Martin
Luther’s Original
Church
Postil
1544
Summer
Postil 1544
From Trinity Sunday to 12. Sunday after Trinity
This
text has been made available for the web by Richard Bucher and Tony Woodcock and
edited by Finn B. Andersen. It is in the public domain and it may be copied and
distributed without restriction.
Web-editor, cand.theol. Finn B. Andersen
from the land of the mermaids
Trinity Sunday;
Romans 11:33-36
King James
Version
Romans
11:33-36
O the depth
of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how
unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath
known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his
counseller? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto
him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
1. This epistle is read today
because the festival of Holy Trinity, or of the three
persons of the Godhead - which is the prime, great, incomprehensible and chief
article of faith - is observed on this day. The object of its observance is
that, by the Word of God, this truth of the Godhead may be preserved among
Christians, enabling them to know God as he would be known. For although Paul
does not treat of that article in this epistle, but touches on it only in a few
words in the conclusion, nevertheless he would teach that in our attempts to
comprehend God we must not speculate and judge according to human wisdom, but
in the light of the Word of God alone. For these divine truths are too far
above the reach of reason ever to be comprehended and explored by the
understanding of man.
2. And although I have, on other
occasions, taught and written on this article fully and frequently enough,
still I must say a few words in general concerning it here. True, it is not
choice German, nor has it a pleasing sound, when we designate God by the word
”Dreifaltigkeit” (nor is the Latin, Trinitas, more elegant); but since we have
no better term, we must employ these. For, as I have said, this article is so
far above the power of the human mind to grasp, or the tongue to express, that
God, as the Father of his children, will pardon us when we stammer and lisp as
best we can, if only our faith be pure and right. By this term, however, we
would say that we believe the divine majesty to be three distinct persons of
one true essence.
3. This is the revelation and
knowledge Christians have of God: they not only know him to be one true God,
who is independent of and over all creatures, and that there can be no more
than this one true God, but they know also what this one true God in his
essential, inscrutable essence is.
4. The reason and wisdom of man may
go so far as to reach the conclusion, although feebly, that there must be one
eternal divine being, who has created and who preserves and governs all things.
Man sees such a beautiful and wonderful creation in the heavens and on the
earth, one so wonderfully, regularly and securely preserved and ordered, that
he must say: It is impossible that this came into existence by mere chance, or
that it originated and controls itself; there must have been a Creator and Lord
from whom all these things proceed and by whom they are governed. Thus God may
be known by his creatures, as
5. But from within (a priori) no
human wisdom has been able to conceive what God is in himself, or in his
internal essence. Neither can anyone know or give information of it except it
be revealed to him by the Holy Spirit. For no one knoweth, as Paul says (I Cor
2, 11), the things of man save the spirit of man which is in him; even so the
things of God none knoweth save the Spirit of God. From without, I may see what
you do, but what your intentions are and what you think, I cannot see. Again,
neither can you know what I think except I enable you to understand it by word
or sign. Much less can we know what God, in his own inner and secret essence
is, until the Holy Spirit, who searcheth and knoweth all things, yea, the deep
things of God - as Paul says above - reveals it to us: as he does in the
declaration of this article, in which he teaches us the existence in the divine
majesty of the one undivided essence, but in such manner that there is, first,
the person which is called the Father; and of him exists the second person
called the Son, born from eternity; and proceeding from both these is the
third, namely, the Holy Spirit. These three persons are not distinct from each
other, as individual brothers or sisters are, but they have being in one and
the same eternal, undivided and indivisible essence.
6. This, I say, is not discovered or
attained to by human reason. It is revealed from heaven above. Therefore, only
Christians can intelligently speak of what the Godhead essentially is, and of his outward manifestation to his creatures, and
his will toward men concerning their salvation. For all this is imparted to
them by the Holy Spirit, who reveals and proclaims it through the Word.
7. Those who have no such
revelation, and who judge according to their own wisdom, such as the Jews,
Turks and heathen, must consider the Christian's declaration the greatest error
and rankest heresy; they must say that we Christians are mad and foolish in
imagining that there are three Gods, when, according to all reason - yea, even
according to the Word of God - there can be but one God. It would not be
reasonable, they will say, that there should be more than one householder over
the same house, more than one lord or sovereign over the same government; much
less reasonably should more than one God reign over heaven and earth. They
imagine that thus with their wisdom they have completely overthrown our faith
and exposed it to the derision and scorn of all the
world. As if we were all block- heads and egregious fools and could not see
their logic as well as they! But, thank God, we have
understanding equal to theirs, and can argue as convincingly, or more so, than
they with their Alkoran and Talmud, that there is but the one God.
8. Further, we know, from the testimony
of Holy Writ, that we cannot expound the mystery of these divine things by the
speculations of reason and a pretense of great wisdom. To explain this, as well
as all the articles of our faith, we must have a knowledge higher than any to
which the understanding of man can attain. That knowledge of God which the
heathen can perceive by reason or deduce from rational premises is but a small
part of the knowledge that we should possess. The heathen Aristotle in his best
book concludes from a passage in the wisest pagan poet, Homer: There can be no
good government in which there is more than one lord; it results as where more
than one master or mistress attempts to direct the household servants. So must
there be but one lord and regent in every government. This is all rightly true.
God has implanted such light and understanding in human nature for the purpose
of giving a conception and an illustration of his divine office, the only Lord
and Maker of all creatures. But, even knowing this, we have not yet searched
out or fathomed the exalted, eternal, divine Godhead essence. For even though I
have learned that there is an only divine majesty, who governs all things, I do
not thereby know the inner workings of this divine. essence himself; this no
one can tell me, except, as we have said, in so far as God himself reveals it
in his Word.
9. Now we Christians have the
Scriptures, which we know to be the Word of God. The Jews also have them, from
whose fathers they have descended to us. From these, and from no other source,
we have obtained all that is known of God and divine works, from the beginning
of the world. Even among the Turks and the heathen, all their knowledge of God
- excepting what is manifestly fable and fiction - came from the Scriptures.
And our knowledge is confirmed and proven by great miracles, even to the
present day. These Scriptures declare, concerning this article, that there is
no God or divine being save this one alone. They not only manifest him to us
from without, but they lead us into his inner essence, and show us that in him
there are three persons; not three Gods or three different kinds of divinity,
but the same undivided, divine essence.
10. Such a revelation is radiantly
shed forth from the greatest of God's works, the declaration of his divine
counsel and will. In that counsel and will it was decreed from all eternity,
and, accordingly, was proclaimed in his promises, that his Son should become
man and die to reconcile man to God. For in our dreadful fall into sin and
death eternal, there was no way to save us excepting through an eternal person
who had power over sin and death to destroy them, and to give us righteousness
and everlasting life instead. This no angel or other creature could do; it must needs be done of God himself. Now, it could not be done
by the person of the Father, who was to be reconciled, but it must be done by a
second person, with whom this counsel was determined and through whom and for
whose sake the reconciliation was to be brought about.
11. Here there are, therefore, two
distinct persons, one of whom becomes reconciled, and
the other is sent to reconcile and becomes man. The former is called the
Father, being first in that he did not have his origin in any other; the latter
is called the Son, being born of the Father from eternity. To this the
Scriptures attest, for they make mention of God's Son; as, for instance, in
Psalm 2, 7: ”Thou art my son; this day have I begotten
thee;” and again, Galatians 4, 4: ”But when the fulness of the time came, God
sent forth his Son,” etc. From this it necessarily follows that the Son, who is
spoken of as a person, must be distinct from the person of the Father.
12. Again, in the same manner, the
Spirit of God is specifically and distinctively mentioned as a person sent or
proceeding from God the Father and the Son; for instance, God says in Joel 2,
28: ”I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,” etc. Here a spirit is poured
out who is God's, or a divine spirit,
and who must be of the same essence, otherwise he could not say, ”my Spirit;''
and yet he must be a person other than he who sent him or who pours out. Again,
because when he was sent he manifested himself, and appeared in his descent in
a visible form, like that of a dove or tongues of fire, he must be distinct in
person from both the Father and the Son.
13. But in this article of faith, in
which we say that the Son of God became man and that he was of the same nature
as we ourselves are, in order that he might redeem us from sin and death and
give us eternal life without any merit or worthiness of our own, we give Jews
and Turks no less occasion for laughter and mockery than when we speak of the
three persons. For this is a more absurd assertion by far, in the estimation of
human reason, which speculates in its Jewish and Turkish - yea, heathenish -
teachings, on this wise: God is an only, almighty Lord of all, who has created
all men and given them the law according to which they are to live; accordingly
it follows that he will be merciful to the good and obedient, but will condemn
and punish the disobedient. Therefore, he who does good works and guards
himself against sin, God will reward. These are nothing but heathenish
conclusions drawn from earthly, worldly experience and observation, as if God's
government must be conducted on the same principles as that of a father among
his children and domestics; for those are considered good rulers and masters
who make a distinction with regard to their own interests.
14. Such heathen ideas of wisdom,
holiness and service of God are taught and practiced by the Pope. And so we
believed, myself and others, while we were under him, not knowing any better;
otherwise we would have done and taught differently. And, in fact, he who has
not this revelation and Word of God, can neither
believe nor teach other than pagan doctrine. With such a faith, how much better
were we than the heathen and Turks? Yea, how could we guard ourselves against
any deception and lying nonsense that might be offered as good works and as
service of God? Then we had to follow every impostor who came with his cowl and
cord, as if Christ were represented in him; and we thought that in the
observance of these things we would be saved. So the whole world was filled
with naught but false service of God - which the Scriptures properly call
idolatry - the product of human wisdom, which is so easily deceived by that
which pretends to be a good work and to be obedience to God. For human wisdom
knows no better; and how could it know better without the revelation? Even when
the revelation was proclaimed, human wisdom would not heed it, but despised it
and followed its own fancies. Hence it continued to be hidden and
incomprehensible to such wisdom, as
15. But to us this counsel and mind
of God in giving his Son to take upon himself our flesh, is revealed and
declared. For from the Word of God we have the knowledge that no man of himself
can be righteous before God; that our whole life and all our deeds are under
wrath and condemnation, because we are wholly born in sin and by nature are
disobedient to God; but if we would be delivered from sin and be saved, we must
believe on this mediator, the Son of God, who has taken our sin and death upon
himself, by his own blood and death rendering satisfaction, and has by his
resurrection, delivered us. In this truth we will abide, regardless of the
ridicule heaped upon us because of such faith, by heathen wisdom, which teaches
that God rewards the pious. We understand that quite as well, if not better,
than heathenism does. But in these mysteries we need a higher wisdom than our
own minds have devised or can devise, a wisdom given to us by grace alone,
through divine revelation.
16 For it is not our intention thus
to pry into the counsel, thoughts and ways of God with our understanding and
opinions, and to be his counselors, as they do who meddle in the affairs that
are the prerogative of the Godhead, and who even dare, in the face of this
passage of Saint Paul, to refuse to receive or learn of God, but would impart
to him that for
which he must recompense again. And thus they make gods after their own fancy,
as many gods as they have thoughts; so that every shabby monastic cowl or
self-appointed work, in their estimation, accomplishes as much and passes for
as much as God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in their eternal divine
counsel, determine and accomplish. And they continue to be nothing but wearers
of cowls and instructors in works, which works even they can do who know
nothing of God and are manifestly scoundrels. And even though they have long
been occupied with these things, they still do not know how matters stand
between themselves and God. And it will ever be true as
17. For your own theories - which
are no more than what anyone can arrive at, conjecture or conceive in his own
mind, without divine revelation - are not a knowledge
of the mind of God. And what does it avail if you are not able to say more than
that God is merciful to the good and will punish the wicked? Who will assure
you that you are good and that you are pleasing to God with your papistic,
Turkish monkery and holiness? Is it all that is necessary to assert: God will
reward with heaven such as are faithful to the order? No, dear brother, mere
presumption, or an expression of your opinion, will not suffice here. I could
do that as well as you. Indeed, each may devise his own peculiar idea; one a
black, and another a gray monk's cowl. But we should
hear and know what God's counsel is, what is his will
and mind. This none can tell you by his own
understanding, and no book on earth can teach it except the Scriptures. These
God himself has given, and they make known to us that he has sent his Son into
the world to redeem us from sin and the wrath of God, and that whosoever
believes in him should have everlasting life.
DIVINE MYSTERIES INEXPLICABLE TO REASON.
18. Behold, Paul's purpose in this
epistle is to show Christians that these sublime and divine mysteries - that
is, God's actual divine essence and his will, administration and works - are
absolutely beyond all human thought, human understanding or wisdom; in short,
that they are and ever will be incomprehensible, inscrutable and altogether
hidden to human reason. When reason presumptuously undertakes to solve, to
teach and explain these matters, the result is worthless, yea, utter darkness
and deception. If anything is to be ascertained, it must be through revelation
alone; that is, the Word of God, which was sent from heaven.
19. We do not apply these words of
Paul to the question of divine predestination for every human being - who will
be saved and who not. For into these things God would not have us curiously
inquire. He has not given us any special revelation in regard to them, but
refers all men here to the words of the Gospel. By them they are to be guided.
He would have them hear and learn the Gospel, and believing in it they shall be
saved. Therein have all the saints found comfort and assurance in regard to
their election to eternal life; not in any special revelation in regard to
their predestination, but in faith in Christ. Therefore, where Saint Paul
treats of election, in the three chapters preceding this text, he would not
have any to inquire or search out whether he has been predestinated or not; but
he holds forth the Gospel and faith to all men. So he taught before, that we
are saved through faith in Christ. He says (Rom 10, 8): ”The
word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart,” and he explains himself by
saying that this word should be proclaimed to all men, that they may believe
what he says in verses 12 and 13: ”For the same Lord is Lord of all, and is
rich unto all that call upon him: for, Whosoever shall call upon the name of
the Lord shall be saved.”
20. But he speaks of the marvelous
ruling of God in the Church, according to which they who have the name and
honor of being the people of God, and the Church - the people of
21. Hereupon follows the text, which
”O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom
and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past
tracing out!”
22. Sublime are the thoughts and
counsel of God, transcending by far the mind and comprehension of man, yea of
all creatures, when he so richly pours forth his goodness and out of pure grace
and mercy elects, as beneficiaries of that goodness, the poor and wretched and
unworthy, who are concluded under sin - that is, those who acknowledge
themselves before God to be guilty and deserving of everlasting wrath and
perdition; when he does all this that they might know him in his real divine
essence, and the sentiment of his heart - that through his Son he will give all
who believe everlasting life. And, again, that they might know how he will
reject and condemn the others - those who, in pride and security, boast of
their own gifts and the fact that they are called the people of God in
preference to all other nations; who boast that they have special promises,
that they have the prophets, the fathers, etc.; who think that God will
acknowledge no nation on earth but themselves as his people and his Church. He
will reject them on account of their unbelief, in which they are fettered by the
pride and imaginations of their own wisdom and holiness.
23. This is that rich,
inexpressible, divine wisdom and knowledge which they possess who believe in
Christ, and by which they are enabled to look into the depths and see what the
purposes and thoughts of the divine heart are. True, in their weakness they
cannot fully reach it; they only can apprehend it in the revealed Word, by
faith, as in a glass or image, as
24. That attitude
25. This depth and richness of
wisdom and knowledge, we Christians apprehend through faith; for, as
26. And such are God's unsearchable
judgments and his ways past tracing out. Such are his government and works. For
by ”judgments” is meant that which in his view is right or wrong; what pleases
or does not please him; what merits his praise or his censure; in short, what
we should follow or avoid. Again, by ”his ways” is
meant that which he will manifest unto men and how he will deal with them.
These things men cannot and would not discover by their own reason, nor search
out by their own intellect, and never should they oppose their judgments or
speculations to God. It is not for them to say what is right or wrong, whether
an act or ruling is divine. They should humble themselves before him and
acknowledge that they cannot understand, they cannot teach God in such matters;
they should give him, as their God and Creator, the honor of better
understanding himself and his purposes than do we poor, miserable worms.
”For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counselor? or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed
unto him again?”
27. Paul states three propositions
which take away from the world all its boasting concerning divine things: To
know the mind of the Lord - what are his thoughts and purposes, or what he has
determined within himself from eternity; to be his counselor - advising or
showing him what to do and how to do it; to give to him - assisting him, by
one's own ability, to accomplish his divine purpose. All this is impossible to
human nature; it cannot know his mind, and how much less will it be able, with
all of its wisdom and activity, to counsel him or give him anything.
28. Therefore, it is a shameful
presumption on the part of the world to presume by its own powers to ascertain
and discover God's essence, his will and works, and to counsel him as to his
duties and pleasures; and shameful is it that it presumes with its works to
have merited something from him, and to have earned a recompense; shameful
presumption to expect to be honored as having achieved much for God's kingdom
and for the Church - strengthening and preserving them and filling heaven with
holiness!
29. God must defeat minds so
perverted. In his administration he must disregard their opinions and attempts.
Thus, being made fools by their own wisdom, they may stumble and be offended at
it. So would God, by showing us the realities, convince us of the futility of
our own endeavors and lead us to acknowledge that we have not fathomed his
mind, his counsel and will, and that we cannot counsel him. No man or angel has
ever yet first thought out for God his counsel, or offered suggestion to him.
Much less is he compelled to call us into counsel, or recompense us for
anything we have given to him.
30. There are three different kinds
of people on earth, among whom Christians must live. The first of these are
that rude class which is unconcerned about the nature of God and how he rules.
They have no regard for God's Word. Their faith is only in their mammon and
their own appetites. They think only of how they may live unto themselves, like
swine in the sty. To such we need not preach anything of this text: ”O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the
knowledge of God.” They would understand nothing of it though we were to preach
it to them everlastingly. They would rather hear of the husks and swill with
which they fill themselves. Therefore we will let them remain the swine that
they are, and separated from others as they are. But it is exasperating to have
to encounter them among Christians.
31. The second class are they who are still reasonable, concerning themselves,
about God's purposes and their fulfilment, and how we may be saved. The
heathen, and even we ourselves when under the papacy,
contended, according to reason, over these things. Here is the beginning of all idolatry on
earth; everyone teaches of God according to his own opinion. Mohammed says: He
that believes his Koran and its doctrines is pleasing to God. A monk: He that
is faithful to the order and its regulations will be saved. The Pope: He who
observes his prescriptions and ritual, who makes a
pilgrimage to the apostles at
32. On the contrary, the Word
declares that God wants none of these things; that they are error and darkness
and a vain service - idolatry, which he hates and which provokes him to the
utmost. All must acknowledge who have practiced their own self-appointed
observances for any length of time, that they have no real assurance that God
will be gracious unto them and take pleasure in them because of their lives and
observances. Yet, in their blind delusion and presumption, they go on in their
vagaries till God touches their hearts by a revelation of his law; then,
alarmed, they must admit that they have lived without a knowledge of God and of
his will, and that they have no counsel or help unless they lay hold on the
words of the Gospel of Christ.
33. We were all like that
heretofore. Even I, a learned doctor of divinity, did not know better. I
imagined that with my monk's cowl I was pleasing to God and on the way to
heaven. I thought that I knew the mind of God well. I wanted to be his
counselor, and to earn a recompense of him. But now I realize that my belief
was false; it was blindness. I know that I must learn from his Word; that
nothing else avails before him but faith in the crucified Christ, his Son; and
that in such faith we must live, and do as our respective callings or positions
require. Thus we may know right and wrong in God's sight; for our knowledge is
not of our own invention, but we have it from revelation. By revelation God
shows us his mind; as
34. The third class are those who transgress, having knowledge. They have the
Word of revelation. I am not now speaking of those who knowingly persecute the
truth - those of the first class, who are unconcerned about God - but I am
speaking of those who recognize the revelation but are led by the devil to
override it and go around it. They would conceive ways and judgments of God
that he has not revealed. If they were Christians, they would be satisfied and
thank God for having given us his Word, in which he shows us what
is pleasing to him and how we may be saved. But instead, they allow themselves
to be led by the devil to seek for other revelations and to speculate on what
God in his invisible majesty is, and how he secretly governs the world, and
what he has determined in regard to the future of each particular individual.
And so presumptuous is our human nature that it would even interfere, with its
wisdom, in God's judgment, and intrude into his most secret counsel, attempting
to teach him and direct him. It was because of his arrogance that the devil was
cast out into the abyss of hell; because he aspired to interference in the
affairs of divine majesty, and would drag down man in the fall with himself. So
did he cause man to fall in paradise, and so did he tempt the saints; and so he
tempted Christ himself when he set him on the pinnacle of the temple.
35. Against this third class Saint
Paul directs his words, in answer to the impudent questions of wise reason as
to why God punished and rejected the Jews, as he did, and allowed the condemned
heathen to come into the Gospel grace; why he so administers justice as to
exalt the godless and allow the godly to suffer and be oppressed; why he
elected Judas as an apostle and afterwards rejected him and accepted a murderer
and malefactor. With these words Saint Paul would command the wise to cease
their impertinent strivings after the things of the secret majesty, and to confine themselves to the revelation he has
given us; for all such searching and prying will be in vain and harmful. Though
you were to search forever you would nowhere attain the secrets of God's
purposes, but would only risk your soul.
36. If you, therefore, would proceed
wisely, you cannot do better than to be interested in the Word and in God's
works. In them he has revealed himself, and in them he may be comprehended. For
instance, he manifests his Son, Christ, to you, on the cross. This is the work
of your redemption. In it you may truly apprehend God, and learn that he will
not condemn you on account of your sins, if you believe, but will give you
everlasting life. So Christ tells you: ”God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him
should not perish, but have eternal life.” Jn 3, 16.
In this Christ, says
37. I say this so that we may be
prepared to instruct and direct those we may meet who, assailed and tormented
by such thoughts of the devil, are led to tempt God. They are beguiled by the
devil to search and grope, in his false ways, after what may be the intention
of God concerning them, and thereby they are led into such apprehension and
despair that they are unable to endure it. Such individuals must be reminded of
these words, and be reproved by them. So did Paul reprove the Jews and cavilers
of his day when they presumed to comprehend God with their wisdom, to instruct
him as his counselors and masters, to deal with him directly themselves,
without any mediator, and to render him such service that he would owe them a
recompense. Nothing will come of such searching. Against its endeavors he has
erected barriers that, with all your striving, you will never be able to overcome.
And so infinite are his wisdom, his counsel and riches, that you will never be
able to fathom nor exhaust them. You ought to rejoice that he gives you some
knowledge of his omnipotence in his revelation, as follows:
”For of him,
and through him, and unto him, are all things. To him be
the glory for ever.”
38. Why should we boast, he would
say here, when everything that has being - and our own wisdom and capabilities,
of course - did not originate itself but had its origin in him and must be
preserved by him, must exist through him? He says (Acts 17, 28): ”For in him we live, and move, and have our being.” And
again (Ps 100, 3): ”It is he that hath made us, and
not we ourselves.” That is, what we are and are able to do, and the fact that
we live and have peace and protection - in short, all the good or evil that
happens to us - comes to pass not by accident or chance. It all proceeds from
his divine counsel and good pleasure. He cares for us as his people and flock.
He governs us and gives us good things. He aids and preserves us in every time
of need. Therefore, all honor and glory are due to him alone, from his
creatures.
39. But when he says, Of him, through him, in him, are all things - he says in the
simplest way that the beginning, middle and end is of God; that all creatures
have their origin in him, also their growth and their limitations. To
illustrate: Every little grain of corn has its beginning. A root springs from
the dead seed in the ground; then a shoot comes forth and becomes a stalk, a
leaflet, an ear of corn, and here it pauses, having the three parts it is
intended to have. All creatures also have their beginning, their continuation
and end, filling up the period of their existence. When this order ceases, every
creature will cease to exist. That which has a beginning and grows but does not
attain its end, does not reach perfection, is nothing. To sum it all up,
everything must be of God. Nothing can exist without origin in him. Nothing
that has come into being can
continue to exist without him. He has not created the world as a
carpenter builds a house and, departing, leaves it to stand as it may. God
remains with and preserves all things which he has made; otherwise they would
not continue to exist.
40.
41. The Scriptures teach us that all
creation is the work of one God, or the whole Godhead; and yet, inasmuch as
they make a distinction between the three persons of the one Godhead, we may
properly say that everything, had its origin, everything exists and continues,
in the Father as the first person; through the Son, who is of the Father; and
in the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from both the Father and the Son; which three,
nevertheless, are comprehended in the one undivided essence.
42. But how such a distinction of
persons exists in the divine essence from eternity is a mystery which we shall
and must leave unsolved. For we cannot, with our crude understanding, even
fathom God's creatures; no creature is wise enough to understand these three parts
of itself - the beginning, the middle and the end. Though they are distinct
from each other, nevertheless they are so closely connected that we cannot with
our physical senses separate one from the other. Who has ever been able to
discover or explain the process by which a leaflet grows from a tree, or a tiny
grain of corn becomes a root, or a cherry grows from the blossom to wood and
kernel? Again, who can explain how the bodily members of a human being
manifestly grow; what the sight of the eye is; how the tongue can make such a
variety of sounds and words, which enter, with marvelous diversity, into so
many ears and hearts? Much less are we able to analyze the inner workings of
the mind - its thoughts, its meditations, its memory.
Why, then, should we presume, with our reason, to compass and comprehend the
eternal, invisible essence of God?
TRINITY
SUNDAY - SECOND SERMON.
ROMANS 11:33-36.
THE
DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY.
1. This festival requires us to instruct the people in the
dogma of the Holy Trinity, and to strengthen both memory and faith concerning
it. This is the reason why we take up the subject once more.
Without proper instruction and a sound foundation in this regard, other dogmas
cannot be rightly and successfully treated. The other festivals of the year
present the Lord God clothed in his works and miracles. For instance: on Christmas
we celebrate his incarnation; on Easter his resurrection from the dead; on
Whit-sunday the gift of the Holy Spirit and the establishment of the Christian
Church. Thus all the other festivals present the Lord in the guise of a worker
of one thing or another. But this Trinity Festival discloses him to us as he is
in himself. Here we see him apart from whatever guise assumed, from whatever
work done, solely in his divine essence. We must go beyond and above all
reason, leaving behind the evidence of created things, and hear only God’s own
testimony concerning himself and his inner essence; otherwise we shall remain
unenlightened.
