A Dialogue of Mutual Recognition

Lutheran theology is faced with the challenge of rearticulating the human relationship to God in justification in a way that is not only consistent with the biblical and theological tradition but also makes sense to modern human beings who inhabit a society of widespread biblical and theological illiteracy. In this article, I suggest rephrasing this relationship as a dialogue of mutual recognition between God and the human being. I ground this suggestion in a reinterpretation of Martin Luther’s understanding of justification as a dialogical process of identity formation whereby God and humans are mutually recognised. In the justifying dialogue, the individual is recognised as a you in relation to God’s creative and saving I. Moreover, God is recognised as God when humans answer his initial address and call on him in prayer and in praise. Emphasising the role of the human response in the process of justification highlights the importance of the community of believers who express their answer to God’s word of law and gospel through prayer and songs of worship.