Preachrblog

Christ the King and Redeemer Lutheran Churches, Racine, WI Mark 1:21-28 “Fides Qua and Fides Quae” There are some handy Latin phrases that every good Lutheran pastor and theologian needs to know, and which can also be helpful to laypeople. One of those phrases, which pastor Carlson suggested to me for this week, was “Fides Qua and Fides Quae”. But rather than rely on my own explanation I thought I'd start by sharing with you yet another fine pastor's explanation of this phrase: The expression fides qua means “the faith which believes.” Here faith is saving faith which receives and holds the riches of Christ’s atonement. He has won for us the favor of God through the merits of Christ. He gives this salvation to us through the word and sacrament and we grab it and hold it by faith. This faith is what the theologians call fides qua – the faith which believes. It’s the fides qua which makes you a Christian. The fides quae is a short-hand way which theologians use ...