2. Upon this subject the foolishness of God and the wisdom
of the world conflict. God’s declaration that he is one God in three distinct
persons, the world looks upon as wholly unreasonable and foolish; and the
followers of mere reason, when they hear it, regard every one that teaches or
believes it as no more than a fool. Therefore this
article has been assailed continually, from the times of the apostles and the
fathers down to the present day, as history testifies. Especially the Gospel of
St. John has been subjected to attack, which was written for the special
purpose of fortifying this dogma against the attacks of Cerinthus the heretic,
who in the apostolic age already attempted to prove
from Moses the existence of but one God, which he assigned as reason that our
Lord Jesus cannot be true God on account of the impossibility of God and man
being united in one being. Thus he gave us the prattle of his reason, which he made the sole standard for heaven to conform to.
3. O shameless reason! How can we poor, miserable mortals
grasp this mystery of the Trinity? we who do not understand the operation of
our own physical powers–speech, laughter, sleep, things whereof we have daily
experience? Yet we would, untaught by the Word of God, guided merely by our
fallible head, pronounce upon the very nature of God. Is it not supreme
blindness for man, when he is unable to explain the
most insignificant physical operation daily witnessed in his own body, to
presume to understand something above and beyond the power of reason to
comprehend, something whereof only God can speak, and to rashly affirm that
Christ is not God ?
4. Indeed, if reason were the standard of judgment in such
matters, I also might make a successful venture; but when the conclusions of
even long and mature reflections upon the subject are compared with Scripture,
they will not stand. Therefore we must repeat, even though a mere stammering
should be the result, what the Scriptures say to us, namely: that Jesus Christ
is true God and that the Holy Spirit is likewise true
God, yet there are not three Gods; not three divine natures, as we may speak of
three brothers, three angels, three suns, three windows. There is one
indivisible divine essence, while we recognize a distinction as to the persons.
SCRIPTURE
PROOF THAT CHRIST IS GOD
Paul, speaking of Christ in Hebrews 1:3, refers to him as
the express image of God’s substance. Again, in Colossians
5. To make the matter as clear as possible Paul uses the expression
“image of the invisible God.” If Christ be the image of God he must be a person
distinct from him whose image he is, but at the same time in one divine essence
with the Father. He and the Father are not one person, but two, and yet Christ
could not be the express image of the Father’s person, or essence, if he were
not equally divine. No creature can be an image of the divine essence, for it
does not possess that essence. To repeat, Christ could not be called the
express image of God if he and the Father were not distinct persons; there must
be one imaged and one who is the image. Expressed more clearly and according to
Scripture, one person is the Father, who in eternity begets the other; the
other is the Son, begotten in eternity, yet both are equally eternal, mighty,
wise and just.
6. Though the Jews and Turks ridicule our doctrine, as if we
taught the existence of three brothers in heaven, it does not signify. Might I
also cavil were it to serve any purpose here. But they do us wrong and falsify
our teaching; for we do not conceive of the Trinity as in the nature of three
men or of three angels. We regard it as one divine essence, an intimacy
surpassing any earthly unity. The human body and soul are not so completely one
as the Triune God. Further, we claim the Holy Scriptures teach that in the one
divine essence, God the Father begot a son. Before any creature was made,
before the world was created, as Paul says, “before the foundation of the
world,” in eternity, the Father begot a Son who is equal with him and in all
respects God like himself. Not otherwise could Paul call Christ the express
image of the invisible God. Thus it is proven that the Father and the Son are
distinct persons, and that nevertheless but one God exists, a conclusion we cannot
escape unless we would contradict Paul, and would become Jews and Turks.
PAUL
AND MOSES AGREE IN TESTIMONY
7. Again, Paul makes mention of Christ in different phrase,
saying: “Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were
destroyed of serpents.” 1 Corinthians 10:9. Now, keeping this verse in mind,
note how Paul and Moses kiss each other, how clearly the one responds to the
other. For Moses says ( Numbers 14:22): “All those
men… have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice,” and
in this connection the speaker is represented by the term “Lord,” everywhere in
the Bible printed by us in capitals to indicate a name belonging only to the
Eternal, applicable to none but the one true God. Other terms used to designate
God are sometimes applied also to men, but this word “Lord” refers only to God.
Now, Moses says: “And the Lord [Adonai, the true God]
said… All these men… have tempted me these ten times.” Then comes Paul
explaining who this God is–saying they tempted “Christ.” Crawl through this
statement if you may; the fact remains that Paul declares it was Christ who was
tempted, and Moses makes him the one eternal and true
God. Moreover, Christ was not at that time born; no, nor were Mary and David.
Nevertheless, the apostle plainly says, They tempted Christ, let us not also
tempt him.
8. Certainly enough, then, Christ is the man to whom Moses
refers as God. Thus the testimony of Moses long before is identical with that
of Paul. Though employing different terms, they both confess Christ as the Son
of God, born in eternity of the Father, in the same divine essence and yet
distinct from him. You may call this difference what you will; we indicate it
by the term “person.” True, we do not make a wholly clear explanation of the
mystery; we but stammer when speaking of a “Trinity? But what are we to do? we cannot better the attempt. So, then, the Father is not
the Son, but the Son is born of the Father in eternity; and the Holy Spirit
proceeds from God the Father and God the Son. Thus there are three persons, and
yet but one God. For what Moses declares concerning God Paul says is spoken of
Christ.
9. The same argument substantially Paul employs in Acts
10. If such blood–the material, tangible, crimson blood,
shed by a real man–is truly to be called the blood of God, then he who shed it
must be actually God, an eternal, almighty person in the one divine essence. In
that case we truly can say the blood flowing from the side of the crucified One
and spilled upon the ground is not merely the blood of an ordinary man, but
God’s own. Paul does not indulge in frivolous talk. He speaks of a most momentous
matter; and he is in dead earnest when he in his exhortation reminds us that it
is an exalted office to rule the Church and to feed it with the Word of God.
Lest we toy in the performance of such an office we are reminded that the flock
is as dear to him as the blood of his dear Son, so precious that all creatures
combined can furnish no equivalent. And if we are indolent or unfaithful, we
sin against the blood of God and become guilty of it, inasmuch as through our
fault it has been shed in vain for the souls which we should oversee.
11. There are many passages of similar import, particularly
in the Gospel of John. So we cannot evade the truth but must say God the
Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are three individual persons, yet
of one divine essence. We do not, as the Jews and Turks derisively allege,
worship three Gods; we worship only one God, represented to us in the
Scriptures as three persons. Christ said to Philip ( John
14:9), “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” There Christ claims unity
and equality with the Father in the one divine essence. So does Paul in
Colossians
12. Now, what care we that reason should regard it as
foolishness? It requires no skill to cavil over these things; I could do that
as well as others. But, praise God, I have the grace to desire no controversy
on this point. When I know it is the Word of God that declares the Trinity,
that God has said so, I do not inquire how it can be true;
I am content with the simple Word of God, let it harmonize with reason as it
may. And every Christian should adopt the same course with respect to all the
articles of our faith. Let there be no caviling and contention on the score of
possibility; be satisfied with the inquiry: Is it the Word of God? If a thing
be his Word, if he has spoken it, you may confidently rely upon it he will not
lie nor deceive you, though you may not understand the how and the when. Since,
then, this article of the Holy Trinity is certified by the Word of God, and the
sainted fathers have from the inception of the Church chivalrously defended and
maintained the article against every sect, we are not to dispute as to how God
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one God. This is an
incomprehensible mystery, it is enough that God in his Word gives such
testimony of himself. Both his nature and its revelation to us are far beyond
our understanding.
PHYSICAL
LIFE INEXPLICABLE TO REASON.
13. And why should you presume to comprehend, to exactly
understand, the sublime, inconceivable divine essence when you are wholly
ignorant of your own body and life? You cannot explain the action of your
laughter, nor how your eyes give you knowledge of a
castle or mountain ten miles away. You cannot tell how in sleep one, dead to
the external world, is yet alive. If we are unable to understand the least
detail of our physical selves, anything so insignificant as the growth of a
mere hair, for instance, can we, unaided by the revelation of God’s Word, climb
by reason–that reason so blind to things within its natural realm–into the
realm of heavenly mysteries and comprehend and define God in his majesty? If
you employ reason from mere love of disputation, why not devote it to questions
concerning the daily workings of your physical nature? for instance, where are
the five senses during sleep? just how is the sound of your
own laughter produced? We might without sin occupy ourselves with such
questions. But as to the absolute truth in a matter such as this, let us abide
patiently by the authority of the Word. The Word says that Christ is the
express image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creatures; in other
words, he is God equally with the Father.
14. Again, John
THE
THIRD PERSON OF THE TRINITY.
15. Now, having established the existence of Christ in the
Trinity, we must next consider the third person, the Holy Spirit, in Scripture
sometimes termed the “Spirit” of God and sometimes his “Soul.” This person is
not spoken of as “born”; he is not born like the Son, but proceeds from the
Father and the Son. To express it differently, he is a person possessing in
eternity the divine essence, which he derives from the Father and Son in unity
in the same way the Son derives it from the Father alone. There are, then,
three distinct persons in one divine essence, one divine majesty. According to
the Scripture explanation of the mystery, Christ the Lord is the Son of God
from eternity, the express image of the Father, and equally great, mighty, wise
and just. All deity, wisdom, power and might inherent in the Father is also in
Christ, and likewise in the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from Father and Son. Now,
when you are asked to explain the Trinity, reply that it is an incomprehensible
mystery, beyond the understanding of angels and creatures, the knowledge of
which is confined to the revelations of Scripture.
16. Rightly did the fathers compose the Creed, or Symbol, in
the simple form repeated by Christian children: “I believe in God the Father
Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son… I
believe in the Holy Ghost.” This confession we did not devise, nor did the
fathers of former times. As the bee collects honey from many fair and gay
flowers, so is this Creed collected, in appropriate brevity, from the books of
the beloved prophets and apostles–from the entire holy Scriptures–for children
and for unlearned Christians. It is fittingly called the “Apostle’s Symbol,” or
“Apostle’s Creed.” For brevity and clearness it could not have been better
arranged, and it has remained in the Church from ancient time. It must either
have been composed by the apostles themselves or it was collected from their
writings and sermons by their ablest disciples.
17. It begins “I believe.” In whom? “In God the Father.”
This is the first person in the Godhead. For the sake of clear distinction, the
peculiar attribute and office in which each person manifests himself is briefly
expressed. With the first it is the work of creation. True, creation is not the
work of one individual person, but of the one divine, eternal essence as such.
We must say, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit created heaven
and earth. Yet that work is more especially predicated
of the person of the Father, the first person, for the reason that creation is
the only work of the Father in which he has stepped forth out of concealment
into observation; it is the first work wrought by the divine Majesty upon the
creature. By the word “Father” he is particularly and rightly distinguished
from the other persons of the Trinity. It indicates him as the first person,
derived from no other, the Son and the Holy Spirit having existence from him.
18. Continuing, the Creed says, I believe in another who is
also God. For to believe is something we owe to no being but God alone. Who is
this second person? Jesus Christ. God’s only begotten Son. Christians have so
confessed for more than fifteen hundred years; indeed,
such has been the confession of believers from the beginning of the world.
Though not employing precisely these words, yet this has been their faith and
profession.
19. The first designation of God the Son makes him the only
Son of God. Although angels are called sons of the Lord our God, and even
Christians are termed his children, yet no one of these is said to be the
“only” or “only-begotten” Son. Such is the effect of Christ’s birth from the
Father that he is unequaled by any creature, not excepting even the angels. For
he is in truth and by nature the Son of God the Father; that is, he is of the
same divine, eternal, uncreated essence.
20. Next comes the enumeration of the acts peculiar to him:
“Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. He descended into hell; on the
third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sits at the
right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the
quick and the dead.” The distinct personality of the Son is thus demonstrated
by acts peculiar to himself. Not the Father and not the Holy Spirit, but the
Son alone, assumed human nature of flesh and blood, like unto ours, to suffer,
die, rise again and ascend into heaven.
21. In the third place we confess, “I believe in the Holy
Ghost.” Here again a distinct person is named, yet one in divine essence with
the Father and the Son; for we must believe in no one but the true God, in obedience to the first commandment: “I am
Jehovah thy God… Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Thus briefly this
confession comprehends the unity of the divine essence– we accept and worship
only one God–and the revealed truth that in the Trinity are three distinct
persons. The same distinction is indicated in holy baptism; we are baptized
into the faith of one God, yet Christ commands us to baptize “into the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
22. The peculiarity of this third person is the fact that he
proceeds from both the Father and the Son. He is therefore called also the
Spirit of the Father and the Son; he is poured into the human heart and reveals
himself in the gathering of the Church of Christ in all tongues. Through the
Word of the Gospel he enlightens and kindles the hearts of men unto one faith,
sanctifying, quickening and saving them.
23. So the Creed confesses three persons as comprehended in
one divine essence, each one, however, retaining his distinct personality; and
in order that the simple Christian may recognize that there is but one divine
essence and one God, who is tri-personal, a special work, peculiar to himself,
is ascribed to each person. And such acts, peculiar to each person, are
mentioned for the reason that thus a confusion of persons is avoided. To the
Father we ascribe the work of creation; to the Son the work of Redemption; to
the Holy Spirit the power to forgive sins, to gladden,
to strengthen, to transport from death to life eternal. The thought is not that
the Father alone is the Creator, the Son alone Redeemer and the Holy Spirit
alone Sanctifier. The creation and preservation of the universe, atonement for
sin and its forgiveness, resurrection from the dead and the gift of eternal
life–all these are operations of the one Divine Majesty as such. Yet the Father
is especially emphasized in the work of creation, which proceeds originally
from him as the first person; the Son is emphasized in the redemption he has
accomplished in his own person; and the Holy Spirit in the peculiar work of
sanctification, which is both his mission and revelation. Such distinction is made for the purpose of affording Christians the unqualified
assurance that there is but one God and yet three persons in the one divine
essence– truths the sainted fathers have faithfully gathered from the writings
of Moses, the prophets and the apostles, and which they have maintained against
all heretics.
24. This faith has descended to us by inheritance, and by
his power God has maintained it in his Church, against sects and adversaries,
unto the present time. So we must abide by it in its simplicity and not be
wise. Christians are under the necessity of believing things apparently foolish
to reason. As Paul says ( 1 Corinthians 1:21): “It was
God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that
believe.” How can reason adapt itself to comprehend that three are one, and one
is three; that God became man; that he who is washed with water in obedience to
Christ’s command, is washed with the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and
cleansed from all sins? Such articles of faith appear utterly foolish to
reason. Paul aptly calls the Gospel foolish preaching wherewith God saves such
as do not depend on their own wisdom but simply believe the Word. They who will
follow reason in the things dealt with in these articles, and will reject the
Word, shall be defeated and destroyed in their wisdom.
25. Now, we have in the holy Scriptures and in the Creed
sufficient information concerning the Holy Trinity, and all that is necessary
for the instruction of ordinary Christians. Besides, the divinity of our Lord
Jesus Christ and that of the Holy Spirit is also attested by miracles not to be
lightly esteemed nor disregarded. The Lord our God brings to pass miraculous
things for the Christian’s sake–for the strengthening of his faith–and not
merely as a rebuke to false teachers. Were he to consider the false teachers
alone, he might easily defer their retribution to the future life, since he
permits many other transgressors to go unpunished for ten, twenty or thirty
years. But the fact is, God openly in this life lays hold upon leaders of sects
who blaspheme and slander him with their false doctrines. He inflicts upon them
unusual punishments for the sake of warning others. Besides being openly
convicted of blasphemy and having the condemnation of their own conscience, the
misguided ones receive testimony to the fact that these false leaders are
instigators of blasphemy against God’s name and his Word. All men are compelled
to admit God can have no pleasure in their doctrine, since he visits them with
special marks of his displeasure, destroying them with severer punishments than
ordinarily befall offenders.
26. History records that John the evangelist had as
contemporary a heretic, by the name of Cerinthus, who was the first to arise in
opposition to the apostolic doctrine and in blasphemy against the Lord Jesus
with the claim that Jesus is not God. This blasphemy spread to such an extent
that John saw himself compelled to supplement the work of the other evangelists
with his Gospel, whose distinct purpose it is to defend and maintain the deity
of Christ against Cerinthus and his rabble. A feature of John’s Gospel patent
to all is the sublime beginning of his Gospel which renders it distinct from
the others. He does not lay stress upon the miraculous doings of Christ, but
upon his preaching, wherein he reveals himself powerfully as true
God, born of the Father from eternity, and his equal in power, honor, wisdom,
righteousness and every other divine work. With respect to John and Cerinthus
it is reported that the former, having gone to a public bath with some of his
disciples, became aware that Cerinthus and his rabble were there, also. Without
hesitation he told his disciples to be up and away, and not to abide among
blasphemers. The disciples followed his advice and departed. Immediately after
their departure the room collapsed, and Cerinthus with his followers perished,
not one escaping.
27. We also read concerning the heretic Arius, the chief foe
of his time toward the dogma of the deity of Christ. the injury done by this
man to the cause of Christ was such as to occupy the Church for four centuries
after his death; and still today his heresy has not been altogether rooted out.
But the Lord took the matter in hand by the performance of a miracle which
could not but be understood. History records that Arius had ingratiated himself
into the favor of Constantine, the emperor, and his counselors. With an oath he
had succeeded in impressing them with the righteousness of his doctrine, so
that the emperor gave command that Alexander, bishop of Constantinople, should
recognize him as a member of the Christian Church and restore him to the priestly
office. When the godly bishop refused to accede to this demand, knowing full
well the purpose pursued by Arius and his followers, Eusebius and the other
bishops who supported Arius threatened him with the imperial edict and
expressed the determination to drive him out by force and to have Arius
restored by the congregation as such. However, they gave him a day to think the
matter over.
28. The godly bishop was fearful. The following of Arius was
large and powerful, being supported by the imperial edict and the whole court.
The bishop, therefore, resolved to seek help from God, where alone it is found
in all things relating to God’s honor. He fell down upon his face in the church
and prayed all night long that God should preserve his name and honor by
methods calculated to stem the tide of evil purpose, and to preserve
Christendom; against the heretics. When it was morning, and the hour had come
when Alexander the bishop should either restore Arius to office or be cast out
of his own, Arius convened punctually with his followers. As the procession was
wending its way to the church, Arius suddenly felt ill and was compelled to
seek privacy. The pompous procession halted, waiting his return, when the
message came that his lungs and liver had passed from him, causing his death.
The narrative comments: Mortem dignam blasphema et foetida mente–a death worthy
such a blasphemous and turpid mind.
29. We see, then, that this dogma has been preserved by God
first through the writings and the conflicts of the apostles, and then by
miracles, against the devil and his blasphemers. And it shall be preserved in
the future likewise, so that, without a trace of doubt, we may believe in God
the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. This is the faith which we confess
with our children daily. To guard against a mixing of persons or the
abandonment of the tri-personality, three distinct acts are predicated. This
should enable the common Christian to avoid confusing the persons, while
maintaining the divine unity as to essence. We proclaim these things on this
Sunday in order to call attention to the fact that we have not come upon this
doctrine in a dream, but by the grace of God through his Word and the holy
apostles and Fathers. God help us to be found constant and without blemish in
this doctrine and faith to our end. Amen.
TRINITY SUNDAY
(or sunday after
Pentecost)
German text: Erlangen Edition, 12:427; Walch Edition, II,
1569; St. Louis Walch. 11:1162.
Contents:
The instruction Christ gives
Nicodemus on the new birth, and the righteousness that avails before god.
_________
King James Version
John 3:1-15
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus,
a ruler of the Jews:The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi,
we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles
that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old?
can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus
answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of
the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the
flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that
I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and
thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and
whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus
answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said
unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have
seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye
believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man
hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of
man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have eternal life.
1. This is another beautiful Gospel and treats of the
foremost and chief doctrine in Christendom, namely, the article, How a person
becomes holy and righteous in the sight of God. And there is here placed before
us a beautiful allegory, showing how reason at its best and holiness in its
highest state on earth run aground upon the genuine truth and spiritualness of
this matter. For this person, Nicodemus, is highly praised by the Evangelist John,
who states that he was great both as to the esteem with which he was regarded
among his fellow men, and also as to his beautiful life in accordance with the
Law. He was a ruler of the Jews, that is. a counselor in their governmental
affairs; and in addition a Pharisee, that is, one of the most learned men, for
they were regarded as the wisest. Moreover, he was one of the most pious men;
for the members of this sect. were considered the greatest
saints. Thus, no fault or blame can be laid on him, and he cannot be made greater: in the government he is a ruler, in knowledge
the wisest, and in his life the saintliest.
2. Above these, there is in him another grace, namely, that
he has a fondness for Christ, the Lord. This was a virtue far above the other three.
The other rulers and Pharisees, though they were the wisest and holiest men,
persecuted Christ and allied him with the devil; and no one dared to grumble at
their decision; for the grumbler was expelled from the council and unchurched.
Still, Nicodemus is so holy as to love Christ and to approach him in secret in
order to speak with him and show his love for him.
3. Indeed, he must have been a particularly excellent man
among the Pharisees and a man as truly pious as he could be by nature and according
to the Law, earnestly seeking the truth and inquiring how and what men were
teaching and preaching. Being a wise man, he also observed that this Jesus must
be an extraordinary person, and was moved by his miracles to desire to hear him
personally and to speak with him regarding his doctrine. For, no doubt, he had
heard and learned that John the Baptist recently had introduced a new sort of
preaching and baptism and had proclaimed the Messiah, who was then coming,
while he had sharply and severely attacked and reproved the Pharisees, as this
man is now also doing. Accordingly, he is moved to go to him and to hear what
it is that he teaches, and what he is reproving. For an intelligent person like
himself cannot understand why there should be anything deserving censure or
blame in the Pharisees’ holy life according to the Law and in their beautiful
works.
4. Therefore, he goes to Christ with thoughts like these:
Christ will rejoice to see me come and will be highly pleased because such a
great and excellent man, one of the rulers and of the best of men, so humbles
himself and shows such honor to a lowly person like Christ as to go to him and
to seek his friendship, a thing Christ dare not expect of anyone. Thus he sets
out in a pleasant mood, expecting to be made welcome
and to be very kindly received. Nor has he the least fear that possibly he may
be reproved or put to school, but he imagines that, since he is acting like a
good friend, Christ will in turn treat him respectfully and kindly.
Occasionally it still may happen that an earnest preacher is deceived by a
person of this sort and allows the good opinion expressed to tickle him,
causing him to flatter and fawn in turn.
Nicodemus, then,
begins with these words:
“Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God” etc.
5. That is great praise for this preacher, by which
Nicodemus offers his testimony that Christ’s doctrine is from God; that is,
that it is genuine truth and God’s Word, notwithstanding Christ was not thus
esteemed by all the Pharisees and rulers, but rather considered a seditious
spirit and an impostor who had come forward without a commission from the
proper authorities, and, in opposition to them, would attach the people to
himself etc. Nevertheless, since Christ introduces a doctrine other than that
which they had learned heretofore from the Law, and since he assails the
Pharisees so vigorously, Nicodemus is as yet perplexed and desires to know what
better and different things Christ can possibly teach. His remarks are as if to
say: We see and know very well that your doctrine is beyond reproach and
censure and must be true and divine; and whoever wants
to bear witness to the truth must so confess. For this is proven by the signs
and wonders which you do and which no other ever has done nor can do. However,
what do you mean by bringing forward another doctrine and by reproving us? Are
our doctrine and works, then, vain and valueless? What do you find in them to
censure? We surely have the Law of Moses, which, without a doubt, was given by
God. Why, then, do you reprove us when we exert ourselves with all diligence to
keep and fulfill the Law, as though God had no pleasure therein and we could
not thereby enter heaven? And why do you receive publicans and other manifest
sinners instead? What other and better things with which to please God can be
taught or practiced?
6. Thus you see that the question which Nicodemus seeks to
have answered by Christ is none other than, How may a person lead a righteous
life in the sight of God or, as the apostles express it, how become righteous
and obtain eternal life? To this question Christ returns a curt and dry answer;
he shows himself an altogether different person than Nicodemus had expected to
find him. First, he affronts Nicodemus rather harshly, and repels him, as it
were, with a thunderbolt, saying:
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
7. This is a hard text indeed, and an unfriendly reply to so
friendly a greeting. For with these words he upsets all pretensions of
Nicodemus; yea, he demolishes and condemns all his works and life. He means to
say: You consider me not qualified to censure your beautiful discipline and
worship as Pharisees, and unable to teach anything better; that is, you do not
regard me more than a teacher and instructor of human
works, even as you place no higher esteem on your Messiah and expect him to be
no more than a person who will praise and laud, guard and keep, your Law and
regulations, and who on that account will place you in high honor and
authority. But since you take me for a master come from God, I will tell you
something that you have not heard before and do not know: My dear Nicodemus, do
not imagine that you will please God and be saved by your life and works, no
matter how beautiful and precious they may be, even though they be according to
the Law. Although it is true that God has given the
Law and demands that you keep it, still you are not righteous in God’s sight on
that account; for it is one thing to have the Law and another to fulfill it. It
is far from being fulfilled by your outward performance of its works. It must
be kept wholly and perfectly, with body and soul, and from the innermost heart,
without any disobedience and sin whatever. You Pharisees and self-righteous
people are not doing this; for you imagine that you can give
God his due by outward holiness, and, relying on and being secure in such
holiness, you live in a false confidence, void of the fear of God, yea, you
despise his wrath against sin. Moreover, you despise and condemn other people
who do not regard your holiness highly and do not pattern after it.
