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Question 10
The transcript calls Luther’s “sin boldly” counsel “as much a perversion of Paul’s teaching” as pagan mockery; what parts of that quote feel appealing or dangerous to you, and how would you articulate a view of grace that refuses both despair (“I can’t change”) and presumption (“sin doesn’t matter”) while still taking forgiveness seriously?
Another way to ask: What feels attractive or risky about Luther’s “sin boldly” idea? How would you explain grace in a way that avoids both “I can’t change” and “sin doesn’t matter,” but still takes forgiveness seriously?

Direct Answer Based on the transcript, the appeal is that Luther stresses trusting Christ’s victory and not relying on “fictitious” righteousness, but the danger is that “sin boldly” echoes the very slander Paul condemns; true grace forgives sins while also aiming to cure sin and uphold God’s judgment.

Support from Transcript:

  • Luther’s line includes: “Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly.”
  • He argues, “As long as we are here, we have to sin…we look for a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
  • The teacher concludes: “What Luther is saying is just as much a perversion of Paul’s teaching as what the ancient pagans were saying.”
  • Paul condemns the logic: “Let us do evil, that good may come…Their condemnation is just.”
  • Ambrosiaster offers the transcript’s positive framing: faith is not pro-sin; it teaches God “will judge sinners” and provides “a cure for sin…men can live by God’s law and sin no longer.”
Discussion Follow-ups How can we preach forgiveness without creating cover for sin? Where do you personally drift more easily—toward despair or toward presumption—and what would “faith as cure” look like there?

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