Just and Sinner Podcast Preaching the Two Kinds of Righteousness
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Oct 29, 2014 Dr. Joel Biermann, Lutheran theologian and lecturer, presents a lecture on preaching and the two kinds of righteousness. He contrasts active (vocation-driven) and passive (gift of God) righteousness. He argues for using law boldly in sermons, shows how both righteousnesses shape Christian life, and explores practical pastoral implications for preaching and neighborly service.
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Righteousness Means Being Properly Related
- Righteousness for Luther means being properly related, not just justification.
- Joel Biermann explains righteousness as 'being where you're supposed to be,' using images like a surfer hanging ten to show functional rightness.
Active Righteousness Versus Passive Righteousness
- Two kinds of righteousness are active (horizontal) and passive (vertical).
- Active righteousness is vocational, doing responsibilities toward creation; passive righteousness is God declaring us right before Him and must be received, not produced.
How Law–Gospel Reductionism Distorts Pastoral Work
- Law–gospel reductionism made the law seem inherently negative and limited pastors' ability to speak specific moral guidance.
- Biermann critiques 20th-century Lutheran emphasis that reduced all pastoral care to either 'kill with law' or 'save with gospel'.