8. To state the matter briefly, he says: Your life and
works, which you consider holy, and those of all Pharisees, yea, of all men,
are void and avail nothing in the sight of God. A change must take place by
which a person is born anew, that is, he must become an entirely different
person; otherwise he cannot enter the kingdom of God. There, now, you hear what
is my doctrine, about which you have inquired. I do not teach in opposition to
the Law of God, to destroy it, but I only charge you with not having kept it,
yea, with not understanding it, though you pretend to be its instructors and
imagine that you are fulfilling it. You imagine that I ought to preach the Law,
the same as you do, and that if the laws of Moses, which you claim to have
kept, are not sufficient, I ought to bring to you a new and better law teaching
good works, just as you set up many self-elected works in addition to God’s
Law, as though you had already fulfilled it.
9. But I am not telling you of new articles, laws or works,
for those the Law enjoins are already more than you
can do and keep. But I teach that you must become altogether different persons.
My teaching is not concerning what you must do or not do, but concerning what
you must become. It aims not at the performance of new works, but first at
being born anew; not at a different life, but at a different birth. It will not
do to put the end before the beginning, or alongside of it; to expect fruit
before or as soon as there is a root. The tree must first be made
new and there must be a good and proper root, if the fruits and works are to be
good. It is not the hand and foot or their actions that must be changed, but
the person, that is, the entire man. If this has not taken place, works are of
no value and of no avail whatever and a person cannot see the kingdom of God;
in other words, he must remain under the condemnation of sin and everlasting death.
10. This was, verily, strange and unheard-of preaching, and
a rough and surly answer to our holy Nicodemus who had come to the Lord
wellintentioned and thinking that he was in the right way. He had expected
least of all that Christ would or could condemn his goodly life and his zeal in
keeping the Law. On the contrary, he had hoped that Christ would have to praise
them as an example to others, or that he would urge him to continue, or would
suggest to him some other work which he was yet to do. Such he was prepared to
hear and to do. And now he hears instead that Christ utterly rejects him and
condemns all his good and holy living, thus proceeding in an altogether absurd
manner. He praises Christ as a good man; Christ in turn accosts him, saying:
And you are a bad man. He gives honor to Christ and calls him a teacher come
from God; Christ in turn tells him that both his doctrine and life are wrong
and have already been ruled out of heaven. For what else is the meaning of his
words than this: You are doing many beautiful works and imagine yourself to be
holy and without reproach, so that you must needs please God. But I tell you,
all that you have done in your past life, or that you may still do in this
life, is lost labor and condemned in God’s sight, and not only your works but
also your heart and your entire nature – all that you are and all that you do.
All must be put aside; the tree with its root and fruits must be cast out and
burned, and a new tree must be created.
11. Thus, this first part of Christ’s conversation with
Nicodemus is nothing else than a real, sharp call to repentance. Christ, like a
faithful preacher, takes pity on Nicodemus because he is so ignorant and still
very far from the kingdom of God. Hence he curtly closes and denies heaven to
him, yea, he condemns him and hands him over to the devil, stating that, as he
now lives or may be able to live in the future, he can never enter the kingdom
of God, but must be lost and remain in the power of the devil, of death and of
hell. He does this in order that Nicodemus may be brought to a knowledge of
self and attain to a genuine understanding and life before God. Penitential
preaching of this sort is particularly needed by people like Nicodemus, who
pursue their course in the righteousness of their own works and claim to be
holy and righteous in the sight of God because they are blameless in the eyes
of the world.
12. Thus, Christ always begins the preaching of the Gospel with
this point: He first reveals and teaches that which no man’s reason has
gathered or known from the Law, namely, that all men in their natural state and
life are condemned and under sin. St. Paul also proves this conclusively in the
very beginning of his Epistle to the Romans. And this is the first sentence and
conclusion here laid down that, in his natural state and with his every
ability, man cannot fulfill the Law of God, though he may attempt to keep it;
that keeping the Law does not mean doing its work outwardly, as far as human
strength is able; and that, consequently, the Law cannot aid man to become holy
in the sight of God nor save him from sin and everlasting wrath.
13. If this were in man’s power and could be brought about
in our nature by means of the Law, Christ could not say regarding all men, as
he does here: “Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” That
is certainly saying that man in his old nature, no matter to what eminent
height he may attain by his gifts of reason, wisdom and virtue, cannot rid
himself of sin nor of the power of death, nor can he please God. In short,
there must be an entirely different being; that is, the entire person must be
changed so as to obtain an altogether new mind and heart, and new thoughts and
feelings.
14. Thus you see overthrown, as by a mighty thunderbolt, all
the teaching and boasting of men who undertake to instruct people how to become
righteous by the strength and works of human nature, or who would at least have
works placed alongside of faith, and who claim that men must contribute
something themselves toward their righteousness. For here you are clearly told
that a person must be born anew or changed before he can see the kingdom of God
or do anything to please God. Now, man surely cannot contribute anything to his
birth by his own works; nay, before he can be active at all, his birth must
have been accomplished. Then, since a new birth is demanded here, the works and
activity of the old birth can never be of any value or aid; in fact, they are
all rejected and condemned beforehand.
15. Nor can the claim stand that the works which follow the
new birth contribute something toward our righteousness, for the new birth must
have occurred before a person can be active by virtue of it; that is, one must
first belong to the kingdom and to heaven before he begins to do works that are
pleasing to God. But this point will be more fully
explained by the following verses, in which Christ states’ the process of the
new birth. We have here only the introduction, in which he overthrows the
Pharisee’s conceit and establishes the contrary doctrine. On hearing this
Nicodemus becomes perplexed, and because he does not know what to make of
Christ’s words, he blurts out and says:
“How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
16. He wishes to say: What a queer and absurd statement and
teaching that is! Who ever heard of a person being born anew, or that it is at
all possible to be born differently from the way in which one has been born?
What do you mean by proposing and demanding such an impossible thing? If you
wish to teach people, you must tell them something that a human being can do.
This is the answer which the wisdom and reason of men return to the preaching
of repentance and of the new birth, by which the Law receives its true glory. And, indeed, they must answer thus, because they
do not know otherwise. Owing to that outward training in a holy lift which a
person can obtain by his own strength, provided he hear the Law, Nicodemus
cannot endure to hear these things so commendable in the eyes of the world
shall all be counted worthless and shall be condemned, especially since there
are very few men who thus lead a beautiful and virtuous life. All the rulers of
this world, intelligent, wise and great though they are, consider it harmful
teaching to depreciate such a beautiful life, and on that account charge the
Gospel with aiming to forbid good works etc.
17. However, by so doing, they testify to their own
blindness and ignorance in these divine matters. Nicodemus, who passes for a
teacher and instructor, by the confession of his own mouth seals his wisdom
with greater foolishness, because he is dreaming about a natural birth from father
and mother and imagines that he comprehends Christ’s meaning and has
effectually blocked his aim. Such is the corrupt habit of human reason, which
ever assumes to pass judgment on the Word of God and to act as its tutor,
though is does not understand it. As if Christ, whom Nicodemus has to
acknowledge a teacher come from God, were not wise enough himself to know that
a person cannot be born again in physical birth, and that such a birth would
not benefit him! And, indeed, Christ himself meets this conception.
“Jesus answered: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
18. He means to say: You need not instruct me how to express
myself. I know very well what! have said, and in order that you may know that a
person does not enter the kingdom of God by his own ability, I say again that
he must be born differently, or he cannot enter. However, I do not speak of
natural birth, of one’s descent from father and mother, of which you are dreaming
because you know of no other birth; but I am speaking of a different birth, a
new birth, of water and the Spirit. You ‘certainly have heard me reject this
very birth from father and mother by which you and all other men, Jews or not
Jews, have been born. Even were! to grant this to be the meaning of a person’s
new birth, still, a person might be born over again from his mother’s womb as
many as a hundred times, and yet every new birth of this kind would not be
different nor better that the former. The reason he declares as follows:
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
19. These are two clear sayings by which he overthrows the
Pharisee’s conception and dream of a natural birth, and explains his opening
remarks, in which he had stated that, unless a person receives a different
birth, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. The term, “that which is born of the
flesh,” defines all that man is, and is able to do, according to his human
nature in its present state, since Adam. For the Scripture significance of
“flesh” is the natural man, in his human sense, born from father and mother, as
he lives, works, thinks, speaks, and acts, no matter when, how often, or of
whom he is born, or whether he is called a Jew or a gentile. John
20. This certainly is a curt, unvarnished, solemn and awful
verdict on all men in their natural state. It lays down the conclusion that by
the teaching and works of the Law, such works as man is able to do in
accordance with it, no person becomes rid of sin nor is righteous in the sight
of God, because his nature is not changed by works but remains what it was
before. For this reason no person can, under the Law, enter the kingdom of God
nor obtain life everlasting.
21. Again, he says: “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
He calls “Spirit” that which God works in us above the ability of human nature,
namely, such spiritual knowledge, light and understanding as he reveals to us,
to the end that we may know God, turn to him, lay hold of his grace, and cling
to him. In order that man may receive these revelations, his heart must first
be renewed and enlightened by the Holy Spirit, that he may learn to know God’s
will toward him and may understand the way to obtain grace and everlasting
life.
22. The preaching and teaching of the Law alone cannot do
this; it, indeed, demands works and obedience of us, but since these things are
not possible to our nature, which is characteristic of the very reverse, the
only effect of the Law, when correctly understood, is to make us guilty and to
condemn us to everlasting hell under the wrath of God. And it is for this
purpose that it must be preached, for it was given by God to the end that man
should learn this truth first. Now, if man is not to remain under condemnation,
but is to look to God for grace and comfort, the preaching of a different word
must be added. We are here told that such word is the preaching and office of
the Holy Spirit, revealed and brought down from heaven by Christ, the Son of
God. Christ speaks of this office now and explains more
fully later.
23. Thus there is shown us by this passage the reason for
what the first part of this discourse has stated, namely, the reason why a
person cannot enter the kingdom of God in the nature he has by birth, and why
another birth is necessary, one which must be accomplished by the Holy Spirit.
Christ rebukes here not only human ignorance and error, but he also begins to
teach what the new birth is and how it takes place, although he does not here
include all parts which belong to it, but shows, in the first place, only
causas efficientes, the causes and means from which this new birth springs and
by which it is effected. Later he will tell how it is acquired, and by whom;
also the way to receive it. Therefore, we must look at these words a little more closely, so as to learn what being born of water and
the Spirit means.
24. Note, in the first place, that he directs Nicodemus to
the external ordinance in the Church, namely, to preaching and baptism, because
he says that one must be born of water and the Spirit. He is speaking of the
ordinance which had been introduced by John the Baptist, the forerunner and
servant of Christ. The Pharisees and Nicodemus knew this very well, because
they had seen it. By pointing him to this ordinance, Christ wishes to confirm
the preaching and baptism of John as institutions that are to be in force and
operation forever, and are appointed by God for the purpose of the new birth,
and so it is that no one shall go to heaven who does not accept them or who
despises them. It is as if he were to say: If you wish to see the kingdom of
God at all, you will all have to accept this very preaching and baptism that
John practiced, and which you Pharisees were unwilling to accept because you
would not suffer yourselves to be reproved by him and were offended at his new
and unheard of preaching against your holiness by the Law. All your Mosaical
and legal washings, purification’s, sacrifices, worship and holiness will be of
no help nor benefit to you. You can enter the kingdom of heaven and be saved in
no other way than by this ordinance which preaches Christ and baptizes in his
name.
25. This ordinance he magnifies by stating that it is the
office and work of the Holy Spirit, by which a person is born anew; that it is
not simply baptizing with water, but that the Holy Spirit also is present. A
person thus baptized, is baptized not with water only, but with the Holy Ghost.
The presence of the Spirit could not be claimed for any other washings and
baptisms with water, such as the ceremonial washings of the Jews, else a new
baptism would not have been necessary; and it could not be claimed that another
means aside from the Mosaical Law and form of worship was necessary for a
person’s new birth of the Spirit. The reason is plainly this, because through
the Mosaical ceremonies the Holy Spirit is not bestowed and does not act.
26. Thus he shows that there is no other means by which a
person is born anew and enters the kingdom of God than the office of preaching
and baptism, and that the Holy Spirit is connected with this office and by its
means operates in the hearts of men. He does not speak of the Spirit in his
hidden and unknown qualities, such as he is in his divine person and essence,
without the means by which he has revealed himself, but of the Spirit as
revealed in the external ordinance, by which he is heard and seen, namely, by
the office of Gospel preaching and the administration of the Sacrament. God
does not intend to come and act through his Holy Spirit secretly and privily,
nor deal with each individual in a particular manner; in that case, who could
know for certain where and how to seek and find the Holy Spirit? But he has
ordained that the Holy Spirit shall be revealed to the ears and eyes of men by
the Word and Sacrament, and shall be active through this external ordinance, so
that men may know that the effects which there take place are truly caused by
the Holy Spirit.
27. Therefore, the words “Except one be born anew of water
and the Spirit,” are equivalent to saying, A person must be born anew by the
preaching of the Gospel and the ordinance of baptism, by which the Holy Spirit
operates. For by means of the Word he enlightens the heart and reveals God’s
wrath against sin; and, on the other hand, by showing us the grace of God which
has been promised for the sake of his Son, Christ, he so kindles our hearts
that we begin to believe and soon turn to God, take comfort from his grace and
call upon him. And in order to rouse and strengthen our faith he adds baptism
as a sure sign, along with the Word, to show that he washes away and blots out
our sin and promises at all times firmly to keep for us this grace and the gift
of the Holy Spirit which he has promised us. Of this more shall be said at
another time.
28. Observe from this text how Christ in plain words
ascribes to baptism, which he calls water, such glory and power as to say that
the Holy Spirit is present in it, and that by its means a person is born anew.
By this statement all false doctrines and errors against the doctrine of faith
and baptism are overthrown. Among them, in the first place, is that of the
papists, and others like them, who seek to obtain righteousness and salvation
by their own works. For you are told here that a person’s own merit and
holiness, which he possesses by his old birth from flesh and blood, or has
achieved by following his own choice and imagination, are insufficient and
avail nothing toward this end. There must be a new birth by holy baptism, toward
which man can contribute nothing himself, but through the will and grace of God
the Holy Spirit is bestowed by means of the preaching of the Word and by water,
which act as father and mother at this new birth by which one becomes a new,
pure and holy person and an heir to heaven.
29. In the second place, the pretense of the Anabaptists and
kindred sects is here overthrown, who teach people to seek the Spirit outside
of and without the Word and Sacraments, by special revelations and operations
from heaven, without means etc. Yea, they despise blessed baptism, considering
it no more than mere useless water. Hence they are in the habit of saying
blasphemously: What can a handful of water benefit the soul? However, Christ
says clearly that the Holy Spirit is present with this water, and states that a
person must be born anew of this water. He certainly refers to real, natural
water, such as John used and as he commanded his disciples to use when
baptizing. Therefore St. Paul in Ephesians
30. Yea, Christ so orders his words in this passage as to
place at the head “water” and after it the “Spirit,” to indicate that we must
not look for the Spirit without and outside of the external means, but know
that the Spirit intends to operate in, through, and with the external means and
ordinance. Hence both must remain united, and a person must be born anew, of
water, by the Holy Spirit, or of the Holy Spirit with and by water. Aside from
this instance, it is quite true that, if there were
water only without the Spirit, there would be no greater effects than in other
water and washings, and there certainly would not result a new birth. For this
reason, this birth is called a birth, not of water only, but also of the
Spirit, besides and with the water. The Holy Spirit acting at this birth is the
male, and the water is the female part, or mother.
31. Moreover, you gather from these words that baptism is
not such an unnecessary thing as the sect of the Anabaptists blasphemously
claims, stating that one can easily omit it or put it off till old age; or gabbling that baptism is of no benefit to infants,
merely because they do not understand how it can be. There is here a plain
saying which includes all men in this divine ordinance, namely, that all who
wish to enter the kingdom of God must be born anew of water and the Spirit.
Hence, it will not do at all to despise this matter, or to put it off, for that
would be willfully despising and setting aside the ordinance of God. Such an
action, indeed, could not be taken with the guidance of the Holy Ghost.
Moreover, it is certain that Christ does not exclude infants in this passage,
but they are embraced in it, and if they are to enter the kingdom of God,
baptism is to be communicated and administered to them. He assuredly would have
them born anew and desires to operate in them. In another place he commands
that they shall be brought to him and says that of such as are brought is the
kingdom of heaven. Now, if they are to come to Christ, they must not be denied
the means and symbols by which Christ operates in them.
32. But this I say of the common ordinance and rule, which
ought to be observed wherever and whenever baptism can be obtained. In an
extreme case, where it cannot be obtained, there must be exceptions, just as in
similar cases of necessity; then the desire to be baptized must suffice, and the person must be brought to Christ and
offered to him on the strength of his Word. Of this matter I do not wish to
speak further at present. Now, this is what Christ has stated regarding
regeneration by the baptism of water and the Spirit. He continues:
“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born anew. The wind bloweth where it will, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”
33. It seems a marvelous and rare saying to Nicodemus, the
wise, intelligent, holy Pharisee, that his work and holiness, and that of all
men as well, is so utterly rejected that it is of no avail in the sight of God;
that he must let go of it all, no matter how many and how great things he may
have accomplished in his life; and that he must become another man. There is
really nothing better of which Nicodemus has knowledge or that he understands
how to do. Also, he is directed preeminently to this ordinance, in which
nothing is done or seen except the external ceremony of baptizing one with
water, and the hearing of the Word; and he is to believe that through the
reception of these such a change takes place in one that he is born anew and
becomes pure, holy and righteous in the sight of God, all of which blessings
cannot be attained in any way by human work and ability. Alas! he muses, how is
this possible? What can be accomplished by such an insignificant matter as
being baptized or bathed with water? Is it not a matter of far higher merit to
exercise one’s self with great earnestness and diligence in good works and holy
worship according to the Law and to shine in the
splendor of a beautiful, upright life and of great virtue? Can you name and
extol anything nobler and better in all the world?
34. While the Pharisee is thus musing and wondering, Christ
replies, explaining to him by a parable what he had said about the new birth of
water and the Spirit; he tells him that this matter is not to be considered by
the rule of reason, which has regard to the brilliancy of meritorious works and
exemplary life and admires them, imagining that they must be as commendatory in
the sight of God as in its own estimation. My dear Nicodemus, he says, I will
tell you how this takes place: Your conception of the matter is not the right
one; you view it as you would anything perceptible to the senses or to reason.
But this is a matter which is beyond the fathom of human reason and thought,
and it is accomplished in man by the Holy Spirit.
35. Its process in the heart is similar to the phenomenon of
the wind, which blows and blusters when and where it will, and passes through
all that grows and moves and lives in creation. In the case of the wind there
is no more than a breath or air, which lies still for
a while but suddenly begins to move, to blow and rush, and you do not know
whence it comes. Now it blows here, now there, producing all kinds of sudden
changes of weather, and yet you cannot see it nor conceive what it is; you only
hear it rushing. You notice its presence, its stir and motion upon the water or
in the fields of corn, but you cannot tell, when it strikes you, when or where
or at what distance from you it took its start and how far beyond you it will
stop blowing, nor can you appoint time, space and measure for its coming and
going. In brief, it is in no man’s power at all to bind and rule the wind, to
start or to calm it; it moves freely, of its own accord, and does its work
without let or hindrance, when, where, and in what manner it pleases. No man
can do ought in this matter, nor discover the process and origin, but as Psalm
135:7 says, God brings it out of his treasuries and secret places, which no man
knows beforehand, nor can discover.
36. “So is every one,” he says, “that is born of the Spirit.”
You must not stand gaping to see great and excellent works of specious holiness
which strike the eye. You must not attempt to estimate and grasp these
spiritual matters with your reason and according to the Law and external
aspect, examining what great works the person is doing who is entitled to be
called a person born anew and an heir of heaven, and how he is living and
conducting himself. This matter cannot be thus grasped and comprehended, nor
can it be pictured and represented in such a manner that we could say: Behold
that person; he is a pious Jew and, moreover, a Pharisee who keeps the Law with
great earnestness and diligence, hence he is a living saint and a child of God
etc. But this new birth which begets children of God, or righteousness in the
sight of God, is quite a different thing. It takes place in one’s heart, not by
a person’s own choice or action – for that is all flesh and cannot see the
kingdom of God – but by the word of the Gospel, which reveals to the heart both
the wrath of God against men – inducing repentance – and his grace through the
Mediator, Christ, for the consolation and peace of their conscience in the
sight of God.
37. No peculiar or glorious manifestation, indeed, will be seen
outwardly in this exalted and supreme work, for there is nothing required for
it but the Word and water, which we hear and perceive, and yet the power and
efficacy of the Holy Spirit is present, kindling and quickening the heart unto true fear of God, true confidence and comfort in his grace,
and also unto true prayer, thus renewing the heart and causing a person who
receives the Word into his heart to overcome God’s wrath, and sin, death, the
flesh and the world, to turn to God sincerely and to conceive a desire and love
for everything good.
38. These are genuine, living works of the Holy Spirit, far
greater and more glorious than the righteousness of
man’s works, which latter possess indeed a great glamour, and are much vaunted
in the eyes of men, but are merely dead things, powerless to change in any wise
the heart, and which are not followed by genuine and unfailing comfort, and
transformation of life. Man, in his own righteousness, remains in the old
carnal state of mind, without repentance, in unbelief and doubt, in secret
contempt, disobedience, hatred of and enmity against God. This is afterward
evident in the real conflict and terror of conscience, where actual flight from
God, despair and finally impatience and blasphemy against God, ensue.
39. Such are the genuine fruits of the great and beautiful
holiness of Pharisees. Their holiness is without the knowledge of Christ and
without faith, and yet claims to be righteous and holy by the rule of the Law.
In the end, the great and knotty problem arises which Paul in Romans
40. On the other hand, wherever the Holy Spirit is present
he effects a new heart and mind in one, who no longer flees from God but,
though he knows and acknowledges that he has sinned and merited God’s wrath,
still takes comfort from the grace of Christ, which Christ has promised and
proclaimed by the Word of God to those who repent and believe. Thus one obtains
a childlike heart toward God as his dear Father, and can cheerfully come before
him and call upon him by faith in the Mediator, Christ.
41. Such a new heart and life, I say, is wrought in one by
the Holy Spirit through no other outward or visible means than through the Word
and baptism, though these produce no external show whatever. It is effected
inwardly, before the least ,change can be seen in a
person, and yet Christ says that it truly is, and is called, a birth of the
Spirit. Reason and human wisdom cannot comprehend how so significant a work
should be accomplished by things apparently so very insignificant. Though
reason hears, still it does not believe. Nicodemus, too, is still more startled, wondering at these words, and is rebuked by
Christ because he wants to grasp the matter with his reason and not to believe
it.
42. We have, accordingly, in this parable a beautiful
picture which clearly presents to our eyes the process of this new birth. In
the first place, there is the external office of the Word and the power which
the Holy Spirit exerts through it. As there are in the wind these two features
– the blowing, which is the wind itself, and the sound, which is heard without,
though the blowing is not seen nor felt except by the person who receives the
force of the wind – in like manner there are two features in the new birth;
namely, the Word, which is a physical sound that one hears, and the Spirit, who
operates with and by the Word. This power is not seen nor felt by anyone except
him whom the Spirit seizes, and yet it certainly occurs wherever the external
Word and baptism are agents. The Spirit, accordingly, can be seen and
apprehended bodily, as it were, in this external institution, which provides us
with a certain sign indicating where we are to look for him and where he
operates, although the inward power is concealed to human eyes.
43. Accordingly, as I have stated, you must not understand
these words “born of the Spirit” as referring to the Holy Spirit in his
invisible and incomprehensible divine essence in heaven, but to the manner in
which he must be known and apprehended in the Church here on earth, in the Word
and symbols. Hence, where these things are heard and seen one may say: There
you hear and see the Holy Spirit. Just as you say of the blowing of the wind:
There you hear and see the wind. In brief, all that is accomplished by the
office of the Word and baptism must be declared to be effected by the Holy
Spirit. Just as Christ in our text calls that person born of the Spirit who has
received the Word and baptism or as he says elsewhere, who believes and is
baptized, etc. Mark
44. In the second place, this parable aptly shows that
Christianity is not bound up in external affairs, places, persons, garments and
other things, such as the outward holiness of the Jews required. A Christian is
set up in the liberty of the Spirit, rid of the Law and all its bonds. He
cannot be bound and made captive by any sort of laws,
rules or works that may be proposed to him with a view of his becoming
righteous through their efficacy in the sight of God. (We are not speaking now Of
his outward life, in which he may keep all laws, provided, however, it is done
without injury and damage to his spiritual liberty of mind and conscience.)
Hence, by faith in the Word and in his baptism he remains a free man, superior
to all laws, because he has through Christ forgiveness of sin, the grace of God
and the Holy Spirit, and governs his entire life accordingly. Through the Holy
Spirit, who operates in his heart, he is now become righteous, and has been
quickened into life, and, except as the Holy Spirit by the Word guides and
directs him, he does not look for other teaching regarding works of holiness.
45. Hence, as Christ here states, Christianity is like the
wind which blows where it will, and yet no one sees or knows whence is comes
and whither it goes, through what distance or extent it passes. In like manner,
the Spirit in a Christian cannot be confined by rules and teachings, nor can it
be determined by reason, but it must be untutored and unjudged by everybody, as
St. Paul states in 1 Corinthians
46. However, it is and always will be strange, a thing at
which human wisdom will be offended and scandalized, that such a significant,
sublime, divine work should be accomplished in so humble and mean a way, by the
puny voice of a poor mortal who utters only these words: I baptize thee in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; and again: By the
command of the Lord Christ I announce to thee the forgiveness of sins, etc.
There is nothing in these acts but the breath or sound of the words which
strike the ear, and yet these great things are claimed to be accomplished by
it, namely, that you are cleansed from sins, saved from everlasting death,
quickened and made a new-born child of God.
47. Much pain and labor are involved before a person is
naturally born into this world; ten months he must lie in his mother’s womb,
and afterwards both mother and infant are in extreme danger of losing their
lives in the birth which ushers man into only this miserable mortal life. But
in this case of the new birth it is so easy and so soon accomplished that no
work could be easier. There is only the Word spoken to one and he is baptized
with water, and yet the effect – provided only the heart lays hold by faith –
is so significant that the person in that moment is born to everlasting life
and snatched out of everlasting death and hell.
