that he made this decision after being struck to the ground by a bolt of lightning during a thunderstorm. He became an outstanding theologian and Biblical scholar. The principal act of challenge with his church was when Pope Leo X, in order to raise money for the Basilica of St Peter in Rome offered the sale of indulgences. These were bought as remission of sins committed. There were other Roman corrupt practices to which Luther objected. Most people are aware of the story of his nailing 95 theses (propositions) on the door of the Church in Wittenburg. On being required to retract, Luther in a famous phrase said, "Here I stand, I can do no other" and the actions caused considerable controversy throughout Germany. Luther, upon excommunication, was smuggled secretly into the castle at Wartburg where he translated the New Testament into German.

It is said that Luther's teachings sparked off the peasants' revolt in Saxony. Luther married a former nun, thus rejecting monasticism and celibacy. The rest of his life was spent in preaching, writing and organising the reformed church. His influence has persisted to become the powerful religious force today on the continent of Europe and elsewhere. The main precept stems from Luther's reception of the Epistles of St Paul, which reveals that we are all justified by faith alone, underpinned by the faithful reading of scripture. Recent squabbles in the Anglican Communion are pure bagatelles in the face of statements of such purity.

Rod Dawson