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Meanings of the significant statements
The Law is preached whenever the Gospel is preached because Law goes hand in hand with Gospel.
The Law must be preached in every sermon in order that people may recognise their sins because the Law is a mirror which shows people their sins.
The Law is preached at the beginning of the sermon or at least before the Gospel so that people may repent and be prepared to receive the Gospel.
After people have been frustrated by the Law and are convicted of their sins they need the comfort of the Gospel which creates faith and encourage them to believe in Christ Jesus.
The Gospel is preached after the Law in order that Christians may appreciate what Christ did for their sins.
The Law needs to be preached as much as the Gospel because God’s word is Law and Gospel.
The Law is helpful because it tells Christians what to do and what not to do.
The Law brings order in the congregation.
The Law is preached to rebuke public sins committed in the congregation.
There are other laws in the congregations which govern the day-to-day running of the congregations. For example leadership laws, order of the divine services, moral laws and others.
Sinners are called to repentance according to Christ’s instruction.
Church discipline is exercised to those whose sins are known by the congregation.
Denial of sacraments, counselling, punishments, forbidding a sinner to take up offices, and excommunication are ways of dealing with sinners in the congregations.
The third use of the Law needs to be taught as described in the Lutheran Confessions.
The Law is holy and it is the word of God.
The Law is necessary to crush the sinner in order that he may not rely on him/herself but see the need for Christ.
The Law brings guilt and condemnation by revealing the sin in a believer.
The Law does not save but leads Christians to receive the Gospel which is believing in Christ.
The punishment of the Law creates fear among believers and therefore keeps them away from committing sin.
Because the Law’s punishment brings fear among believers, it leads them to repentance.
Because of the fear of the Law’s punishment, believers tend to keep away from sin.
Punishment, however, does not necessarily bring repentance.
The main goal of punishment is repentance.
Use of the Law
From the survey conducted it is clear that the Law plays an important role in the Lutheran Church of Uganda. All the respondents acknowledged the usefulness of the Law in their congregations. It was discovered that every one of the respondents preaches the Law every time he prepares his sermon. The Law is not a question of choice, but of urgency which cannot be avoided. The Law has to be expected whenever there is preaching of the word of God. There would be no sermon or God’s word would not be preached to its expectation if the Law is not included in the sermon.
The following are the reasons why the Law is very important in the Lutheran Church of Uganda: First, the Law is a mirror which reveals the sinfulness of believers.
Believers become aware that they are sinners when they hear the Law. This selfawareness does not come by itself, but by the Law. It reveals what deeds, how and in what ways a believer has transgressed God’s will. This use of the Law was acknowledged by all the respondents. Among the uses of the Law mentioned, this use was the most important one. Everyone talked about how important the Law is in this regard.
Second, the Law is seen as a guide. The Law describes what and what not a Christian should do. It describes a Christian life which all believers ought to live. Without the Law Christians would be lost because they would not know what they should do and what they should not do. This is only found in the Law. The Law therefore shapes the behaviour of believers. One is able to identify a Christian by the life he or she lives. Christians are expected to live a certain kind of lifestyle different from the rest of the world. They are also considered to be the role model, living a life desired by unbelievers. This is because they have the Law as their guide. Third, the Law is necessary to crush the sinner in order that he or she may not rely on himself or herself but seek help from Christ. When the Law is preached and sins are exposed, the sinner feels guilty and condemned and sees nothing good in himself or herself but deserving punishment. This guilt drives them to look for an outward help which is only found in the comforting words of the Gospel. This is the work of the Law; to produce guilt and condemnation in the sinner so that he or she may repent and come to believe in Christ. Escape from this condemnation can only be found in Christ. The Law, because of its threats, drives a sinner to find refuge in Christ Jesus. The Law instils fear, fear brings discipline and the person stays away from committing sin because of the fear of the Law’s condemnation. This was termed by some respondents as the use of the Law as a curb. The Law as a curb builds a fence around a believer and keeps him or her away from sin. The fence created by the Law cannot be crossed by the believer because he or she knows what to expect if this line is crossed. He or she is aware that punishment awaits those who jumps out of the fence. The Law therefore keeps them at bay.
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Status of the question
1.2 Recent research
1.3 Methodology
1.4 Research itinerary
1.5 Conclusion
CHAPTER 2 THE LUTHERAN UNDERSTANDING OF PAUL AND THE LAW
2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.2 LUTHER’S BREAKTHROUGH
2.3 GOD’S WORD IS LAW AND GOSPEL
2.4 THE LAW
2.5 THE ‘THIRD USE’ OF THE LAW
2.6 CONCLUSION
CHAPTER 3 THE LAW IN THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF UGANDA: PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY
3.1 INTRODUCTION
3.2 DATA COLLECTION
3.3 DATA ANALYSIS
3.4 DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMON THEMES
3.5 DISCREPANCIES AMONG THE RESPONDENTS
3.6 SUMMARY OF THE STUDY
CHAPTER 4 WESTERN LUTHERANISM IN THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF UGANDA
4.1 LAW AND JUSTIFICATION
4.2 FAITH AND GOD WORKS
4.3 USE OF THE LAW
4.4 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LAW AND GOSPEL
4.5 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 5 AFRICANISM IN THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF UGANDA
5.1 INTRODUCTION
5.2 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LUTHER AND THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF UGANDA’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE LAW
5.3 CULTURAL INFLUENCE
5.4 THE LAW IN PAUL
5.5 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
6.1 INTRODUCTION
6.2 JESUS AND THE LAW
6.3 PAUL AND THE LAW
6.4 LUTHER AND THE LAW
6.5 THE ‘THIRD USE’ OF THE LAW
6.6 GOOD WORKS
6.7 FINAL CONCLUSION
6.8 SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
Appendix
BIBLIOGRAPHY