48. However, it is part of the perverse arrogance of reason
that it wants, in so momentous a matter, to decide and to pass judgment,
according to its conceptions, its way of looking at the matter, and after the
standard of greatness as it appeals to the senses, refusing to regard the will
of God and to recognize his ordinance, when he has issued his word of command
in this matter, and hence it is he who is himself preaching, baptizing and
operating through the external means. Divine results would necessarily follow,
even if he were to produce them through external means still more
insignificant. That is the reason why Christ so harshly assails and rebukes
Nicodemus, who undertakes to form his judgment here on the ground of his
wisdom.
“Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou the teacher of Israel, and understandest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that which we know, and bear witness of that which we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.”
49. Here you can see how into Nicodemus’ comprehension has
utterly failed to enter what Christ had stated regarding the new birth by
baptism and had explained by means of a parable, namely, that the true spiritual character of this matter could not be seen
with the eye nor judged, determined and grasped, as Nicodemus wished to do, by
the wisdom and understanding which he possessed from the teaching of the Law.
He is so confounded by Christ’s reply that he steps back forthwith, and cannot
help being offended at Jesus because the latter proposes what, in his opinion,
is an absurd idea. His attitude is as if to say: Is only this single act of
baptizing a man with water to be of value, and shall the Law, which God has
explicitly commanded us to keep and which he has ‘confirmed with great signs,
be pronounced worthless and void? How is it possible that your baptism is such
a momentous affair when a person cannot see at all its effects?
50. Before finishing the discourse which he had begun,
Christ returns a scathing and solemn answer, in order to show Nicodemus his ignorance
and to rebut his carnal notion. Why, he says, you are a teacher of Israel, that
is, a person whose duty it is to teach and govern the people of God, and are
you so utterly ignorant of these things? Is it not a shame that you who have
been appointed to instruct and wish to be extolled as teacher of other people,
possess no true perception whatever of these divine
things? In what respect are you better than heathen, who are not the people of
God and have not God’s Word? For you have no knowledge except that of human
works of holiness, such as intelligent and wise men among the heathen also
teach. You are utterly ignorant of the teaching which ought to be common
knowledge in the Church, regarding Christ, the kingdom of God, and authentic
spiritual things. And yet you have the Word of God abundantly in Moses and the
Scriptures. You ought to teach the people from the Law to know the wrath of God
against their sin, and, in consequence, to seek grace by faith in the promise
of Christ. Instead you have perverted everything; you have no knowledge nor
experience of genuine repentance, and yet you parade your holiness, secure and
insolent, confirming yourselves and others in contempt of God and in unbelief,
and with all this, you are dreaming about a Messiah who shall crown you for
your Jewish holiness and give you the dominion of the
world. Such things you do who pretend to be the foremost people on earth, and
by so doing you go farther away from the kingdom of God and merit for
yourselves more grievous punishment than others, even
manifest sinners. who are more easily instructed and
converted than you who pose as great saints.
51. That I call reading him a good, sharp lesson. However,
it is done in a friendly spirit, because Christ is talking to a person who,
unlike the rest, is not stubbornly despising Christ; and this admonition is
necessary in order that he may show Nicodemus the way out of his ignorance, and
to rouse his attention to instruction on the subject of how he is to enter the
kingdom of God and heaven. Accordingly, he proceeds:
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that which we know, and bear witness of that which we have seen,” etc.
52. You who pretend to be teachers have no knowledge and
understanding of things which should be understood by everyone in that society
of men called the people of God. And yet, you refuse to believe the teachings
which are apparent from the Word and testimony of God, and you judge simply
according to your notions. No, it will not do that with your blind and uncertain
conceptions you should act as tutors in the things of our definite teaching and
testimony, and that you dispute their truth. How much will a pupil learn who
starts out by questioning the correctness of his master’s teaching and wanting
to be master himself before he has begun to learn? If you have no knowledge and
understanding, you must not pass judgment and pretend to be smart in this
matter. If you have not seen these things, we have – John and all my prophets;
and we are not offering you uncertain fancies, such as a person spins out of
his own head, but the doctrine which God has revealed and has had witnessed by
the Holy Spirit. It is useless for you to try to accept this doctrine by your
reason, or to grasp, to see with your eyes, to feel, how this new birth of man
takes place, in the same way that you behold and grasp your works of external
worship. You must lock up your reason and open only your ears and your heart,
and believe what God’s Word tells you, which Word we have surely received from
God with the command to teach and to testify unto it.
53. If you wish to know which is the way, listen: You must
believe and receive the Word, and let go of your notions which undertake to
comprehend and encompass matters that no reason can understand nor attain unto.
Else what need would there be of teaching God’s Word which I have heard and
received from the Father, as also John and the prophets have received it by
divine revelation from the Holy Spirit and have borne witness unto it? Thus St.
Peter in his Second Epistle 2 Peter
54. Therefore, Christ very properly rebukes his Jewish
teachers who would rule and instruct men’s consciences in the matter of their
relation to God without certain testimony from God’s Word, and who would
harmonize their teaching with human reason. The result of such practice leaves
the hearer in doubt and uncertainty, confused with heathenish notions of men
and never arriving at the true knowledge and
experience of the truth.
“If I told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you heavenly things?’
55. I have hitherto told you of earthly things – how a
person must be born of water and the Spirit, that is, how the Spirit operates
through the external office of the Word and of baptism – things which you can
see and grasp with your understanding. You have heard my doctrine expressed in
a parable, in a figure of things familiar to you, and you are forced to confess
that I have spoken correctly. Now, if you are unwilling to believe the things
presented to you in a material way, much less will you be able to believe if I
tell you of things not earthly but heavenly and pertaining to the counsel of
God, which no one knows except God alone and he who comes from heaven, namely,
the Son of God. Whoever wishes to comprehend in any measure the things of
heaven must hear and believe him alone who is come from heaven, and who has
seen and who testifies of these things. He says:
“And no one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son of man, who is in heaven?
56. Here he begins to speak of infinite and heavenly matters
– of the secret, eternal, unspeakable counsel and will which God framed in
eternity. And thus he completes the second part of this discourse regarding the
new birth, that is, how a sinful person becomes righteous, a child of God and
an heir of heavenly and eternal life; whence baptism has such power and by whom
it has been acquired and merited; also how it must be received. And he now
begins to speak of himself as the Messiah promised and sent by God, God’s Son
and his office and work. Of these things the Pharisees were in utter ignorance,
things which seemed far more strange to them than
those he had already told them. They could not at all conceive that their
Messiah had to be sent from heaven that he might redeem and propitiate all the
world, and particularly his own Jewish people, who were condemned and lost,
under the wrath of God, and this notwithstanding they had the Law and the
ceremonial of Moses. Much less did they understand that he had to die on the cross, that he must be crucified and become a
sacrifice for their sins and the sins of the whole world, and that his dominion
was not to be in the nature of an earthly kingdom. To be told these things was
utterly offensive and intolerable to them. The reason was because they failed
to recognize that the whole nature of man in the sight of God merited only
damnation and perdition; and because, in their holiness, they regarded
themselves as being without sin, or were so bold as to imagine that they could
put away and atone for their sins by their own good works and so would need no
Messiah, but only one who would deliver them from their temporal bondage and
foreign oppression and who would avenge them upon their enemies.
57. Christ’s words mean: My dear Nicodemus, withdraw your
thoughts entirely from your own legal righteousness and holiness, and that of
all other men, and be careful not to try to enter the kingdom of God by their
merit. All ability of men, no matter how wise, learned and holy they are, is of
no avail. It is determined with God from the beginning that no man can enter
heaven as he is descended from Adam.
58. Yea, there has never been a saint who in his own merit
could go to heaven, no matter who he was, whether Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses,
Elijah, John or any other. None of these was distinguished as worthy to enter
heaven – to reconcile God, to take away sin and death, to merit eternal life
for himself and others. But before man can reach heaven, that is, enter the
kingdom of God and receive eternal life, there must first come from heaven One
who has eternal righteousness and life in himself, who is able to appease God’s
anger and to abolish sin and death. He must be the Mediator by whom we, too,
may enter heaven. Yea, for this very purpose One had to come down from heaven
and, for our sakes, become flesh and blood like we are; that is, he had to take
upon himself our misery and sin.
59. With these words Christ directs us to himself as the
point of all that he had said before regarding the new birth and the kingdom of
God, that it may be manifest that no one can avail himself of these things
except through him and for his sake. Without him, it would be in vain that man
should even desire to be delivered from his old birth, to be renewed by the
Spirit, and to become pure. For had not One first obtained for us these things
no one could have realized them. Nor would there be any virtue in holy baptism
and the Spirit if they were not bestowed through him and for his sake.
Accordingly, the point on which all now depends is that this person, by whom
we, too, may be saved, must be known and apprehended. This fact he sets forth
in conclusion.
60. It is thus that he pictures his own person: He is the
promised Savior come from heaven, that is, he is the true
Son of God from eternity; for if he is come from heaven he must have been with
God in eternity. But he is descended from heaven, not as an angel who appears and
after a while disappears again, but he has taken upon himself the nature of man
and, as John
61. The signification of this descent of the Son of mart is
that he has cast himself down into our misery and affliction, that he has taken
upon himself our sins and made himself a sacrifice to
the everlasting wrath of God which we had merited by our sins. To this he
alludes when he here says that he must be exalted. Now, since this man comes
down from heaven, personally he must be without any sin whatsoever, innocent
and of divine purity. It cannot be said of him that he was born of flesh, as we
are, but of the Holy Ghost; and his flesh is not sinful flesh and blood, but is
pure and holy. All this was wrought to the end that he might be able to make
our sinful flesh and blood pure and holy by his purity and his holy, immaculate
sacrifice.
62. But what do these words import: “The Son of man, who is
in heaven”? How is it that he has descended from heaven and is still in heaven?
Did he not first ascend in the clouds on the fortieth day after his
resurrection? True, he descended into our flesh and blood and humbled himself
below all men, unto death on the cross, as a man
forsaken and accursed by God. However, he was not in the meantime separated
from God, but he remained with God all the time and hence was always in heaven;
he exists from eternity, ever beholding his Father and present with him, ruling
and working together with him, co-equal in power and might. These features of
his omnipotence were not in any wise apparent in his humbled state, when he
divested himself of the form of God, as Paul says in Philippians 2:7, and went
about in the form of a servant, enduring suffering and death, until such time
as he was delivered from this state and was exalted again and sat down at the
right hand of God, having now been made Lord over
death and hell and all elements of his human nature. All this he has manifested
by his visible ascension when he was taken up in the clouds before the eyes of
his disciples, and in the same visible manner he shall return and be seen by
all men.
63. That is the explanation of the record that the Son of
man descended and ascended and at the same time remained in heaven in divine
essence and power, and in eternal communion with the Father. He does not have
reference to a material change of place but to a spiritual removal from
humiliation to exaltation, from his suffering and death to his resurrection and
heavenly communion with the Father, in which he is not restricted by material
conditions. His divinity and communion with the Father he has had from eternity
and has continued in possession of them all the time, even from the moment he
took upon himself the limitations of his human nature.
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life.”
64. Here he shows how we may also enter heaven; that is, he
shows what he has done for us and how we are to receive and become partakers of
his blessing. With these words he proclaims the grand work of redemption, which
was decreed by God in his eternal counsel and which, therefore, had so to be
accomplished out of the unutterable and fathomless love of God toward the human
race, who would not that it should perish (as we have heard in the Gospel for
Pentecost Monday, which follows soon after these words). Since there was not
elsewhere any help or redress, any expedient for appeasing his eternal wrath
against sin, any hope of redeeming men from everlasting death by the agency of
any creature in heaven or earth, the only Son of God had to take our place and
become a sacrifice for our sin, thereby to appease God’s wrath and make payment
for us. This work now is our salvation and comfort and the power that is
operative in baptism to the end that we may become new-born men and enter
heaven.
65. This is the teaching: His ascending and descending and
his being in heaven pertain to himself, and do not help us. They are his
prerogatives and no one can do the same. However, he says: I have all things in
my power and dwell in heaven above, yet I do not wish to ascend alone, but to
draw men upward with me; they could not otherwise ascend, but if they cling to
me it shall be accomplished. I shall suffer myself to be crucified and shall rise. Those who believe that I have died for them, I shall
draw after me, although they cannot enter heaven by their own strength. Thus he
places us on his shoulders and bears us up to the place to which he ascends.
Hence, our salvation is not by our strength, but by that of another. With these
words all our works are rejected once more.
66. Now, he introduces a beautiful allegory from Numbers
21:6-9, which aptly depicts Christ. When the Jews were journeying in the
desert, the way being long and bread and water failing, they murmured against
Moses and became very impatient. Then it was that God sent fiery serpents among
them, which bit the people. In the countries toward the South there are great
deserts, where no food nor drink is found, and there are also multitudes of
noxious vermin. The serpents on this occasion were a particularly vicious kind,
for their bite caused such fever and such an unquenchable thirst that people
had to die. For this reason they are called fiery
serpents, such as the Greeks called Dipsades. There may, however, be another
reason for the term, for we read that some of the serpents in those countries
are so fiery that when they hiss or give forth breath,
there issues, as it were, sheer fire from them.
67. On account of this cruel affliction of the Jews there
was much pitiful crying and calling among the people to Moses, but he could
give no advice until God took pity upon them and said to Moses: Make thee a
brazen serpent, like those which are biting the people, and set it upon a
standard. Every one that is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live. “And Moses,”
so the story runs, “made a serpent of brass and set it upon the standard, and
it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked unto the
serpent of brass, he lived.”
68. Behold now, how Christ has been typified in this story.
In the first place, the main point is that the Jews, when bitten by serpents,
could find no aid not remedy until they were helped by looking at such a simple
thing as the brazen serpent. This serpent had the appearance of a real serpent,
but it was dead and without venom, yea, it was salutary. Not that the brass
could help them; what made it efficient was the fact
that there was affixed to it God’s order and this promise: Whoever is bitten
and looks at the serpent, shall live. This word was wrapped about the serpent,
and by virtue of it the serpent helped the people.
69. Now, Christ makes application to himself and says: “As
Moses lifted up the serpent, even so must the Son of man be lifted up” etc.
This is the true explanation and interpretation of this
allegory, or figure: We, too, have been stung or bitten by the deadly fang of
the devil, which is sin. As St. Paul says, sin is a fiery, poisonous bite, or
sting. If the poison enters the conscience, there is never any rest. Sin hurls
against us and sets upon us death; death drives man, causing him to feel that
he is in a veritable hell. And there is no help nor redress. You may do as many
works as you please, you are condemned, nevertheless, until this miracle of
grace arrives for you; that is, another serpent is raised up which is not
poisonous nor harmful and has only the form of a serpent.
70. But why does Christ not choose a different symbol? Why
that of the serpent by which men had been bitten? Surely, he might have chosen
some other figure. The reason is stated by St. Paul in Romans 8:3: De peccato
damnavit peccatum. For sin he condemned sin. He has driven out death by death:
he has overcome the Law by the Law. How has he done this? Christ was made a
sinner upon the cross, bearing the title of an arch fiend in the midst of
knaves. He suffered the judgment and punishment which a sinner must suffer. He
was innocent, he never committed any sin; yet, the name of a sinner and the
guilt and punishment verily settled upon him, and thus he has abolished sin by
taking upon himself the sin which was not his, and by suffering himself to be
judged and condemned as a malefactor.
71. Now, although he is indeed innocent, nevertheless he is
like unto a sinner, and there is in him a salutary sin, by which he means to
save us, who are truly sinners, from the deadly poison. He has condemned sin
upon the cross; for sin wronged him when it condemned him and inflicted death
upon him. For this reason he now obtains authority over the sin of the whole
world and rightly and justly condemns sin, because it tried to condemn him.
Accordingly, he now pronounces to all who believe, this verdict of justice in
place of their sin: Sin shall not harm. you; for it is become amenable to me
and owes me penitence. Therefore it shall either be no sin, or else a sin that
has been sentenced.
72. Now, the conclusion which Christ draws is expressed
thus: “That whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have eternal
life.” That is saying as much as was said in regard to the serpent: “Whoever
looks unto it shall live.” To look unto Christ crucified is to believe on him.
By that act sin is canceled and cannot hurt us; or, if it does hurt us, it
shall cause no harm. Accordingly, all depends on looking unto Jesus and not on
any work. However, while on the former occasion looking was a physical action,
looking in this instance is performed spiritually, in the heart, by believing
that Christ by his innocence has destroyed sin.
73. Now, Christ might have died upon the cross a thousand
times and we would have been helped just as little as the Israelites would have
been helped by raising a thousand serpents of their own accord, if this word of
promise had not been issued, namely, as is written: “Whosoever believeth on him
shall not perish” etc. This word appropriates and applies to us these blessings
and makes us certain that we shall reach heaven; that is, certain that for the
sake of this exalted and crucified Christ we shall obtain the grace of God and
victory over the power of sin, death and hell, and shall receive eternal life,
if we believe on him and are thus borne upward clinging to him.
74. Behold, this is the allegory which faithfully depicts to
us the misery and need of our entire human nature, and the office of redemption
of Christ our Lord, and the manner of obtaining these blessings we have been
discussing. It shows how all men were mortally wounded by the fiery, hellish
poison of the devil, and no remedy nor aid could have been procured for them if
the Son of God had not been given and had not appeared for this purpose, that
he might destroy the works of the devil, as 1 John 3:8 states. And this he did,
not by a display of the great power, force and might of his divine majesty, but
in the greatest weakness and infirmity, by his suffering and dying, when he
hung upon the cross, an accursed, noxious worm. But there is a salutary death
in the form of this dead serpent; it brings to all who, by their sins, have
been poisoned and tainted unto eternal death, a healing balm by means of which
they recover and are saved forever.
75. It is very strange to say and to believe that this
salvation is achieved utterly without human co-operation. Yon poor Israelites
who had to lie among the fiery serpents were not helped at all, though they tried
every remedy that they could secure; they only grew worse the more they labored and the longer they strove to defend
themselves against the serpents. And at last, when they had despaired of all
help and there was no more comfort and hope, no other
plan is proposed to them than this, that they must have raised among them just
such a serpent, made of brass – a sight that might have terrified and awed them
still more! – and must lift their eyes unto this serpent. And yet, it came to
pass that whoever obeyed this word of God recovered forthwith and remained
unharmed thereafter.
76. So, in this instance, whoever desires to obtain
unfailing aid and salvation against sin and eternal death must hear and follow
this strange counsel of God, letting go of every other comfort and endeavor,
and must fix his heart upon this Christ alone, who has borne our sins and death
in his own body. For it is settled that for our salvation no other name under
heaven shall avail except that of Christ crucified. Acts
77. Thus, Christ has delivered the entire discourse
concerning the new birth, or the righteousness of man in the sight of God,
going through all the parts which must needs be taught in this connection,
namely, whence and by what means it is effected and how it is obtained. He has
instructed us concerning the Word, baptism and the Spirit who works through
these means; concerning the merit and sacrifice of Christ, for whose sake the
grace of God and eternal life are given us; and concerning faith, by which we appropriate
these blessings. Accordingly, you must now so retain the thread of this entire
discourse that the end shall agree with the beginning. When you are asked: How
does the new birth take place, in which the Spirit through the water and the
Word makes a person a child of God? you must answer: In the way that Christ has
here stated – it takes place when, over and against the terror on account of
your sin, you grasp this comfort, the belief that Christ, the Son of God, is
come from heaven for your sake and has been raised upon the cross for you, in
order that you should not perish but have eternal life. This faith is the
chest, or shrine, which holds the treasure of the forgiveness of sins and the
heritage of eternal life, and man is saved by it; as Christ says, “Thy faith
hath made thee whole” etc.
First Sunday after Trinity
1 Joh 4, 16-21
Reference
to:
Vorlesung über den 1. Johannesbrief, 1527
WA 20, 599-801
First Sunday after
Trinity;
Luke 16:19-31
________________
King James
Version
Luke
16:19-31
There was a
certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared
sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was
laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which
fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into
Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up
his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his
bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and
cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son,
remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise
Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And
beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they
which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee
therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have
five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this
place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have
Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay,
father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And
he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the
prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
1. We have hitherto heard in our
Gospel lessons of various examples of faith and of love; for as they all teach
faith and love, I hope you are abundantly and sufficiently informed that no
human being can be pleasing to God unless he believes and loves. Now in this
Gospel text the Lord presents to us at the same time an example of faith and of
unbelief or of the state of the godless, in order that we also may abhor the
contrary and the opposite of faith and love, and that we may cleave to faith
and love more diligently. For here we see the judgment of God upon the
believers and the unbelievers, which is both dreadful and comforting. Dreadful
to the faithless and comforting to the faithful. But in order that we may the
better grasp the meaning of this text we must picture to ourselves both the
rich man and poor Lazarus. In the rich man we see the nature of unbelief and in
Lazarus the nature of belief.
2. We must not view the rich man
according to his outward conduct; for he is in sheep's clothing, his life
glitters and shines beautifully, while he tactfully conceals the wolf. For this
Gospel text does not accuse him of adultery, of murder, or robbery, of violence
or of having done anything that the world or reason would censure. Yea, he has
been as honorable and respectable in his life as that Pharisee who fasted twice
a week and was not as other men, of whom Luke 18:11f. speaks. For had he
committed such glaring sins the Gospel would have mentioned them since it
examines him so particularly that it describes even the purple robe he wore and
the food he ate, which are only external matters and God does not judge
according to them. Therefore he must have led outwardly an exemplary, holy
life; and according to his own opinion and that of others, he must have kept
the whole law of Moses.
3. But we must look into his heart
and judge his spirit. For the Gospel has penetrating eyes and sees deep into
the secret recesses of the soul; reproves also the works which reason cannot
reprove, and looks not at the sheep's clothing, but at the true fruit of the
tree to learn whether it is good or not, as the Lord teaches in Mat.
4. For this rich man is not punished
because he indulged in sumptuous fare and fine clothes; since many saints,
kings and queens in ancient times wore costly apparel, as Solomon, Esther,
David, Daniel and others; but because his heart was attached to them. sought
them, trusted in and chose them, and because he found in them all his joy,
delight and pleasure; and made them in fact his idols. This Christ indicates by
the words ”every day,” that he lived thus sumptuously daily, continuously. From
this is seen that he diligently sought and chose such a life, was not forced to
it nor was he in it by accident, or because of his office or to serve his
neighbor; but he only thereby gratified his own lust, and lived to himself and
served only himself.
5. Here one traces the secret sins
of his heart as the evil fruit. For where faith is, there is no anxiety for
fine clothing and sumptuous feasting, yea, there is no longing for riches,
honor, pleasure, influence and all that is not God himself; but there is a
seeking and a striving for and a cleaving to nothing except to God, the highest
good alone; it is the same to him whether his food be dainty or plain, whether
his clothing be fine or homespun. For although they even do wear costly
clothes, possess great influence and honor, yet they esteem none of these
things; but are forced to them, or come to them by accident, or they are
compelled to use them in the service of others. Thus queen Esther says, that
she bore the royal crown against her will, and that she had to wear it for the
sake of the King. David also would rather have lived a private life; but for
the sake of God and of his people he had to become king. In like manner all the
saints considered that they were constrained to fill their stations of
influence, honor and glory; and their hearts were never entangled by them, and
labored in these external things to be helpful to their neighbor, as Psalm
62:10 says: ”Trust not in oppression and become not vain in robbery; if riches
increase set not your heart thereon.”
6. But where unbelief reigns man is absorbed
by these vanities, be cleaves to them, seeks them and has no rest until he has
acquired them, and after he possesses them, he feeds and fattens himself with
them as the swine wallow in the mire, and finds at the same time his happiness
and felicity there. He never inquires how his heart stands with his God and
what he possesses in God and may expect from him; but his belly is his God; and
if he cannot get what he wants, he imagines things are going wrong. And lo,
these dreadful and wicked fruits of unbelief the rich man does not see, he
covers them over, and blinds his own eyes by the good works of his pharisaical
life, and hardens himself until no teaching, exhortation, threatening nor
promise can help him. Behold, this is the secret sin which today's Gospel
punishes and condemns.
7. From this now follows the other
sin, that he forgets to exercise love toward his neighbor; for there he lets
poor Lazarus lie at his door, and offers him not the least assistance. And if
he had not wished to help him personally, he should have commanded his servants
to take him in and care for him. It may have been, he knew nothing of God and
had never experienced his goodness. For whoever feels the goodness of God,
feels also for the misfortune of his neighbor; but whoever is not conscious of
the goodness of God, sympathizes not in the misfortune of his neighbor.
Therefore as he has no pleasure in God, he has no heart for his neighbor.
8. For the nature of faith is that
it expects all good from God, and relies only on God. For from this faith man
knows God, how he is good and gracious, that by reason of such knowledge his
heart becomes so tender and merciful, that he wishes cheerfully to do to every
one, as he experiences God has done to him. Therefore he breaks forth with love
and serves his neighbor out of his whole heart, with his body and life, with
his means and honor, with his soul and spirit, and makes him partaker of all he
has, just like God did to him. Therefore he does not look after the healthy,
the high, the strong, the rich, the noble, the holy persons, who do not need
his care; but he looks after the sick, the weak, the poor, the despised, the
sinful people, to whom he can be of benefit, and among whom he can exercise his
tender heart, and do to them as God has done to him.
9. But the nature of unbelief is
that it does not expect any good from God. By which unbelief the heart is
blinded so that it neither feels nor knows how good and gracious God is; but as
Psalm 14:2 says: he cares not for God, seeks not after him. Out of this
blindness follows further that his heart becomes so hard, obdurate and
unmerciful that he has no desire to do a kindness to his fellow man; yea, he
would rather harm and offend everybody. For as he is insensible to the goodness
of God, so he takes no pleasure in doing good to his neighbor. Consequently it
follows that he does not look after the sick, poor and despised people, to whom
he could and should be helpful and profitable; but he casts his eyes upward and
sees only the high, rich and influential, from whom be himself may receive
advantage, gain, pleasure and honor.
