Usus in renatis
The Latin term Usus in renatis ('use [of the law] among the born again') or the “third use of the law” (Latin: tertius usus legis ) denotes the third task of the law in Protestant theology , namely its validity for the Christs. This term belongs to the context of the debate among the reformers about the relationship between law and gospel .
The twofold use of the law by Luther
Martin Luther distinguished between a usus legis civilis , civil law, and a theological usage. The first use of the law prevents evil through the threat of punishment. This application of the law applies to secular society, but cannot do anything good, rather it is only evidence of the injustice of the world. According to Rom. 13.1 EU , God gave this civil or natural law into the hands of secular authorities (see: Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms ).
In Luther's doctrine of justification , "the most noble office or power of the law", the usus elenchticus or theologicus , consists in the exposure of the complete corruption of human nature through original sin and the conversion of man's incapacity for good. He can therefore only be saved by believing in the gospel. In establishing commandments as a rule of life for Christians too, he saw the danger of work righteousness , because the law cannot do anything good. Law and gospel are thus opposites for Luther. The believers are therefore not bound by the law. The usus in renatis therefore does not appear in Luther's writings.
The Usus tertius legis in Melanchthon
The threefold use of the law by Philipp Melanchthon was first formulated in the second edition of his Loci communes rerum theologicarum 1535. The usus politicus serves to maintain the external order, the usus elenchticus (the revealing use) the knowledge of sin and the consequent dependence on the grace of God. The law does not condemn the believer, who has already been redeemed , but serves him in the usus in renatis as a divine guideline for the conduct of life.
This view was followed by the concord formula of 1577. It condemned the view that the born again Christian no longer needs the law (Art. 6: “On the third custom of the law”).
The Usus tertius legis with Calvin
For John Calvin , the law also has these three tasks: It serves as a disciplinarian for sinful people by stimulating his conscience (usus elenchticus) and forcing him to act in justice (usus politicus) . Its real purpose, however, is to instruct and educate the believer. Usus in renatis means the application of the law to life in sanctification . The individual commandments are bindingly imposed on the believer. That he can accomplish it is the working of the Holy Spirit and proof of election . Both the Confessio Gallicana and the Heidelberg Catechism adopted this classification, which shaped the reformed churches' understanding of the law .
literature
- Wilfried Joest : Law and Freedom. The problem of the tertius usus legis in Luther and the New Testament Parainese . 4th edition. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1968.
- Hans-Richard Reuter: Law / legal theology / legal philosophy V. Legal ethics in modern times . In: Theologische Realenzyklopädie (TRE). Volume 28, de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1997, ISBN 3-11-015580-X , pp. 227–245.
Web links
- Andreas Pangritz : On the criticism of the Protestant criticism of the law. Understanding the “law” in Johannes Calvin, Karl Barth - and beyond. (Bonn 2009, PDF )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Max Josef Suda: The Ethics of Martin Luther . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2006, p. 74.
- ^ Mathias Eichhorn: Election - Education - Democracy. The understanding of the common good in the Reformed tradition . In: Herfried Münkler, Harald Bluhm (ed.): Common good and common sense . Akademie Verlag, 2002, ISBN 3-05-003679-6 , pp. 131–153, here pp. 135 f.
- ^ Philipp Melanchthon: Loci communes theologici , II, 6 ff. 1535.
- ↑ Martin Honecker : Introduction to Theological Ethics: Foundations and Basic Concepts . Walter de Gruyter, 2002, p. 76.
- ↑ Calvin: Institutio (1559) 7,6-13, see also: Christoph Friedrich Thiele: Calvin works. Jurist ( Memento of the original dated November 5, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
