Trinitarian Grace in Martin Luther's The Bondage of the Will

Miikka Ruokanen reveals the powerfully Trinitarian and participatory nature of Martin Luther's conception of divine grace in his magnum opus The Bondage of the Will. The study establishes a genuinely new understanding of Luther's major treatise opening up its ecumenical potential. Luther's debate with Erasmus signifies not only a disagreement concerning free will, but the dispute reveals two contrasting understandings of the very core idea of the Christian faith. For Erasmus, the relationship of the human being with God is based on the rationally and morally acceptable principles of fair play. For Luther, the human being is captivated by the overwhelming power of unfaith and transcendental evil, Satan; only the monergistic grace of the Triune God and the power of the Holy Spirit can liberate him/her.Ruokanen verifies the Trinitarian vision of salvation

Table of Contents:
List of Abbreviation 1: Introduction 2: Erasmus and Luther: Two Different Paradigms of the Christian Faith 3: Luther's Theological Method of Conflict and Distinction 4: The Enslavement of the Human Being 5: Pneumatological Emphasis in the Doctrine of Grace 6: The Trinitarian Nature of the Pneumatological Grace 7: A Theology of Paradoxes 8: A Comprehensive View of Luther's Doctrine of Grace 9: Is there Any Possibility of Reconciliation between Erasmus and Luther? 10: Conclusion Bibliography Index of Personal Names Index of Subjects

About the Author :
Miikka Ruokanen is Professor Emeritus of Dogmatics at the University of Helsinki, Finland, and Professor of Systematic Theology at Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, China. He is also Guest Professor at the Renmin University of China, Beijing, and Advisory Professor at Fudan University, Shanghai. His publications include include The Catholic Doctrine of Non-Christian Religions: According to the Second Vatican Council (Brill, 1992), Theology of Social Life in Augustine's De civitate Dei (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1993), and Christianity and Chinese Culture (co-edited with Paulos Huang; Eerdmans, 2010).

Review :
Professor Ruokanen is a thinker of global stature, deeply engaged with the theologies of Europe, North America, and China. Here his thorough scholarship and profound reflection on Martin Luther combine to offer a retrieval of Luther that is prophetically relevant to the twenty-first century. This is not only a convincing, original contribution to the understanding of Luther on key issues, including Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, Christian life, freedom, and grace; it is also an inspiring resource for churches of all traditions around the world-indeed, for anyone who shares in Luther's passionate attention to the Bible. This book is well worth reading for anyone passionate about Luther or his theology. Professor Miikka Ruokanen establishes a genuinely new understanding of Martin Luther's major theological treatise The Bondage of the Will. He offers a crucial modification and advance to the so-called Finnish school of Luther interpretation. Ruokanen's work reveals the Trinitarian and, more specifically, the powerfully Pneumatological and participatory nature of grace in Luther's argument against Erasmus. Ruokanen opens up new perspectives on the depth and function of Luther's understanding of the Trinity and the relationship of God with his people in this provocative study. It invites rich scholarly exchange on the nature of the union of Christ with believers and other aspects of the De servo arbitrio in relationship to Luther's larger oeuvre. Differing from previous research, which mainly focuses on specialized problems, Ruokanen succeeds in creating an excellent comprehensive analysis of Luther's magnum opus, The Bondage of the Will. He establishes the Trinitarian nature of Luther's theology and displays the central role of the Holy Spirit in his theocentric doctrine of grace. In this book of Miikka Ruokanen we have a wise and faithful guide to exploring Luther's doctrine of grace, alongside all of its ecumenical horizons. Anyone seeking to understand this central theme of the Reformation and its relevance to the world church today must read this book. The richness of Ruokanen's work and the persuasiveness of his exposition can hardly be done justice in the space of this review. Suffice it to mention implications beyond the field of Luther research that are important for contemporary systematic theology... In an epoch in which theological sentimentalism blindly accommodating structures of malice and injustice prevails, Ruokanen's pathbreaking exposition of a classic text of Reformation theology merits wide reading and discussion. Overall, Ruokanen has offered an engaging and stimulating study on Luther and this crucial work on the human will. This book opens the way for a more Pneumatological and Trinitarian reading of Luther's doctrine of grace, and it also contributes to the Finnish interpretation of Luther. It is a must-read for all those engaged in Luther research and the field Reformation soteriology more generally. Miikka Ruokanen offers a fascinating and thought-provoking reassessment of Martin Luther's doctrine of grace through a systematic analysis of his magnum opus The Bondage of the Will (1525). Ruokanen not only clarifies important misunderstandings and even intentional misrepresentations in the debate between Luther and Erasmus of Rotterdam over the doctrine of grace, he also builds on the insights of the new Finnish School of interpretation pioneered by Tuomo Mannermaa. Ruokanen argues powerfully that Luther's doctrine of grace is thoroughly Pneumatological, Trinitarian and Augustinian. This monograph not only supports the paradigm of the new Finnish School but thoughtfully develops it, expanding its explanatory power and ecumenical potential. Ruokanen offers "a brilliant synthesis of Luther's doctrine of grace." An important contribution of this book is showing that one does not have to choose between the 'union with Christ' and 'forensic' models of justification. Ruokanen argues that Luther believes Christ imputes the forgiveness of sins to believers, thereby making them acceptable to God. Following the logic of Romans 8, Luther argues that the believers are 'in the Spirit' and, hence, full of Christ's presence. Ruokanen makes Luther a resource for the continuing emphasis on fully Trinitarian doctrines of both ethics and theology. For his careful reading, ecumenically sensitive proposals, and corrective readings of past scholarship, we are in Ruokanen's debt. This book by Miikka Ruokanen examines the classic debate between Erasmus and Luther on the question of free will. Martin Luther's treatise De servo arbitrio of 1525 has attracted considerable attention over the years. But what is interesting about Dr Ruokanen's new study is that it holds out the promise of further advancing ecumenical efforts to forge a common Biblical understanding of justification by systematically analysing the Trinitarian nature of the Wittenberg Reformer's doctrine of grace, a claim which the present reviewer judges it largely succeeds in doing. Ruokanen's book is a critique and friendly amendment of Tuomo Mannermaa's 'real-ontic' view of justification in light of this new analysis of The Bondage of the Will. Ruokanen talks about both a forensic-juridical and a participatory dimension of justification. This book offers an utterly theocentric and Trinitarian reading of The Bondage of the Will, correctly recognizing divine work as the centre of Luther's thought. Ruokanen's correctives to the Finnish school of interpretation are welcome.