10. So we see now in the example of
the rich man that it is impossible to love, where no faith exists, and
impossible to believe, where there is no love; for both will and must be
together, so that a believer loves everybody and serves everybody; but an
unbeliever at heart is an enemy of everybody and wishes to be served by every
person and yet he covers all such horrible, perverted sins with the little show
of his hypocritical works as with a sheep's skin; just as that large bird, the
ostrich, which is so stupid that when it sticks its head into a bush, it thinks
its entire body is concealed. Yea, here you see that there is nothing blinder
and more unmerciful than unbelief. For here the dogs, the most irascible
animals, are more merciful to poor Lazarus than this rich man, and they
recognize the need of the poor man and lick his sores; while the obdurate,
blinded hypocrite is so hard hearted that he does not wish him to have the
crumbs that fell from his table.
11. Now all unbelieving people are
like this rich hypocrite. Unbelief cannot do nor be different than this rich
man is pictured and set forth by his life. And especially is this the character
of the clergy, as we see before our eyes, who never do a truly good work, but
only seek a good time, never serving nor profiting any one; but reversing the
order they want everybody to serve them. Like harpies they only claw everything
into their own pockets; and like the old adage runs they ”rob the poor of his
purse.” They are not moved in the least by the poverty of others. And although
some have not expensive food and raiment, yet they do not lack will power and
the spirit of action; for they imitate the rich, the princes and the lords, and
do many hypocritically good works by founding institutions and building
churches, with which they conceal the great rogue, the wolf of unbelief; so
that they become obdurate and hardened and are of no use to anybody. These are
the rich man.
12. Likewise we must not judge poor
Lazarus in his sores, poverty and anxiety, according to his outward appearance.
For many persons suffer from affliction and want, and yet they gain nothing by
it; for example King Herod suffered a great affliction, as is related in Acts
13. Thus we must look into the heart
of Lazarus also, and seek the treasure which made his sores so precious. That
was surely his faith and love; for without faith it is impossible to please
God, as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews says, 11:6. Therefore his
heart also must have confessed that he even in the midst of such poverty and
misery expected all good from God, and comfortably relied upon him; with whose
blessings and grace he was so richly satisfied, and had such pleasure in them,
that he would have heartily and willingly suffered even more misery, if the
will of his gracious God had so determined. See, that is a true, living faith,
which softened his heart by the knowledge of the divine goodness; so that
nothing was too heavy or too much to suffer and to do. So clever and skilful
does faith make the heart, when it experiences the grace of God.
14. From this faith follows now
another virtue, namely, love to one's neighbor, so that he is willing and ready
to serve everybody; but since Lazarus is poor and in misery himself, he had
nothing with which he could serve others; therefore his good will is taken for
the deed.
15. But this lack of service in
temporal things he abundantly makes good by his services in things spiritual.
For even now, long after his death, he serves the whole world with his sores,
hunger and misery. His bodily hunger feeds our spiritual hunger; his bodily
nakedness clothes (or feeds, as some editions read) our spiritual nakedness;
his bodily sores heal our spiritual sores; in this way he teaches and comforts
us by his example, how God is pleased with us, when we are not prosperous here
upon the earth, if we believe; and warns us how God is angry with us, even if
we are prosperous in our unbelief; just as God had pleasure in Lazarus in his
misery, and was displeased with the rich man.
16. Tell me, what king could have
rendered a service to the whole world with his possessions, like poor Lazarus
has done with his sores, hunger and poverty? Oh, the wonderful works and
judgments of God! In what a masterly manner he puts to shame the cunning
goddess and fool of this world, namely, reason and worldly wisdom! She stalks
abroad and fixes her eyes rather upon the beautiful purple of the rich man,
than upon the wounds of poor Lazarus; she would rather center her eyes upon a
healthy, handsome person, as this rich man was, than upon a revolting and naked
person like Lazarus; yea, she holds her nose before the stench of his wounds
and turns her eyes from his nakedness. Thus the great goddess and fool of this
world overlooks God in the very presence of such a noble treasure, and always
quietly passes her own judgment, and at the same time makes this poor person so
precious and dear, that all the kings hence are not worthy to serve him or to
dress his sores. For what king, do you think, would not now with his whole
heart exchange his health, purple and crown for the sores, poverty and misery
of poor Lazarus, if it were possible for him to do so? And what person is there
who would now give a snuff for the purple and all the riches of this rich man?
17. Do you not think that this rich
man himself, had he not been so blind and had known that such a treasure, a man
so precious in the eyes of God, was dying at his gate, would have run out, and
dressed and kissed his sores, and laid him in his best bed; and made all his
purple and riches to serve him? But at the time God's judgment went forth, he
did not see that he could do it. Then God thought, truly, you are not worthy to
serve him. When later the judgment and work of God were accomplished, the wise
fool begins to come to himself; and since he suffers now in hell he will gladly
give his house and land, to whom before he would not give a crumb of bread; and
wishes now that Lazarus might cool his tongue with the tips of his fingers,
whom before he would not touch.
18. Behold, even at the present day
God is filling the world with such judgments and works, but no one sees it;
yea, everybody despises it. There are continually before our eyes poor and
needy persons, whom God lays before us as the greatest treasures; but we close
our eyes to them, and see not what God does there; later, when God has done his
work, and we have neglected the treasure, then we hasten and wish to serve, but
we waited too long. Then we begin and make sacred relics of their garments,
shoes and furniture, and make pilgrimages to and erect churches over their
graves, are occupied with many like foolish deeds and thus ridicule ourselves
in that we permit the living saints to be trodden under our feet and to perish,
and we worship their garments, which is neither necessary nor of any use; so
that indeed our Lord will let the judgment fall as he did in Mat.
19. All believers are like poor
Lazarus; and every believer is a true Lazarus, for he is of the same faith,
mind and will, as Lazarus. And whoever will not be a Lazarus, will surely have
his portion with the rich glutton in the flames of hell. For we all must like
Lazarus trust in God, surrender ourselves to him to work in us according to his
own good pleasure, and be ready to serve all men. And although we all do not
suffer from such sores and poverty, yet the same mind and will must be in us,
that were in Lazarus, cheerfully to bear such things, wherever God wills it.
20. For such poverty of spirit may
exist in those who have very great possessions; as Job, David, Abraham were
poor and rich. For David in Ps. 39:12 says: ”I am a stranger with thee, a
sojourner, as all my fathers were.” How could that be, since he was a king and
possessed extensive lands and large cities? Thus it came about; although he
indeed possessed these, yet his heart did not cleave to them, and they were as
nothing compared with the riches he had with God. Likewise he had said of the
health of his body that it was as nothing compared to the health of his soul
before God, and he would indeed not have murmured, had God afflicted him with
bodily sores and sickness. So Abraham also, although he had not the poverty and
affliction of Lazarus, yet he had the mind and will to bear what Lazarus did,
if God had visited him thus. For the saints should have one and the same inner
mind and spirit, but they cannot have the same outward work and suffering.
Therefore Abraham also recognized Lazarus as one of his own and received him
into his bosom; which he would not have done, were he not of the same mind and
had he not taken pleasure in the poverty and maladies of Lazarus. Thus is set
forth the sum and meaning of the Gospel, that we may see, how faith everywhere
saves and unbelief condemns.
QUESTIONS SUGGESTED AND ANSWERED
21. This Gospel lesson suggests
several questions. First, what is the bosom of Abraham, since it cannot be a
natural bosom that is meant? To answer this, it is necessary to know that the
soul or Spirit of man has no rest or place where it may abide, except the Word
of God, until he comes at the last day to the clear vision of God. Therefore we
conclude that the bosom of Abraham signifies nothing else than the Word of God,
where Christ was promised, Gen.
22. Thus were all the fathers before
the birth of Christ carried into Abraham's bosom; that is, at their death they
were established in this saying of God,, and they fell asleep in the same, they
were embraced and guarded as in a bosom, and sleep there until the day of
judgment; excepting those who have already risen with Christ, as Mat. 27:5.9
teaches, where they also remained. In like manner we, when we face death, must
lay hold of and trust in the Word of Christ with strong faith, as John
23. Likewise on the other hand the
hell here mentioned cannot be the true hell that will begin on the day of
judgment. For the corpse of the rich man is without doubt not in hell, but
buried in the earth; it must however be a place where the soul can be and has
no peace, and it cannot be corporal. Therefore it seems to me, this hell is the
conscience, which is without faith and without the Word of God, in which the
soul is buried and held until the day of judgment, when they are cast down body
and soul into the true and real hell. For just as Abraham's bosom is God's
Word, in which believers rest through faith, and fall asleep and are guarded
there until the day of judgment; so must that on the contrary ever be hell,
where God's Word is not, into which the unbelievers are cast until the day of
judgment. That can be nothing else than an empty, unbelieving, sinful, and evil
conscience.
24. The second question is: How then
did Abraham and the rich man converse with one another? Answer: It could not
have been a conversation with the natural voice, since the bodies of both were
lying in their graves; likewise as little was it the natural tongue that
complained of being tormented; nor was it natural fingers and natural water
that were desired from Lazarus. Therefore this all must be in the conscience
thus: When the conscience is awakened by death or by the agonies of death, then
it will have a testimony of its unbelief and will see then for the first time
the bosom of Abraham, and those embraced by it, that is, the Word of God, in
which it should have believed and did not; from which it has the very greatest
pain and anxiety as in hell, and finds neither help nor consolation.
25. Then thoughts arise in the
conscience, which held such a conversation, if they could speak, as this rich
man did with Abraham, and seeks then whether the Word of God, and all who have
believed in it, would help; and with so much anxiety that it would receive the
least comfort from the very meanest of men, but even that cannot be granted to
him. Then Abraham answered him, that is, his conscience took such a view of the
Word of God, that it cannot be; but he had his portion of good things in his
life, and he must now suffer; while the others are comforted, whom he despised.
26. At last he feels, that it is declared
unto him: There is a great gulf fixed between him and the believers, that they
will never be able to come together. These are the thoughts of despair, when
the conscience feels that the Word of God is withdrawn forever from him;
accordingly the thoughts of his conscience rage and would gladly have the
living to know that such are the agonies of death, and he craves that someone
would tell it to them. But it is to no purpose; for be feels an answer in his
own conscience, that Moses and the prophets are sufficient, whom they ought to
believe, as he himself should have done. All such thoughts pass between the
condemned conscience and the Word of God, in the hour of death or in the
agonies of death; and no one can perceive what it is, except the one who experiences
it; and he who experienced it wished that others should know it, but all is in
vain.
27. The third question is: When did
that take place, and if the rich man still daily without ceasing suffers thus until
the day of judgment? That is a subtle question and not easily answered to the
inexperienced. For here one must banish the idea of time from the mind and know
that in the other world there is neither time nor hours, but all is an eternal
moment or wink of the eye; as 2 Peter 3:8 says: ”A day is with the Lord as a
thousand years and a thousand years as one day,” Ps. 90:4. Therefore it seems
to me that in this rich man we have an example of the future of all
unbelievers, when their eyes are opened by death and its agonies; which can
endure but for a moment and then cease until the day of judgment, as it may
please God; for here no definite rule can be established. Therefore I dare not
say that the rich man suffers still at present as he suffered at that time; and
I dare not deny that he still suffers thus; for both depend upon the will of
God. It is sufficient for us to know that his example and the beginning of the
suffering of all unbelievers are here clearly set before us.
28. The fourth question is: Shall we
pray for the dead; since here in the Gospel there is no intermediate state
between Abraham's bosom and hell, and those in Abraham's bosom do not need it,
and it does not help those in perdition. We have no command from God to pray
for the dead; therefore no one sins by not praying for them; for what God does
not bid or forbid us to do, in that no one can sin. Yet, on the other hand,
since God has not permitted us to know, how it is with the souls of the
departed and we must continue uninformed, as to how he deals with them, we will
not and cannot restrain them, nor count it as sin, if they pray for the dead.
For we are ever certain from the Gospel, that many have been raised from the
dead, who, we must confess, did not receive nor did they have their final
sentence; and likewise we are not assured of any other, that he has his final
sentence.
29. Now since it is uncertain and no
one knows, whether final judgment has been passed upon these souls, it is not
sin if you pray for them; but in this way, that you let it rest in uncertainty
and speak thus: Dear God, if the departed souls be in a state that they may yet
be helped, then I pray that thou wouldst be gracious. And when you have thus
prayed once or twice, then let it be sufficient and commend them unto God. For
God has promised that when we pray to him for anything he would hear us.
Therefore when you have prayed once or twice, you should believe that your
prayer is answered, and there let it rest, lest you tempt God and mistrust him.
30. But that we should institute
masses, vigils and prayers to be repeated forever for the dead every year, as
if God had not heard us the year before, is the work of Satan and is death
itself, where God is mocked by unbelief, and such prayers are nothing but
blasphemy of God. Therefore take warning and turn from these practices. God is
not moved by these anniversary ceremonies, but by the prayer of the heart, of
devotion and of faith; that will help the departed souls if anything will.
Vigils, masses, indeed help the bellies of the priests, monks and nuns, but
departed souls are not helped by them and God is thus mocked.
31. However, if you have in your
house a spook or ghost, who pretends that the departed can be helped by saying
masses, You should be fully persuaded that it is the work of Satan. No soul has
yet since the beginning of the world reappeared on the earth, and it is not
God's will that it should be so. For here in this Gospel you see that Abraham
declares that no one can be sent from the dead to teach the living; but he
points them to the Word of God in the Scriptures, Deut. 31: ”They have Moses
and the Prophets; let them hear them.” By these words Abraham turns to the
command of God in Deut.
32. Therefore be prudent and know
that God will not let us know how it is with the dead, so that faith may retain
its place in the Word of God, which believes that God will save the believers
after this life and condemn the unbelievers. If now a familiar spirit present
itself before you, take no notice of it; but be assured that it is the devil,
and conquer him with this Saying of Abraham, ”They have Moses and the
prophets,” and likewise with the command in Moses, ”Thou shalt not be a
consulter with a familiar spirit;” then he will soon be gone. If he leave you
not, then let him make a noise until he is tired, and in firm faith suffer his
wantonness.
33. And if it were possible that it
were indeed a departed soul or a good spirit even, then you should neither
learn nor inquire anything of him, since God has forbidden you to do so; because
he has sent his Son himself to teach us all that is necessary for us to know.
What he has not taught us, that we should gladly not wish to know, and be
satisfied with the teachings of the holy Apostles, in which he is preached to
us. However, I have further written on this subject in the Postils on the
Gospel for Epiphany and in my booklet on the Misuse of the Mass; where you may
read more along this line.
34. Likewise, to give an example, we
read in the Historia Tripartita (A History in Three Parts) of a bishop, who
came to Corinth where he had come to attend a Council, and as he could not find
a suitable lodging for himself and his attendants, he saw a house unoccupied
and condemned as uninhabitable, and he asked if he might not be allowed to occupy
it. Then they told him in reply that it was infested with nightly ghosts, that
no one could live in it, and often people were found dead in it in the morning.
Then the bishop said but little and immediately entered and lodged there the
same night, for he very well saw that the devil was the author of all these
ghost stories, and as he had firm faith that Christ was Lord over Satan,
therefore he was not moved by his stratagems and he entered to lodge with him.
And thus that house was made free by the prayers and presence of a holy man
from infesting ghosts and horrifying spectres. Behold, you see that the ghosts
are Satan, and there is little use to dispute with them; but one should despise
them with a cheerful spirit as nothing.
35. A similar story we read about
Gregory, the Bishop of Cappadocia, that he crossed the
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER
TRINITY
1 JOHN 3:13-18.
1 JOHN 3:13-18.
Marvel not, brethren, if the world hateth you.
We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the
brethren. He that loveth not abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is
a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay
down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath the world’s goods, and
beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how
does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word,
neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth.
EXHORTATION TO
BROTHERLY LOVE
1. The Epistles and Gospels selected for the Pentecost cycle
of Sundays have love as their general theme. They deal not only with the love
we owe to Christ and God, which is only to be thankful for the unspeakable
blessing of forgiveness of sins and salvation through Christ’s blood and death,
but also of the love we owe our neighbor; not a love in return for favors, but
one that unceasingly gives, forgives and works all good even when unrequited.
2. John here admonishes the Christian to exercise the virtue
of love. Considering the evident rarity of love among men, this admonition is
necessary. He particularly warns Christians not to wonder at the world’s hatred
and desire for their death. Such was the hate of Cain for his brother, of which
the apostle has just spoken. The world’s hate, it must be admitted, repels love
and powerfully obstructs its exercise.
3. Is it not surpassing strange that one can hate those who
love him and from whom he has received only kindness? Such wickedness is almost
inconceivable, we say. What incentive is there for any to render the world
service when in ingratitude it rewards love with hatred? But let us examine
ourselves, who are baptized and have received the Gospel, and confess how we
requite the supreme love of God in giving us his Son. What a beautiful example
of glad gratitude we display! For the shame of it we ought to despise ourselves
before God and his angels. And what shall we say of those who will not endure
the preaching of the glorious message of God’s grace and blessing, but condemn
it as heresy? to whom they who seek to serve, to benefit and save the world by
declaring the good news, must be, as Paul says, “as the filth of the world, the
offscouring of all things,” 1 Corinthians
THE WORLD’S HATRED
4. While experience has proven this otherwise incredible
fact, John vouchsafes the admonition notwithstanding: “Marvel not, brethren, if
the world hateth you.” If we are not to wonder at this, is there anything in
the world to incite wonder? I should truly think the hearing of a single sermon
on the grace of Christ would suffice to bring the world to receive the Gospel
with intense joy and never to forget the divine mercy and blessing. It would be
no wonder should the earth suddenly open and engulf mankind because of its
ingratitude to God who has given his Son to become man for the purpose of
redeeming us condemned mortals from sin and death and restoring us to life and
salvation. Is it not a horrible thing that any man should shun and oppose such
a Savior and his doctrine even more than he does the
devil himself?
5. But what is God’s attitude toward such conduct? Well does
he say to the Jews through the prophet: “O my people, what have I done unto thee?
and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.
For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the
house of bondage; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my people,
remember now what Balak, king of Moab, devised; and what Balaam, the son of
Beor, answered him; remember from Shittim unto Gilgal, that ye may know the
righteous acts of Jehovah.” Micah 6:3-5. And well does Christ say to his
ungrateful people: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and
stoneth them that are sent unto her ! how often would
I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens
under her wings, and ye would not!” Matthew
6. “Since the world hates even God for his kindness,” argues
John, “marvel not, my beloved, that you suffer the same fate. What does it
signify that I show my love by hazarding life and limb to sustain this doctrine
of the Gospel and help my neighbor? Mine is but a poor, mean, uncouth,
offensive love in comparison with the love that led Christ to die for me and to redeem me from eternal death. If God’s
supreme, unfathomable love fails to awaken the gratitude of the world, what
wonder if the world hates you for all your kindness? Why will you bring down your
fist and stamp your foot in anger at such ingratitude? You are yourselves of
that race for whom the Son of God had to die. And even
were you to die for the Gospel, your sacrifice would
be as nothing in comparison to the fact that God, for the sake of the world,
spared not his own Son but permitted the world to put him to death.”
7. But whence arises the world’s hatred? John tells us in
verse twelve when he mentions the incident of Cain, who, he says, “was of the evil
one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his works were
evil, and his brother’s righteous.” An excellent reason, indeed, for hating –
the hater and murderer is evil and the benefactor good! In civil and domestic
affairs it is the evil-doers and disobedient who incur displeasure and receive
punishment; and such reward is just. But whenever God has dealings with the
world, it shows what a rotten fruit it is by hating, persecuting, and putting
to death as evil-doers and impostors its very benefactors. This trait it
inherits, John tells us, from its ancestor Cain, the great fratricide saint. He
is a true picture of the world of all times, and ever its spirit and fashion is
patterned after him.
8. When mother Eve, the dear, godly woman, bore her first
son, she declared in her joy and her hope of God’s promise of the future seed
that should bruise the serpent’s head: “I have gotten a man with the help of Jehovah” ( Genesis 4:1); and she named him Cain, which means
“obtained,” as if she would say, “I have obtained the true treasure.” For she
had not before seen a human being born; this was the first, precious fruit of
man. Over Cain she rejoiced, pronouncing herself blessed. This son was trained
in the hope that he should be a savior of the future race, a comfort to his
brothers and sisters with all their offspring. Nor was he unaware of these
proud hopes. Proudly he lorded it over his brother, who in contrast had to bear
the ignominious name of Abel, meaning “nothing,” or “vanity,” as if voicing the
thought of the parents’ hearts: “Alas! this one has no
future. Cain is the rightful heir to the blessing God has promised man;
he is lord and master of his brethren.”
9. It is likely that the godly father and mother for many
years drew their solace from the hope placed in their first-born son, as they
looked forward with intensest longing to the redemption from their deplorable
fall. Doubtless they trained both sons very carefully and instructed them
concerning their own sin and fall and the promise God had given them, until
they were fully grown and had entered into the priestly office. Cain the
first-born was particularly zealous in that respect, desiring to be first
inasmuch as he offered his first fruits of the earth, given by God and obtained
by his own labor, as he no doubt had seen his father offer. Abel, however, the
inferior, the poor shepherd, offered the firstlings of his sheep, given him of
God and obtained without effort and toil of his own. Now, God in a wonderful
way manifested his preference concerning the gifts upon the altar. Fire
descended from heaven and consumed Abel’s offering, but Cain’s remained. The
fire was the sign of God’s favor. The text says: “And Jehovah had respect unto
Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering he had not
respect.” Genesis 4:4-5.
10. Thereupon Adam and Eve saw that the hope and solace
centering in their first-born son, were a delusion. They began to learn the
wonderful judgments of God, who gave precedence to Abel, the male
counterpart of Cinderella – which is all
he was in his own sight when he compared himself with his brother. Now Cain,
with full confidence in his position, spoiled by the delusion of his parents
that as the first-born he was God’s preference, felt himself outraged. His
hypocrisy, hitherto masked, comes to the surface. He burns with secret hate
against God, with hate and anger against his brother, which he takes no trouble
whatever to disguise. The parents rebuke him, but effect nothing. The flame of
his resentment rises higher, and meeting him alone upon the field, he fells him
to the ground. Far from contemplating amendment of life or seeking grace from
God, he has no mercy upon the only brother he has on earth, who has done him no
harm whatever. He cannot forgive him and leave him in unenvied possession of
the grace of God.
11. Such was the solace and joy poor Adam and Eve lived to
experience in their first children! From this time on their earthly life was
fraught with gloom and sorrow, particularly since they could not but see the
source of these in their own fall and they would have pined to death had not
God comforted them with another son. For when it became evident that the hope
they had placed in Cain was a delusion, and that they were deprived of the son
who, beyond a doubt, possessed the grace of God, they, without another son,
would not have known where to look for the solace of the promised seed.
CAIN THE WORLD,
ABEL THE CHURCH
12. Note, in this man Cain is pictured the world in its true, characteristic colors; in him its true spirit stands
reflected. Certainly his equal has never been. In him are unquestionably
prefigured the very flower, the very quintessence, of holiness on earth – the
most pious servants of God. On the other hand, that poor, wretched, abject male
counterpart of Cinderella, Abel, well represents the obscure little
brotherhood, the Church of Christ.
She must yield to Cain the lord the distinction of being
everything before God, of being the recipient of every gift of God, of being
entitled to all honor and every privilege. He feels important in his imagined
dignity, permits this spirit to pervade his sacrifices and his worships, and
thinks that God cannot but favor and accept his offering rather than that of
his brother. Meanwhile, the pious Abel goes his way, meekly suffering his
brother’s contempt. He willingly yields Cain the honor, esteems himself vastly
inferior and beholds no consolation for himself aside from the pure mercy and
goodness of God. He believes in God and hopes for the promised future seed. In
such faith he performs his sacrifice as a confession, a sign, of his gratitude.
13. This illustration is intended by God as solace for his
little throng; for the incident is not written for Abel’s sake but for the sake
of the humble children of God, whose condition is like that of Abel. God has
not forgotten them, though they are haughtily ignored by proud Cain, who
regards them as nothing in his presence. God graciously looks upon them and
rejects proud Cain with his birthright and offering.
14. Innocent Abel becomes the object of anger and hatred
when the Word of God lays hold of Cain revealing God’s displeasure where he had
fancied himself worthy, and God’s unwillingness to regard his offering and
devotion as superior to this of his brother and more
meritorious. Cain begins bitterly to hate and persecute his brother. He finds
no rest until Abel is laid low and cut off from the earth. Now you have the
cause of the world’s hatred and anger against Christians; simply this, as John
says of Cain: “Because his works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.”
15. What offense had godly Abel committed against his
brother to be so hated? He had even regarded that brother as the first-born, as
vastly superior to himself, and had done him all honor and loved him as became
a brother. He was easily satisfied, desiring simply the grace of God. He prayed
for the future seed, that is, for the salvation and happiness of his parents,
his brother and the entire human race. How could Cain be unmerciful and inhuman
enough in his frenzy to murder his own flesh and blood? The answer is found in
the fact that the devil had filled Cain’s heart with pride and vanity over his
birthright. He considered himself a man of distinction, with every claim upon
God’s favor and sinless, whilst his brother was nothing whatever. Cain’s heart
is devoid of true brotherly love; he has only contempt
for Abel. He cannot endure God’s manifest favor toward his brother, and will
not be moved by the injunction to humble himself and seek God’s grace. Anger
and envy possess him to the extent that he cannot tolerate his brother alive.
In violation of God’s commandment and his own conscience, he becomes a
murderer, and then goes his way as if he had done right.
16. This is what John means when he says that Cain had no
other cause for his crime than that his own works were evil and his brother’s
righteous. Similarly, that obedient daughter of Saint Cain, the world, hates
the Christians; and for no other reason than the latter’s love and goodness of
heart. Witness the examples of the holy patriarchs, the prophets and, most of
all, of Christ himself.
17. What sin against the world did the beloved apostles
commit? They desired the injury of none, but went about in extreme poverty and
toil, teaching mankind how, through faith in Christ, to be saved from the
devil’s kingdom and from eternal death. This the world will not hear and
suffer; hence the hue and cry: “Kill, kill these people !
