Election to salvation affirmed; double predestination rejected
Lutheranism holds to a doctrine of election (predestination to salvation) but explicitly rejects double predestination (the Calvinist teaching that God has also predestined specific individuals to damnation). The Formula of Concord Article XI teaches that God has from eternity elected those who will be saved in Christ, entirely by grace without foreseen merit. This election is a source of comfort for believers, not a cause for anxiety.
However, Lutheranism teaches that those who are lost are lost entirely by their own fault, not by divine decree. The Formula of Concord takes a deliberate antinomy: Scripture teaches both God's unconditional election of the saved and human responsibility for damnation, and both must be maintained without resolving the tension by a philosophical system. This distinguishes Lutheran predestination from both Arminian conditional election and Calvinist double decrees. The Formula of Concord was written partly in response to a controversy over predestination within Lutheranism.
Key Distinctions
- Election model:
- election by grace alone — God elects the saved through his mercy; not earned
- Double predestination:
- denied — reprobation not by God's positive decree (Augsburg Confession)
- Free will teaching:
- bound will in spiritual matters (Luther); grace alone enables faith
Scripture References
Sources
- Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration Article XI (1577)
- Formula of Concord, Epitome Article XI (1577)