Away with them from off the earth ! Show them no mercy !” Why this hostility? Because the apostles sought to
relieve the world of its idolatry and damnable doings. Such good works the
world could not tolerate. What it desires is nothing but praise and
commendation for its own evil doings, expecting from God the impossible
endorsement, “Your deeds are good and well-pleasing to me. Pious children of
mine are you. Just keep on cheerfully killing all who believe and preach my
Word.”
18. In the same way does the world conduct itself today with
reference to our Gospel. For no other reason are we hated and persecuted than
because we have, through God’s grace, proclaimed his Word that recovered us
from the blindness and idolatry in which we were sunken as deeply as the world,
and because we desire to rescue others. That is the unpardonable sin by which
we have incurred the world’s irreconcilable anger and its inextinguishable
hatred. It cannot permit us to live. We preach no other doctrine than faith in
Christ, which our children pray and they themselves confess in words. We differ
only in our claim that Christ having been crucified for us and having shed his
blood to redeem us from sin and death, our salvation is not effected by our own
works, or holiness or devotion. The fact that we do not regard their faithless
worship equal to Christ himself, but teach men to trust in the grace of God and
not their own worthiness, and to render him gratitude for his grace – this fact
is intolerable to the world. It would be well for our adversaries if they would
receive such teaching, since it would render them more
than ever what they profess to be: our superiors in wisdom, knowledge and
reputation – a claim we are willing to concede. But Cain’s works are evil and
Abel’s righteous. The world simply cannot tolerate the Gospel, and no unity or
harmony is ever to be hoped for. The world will not forsake its idolatry nor
receive the faith. It would force us to renounce the Word of God and praise its
Cainlike worship, or take death at their hands.
19. Therefore, John says, “Marvel not, brethren, if the
world hateth you,” for it is compelled to act according to the nature inherited
from its father Cain. It would have all merits and concede to Abel none. The
world comprises the exalted, the wise, the learned, the mighty. The Scriptures
represent these as under necessity to hate and persecute the poor throng of the
Church of Christ by reason of the good works done by them. They can under no
consideration tolerate the idea of being taught by this despised and humble
throng the doctrine of salvation through the grace and mercy of God alone, not
through man’s own merits. They cannot endure the teaching that their offering –
the mass, regarded by the Papists as a work of superlative merit and holiness –
avails nothing before God.
20. In the text the nature of the world is portrayed for our
recognition. So to understand the world as to know what may be expected from it
is essential and valuable knowledge for the Christian. Thus armed he will not
be dismayed and become impatient of suffering, nor permit its malice and
ingratitude to mislead him to hate and desire for revenge. He will keep his
faith and love, suffering the world to go its way if it refuse to hear his
message. The Christian should expect nothing better from the world than its
bitter persecution in return for his good works and love. The Church of Christ
on earth, let him remember, is never to have an easier lot. He is not to judge
according to show and appearance, thinking: “They are the great throng, the
wisest and cleverest people on earth; how is it possible that they should all
be in error and under condemnation?”
21. It is necessarily true that
discipline and peace are impossible without the most excellent, exalted,
erudite, clever people – royal, princely, noble in achievement and honor. Cain
is never plain and lowly. He is always eminently clever, wise, holy and in
every way vastly Abel’s superior. In fact, he must in himself represent all
desirable things, as his name indicates. And the same characteristic is
manifest in his children, who are ingenious in the invention of every variety
of art. Deplorable the fact that a man of Cain’s qualifications, born of godly
parents and signally honored of God, should display such hatred and inhumanity
toward poor Abel merely because of God’s Word and Abel’s faith.
22. Such knowledge is comforting to the godly little company
of Christians, who are confident they have God’s favor and know it to be the
occasion of their persecution; they have no protection and succor but are
exposed to the same fate as Abel. If they fare better, they may thank God for
it. But they are ever to abide in love toward God, whose love they have
received and felt, and likewise toward men, their enemies not excepted. This
was Abel’s way; could he have lived again, he would have kept his brotherly
love for his murderer, forgiving him and even imploring God’s forgiveness for
him.
LOVE MOVES
CHRISTIANS
“We know that we
have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren.”
23. To abide in love should be the motive for us Christians.
John contrasts it with the motive of the world in hating us – its wickedness.
The world’s hatred of you, as John words imply, is not strange. The contrast
between you and the world is exceedingly great. Through its own evil works,
unbelief, pride, contempt for the Word and grace of God, and the persecution of
the godly, the world has become by this time the victim of Satan and eternal
death. It spurns all counsel and aid directed toward its rescue. Stiff-necked
and hardened, under evident condemnation by its own conscience, it has chosen
to persist in its doom. But we believers in Christ, God be praised! are different people. We have come forth from death; we have
passed through death and entered into life through the knowledge and faith of
the Son of God, who has loved us and given himself for us.
24. Such grace and goodness of God, says the apostle, should
prompt you not to be offended and vanquished by the world’s ingratitude, hate
and malice, and thus to cease from holy endeavor and become likewise, evil,
which course will result in the loss of your treasure. It is yours, not by your
own effort, but by grace alone; for at one time you as well as they anguished
in the kingdom and power of death, in evil works, far from faith and love.
Remember to comfort yourselves, therefore, with the thought of this great
blessing, an advantage you enjoy above the others. What if the world, abiding
in death, does hate and persecute you who abide in life? Whom can its hatred
injure? It cannot take from you the life which it lacks while you possess it,
nor deliver you to death, from which you have passed, through Christ. When it
does its worst it may perhaps falsely slander you, or deprive you of your property,
or destroy your corrupt body – the final home of maggots and in any event
doomed to corruption – and thus through the death of the body help you gain true life. Thus vengeance will be yours rather than its own.
Yours will be the joy of being transplanted from death into life, whereas the
world must abide in death. While they of the world think to deny you both the
kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of earth, they themselves lose body and soul
What more terrible retribution could their hatred and
envy receive? For the sake of denying gratification to the devil and the world,
and much more for your own welfare, you must not allow
your persecutions to rob you of your peace and salvation, nor to lead you to
lose your faith through impatience and desire for revenge. Rather, pity their
wretchedness and doom. You lose nothing by their oppression; yours is the gain,
theirs the loss. For the slight grief inflicted upon you with reference to body
and time, it shall dearly pay both here and hereafter.
25. How do we know we have passed from death unto life? John
says, because we love the brethren. Just what does he mean? Is it not our
doctrine that Christ first loved us, as John elsewhere says? that
before we ever loved him he died and rose again for us? When we fully
believe in our Savior’s love, then our own hearts respond with perfect love to
God and our neighbor. Why, then, does John say, “We have passed out of death
into life, because we love the brethren”?
26. The explanation is found in the words “We know.” John
says plainly, “From the fact that we love the brethren, we know we have passed
out of death into life.” Love of the brethren is the test whereby we may
ascertain who are the true believers. The apostle
directed this epistle especially against false Christians; many there are who extol Christ, as did
unbelieving Cain, and yet fail to bear the fruit of faith. John’s reference is
not to the means whereby we pass from sin and death to life, but to the proof
whereby we may know the fact – not to the cause, but to the effect.
27. It is not sufficient to boast of having passed from
death into life; there must be evidence of the fact. Faith is not an inactive
and lifeless thing. When there is faith in the heart, its power will be
manifest. Where power is not in evidence, all boasting is false and vain. When
the human heart, in its confidence in divine mercy and love, is thrilled with
spiritual comfort, and also warmed into kindness, friendliness, humility and
patience towards the neighbor, envying and despising none but cheerfully
serving all and ministering unto necessity even to hazarding body and life – when this is
the case, then the fruits of faith are manifest. Such fruits are proof that the
believer has truly passed from death into life. Had he not true
faith, but doubted God’s grace and love, his heart would not prompt him, by
reason of his love and gratitude to God, to manifest love for his neighbor.
Where man has faith, and where he realizes God’s infinite mercy and goodness in
raising him from death to life, love is enkindled in his heart, and he is
prompted to do all manner of good, even to his enemies, as God has done to him.
28. Such is the right interpretation and understanding of
John’s expression: “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because
we love the brethren.” It leaves in its integrity the foundation,
justification, or deliverance from death, through faith alone. This is the
first element of Christian doctrine. Granting that faith does justify, the next
question is whether the faith is real or simulated, being merely a deceptive
show and unsupported claim. The clear information imparted by the apostles is,
that love, indeed, does not deliver from death, but that deliverance from death
and the presence of life becomes a matter of sight and knowledge in that love
has been wrought. With true faith we must have come to
the point where we no longer, like Cain, in our pride and conceit, despise our
neighbor; where we are not filled with envy, hatred and bitterness; where we
desire, and to the extent of our power, promote the interests of our neighbor
and work him all good.
29. John draws to a close by showing the opposite side of
the picture, in that he addresses earnest words that reecho like peals of
thunder to those who make the carnal boast of being Christians while destitute
of love. He cites several facts as evidence that where love is lacking,
necessarily faith and deliverance from death are absent, likewise. Thus no
opportunity is given for self-deception or a frivolous excuse based upon wordy
boasting of one’s faith. The reality of the inner life is known by the presence
of love, which in turn attests the presence of faith in the heart.
“He that loveth not
abideth in death.”
30. Here, in clear, decisive words, the conclusion is
expressed that no man may boast of life unless he has love. If it is true that faith must be active, it is conversely true that
the absence of fruitage demonstrates one’s continuance in the old Cain-like
manner of existence, torpid and dead, bereft of solace and the experience of
God’s grace and life. Let no one presume to think he has passed into life so
long as he is devoid of love and the fruits of faith. Let him become serious,
and in alarm make ready to become a true believer, lest he remain in eternal
death and under greater condemnation than those who have never heard the
Gospel.
“Whosoever hateth
his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life
abiding in him.”
31. Still clearer and stronger becomes the argument that
lack of love means continuance in death. The stern and frightful judgment is
here expressed that the unloving person is no better than Cain the fratricide.
His heart is under the influence of deadly hate and murderous malice against
the brother who refuses to be subservient to his desires. Kindling rage will
prove its existence by appropriate works unless restrained by the fear of
disgrace and punishment. He wishes his brother nothing good, but rejoices in his
misfortune. All this, however, is impossible for one who believes that he has
been delivered from death. One who knows the wretchedness and misery of death
from experience, but has entered upon life with its solace and joy, blessings
he seeks to maintain – such a person will desire for others the same blessing;
he cannot rejoice in another’s death. Therefore it is true
conversely: “We know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”
HATRED NATURAL TO
HUMAN REASON
32. Thus we see the nature of the human heart without faith
and the knowledge of Christ; at bottom it is but the heart of a Cain, murderous
toward its neighbor. Nor can anything better be expected from him who is not a
Christian. The Scriptures repeatedly denounce such faithless hypocrites as
bloodthirsty and deceitful. “Jehovah abhorreth the bloodthirsty and deceitful
man.” Psalm 5:6. “For their feet run to evil, and they make haste
to shed blood.” Proverbs.
“Hereby know we
love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives
for the brethren. But whoso hath the world’s goods, and beholdeth his brother
in need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how doth the love of God
abide in him?”
33. These words delineate true Christian love and hold up
the sublime example, or pattern, of God’s love manifest in Christ. Christ’s
blood and death is God’s own blood and death. Paul in Acts
34. John uses an illustration plain enough for anyone to
understand, and from which we may judge that the soul found wanting in small
duties will be deficient in great ones. According to the apostle, if one
possesses this world’s goods and sees his neighbor want, he being able to
render assistance without injury to himself, and yet closes his heart against
that neighbor, not assisting him with even the slightest work of love, how can
the love of God dwell in him since he appreciates it so little that he will not
spare his needy brother a penny? How can he be
expected, then, to render a greater service – to even lay down his life for his
brother? What right has such a soul to boast – how can he know – that Christ
has laid down his life for him and delivered him from death?
35. How frequently are such people to be found! Having this
world’s goods and being able to help the needy, they close their hearts against
the unfortunate, as did the rich glutton toward poor Lazarus. Where shall we
find in imperial courts, among kings, princes and lords, any who extend a
helping hand to the needy Church, or give her so much
as a crust of bread toward the maintenance of the poor, of the ministry and of
schools, or for other of her necessities? How would they measure up in the
greater duty of laying down their lives for the brethren, and especially for
the Christian Church? Note the terrible judgment that they who are devoid of
brotherly love are in God’s sight murderers and cannot have eternal life.
36. But the merely selfish may well escape our censure in
comparison with those who not only close their purses to the poor but
shamelessly and forcibly deprive and rob their needy neighbor of his own by
overreaching, by fraud, oppression and extortion; who take from the Church the
property rightfully hers and especially reserved for her, snatching the bread
from her mouth, so to speak. Not only is the papistical rabble today guilty of
such sin, but many who would be known as evangelical practice the same fraud
with reference to the parochial estates and general property of the Church,
and, in addition, tyrannically harass and torment the poor ministers. But oh,
how heavy and terrible the impending judgment for those who have denied to
Christ the Lord in his thirst even the cup of cold water!
“My little
children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and
truth.”
37. The world and the false Christians in word pretend great
love; but in practice, when love should manifest itself in deeds, it is found
to be insincere. So John admonishes that where our love is not ardent enough to
lead us to lay down our lives for our brethren, however much we may profess
Christ, that love is assuredly only a vain show, a false pretense, wherewith we
deceive ourselves and remain in infidelity and death, and in a more deplorable
condition than those who are wholly ignorant of the Gospel. Therefore, let him
who would proceed safely and prove himself a Christian remember to prove
himself such by his deeds and works. Then men will know that he does not, a
murderer and liar, like others, follow the devil. They will know, on the
contrary, that he truly and with the heart clings to the Word of God, having
passed from death to life.
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER
TRINITY.
LUKE 14:16-24.
Contents:
The Great Supper and the guests.
_______________
LUKE 14:16-24:
Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at
supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now
ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto
him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray
thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I
go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married
a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord
these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go
out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the
poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord,
it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said
unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come
in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men
which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
1. The Papists, contrary to the order of the ancient Church,
have appointed this Gospel lesson for the first Sunday after Trinity, because
they celebrated it the week during the festival of Corpus Christi, as is still the
custom among them. For they interpreted the supper, of which this Gospel
speaks, to signify the Sacrament of the Altar, and thereby desired to establish
the Communion in one part or form only, which, as you well know, is one of
their chief abuses and an anti-Christian perversion of this sacrament,
concerning which we do not agree with them.
2. Inasmuch as young people are growing up and know nothing
about such festivals or pompous demonstrations, and as we older persons forget
it also, it is well to remind our people, so that, when our youth come to their
churches and see such things, they may not be offended, but may be able to say:
That it is not right, that they should play with the holy Sacrament and carry
it about, in order thereby to dispense so many false indulgences, not with the
intention thereby to honor the Sacrament, for then they would have carried
about the entire Sacrament, or both elements, bread and wine. But to the shame
and disgrace of the Sacrament, they do this that they themselves may thereby be
honored, namely, that the distinction be maintained, that the order of priests
is a more special and a higher order before God, than the common order of
Christians; because the priests alone receive the entire Sacrament or both
elements, the body and the blood of Christ, and other Christians, as the body
and the blood of Christ, and other Christians, as people of a lower order, must
be satisfied with only one part of the Sacrament.
3. This difference they sought to introduce among the people
by such a festival in order thus to praise their order above others, to the
shame and disgrace of the holy Sacrament and our Lord Jesus Christ, who did not
institute his holy Sacrament for a special order over and above the common
order of Christians; just as he also did not suffer and die
for a special order, but for the comfort Of his Christian church which is not
divided, but consists of one body, of the one only Head, Jesus Christ, where
all the members, so far as life and character are concerned, are equal;
although their works are unequal and different.
4. This abuse, which is very great and harmful, we must not
overlook, but picture it forth in its true colors,
because the Papists insist with such hardened and impenitent hearts on their
own godless conduct. For how does it happen that the holy Sacrament must be
used to make a distinction among Christians? Whereas Christ our Lord instituted
it chiefly for the comfort of the conscience and for the strengthening of our
faith, and further that Christendom should be like a bond, by which Christians
are bound together in the most intimate manner; that they be as one bread or
one loaf, not only that they might have in common and at the same time one God,
one Word, one Baptism, one Sacrament, one hope, one confidence, and all the
grace and treasures of Christ in common; but that in their external life they
are also one body, where one member assists, serves, helps, advises and
sympathizes with the others.
5. This use of the holy Sacrament the Papists have thus
entirely abolished, so that they alone have wholly taken the Sacrament to
themselves, and thereby have formed an extra class that was to be better than
common Christians. Yet, in order that the common people might also highly
esteem the one part of the Sacrament and not entirely despise it, they
celebrated this festival every year for eight days, When they played with the
one part, with the wafer, in a grand procession through the city and carried it
about with cymbals and stringed instruments, so that they made
the people stare with wonder, and made them think that even if the order of
priests were grander and greater before God, yet, they too had something of
which they could publicly boast.
6. For this purpose they used this Gospel lesson, although
it agrees very poorly with the teaching of the Sacrament under one form. Just
as though this master of the house had prepared a feast for mice, and only gave
them something to eat and nothing to drink; and yet they themselves sing about
it: Venite, comedite panem meum, Et Bibite vinum meum. Come, eat my bread, And
drink my wine! And after all, they only gave them the one form, the bread, and
kept the wine for themselves. But thus our dear Lord God is constantly treated;
whatever he institutes and orders must be perverted and put to shame by the
devil and his imps. Thus the Sacrament has also been treated, which on this
festival even at the present day is still most horribly blasphemed by the
Papists.
7. For as said before, they do not keep this feast in honor
of the holy Sacrament, else they would bear in their processions both parts,
and the entire Sacrament; but they do it to honor themselves, and they had to
raise it high, not for our benefit, but only that we might know what the
difference is between a priest and a lay member. In other things, where God has
so created them, it is proper to observe the difference, for instance, that a
woman is a woman, and a man a man, that worldly government must be
distinguished from its subjects, and in like manner other worldly conditions.
However, that men should here make a difference where God has put away all
differences; that the Pope and bishops, yea, even St. Peter or St. Paul should
have a better baptism or a better Gospel than any other common Christian is wrong.
Therefore it is also wrong that they wish to have a better Sacrament than other
Christians, for Christ our Lord and Savior, as already said, did not institute
the Sacrament to make a difference among his Christians, but for the sake of equality, just as baptism
and the Gospel, that we may have just as much from it as other persons.
8. This I desired to say briefly for the sake of the young,
and also for our sakes, that everyone should learn to know the devil, and
beware of the abominations which Popery has introduced, and has thus divided
the Christian church which our Lord God has made one,
while they condemn and persecute us because we will not allow ourselves to be
made mice and rats who eat without drinking, or only receive the one part. For
this reason we in our church have altogether done away with this festival,
because the Papists have made it nothing else but pure
idolatry, and have gone straight against the order and institution of Christ,
bringing disgrace to the holy Sacrament and a positive injury to Christianity.
For we will remain with the unity of Christians, that one is as good as
another, and all differences are here at an end. This is enough here for the
sake of the young and the common people. We will now take up the Gospel lesson.
9. The occasion of this sermon by Christ was the miracle
which the Lord Jesus Christ performed in the house of a Pharisee, when he
healed one sick of the dropsy. But the Evangelist tells how they followed him
and were on the watch for him, in order to catch him. Therefore, he also begins
to lecture them, and tells them how they are filled with pride and vanity, and
crowd into the highest seats, until he at length comes to the host, and reads a
text also to him, how he should invite his guests; not the rich who can invite
him again and thank him for it, but the poor, who may welcome him again in the
life to come.
10. Following this address one of them who thought himself
much more learned than Christ the Lord, begins to say: “Oh, how blessed is he
who eateth bread in the kingdom of God.” As though he would say in his great
wisdom: You make yourself unprofitable enough by your preaching! If it would
depend on preaching, I can do that, too, even better than you; for I consider
this a truly great sermon: “Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom
of God.”
11. Christ replies to him: Yes, says he, I will tell you how
blessed you and your comrades are: “A certain man made
a great supper, and bade many,” and they despised it and would not come. This
blow was meant for him. As though he would say: You say much in the words, that
he is a blessed man who eats bread in heaven! Oh, but you are in very great
earnest! What an excellent holy man you are, namely, you are one of those who
are invited and yet do not come. These are hard, sharp and terrible words when
rightly considered; for he is speaking to real thorough-going rogues, who sat
about the table, not because they wanted to learn anything, but in order to
observe him closely to see by what means they might come to him and take him.
To those he spoke this parable:
“A certain man made a great supper.”
12. This man who prepared this supper is our Lord God
himself. He is a great and rich Lord, who also once prepared a feast according
to his glorious majesty and honor, and it was such a supper which is called
great and glorious not only on account of the host, who is God himself, for it
would be a glorious supper if he had only given a vegetable broth or a dry
crust; yet the food is beyond all measure great and costly, namely, the holy
Gospel, yea, Christ our Lord himself. He is himself the food, and is offered
unto us through the Gospel, how he has made
satisfaction by his death for our sins, and has redeemed us from all the misery
of eternal death, of hell, of the wrath of God, sin and eternal condemnation.
13. This preaching of Christ is the great and glorious
supper with which he feeds his guests and sanctifies them through his holy
Baptism, and comforts and strengthens them through the Sacrament of his body
and blood, that nothing may be wanting and a great plenty may be at hand and
all become satisfied. Thus this supper is justly called a glorious, great
supper on account of the fare and food, so costly and richly prepared that no
tongue can describe it and no heart sufficiently grasp it. For it is an eternal
food and an eternal drink, by partaking of which a man shall nevermore thirst
nor hunger, but be forever satisfied, his thirst is quenched and he becomes
joyful; and this not only for one man, but for the whole wide world, even if it
were ten times wider, they would all have sufficient. For it is an
inexhaustible food and an everlasting drink, as our Gospel says: He who
believeth on this Lord Jesus Christ, that he was born for us of the Virgin Mary
and crucified for out’ sins under Pontius Pilate, died, descended into hell,
and rose again from the dead and sitteth at the right hand of God, etc.; he who
believes this, eats and drinks truly from this supper. For to believe in Christ
the Lord means to eat and to drink, from which the people become satisfied, fat
and stout and strong, so that they are joyful forever.
14. This is rightly called a great supper, because it is so
precious, and is offered to so many people that every one may eat until he is satisfied,
and yet the food never becomes less. For it is such a great and strengthening
food that it endures forever and gives eternal life, for it nourishes us
differently than our mere bodily eating and drinking. If one has eaten and
drunk enough to-day, he must still eat again to-morrow. But this is an eternal
food and lasts forever. With this Christ gives those hypocrites at the table to
understand that it is a different supper from what they had given him; and yet
they are such rogues and knaves, that although they gossip and talk about it a
great deal, yet they despise God and his mercy, eternal life and salvation, and
hold everything else dearer. It follows further:
15. The many who are bidden are the Jews and all the people
of Israel, who from Abraham on, and especially through the prophets had been
invited. For to the patriarch Abraham the seed was promised through whom the
blessing should come, and to him as the father of this people was this supper
first announced. After that the prophets carried it further and directed the
attention of the people to it, so that nothing was wanting on the part of the
Lord our God, and all were diligently invited. Therefore St. Paul in his
Epistles everywhere tells the Jews: Judaeis primum et Graecis: To the Jew
first, and also to the Greek.
16. Now when the hour came to go to the table, that is, when
the time came for our Lord Christ to be born, to suffer and rise
again from the dead, then the servants went out, John the Baptist and the Apostles,
and said to those who were bidden, to the people of Israel: Dear people,
hitherto you have been invited, now is the time to come, now the supper is
ready! Your Lord Jesus Christ, your Messiah is already born, has died and rose
again, therefore do not remain away any longer, come to the table, eat and be
happy, that is, accept your promised treasure with joy, who has according to
promise delivered you from the curse and condemnation and has saved you. And
this message was brought especially to the leaders of the people, who held high
places in the spiritual and civil governments. But what did they do with it?
“And they all with one consent began to make excuse.”
17. This was a lesson for those guests who sat with Christ
at the table, and especially for the good-for-nothing babbler, who wanted to
master Christ and preached much about the bread in the kingdom of God; blessed
is the man who eats bread in the kingdom of heaven! Yes, Christ answers, do you
want to know how blessed you are? I will tell you. The bread is now on the
table and the supper prepared. John the Baptist was here, I and my Apostles
invite you now to come to the supper; but you do not only stay away, you let
the host sit at his great and
glorious supper, but you even want to excuse yourselves and yet be pure. Hence
it is a twofold sin, not only that you despise the Gospel, but even claim to be
doing right, and to be even holy, pious and wise; this is a very grievous sin.
It were already too wicked not to believe in the Word of God our Lord; but as
they go further and despise it, and yet want to be just besides, is going
entirely too far. As our young noblemen also do, who have disgraced and
blasphemed the Sacrament and have given to us erring creatures only one part,
and at the same time excuse themselves, and claim thereby to have done right.
Yea, they also condemn us, and oppress us with all kinds of martyrdom, murder
and drive away the people who truly desire to enjoy the whole Sacrament. But
let them only pour out their rage hot enough, who
knows, who will yet be compelled to sweat in this bath?
18. The Jews acted and excused themselves thus: Oh, we
cannot accept the doctrine, for it is opposed to the priesthood and to the law,
which God himself has given us through Moses. Besides it also creates divisions
in our kingdom which God has confirmed. We must see how to maintain our own
affairs! Thus the first one excuses himself with his land, the second with his
oxen, and both think they do well; the third does not even excuse himself at all,
he simply refuses, and says he cannot come.
19. These are the excuses of the Jews as well as our own,
which we prefer against the Gospel, for we are no better than they were. They
first pretended that the law of Moses had to remain, and because the Apostles
preached against the law, that neither their law, temple nor priests were
necessary, for a greater priest was present, Jesus Christ, of the tribe of
Judah; they would not tolerate such preaching, but held to their law as they
still do. Thus it has come to pass that they still wait at the present day, and
must wait until the last day for their Messiah to come, and they hope that he
will prepare all things, the old priesthood anti kingdom as it was in the time
of David, when he will give them everything in the
greatest abundance.
20. For Christ here treats of these three parties. The first
says: I want to see my farm. These are the foremost and best among them, among
the Jews they were the entire priesthood and the chief rulers. These said: We
priests must work, cultivate and harvest the land, that is, we must rule the
people, and wait upon the priesthood God has entrusted unto us, as Christ also
calls ministers cultivators of the soil who sow the Gospel. But as the
teachings of the Apostles are opposed to this, it is wrong, and we are justly
excused when we do not accept their doctrine.
21. Thus others also who had offices in the civil government
excuse themselves with the oxen. For oxen are called the rulers of the people,
Psalm
22. The third class say: The Gospel is a doctrine that will
not allow covetousness, nor permit us to strive to have sufficient for our
bodily needs, but commands us to risk everything, body and life, money and
goods, for Christ’s sake. Therefore we will and cannot come, for we must see
how we may keep our own, which God has given us. For to take a wife is not to
do or undertake anything dishonorable, but to enter an honorable state, and to
be at home and plan how to support yourself, which is everyone’s duty. But all
this is just that by which an honest housefather commits sin, when he only
thinks of this, how he may become rich, keep house well and prosper. God grant
it whether it be done with or against God. For the Jews took into consideration
only how Moses had promised them if they would be good and keep God’s
commandments, to give temporal blessings, cattle,
lands, wife, child, and all things should be blessed and prosper. Therefore
they only sought to have their cellars and kitchens full, and to be rich, and
then they thought that they were good, and that God had thus blessed them, as
the Psalm says, Psalm 144:13-14.
23. Just in this very manner our Papists still excuse
themselves and say: The doctrine is right, of course, but we must still adhere
to the Church and her orderly government. Again, we must above all things
maintain obedience to the worldly power, so that there may be no disturbance
and insurrection. Thus they are troubled just like the Jews. If they would
accept the Gospel, they fear they might lose their Church and government,
whereas the Gospel alone builds up the true Christian
church, and prevents all injustice, violence and insurrection. Besides
covetousness is also present; since they see nothing in the Gospel but mere
poverty and persecution, so that it goes as it does here, that they simply and
without fear refuse to obey the Gospel and say, they have taken wives and
cannot come, and still they want to be Christians and claim to have done just
right, and want to be regarded as pious bishops, good princes and good
citizens.
24. But how will it go with them? Just as it did with the
Jews. They held so long to their law, priesthood, kingdom and treasures, until
they at last went to destruction, and lost one after the other; so that now
they dwell here and there and have their homes under foreign princes as if
living in a swing. This is the reward for which they labored. For they desired
not this supper, and preferred their kingdom, priesthood and houses, rather
than the Gospel. Therefore they lost all three, and received the sentence that
none of them should taste of this supper, and thus be deprived of both, of
temporal things here on earth, and of the everlasting feast in heaven. The same
will also certainly be the fate of our adversaries.
25. Thus Christ our Lord lectured this sharp doctor and his
associates at the table, and showed them how they stood before our Lord God,
namely, that God was angry at them, and would look out for other guests, as
follows:
“Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servants, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in hither the poor, and maimed, and blind, and lame.”
26. As though he would say: Very well, inasmuch as this must
be done, that you must examine your land and oxen and take unto you wives, and
on this account neglect my supper, that is, you want your priesthood, kingdom
and wealth, and will let me and my Gospel go, hence I will let you go, too,
that on this account you will lose all, and I will provide me other guests. Therefore
go forth, my servant, into the struts and lanes of the city and bring in hither
the poor and crippled, the lame and blind. This was also done among the Jews.
For as the great lords, princes and priests, and those who were the best among
the people would not accept the Gospel, for reasons already given, our God and
Lord accepted the humble fishermen, the poor, miserable and despised little
flock, as St. Paul also says, Corinthians 1:26-28: “For behold your calling,
brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble,
are called; but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to
shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world that he
might put to shame the things that are strong, and base things of the world,
and the things that are despised, did God choose, yea, and the things that are
not, that he might bring to naught the things that are.”
27. According to this passage all that are wise, holy, rich and
powerful, God has rejected, because they will not accept his Gospel; and the
foolish, simple, and the most insignificant little lights, as Peter, Andrew,
Philip, Bartholomew and the like, who were poor fishermen and needy beggars,
whom he here calls the poor, the maimed, the lame and blind, are chosen, whom
no one would have considered worthy to be the servants of the priests and
princes of the people. These were left like dregs, and as Isaiah says, the
dregs of the good costly wine; the best among the people, the priests, the
leaders, the rich and powerful are cast out as a vessel of good wine, and the
dregs alone are left, which the Lord here calls the poor, the lame, the maimed
and the blind. These are promoted to grace and honor, so that they become acceptable
to God and dear guests, because the others, the high and great people will not
come.
28. What the Pharisee now says: “Blessed is he that shall
eat bread in the kingdom of God”- to which Christ answers: Yes, blessed are
they; but you and your followers are concerned about your farm and oxen. You
speak of these things, therefore you shall know that a supper has been
prepared, of which the poor shall eat, as the text says, Matthew 11:5, Pauperes
evangelizantur, the poor have the Gospel preached to them. For the powerful,
the saints, the wise do not want it, therefore it has come to pass that both
priests and leaders have been cast away as the best wine, because they have
held so firmly to their oxen, their land and their wives; and in their stead have
been promoted the poor beggars, who came to the Gospel in this glorious supper.
29. This is to press the Jews very hard, and especially this
one here, who wants to be wise and to eat bread in heaven, and yet he clings to
his priesthood and kingdom, let Christ’ and his Gospel be what they may. For
his heart is so constituted that he does not need Christ at all to make sure of
heaven, but thinks our Lord God will say to him and all the Jews: Come, you
Jews, and especially you priests, you saints, you princes, you fat citizens,
for you the supper is prepared! Yes, says he, it is true,
you are invited, but you care nothing for it and excuse yourselves and claim
that you are right. Therefore I cast you away, and accept rather the most
humble people, even if I shall obtain no one but the despised, the poor, the
maimed and the lame.
30. Thus it shall also be done to our adversaries, and
nothing shall help them, though they be great, holy bishops, powerful princes
and lords, and think that our Lord God will not thus cast them away, and accept
only the poor rats’ nest at Wittenberg, and the humble flock who love the
Gospel. Yes, my dear friend, if God has cast away the best among his people who
had such glorious and great promises, and took the dregs, neither will he give it to thee. Simply because you are great, holy and
powerful, will not enable you to eat bread in heaven, for the poor have the
Gospel preached to them. For our Lord is much greater, stronger, wiser and
holier than all kings and all devils; therefore he cares but little about your
holiness or power. And if you will still defy him and so wickedly despise his
Word, he will then also rise up against you, so that
all your wisdom, power and holiness will come to naught.
31. Thus far this Gospel lesson pertains only to the Jews;
for Christ speaks of the lame and cripple who are found in the streets of the
city. The people of the Jews are called a city, because they were a constituted
and well ordered people, and had the law, the worship, the temple, the priests
and ‘king, all of which was ordained by God himself and established by Moses.
Now he also sends his servant into the highways and commands him to take guests
wherever he could find them, even the beggars along the hedges and everywhere.
“And the Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the high. ways and hedges, and constrain them to come in that my house may be filled.”
32. This refers to us, the heathen, who have dwelt in no
city, who were without any worship of the true God,
but were idolatrous, and did not know what we or God were. Therefore our
condition is properly called a free, open place on the highways, in the field,
where the devil walks over us and has his quarters.
33. Go thither, he says, and constrain them to come in. For
the world arrays itself against the Gospel in every way, and cannot tolerate
this doctrine, and yet this housefather wants his house full of guests, for he
himself has thus made preparations, and he now must
have people to eat, drink and be joyful, even if he had to make them of stones.
34. Here we can also see that Christ our Lord suffers the
world to stand so long for our sakes, although he would have sufficient reason,
because of our sins to destroy it every moment. Yet he does not do this because
he still desires more guests, and because of the elect
who also belong to this supper. Now, because his servants bring the precious
Gospel to us, is an indication that we who are baptized and believe, also
belong to this supper, for we are the great lords of the hedges, who are blind,
poor and lost heathen.
35. But how shall we be constrained, as God does not want
any forced worship? He constrains us by having the Gospel preached to all men:
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not
shall be damned.” Here he shows us both heaven and hell, death and life, wrath
and grace, and reveals unto us our sins and ruined condition, so that we may be
awakened on account of it, because we hear that a man as soon as he is born,
naturally belongs to the devil and is condemned. This is part of this
constraint, by which one is terrified at the wrath of God and desires grace and
help from him.
36. When this has taken place by preaching and the hearts
are thus stricken and awakened, he then desires that we should preach thus:
Dear friend, do not despair because you are a sinner and have such a terrible
sentence passed upon you; but do this, go forth and be baptized and hear the
Gospel. Here you will learn that Jesus Christ has died for your sake, and has made satisfaction for your sins. If you believe this, then
you will be safe against the wrath of God and eternal death, and you shall eat
here at this glorious supper and live well, become hearty and strong.
37. This means rightly to constrain, namely, to terrify with
sin, not as the Pope constrains with his ban. He does not properly awaken the
conscience, because he does not teach what sin really is, but deals with his
foolish work, saying, whoever does not observe his order and human tradition, shall
be put under the ban. But the Gospel begins to reveal sin and the wrath of God
from heaven, Romans 1, that we all live unrighteously and godlessly, without
exception. This our Lord commands us to preach through the Gospel when he says
to the Apostles: “Go forth and preach repentance.” But a man cannot preach
repentance unless he declares that God is angry at all men, because they are
full of unbelief, contempt of God and other sins.
38. This wrath must terrify them and make their consciences
timid and fearful, that they constrain themselves and say: O, Lord God! what
shall I ever do to be relieved from this distress? Now when man is terrified
and feels his wretchedness and misery, then it is right to say to him: Sit down
at the table of this rich Lord and eat, for there are yet many tables without
guests and plenty to eat, that is, be baptized and believe in Jesus Christ,
that he has made satisfaction for your sins. Otherwise, there are no means to
aid you, except you be baptized and believe. Thus wrath will cease and heaven
will shine with pure grace and mercy, forgiveness of
sins and eternal life.
39. Therefore these words, “Constrain them to come in?’ are
for the poor, miserable multitude of those who are constrained, that is,
especially we, who before were lost and condemned heathen, the lovely and
comfortable from the masses, by which God desires to forcibly portray and show
unto us his unfathomable grace. For it must ever be an unspeakable love, that
he shows in these words that he is so desirous for our welfare and salvation,
that he commands us not only friendly to call and encourage poor sinners to
come to this supper, but also desires them to be urged and constrained, and
that such urging is not to cease, that they may only come to his supper. By
this he sufficiently shows that he will not cast them away or permit them to be
lost, wherever they themselves will not only through malicious contempt and
hardened impenitence oppose such efforts to constrain them. So that he is as
Tauler said, immeasurably more anxious to give and
help us, than we are or ever can be to receive or to pray, and demands and
requires nothing more difficult from us, than that we should widely open our
hearts and accept his grace.
40. This constraining, however, is necessary in preaching
both repentance and forgiveness of sins; for without repentance we remain too
hard and obdurate under his wrath, in our sinful nature and in the kingdom of
the devil. And moreover, when the terror of divine wrath strikes us, we are
again too fearful, modest and disturbed, to take this to heart and believe,
that he will show us such great grace and mercy, and we are always full of
anxiety that we do not belong to them, and that he will reject us because of
our sins and great unworthiness. Therefore he must himself command and work
that men continue and persevere evermore to constrain and urge as much as
possible, both by holding forth wrath for the wicked and grace for the faithful
Wrath and repentance urge man to run and cry for grace. This is then the right
way a person goes to this supper, and thus from Jews and Gentiles there will be
one Christian church, and all will be called alike poor, miserable people, lame
and crippled, for they accept the Gospel heartily and with joy.
41. Those, however, who will not do this, be they as wise
and as shrewd as they please, receive this sentence, they shall not taste of
this supper, that is, the wrath of God shall remain upon them and they shall be
condemned on account of their unbelief. For here our Lord does not inquire, as
before said, whether they be rich, wise or holy. Therefore, although they be
already secure and think there is no danger, they will nevertheless experience,
that this sentence will stand, when the Lord here concludes: Non gustabunt,
“they shall not taste of my supper.” We, however, who accept it and with
terrified hearts on account of our sins do not reject the grace of God which is
made known to us in the Gospel through Christ and is
offered to us, shall receive grace instead of wrath; instead of sin, eternal
righteousness; and instead of eternal death, eternal life.
42. In our time this terrible sentence, as we see, most
powerfully goes forth against the Jews and the Turks, and no saver of the
Gospel is left them; yea, it is to them a disgust and abomination, so that they
can neither tolerate nor hear it. So are also our Popes and bishops, they shall
not even smell this supper, not to say anything of their being filled with it.
But we, who by God’s peculiar grace have come to this doctrine, shall become
hearty, strong and joyful by it, and at the table of this supper we are of good
cheer. God grant that we may thus remain constant to the end! Amen.
43. Thus in this parable the Lord would admonish us to
esteem the Gospel as dear and precious, and not hold to the crowd who think
they are smart, wise, powerful and holy. For here stands the sentence: They
shall be cast off and shall never taste of this supper; as among the Jewish
people they have been cast off, and only the small dregs thereof remained. Thus
it will also be with us, when we prefer our land, oxen, wives, that is, as it
is at present called, spiritual or worldly honor along with temporal goods, to
the Gospel.
44. He declares in simple, humble, short but very earnest
words: “They shall not taste of my supper.” As though he would say: Very well,
my supper, too, is something, and what does it profit if it be better than
their oxen, lands, homes and wives, when they now despise it, and regard their
lands, oxen and homes, more precious? And when the hour shall come when they
must forsake their oxen, lands and homes, then they would gladly also taste of
my supper. But then, too, it shall be said: Dear friend, I am not at home at
present, I cannot now wait on the guests, go forth to your lands, to your oxen,
to your homes, they will, of course, afford you a better supper, because you
have so securely and impudently despised my supper. Of course, I have cooked
for you and let it cost me dear; this you have rejected with disdain. If now
you have cooked better things, eat and be joyful, but you shall not taste of my
supper.
45. This will be to them all a hard, terrible, and
unbearable sentence, when he will call his supper everlasting life, and their
lands, oxen and homes the everlasting fire of hell; and remain firm by this
forever, that they shall not taste of his supper, that is, there shall be no more hope for them forever. For there neither repentance nor
sorrow will avail, and from thence there shall be no return. Therefore these
are exceedingly violent words, which show the great and endless wrath of the
master of the house, for this is customary with great lords and high people,
when they are real angry, they do not speak many words. But what they do say,
every word weighs a hundred pounds, for they intend to do more
violently than they can express in words. Bow much more do those short words of
the Almighty Lord signify an inexpressible wrath, which can never be
reconciled.
46. Yet we act as though a fool or a child had spoken such
hard, terrible words, at which we could laugh and make sport, or as though it
were our Lord’s jest and mockery, and neither hear nor see what the text
plainly says, that he is angry, and has spoken this in great wrath; and that he
is not a fool or a child, but the Lord and God over all things, before whom we
justly tremble and are terrified, as the Scriptures say, the mountains with
their base and foundation, and both the sea and the waters flee before him. But
no creature is so hard and perverse as man, who has no fear whatever for
anything, but despises and makes light of it.
47. But we are indeed sufficiently excused who say: This is
our boast. For on that day the whole world must bear witness and confess that
they have heard it from us, saw and experienced it, and it does not worry us if
they condemn it as heresy. We will gladly bear it, that they call it heresy,
and we hear it enough and beyond measure, and thank them kindly besides, that
they cry it down as heresy. For thereby they always confess that they have
certainly heard, seen and read it. I desire nothing more
of them, for in that they confess that they have heard it, they testify that we
have not been silent. If then we have not been silent, but have faithfully and
diligently taught and preached this, so that our enemies themselves say that we
have pressed it too hard, then let that man judge us, whom we hold has
commanded us so to preach, and then let that god defend or condemn them, who
urges them to condemn us. It shall be known in God’s name, whose God is the true God, and whose Christ is the true Christ, and which
church is the true Church. It shall be known when the snow disappears.
48. Although there can be no better government for this
world than the devil’s, or instead of the devil’s, the government of the Pope,
for this is what the world wants. What the devil wants goes forth and mightily
prospers; what God wants both in the spiritual and worldly government, never
succeeds and has innumerable hindrances, so that, if I could separate the world
from the church, I would gladly assist to subject the world to the Pope and the
devil. But Christ our Lord will do this and other things besides, and will keep
his supper far enough from the world and the devil. Amen.
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER
TRINITY
1 PETER 5:5-11.
1 PETER 5:5-11.
Likewise, ye younger, be subject unto the
elder. Yea, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another: for
God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves
therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time;
casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for you. Be sober, be
watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour: whom withstand steadfast in your faith, knowing that the
same sufferings are accomplished in your brethren who are in the world. And the
God of all grace, who called you unto his eternal glory in Christ, after that
ye have suffered a little while, shall himself perfect, establish, strengthen
you. To him be the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
HUMILITY, TRUST,
WATCHFULNESS, SUFFERING
1. This is the conclusion of Saint Peter’s epistle. It is an
exhortation to good works, such as a Christian, or believer, should practice.
It is evident that the doctrine of the Gospel is not such as is charged by
some, forbidding good works, or not earnestly commanding and urging them. Most
diligently and repeatedly it urges the doctrine of works – such works as are,
indeed, good works. There are in this epistle four natural heads which furnish
us four good sermons.
I. HUMILITY
2. The apostle has, in the verses immediately preceding our
text, exhorted the elders, that is, preachers, to be in their lives “ensamples
to the flock,” not “lording it over the charge allotted” to them, but using
their office for the service of others. And here in our text he exhorts the
others, especially the young, to “be subject unto the elder.” And, in general,
he admonishes all to “gird” themselves “with humility, to serve one another.”
So Paul likewise admonishes that we should honor one another. Humility is the
noblest and sweetest virtue love brings forth, and it is the most essential to
peace and discipline. But especially does it become and adorn the young, making
them pleasing and precious to God and men, bringing forth an abundance of good
fruits.
3. If mankind could be led so to believe this that the
virtue of humility would be generally practiced, it would be well everywhere.
This would be a beautiful world, filled with discipline and good works. I would
much prefer to see a city in which the young are reared in this virtue than a
hundred monasteries of barefooted and Carthusian friars, though they lived ever
so strictly. Alas! the greatest and most frequent complaint heard anywhere is
concerning the disobedience, wantonness and pride of the younger generation
found among all ranks. Therefore it is necessary to use all diligence that this
exhortation be instilled into the hearts of the young and urged upon them, in
the hope that it may benefit them.
4. First of all, Peter presents the divine command. We are
not left to our own good pleasure in the matter – to show humility or not, as
we please. God earnestly asks it of us, and asks that we do it lovingly and
willingly. Otherwise his anger will be poured out upon us and we will have no
happiness nor favor, not even among men. For everyone is a foe to pride and
arrogance. These offenses are condemned by the whole world, even by strangers
whom they do not concern. One may be guilty of pride and not see his own shame,
yet he cannot suffer it in another; he will hate and condemn that one. This
vice hurts no one save himself. He makes himself hateful and contemptible
before God and men. Everyone calls him a great, proud bag of filth and cries
shame upon him. God metes out judgment and scorn to him, witnessing that he
will not let this vice go unpunished, but will put the offender to shame. As
Peter here says: “God resisteth the proud.”
5. Men should be moved by the examples which daily come to
light in fulfillment of this passage. If we should have no regard for our own
honor and standing before the world, neither for the contempt and the curses of
all men; if the illustrious example of the noble character and eternal majesty
of God’s Son, our Lord, should not stir us (which ought to move us if we have
one spark of Christianity in us), as we behold his unspeakable and incomprehensible
humility which, rightly viewed, should melt the Christian’s heart – if all this
does not move us, we should be humbled by the many awful examples of God’s
fearful wrath which, from the beginning, he has hurled against pride.
6. What is more terrible than the
eternal, irreparable fall and banishment of once lofty angelic nature that
resulted when the devil robbed himself of the honor and glory enjoyed by the
noble blessed spirits, and of the contemplation of eternal God, and brought
upon himself everlasting and intolerable damnation by seeking to make himself
equal with God, and through similar pride, led the human race to its awful
fall? But what a blind, condemned creature are you, who, with your filthy,
shameful pride and haughtiness, become like the spirit of evil, thereby turning
all the world into your enemy and opposing yourself to the divine majesty,
before which even the angels must tremble! If you have no fear of losing the
favor and prayers of mankind, at least be afraid lest God send down upon your
head his lightning and thunder, with which he crushes iron, rocks, and
mountains, and hurl you forever into the abyss, as he hurled down the proud
spirit and his angels.
7. Saint Peter exhorts both those who are in the office of
the ministry, and other Christians, to whom God has given something, that they
abide in their calling and office and conduct the same humbly, gladly obeying
and serving others. Right here this vice of pride is the most hurtful to
Christianity. For its whole government, life and essence are so ordered by God
that no one should exalt himself and lord it over others, as the Pope, the true Antichrist has done. Only humility and deeds of
Christian love and service should prevail in all classes and in all offices and
works.
PRIDE OPPOSED TO
THE FIRST TABLE
8. Pride in this order of the Church is really and directly
opposed to the first table of the law. It is a genuinely devilish pride in
God’s name and Word on the part of such people as would be wise in matters of
faith and would lord it over God’s Word. They puff themselves up if, forsooth,
they have a gift more than others, and they hold God
and all men as nothing. This vice is common among the great, learned and wise
bishops and preachers. It prevails among those who learn of them and cling to
them, especially beginners who, inexperienced and undisciplined, are brought
into prominence. Such puff themselves up and boast: “I also am a learned
doctor. I love the Spirit and other gifts just as well as, and even in greater
measure than, these preachers.” So they think they deserve to be heard and
honored above others. They consider themselves so wise that all the world, in
comparison, are geese and fools. And the greater one’s gifts, the greater and more harmful such pride. It is common in other professions,
also. He who has a little ability, or bears the title of doctor, makes much ado
about it, and despises others. He acts as if what he has were not given him by
God, but as if it were his by nature and birth, and therefore he deserves the
praise and worship of all men. Such persons do not realize they are acting in
opposition to God, and that they will themselves plunge into the abyss of hell
before they can hurl God down from his heavenly throne.
9. See, from the examples of our own time, how God has
overthrown such people. Thomas Munzer, with his tumultuous prophets, and later
the Anabaptist faction, were proud of heart, would not listen to admonition,
and lo! suddenly they went down to ruin, not only in utter disgrace, but to
their own miserable and eternal loss and that of many people who had been
misled by them. So, too, there are at the present day many proud spirits. Some
dare not yet publicly show themselves. Such as have perceived that they are
learned, or are held in regard by men, thereupon grow boastful and, despite all
their skill and learning, abide without the Spirit and without fruit, even if
they do not work more harm in addition to bringing
themselves into condemnation.
10. Thus it is in all kinds of gifts and offices where men
are not Godfearing and humble. For example, those who are intrusted with the
civil government – princes, counselors, lawyers (where they are not
“theologians,” that is, Christians)mare so insolent and proud that they imagine
themselves alone to be the people, whom others are to reverence as gods. In
their pride, they despise God and men, and by their arrogance they lead the
land and the people to destruction. These have already the judgment upon
themselves that they, as God’s enemies, must be hurled down. For they have cut
themselves loose from God’s kingdom and grace; and the blessings of baptism and
of Christ, with his suffering and blood, are lost upon them.
11. We have now shown how pride conflicts with the demands
of the first table of the law. Men do not employ the spiritual treasures and
gifts to God’s honor nor to the good of their neighbors. Thus they mar these
gifts and, in their wicked course, go to the devil, into whose likeness they
have grown.
PRIDE OPPOSED TO
THE SECOND TABLE
12. Further, this vice is just as general in the sphere of
the second table of the law – among the common people and in the temporal life
of the world, each one boasting of himself and despising others. Prince and
nobleman think that all the world is nothing in comparison with themselves.
Commoner and peasant, puffed up because they have much wealth, imagine they
must defy everybody, and do good to nobody. These deserve to be spit upon by
all men. Such pride does not become them better than ornaments of gold or
silver would become an image of stone or a wooden block. Finally, the women,
with their foolish pride of dress, must not be forgotten. One prides herself on
being better or more beautifully adorned than her neighbor. She is, in truth, a
finely decorated goose. She imagines that no other woman equals her. Yea, there
is scarcely a house-servant or maid but brags over others.
13. In short, we have come to the point where all men, with
their insolence and boastfulness, seek to lord it over others. None will humble
himself to another. Each thinks he has full right to act as he does, and is
under no obligation to yield to others. And the civil government has grown so
weak that that there is no hope of restraining the haughtiness of all classes,
from the highest to the lowest. At last, God must strike with thunder and
lightning to prove to us that he resists such people and will not tolerate
pride. Therefore the young, who can still be led, should be exhorted and
trained, as far as possible, to guard themselves against this vice.
14. Peter uses for his purpose a peculiar term when he says,
“Gird yourselves with humility.” “Gird” has the meaning of being bound or
joined together most firmly; or, as a garment, most carefully woven through and
through so that it cannot tear. He illustrates by this term how Christians,
with all diligence, should strive after the virtue, and manifest and practice
it among themselves, as if upon them as a band it was a special obligation.
Thus, he says, must you be twined together and bound to each other, and your
hands clasped together. So must you be joined by humility, which cannot be
dissolved, dismembered, or torn, even though occasion be given one, here and
there, incited by the devil, or the evil word of someone else, to fly into a
passion, and grow defiant and boastful, as if to say: Must I suffer such things
at the hands of this man? But rather say to yourselves. We are Christians, and
must bear with each other and yield, in many things; for we are all one body,
and we are placed together here on earth for the sole reason that we may,
through love, serve one another.
15. And each should recognize his own weakness. He should
remember that God has given others also something and can give
them yet more, and that therefore he should gladly serve and yield to others,
remembering that he needs their help. Each one is created for the sake of
others, and we are all to serve one another. God gives the same grace and
salvation to all, so that none may exalt himself above his neighbor; or, if he
lift himself up, that he lose the grace conferred and fall into deeper
condemnation. Therefore we must hold fast to this humility, so that the unity
may not be destroyed. For Satan seeks to destroy this also, and uses every
possible means to lead people to despise each other and to be proud and
insolent in their treatment of each other. And these are things to which flesh
and blood, even without special incitement, are inclined. Thus humility is
easily and quickly lost if men are not alert to fight against the devil and
their own flesh.
THE BEAUTY OF
HUMILITY
16. Humility is one of the beautiful garments and ornaments
with which Christians should adorn themselves before God and the world. Paul,
in Colossians
17. By this virtue, true saints and Christians can better be
known than by monastic seclusion and holiness. It requires no great effort to
wear a gray cowl. It is not even such a great trial to lie on the ground at
night and to arise at
“For God resisteth
the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.”
18. As I have said above, he strives to show the earnestness
of God’s command. The command is accompanied by a threat. He does not simply
say, God punishes the proud, or God is hostile to them; but he “resisteth” them,
he sets himself against them. Now, what is the pride of all men toward God? Not
so much as a poor, empty bubble. Their pride puffs itself up and distends
itself as though it would storm the sky and contend against the lightning and
thunder, that can shatter heaven and earth. What can the combined might of all
creatures accomplish if God oppose himself thereto? And how does a miserable
man, whose heart is overwhelmed by a small pestilence, rise against the majesty
of heaven which can, any moment, cast him down into the abyss? What are earth
and ashes proud of? says Sirach, 10:9.
19. Is it not enough and more than
enough that other sin and disobedience are laid to our account, by which we
anger God and merit heavy punishment, without our trying further to provoke him
with our pride and haughtiness, so that he must arise in his majesty and resist
us? With other sins he can have patience, that he may exhort and incite us to
repentance. But if, in hardened impenitence, we defy and oppose him, he cannot
but rise up against us. Who is there that will bear
it, or be able to stand, when God sets his countenance and his power against a
poor man already subject, every moment, to death and the power of the devil?
THE CONSEQUENCE OF
PRIDE
20. From the beginning, innumerable instances in history
have proved the truth of this saying, “God resisteth the proud.” They show how
he has always overthrown and destroyed the proud world and has cast down the
haughty, scornful kings and lords. The great king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar,
was humbled when banished from his royal throne to the companionship of the
beasts of the field and compelled to eat grass with them, Daniel 4:30ff. Again,
remember how suddenly the great king Alexander was hurled down, when after the
victory and good fortune God had given him, he began to grow proud, and wanted
to be reverenced as a god? Again, there was King Herod Agrippa, Acts
21. The Pope, also, has ever, in devilish pride, exalted
himself, and in the temple of God set himself forth as
God. Further, in worldly pomp and pride he has lifted himself above all others.
He has even learned, from heathen emperors, as Diocletian and other tyrants, to
have men kiss his feet. Yea, he has forced emperors and kings to submit to this
humiliating act. What open, inhuman insolence and pride Pope Alexander the
Third practiced when, by threatening against him his empty ban, he compelled
the pious and mighty German emperor, Frederick Barbarossa, to prostrate himself
at his feet while he stepped upon him and said, Thou shalt tread upon the lion
and adder; and when the emperor protested against such shameful pride and said,
Non tibi, sed Petro (Not to thee, but to Peter), the Pope, with increasing
scorn, replied, “Et mihi, et Petro” (Both to me, and to Peter). This is pride
carried almost to its highest point.
22. The Turk, too, is prouder now than ever, and, I hope,
has reached the heights of pride, beyond which he cannot and shall not proceed.
Meantime, may he not attack and humble us! But it will come to pass, in the
end, that God will overthrow both pope and Turk through his divine power, and,
as Daniel says, without the aid of men. This word will not fail, “God resisteth
the proud.” Its truth must appear in human events, so that men may see what is
meant by the declaration, “God resisteth”; otherwise no one would believe it.
Though the Turk and all the world should be a thousand times more
proud and powerful, this should not help them when he who is above sees and
grows angry, and lifts his hand. He asks as little about the power of all
Turkish emperors and of the Pope as about a dead fly.
23. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the
living God,” Hebrews
“Humble yourselves,
therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.”
24. Peter shows in these words what true
humility is and whence it comes. The heart, through knowledge of its sin,
becomes terrified in the presence of God’s anger and anxiously seeks grace.
Thus a humility is born, not merely external and before men, but of the heart
and of God, from fear of God and knowledge of one’s own unworthiness and
weakness. He who fears God and “trembles at his word” (
Isaiah 66:5), will surely defy or hector or boast against nobody. Yea,
he will even manifest a gentle spirit toward his enemies. Therefore, he finds
favor both with God and men.
25. The cause of this, Peter says, shall be “the mighty hand
of God.” As though he would say: Ye may not do nor leave undone this thing for
the sake of men, but ye ought to humble yourselves under the hand of God. God’s
hand is powerful and mighty in a twofold respect: It dashes down and overthrows
the proud and self-secure, however hard and iron their heads and hearts may be.
They must languish in dust and ashes; yea, must lie despondent and desperate in
the anguish and torments of hell, if he touch them but a little with the
terrors of his anger. These are experiences through which the saints also pass,
and concerning whose severity they make lamentation. “For thine arrows stick
fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. There is no soundness in my flesh
because of thine indignation,” Psalm 38:2-3. “For I have eaten ashes like
bread, and mingled my drink with weeping. Because of thine indignation and thy
wrath: for thou hast taken me up, and cast me away,” Psalm 102:9-10. “I am consumed
by the blow of thy hand. When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity,
thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth,” Psalm 39:10-11.
THE REWARD OF
HUMILITY
26. In the second place, God’s hand is mighty to raise, to
comfort and strengthen the humbled and the fearful, and, as Peter says here, to
exalt them. Those who in terror have been cast down should not, therefore,
despair, or flee before God, but rise again, and be
comforted in God. God wants it preached and published that he never lays his
hand upon us in order that we may perish and be damned. But he must pursue this
course in order to lead us to repentance: otherwise we would never inquire
about his Word and will. And if we seek grace, he is ready to help us up again,
to grant us forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit, and eternal life. The Psalms
and the Prophets here and there speak of this. “Jehovah hath chastened me sore;
but he hath not given me over unto death,” Psalm 118:18. “Jehovah raiseth up
them that are bowed down,” Psalm 146:8.
27. God will “exalt you in due time,” says Peter. Though
God’s help be delayed, and the humbled and suffering seem to lie oppressed all
too long under God’s hand, and on that account to languish, nevertheless, let
them hold to the promise Paul has given: God “will not suffer you to be tempted
above that ye are able,” 1 Corinthians
“Casting all your
anxiety upon him, because he careth for you.”
28. What will become of him who lives a God-fearing and
humble life, suffering the insolence, pride and wantonness of the world? Or,
where will he find protection and defense, to abide in his godly ways? We see
daily how the pious are harassed and persecuted, and are trod on by the world.
The Apostle says: “Ye Christians must endure temptation and adversity, want and
need, both physical and spiritual, in the world, and your heart is oppressed
with anxiety and cares, and ye think within yourselves: O, what will become of
me? How shall I be supported? What if I should die ?”
(The world only concerns itself about how it may be enriched and be filled, and
anxious, unbelieving consciences would, through themselves and their own good
works, seek to have a gracious God and to die in peace.) “In view of all this,”
he says, “only hearken, I will counsel and instruct you aright as to what
disposition you should make of your troubles.” There is a brief passage in
Psalm 55:22 which reads: “Cast thy burden upon Jehovah, and he will sustain
thee: he will never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Follow ye this advice.
Let not your burden rest upon yourselves; for ye cannot bear it, and must
finally perish beneath its weight. But, confident and full of joy, cast it from
you and throw it on God, and say: Heavenly Father, thou art my Lord and God,
who didst create me when I was nothing; moreover hast redeemed me through thy
Son. Now, thou hast committed to me and laid upon me, this office or work, and
things do not go as well as I would like. There is so much to oppress and
worry, that I can find neither counsel nor help. Therefore I commend everything
to thee. Do thou supply counsel and help, and be thou, thyself, everything in
these things.
29. Such a prayer is pleasing to God, and he tells us to do
only what we are commanded, and throw upon him all anxiety as to the issue and what
we shall accomplish. As also other passages of Scripture declare: “Commit thy
way unto Jehovah, trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass,” Psalm 37:5.
No heathen, philosopher, jurist, if he have not God’s Word, can throw his care
and complaint upon God. He thinks that all the world, especially the great, the
wise, who rule, must accomplish everything by their own planning and
circumspection. And where trouble arises – for it is quite common for even the
greatest- and wisest people to make mistakes – he becomes a madman or a fool, and
begins to murmur and argue against God and his government, as though God’s rule
merited criticism. But such men receive their deserts when God permits their
calculations and hopes to fail, and lets the reverse obtain. For they will not
admit they have need of him. They think they have sufficient wisdom and power,
and that God must respect their plans. Thus, they spend their lives in many
vain, useless cares and projects, and must, in the course of their experience,
learn and confess, many a time, that the very opposite of their judgment is the
truth.
30. Christians have the rare faculty, above all other people
on earth, of knowing where to place their care, whilst others vex and torture
themselves and at length must despair. Such must be the consequence of
unbelief, which has no God and would provide for itself. But faith understands
this word Peter quotes from the Scriptures: “Because he careth for you.” It
joyfully meditates thereon and does and suffers faithfully. For faith knows
this to be its duty. Its trouble, however, it commits to God, and proceeds with
vigor against all that opposes. It can call upon God as a father, and it says:
I will do what God has commanded me and leave the result with him.
31. The Christian must take this course if he would proceed
safely and happily in matters of the highest import. In time of danger and in
the hour of death, when, with all his worrying, he cannot discover where he is
or how he is journeying, he must, with eyes, senses and thoughts closed to the
world, surrender himself in faith and confidence and cast himself upon God’s
hand and care and protection, and say: God has permitted me to live until this
hour, without my solicitude. Moreover, he has given me his beloved Son as a
treasure and sure pledge of eternal life. Therefore, my dear soul, journey on
in joy. Thou hast a faithful Father and Savior, who has taken thee into his own
hand, and will preserve thee.
32. The Christian Church collectively must so proceed in the
discharge of its high spiritual office, of which Peter speaks here, that no man
or creature, by his own wisdom and power, can sustain or accomplish any work.
No power, might, or protection that can comfort, or upon which one may rely, is
to be sought in the world. Wholly in God, and in God alone, must help be
sought. By his divine power God must uphold the Church. He has, from the
beginning, always and wonderfully preserved it in the world, in the midst of
great weakness, in disunion occasioned by schismatics and heretics, in
persecution by tyrants. And the government is wholly his, though he commits the
office and service to men, whom he would summon and use to administer his Word
and sacrament. Therefore, each Christian, especially if he fills such an office
and partakes of this fellowship, should be intent, in that whereunto God has
called and appointed him, upon serving God faithfully and doing that which is
commanded him. The anxiety respecting the Church’s continued existence and her
preservation against the devil and the world, can be left to the Lord. He has
taken this upon himself and thus has removed the burden from our shoulders,
that we might be certain of the permanence of the Church. If its preservation
were committed to human counsel, might and will, the devil, with his power,
would soon overthrow and destroy it.
33. Likewise, in every office and station, each one should
follow this counsel of Saint Peter. A prince should seek to protect his land
and people, to promote God’s Word, to maintain discipline
and peace, to do justice to every man, to punish the disobedient, etc.
Councils, officials, and those in authority should faithfully advise and direct
to this end. Pastors and preachers should rightly and fearlessly declare God’s
Word and truth. Every citizen and subject should be intent upon his work and
duty, and whatever, in connection therewith, is unusual he must simply commit
to God. But the world does not pursue this course. Each one says: Why should I
incur so much danger, opposition and hostility? Again, why should I labor and
toil for naught? I will not accomplish my work at any rate. In this spirit of
fear and worry, his proper office and work are delayed, or he is always
careless. But let such people know that they are not Christians, nor do they promote God’s kingdom or profit the
offices conferred on them. If they do not propose to mend their ways, they
should give up the office bestowed on them by God. It
is not enough to simply sit at ease in one’s office and accept the plaudits of
men. We all like to render esteem and honor to office and station. But know
this, that you are not in office to parade about in beautiful garments, to sit
in the front row, and be called “Gracious Master” and “Esquire.” You are to
conduct faithfully the office with which God has clothed and honored you,
regardless of human honor and profit, shame or injury.
34. But men are not generally inclined to believe and trust
God. They are not inclined to remember that he cares for us; that he has
assumed and must bear the greatest of burdens, which no man on earth can bear;
that he cared for us before we were born, and could still, of himself, execute
all things dispensing with all human help, but he prefers to accomplish his
purpose through human means, and to employ us as instruments in these divine
works – governing, punishing, teaching, comforting.
35. The world is particularly culpable in this matter of
pride. When divinely charged with some great work, it always seeks to
determine, in advance, by its own wisdom, all future danger and accidents, and
tries to anticipate them. The world looks for man’s help, and seeks friendship
and assistance wherever it can. It makes alliances, and resorts to other
schemes. It puts its trust in these and then considers itself strong enough to
meet opposition, and is sure of its cause by reason of its own efforts. This is
not showing faith in God. It is not committing our cause and all care for
ourselves to him. It is maintaining the cause through one’s own anxiety and
forethought. It is ignoring and disbelieving the fact that nothing can be
accomplished by one’s own vexed effort. No human wisdom has power to foresee
the future. If we looked back at the examples furnished by history, we should
learn how woefully human wisdom is deceived when it relies upon itself. The
results are not what was expected, but the very opposite.
36. The Scriptures give many pertinent examples of the kings
of Judah and Israel, whom the prophets often and severely rebuked because they
sought refuge and help among strange nations and kings. The prophets warned
them that they should not trust in human aid, but should do according to God’s
Word and command. They told them he would protect and uphold them. But the
kings would not hear. They continued to form friendships and alliances with the
kings of Egypt, Syria, Babylon and Assyria, and thus invited them as guests
into the land, whereupon the heathen kings came with force and led away captive
the inhabitants and laid everything desolate. That was their reward for not
heeding God’s Word; for not believing that he cared for them, and desired to
protect and defend them if they would but trust and obey him. The wisest and
most eminent, even among the heathen, have lamented, in the light of their own
experience, that they have been shamefully deluded by their counsels, even
though founded on the most careful deliberations. Nor can it be said that the
world has grown wiser in consequence of its own or others’ sufferings.
37. This exhortation is preached to no one except the few
who are Christians. They have regard for God’s Word, and, now humbled, have
learned that they should not rely on their own wisdom and reason, or upon human
help and comfort. They have come to the belief that God cares for them. So they
do what they know is right and are in duty bound to do, and suffer themselves
not to be hindered by such fears as possess the world concerning dangers,
injuries, and adversities. They commend all such things to God, and at his word
go right through with courage.
38. Let me illustrate from my own experience. What should I
have done when I began to denounce the lies of the indulgence system, and later
the errors of the papacy, if I had listened and given heed to the terrible
things all the world wrote and said would happen to me? How often I heard it
said that if I wrote against such and such eminent people I would provoke their
displeasure, which would prove too severe for me and the whole German nation.
But, since I had not begun this work of myself, being driven and led thereto by
reason of my office (otherwise I should have preferred to keep silence), I must
continue. I commended the cause to God and let him bear the burden of care,
both as to the result of the work and also as to my own fate. Thus I advanced
the cause farther, despite tumultuous opposition, than I had ever before dared
to think or hope.
39. Oh, how much good would God accomplish through us if
people could be persuaded, especially the eminent lords and kings, that what
Peter here says is true: “He careth for you !” How
much he could do if they believed that truth instead of seeking, through their
own wisdom and reason, to equip, strengthen, and compose themselves by aid of
human might and assistance, friendship and alliance, for the accomplishment and
maintenance of their cause! It is apparent that mortal plans fail and have
always failed, and that they accomplish nothing. God hinders and resists man’s
work when he will not trust him. Hence God can grant no success or favor to
that which is founded on human wisdom or on trust in human powers. This is a
truth men must finally perceive by experience, and they must lament because
they would not believe it.
40. Let him who would be a Christian learn to believe this.
Let him practice and exhibit faith in all his affairs, bodily and spiritual, in
his doing and his suffering, his living and his dying. Let him banish cares and
anxious thoughts. Courageous and cheerful, let him cast them aside; not into a
corner, as some vainly think to do, for when burdens are permitted to conceal
themselves in the heart they are not really put away. But let the Christian
cast his heart and its anxieties upon God. God is strong to bear and he can
easily carry the burden. Besides, he has commanded that all this be put upon
himself. The more thou layest upon him, the more
pleasing it is to him. And he gives thee the promise that he will carry thy
cares for thee, and all things else that concern thee.
41. This is a grand promise, and a beautiful, golden saying,
if men would only believe it. If a powerful ruler here on earth were to give such a promise, and were to demand that we let him have
all the concern about gold and silver and the needs of this life, how
cheerfully and contentedly would every one cling to such promise! But now a
greater lord says all this, one who is almighty and truthful, who has power
over the body and life, and who can and will give us
everything we need, both temporal and eternal. We should have in all this, if
we only believed it, half of heaven, yea, a perfect paradise on earth. For what
is better and nobler than a quiet, peaceful heart? For this all men are
striving and laboring. So have we been doing hitherto, running to and fro after
it. Yet it is found nowhere except in God’s word, which bids us cast our cares
and burdens on God and thus seek peace and rest. It counsels us to throw upon
him everything that threatens to oppress and worry us. God would not have
anxiety dwell in our hearts, for it does not belong there; it is put there by
the devil.
42. Therefore, a Christian, even though obliged to suffer
all manner of adversity, temptation and misfortune, can cheerfully go forward
and say: Dear Lord God, thou hast commanded me to believe, to teach, to govern
and to act; this I will attempt in thy name, and I will commend to thee
whatever may happen to me in the course of duty. There you have a man who is
equal to any task, and can do much good. For he is freed from the greatest
misfortune and has laid the heaviest weight upon God, whilst another man does
nothing except fill his heart with anxiety and gloom. This other can apply
himself to no good work. He becomes unfit both to do and to suffer. He is
afraid of every trifle and, because of his vexation or impatience, can do
nothing worth mentioning. What is the world doing now? Princes, lords,
counselors, citizens, and peasants – all want only power, honor, and wealth.
None desires to render service. Everyone fears that this or the other thing
might happen to him. Though the world never needed more careful rule than at
the present time, lords and princes, simply because they are such, idly sit
adorned with beautiful crowns, though they have received their trust from God
to discharge their princely office. For the world must be governed, the youth
must be educated, the wicked must be punished. But if thou desirest the honor
only, and art not willing to step in the mire, to suffer people’s displeasure,
and through it all learn to trust God and for his sake do everything, thou art
not worthy of the grace given for the accomplishment of a good and praiseworthy
work. In punishment, resting under God’s wrath, thou must remain unfit for
every good work.
“Be sober, be
watchful: your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour: whom withstand stedfast in your faith.”
43. The apostle has set forth two things to be practiced
throughout the Christian life; namely, Christian humility – which is fear of
God – and faith and confidence in God. Now he admonishes his readers to battle
and warfare, that these blessings may be preserved. He shows us our enemy and
adversary who seeks to rob us of our treasure and deprive us of our salvation
and eternal blessedness. Hence he would say: Be not concerned about living a
life of earthly glory, and let not anxious cares fill your soul But be intent
on humbling yourselves before God. Trust in him. Let this be your care, that
you may abide in the grace of humility. Let it never be wrested from you. For
the devil seeks to instill these forbidden cares, and to produce disobedience
against God, that he may tear faith and God’s Word out of your heart.
WATCHFULNESS
ENJOINED
Therefore, you must not ignore these facts, and meanwhile
strive after something else. You are not to go along in false security or sleep
and snore as though there were no danger. You must rather know that you have
not been placed in a garden of roses here, but in the midst of heavy conflicts,
where you must be on your guard, always watchful and prepared for resistance.
For you have an adversary who is not insignificant or to be despised, but is
strong, mighty, and moreover wicked and ferocious. He does not fight with stone
and wood, destroying rocks and trees, but he has his eye fixed on you
Christians. He never grows tired or weary, but without rest and ceasing he
pursues you not only to spy upon you and to harass you, in which he can be
withstood, but he desires utterly to devour you.
44. His sole purpose and plan is to murder and destroy men,
spiritually and bodily; even as, at the beginning, when man had been created,
he led and cast him into death. He practices his schemes with awful and deadly
effect in the world against those who do not believe in Christ, and he will
never stop until the judgment day. One can perceive his incessant activity. He
bustles about and openly raves and roars against all Christendom. He uses for
his purpose the Turks, and other tyrants and godless people, not to speak of
the sorrow and murder he works by so possessing people that in their frenzy
they do themselves injury, or without cause murder others. He otherwise,
through wicked and shameful snares, leads men into misfortune and sorrow. In
short, the world is nothing else than the devil’s murderous cave, both
spiritually and physically. God, in order to somewhat hinder and restrain
physical murder, has ordained temporal government, parental and other
authority. These in their office are to be sober, watchful, and diligent. We
ought to thank God for his preservation of such authority, for otherwise there
would be no peace – everywhere on earth nothing but murder. Nevertheless, the
awful murder the devil perpetrates on those who are without God’s Word and
faith, is not thereby checked.
45. Some other defense and protection, then, another kind of
watchfulness, must be sought, in order that men may remain undestroyed and
unharmed in the presence of this bloodthirsty murderer. Of this Peter speaks
here to the little company of Christians, and says: Ye, through Christ’s blood
and death rescued from the devil’s lies and murderous intent, have been made alive and have been transplanted into the heavenly
life, like your beloved fathers, Adam, Abel, and others. They are no longer
under bondage to Satan, but live in Christ, though the body lie for a time in
the earth and truth and life must be supplied to their body and soul. But
because ye still dwell in the world, ye are exposed to all danger. Physically,
ye are yet in the murderer’s house; therefore ye must take good heed, that he
may not kill you again, and murder your souls dwelling in these mortal bodies.
It shall harm you none that the soul was ruined and the body is yet subject to
death. “Because I live,” says Christ ( John 14:19),
“ye shall live also.” However, ye must struggle if ye are to abide in the truth
and life. To this ye are appointed whilst ye live here on earth; otherwise ye
would already be in Paradise. But the devil has not yet been consigned wholly
to the punishment of his damnation, which will be at the last day, when he will
finally be cast down from his airy height, and from the earth, into the abyss
of hell. Then he will no more be able to attack us, and there will no longer be
cloud or veil between us and God and the angels.
SOBERNESS ESSENTIAL
46. In order, now, he continues, that ye may be saved from
his murderous designs, and may preserve the life you have begun, ye must be
sober and watchful; not only mindful of the body, but much rather of the mind
and soul. It is true that a Christian who is to resist
the devil must be physically sober, for a full hog and drunkard cannot be
watchful nor can he plan defense against the devil. Yet must a Christian much more guard himself, lest the soul become sleepy or drunken.
As the soul is burdened by the body when the latter is overwhelmed by
drunkenness, so, when the soul is watchful and sober, the body also is
temperate and prepared to hear God’s Word. But where the body is oppressed by
drunkenness, there the soul must first have been a drunkard, not heeding God’s
Word nor giving attention to prayer. Where the soul is drunken and drowned in
such security, it will not avail that the body suffer hurt by strict fasting
and selfmortification, after the fashion of the Carthusians and hermits.
47. Saint Peter, then, forbids not only bodily drunkenness,
but also drunkenness of the soul. One’s soul is drunk when he lives in carnal
security, without thought and anxiety as to whether he have and hold God’s Word
or not: when he asks no questions, either about God’s wrath or his grace; and
when he, moreover, lets himself be filled with the sweet poison of false
doctrine through the mob of evil spirits Satan employs for this purpose, until
he grows numb, loses faith and clear judgment and finally becomes overfull of
drunkenness and spews it out upon others.
48. The same thing results when men begin to be wise in
divine things by following human reason. Saint Peter aptly describes this false
doctrine with the expression, “cunningly devised fables,” 2 Peter
49. Again, other factious spirits travel about with worthy
sayings which they have heard from us – externals do not help souls; the Spirit
must do the work – and then they proceed to fling contempt on baptism and the
Lord’s Supper. So Thomas Munzer, with his seditious peasants, and the
Anabaptist rabble, went about, with great demonstration, preaching about the
shameful, wicked life of the world, especially of the authorities, declaring
that these were godless people and tyrants, and deserved God’s wrath and
punishment; that therefore men should depose and execute them, and establish a
new government, of only pious and holy people. These and similar things Peter
calls “cunningly devised fables.” They are exaggeratingly pretended to be the
product of great wisdom and art, and are rendered sweet and palatable to
reason. So has all idolatry, heresy, and false doctrine, from the beginning on,
prevailed, being fashioned and most beautifully adorned by people learned and
wise and held in the esteem of the world.
50. How admirable did the position of Arius and his
adherents appear in comparison with the true faith
concerning the divinity of Christ, when they declared that though Christ should
be exalted above all angels and creatures, and that all honor, dominion and
power in heaven and on earth belong to him, yea, that he is quite equal to God
– all this, yet he is not “homo-ousios”; that is, he is not in one undivided,
divine, eternal essence, which is of such unity that it could be imparted to no
one else. It would be too much to say that a man is God, etc. With such
pretense was a great multitude of Christians seduced. Even few bishops remained
in the pure doctrine and faith. And afterward this poison prevailed among the
wise people of Asia and Greece, until Mohammed, with his Saracens and Turks,
had miserably corrupted the greatest part of the world.
51. Likewise the Pope has adorned and colored with a
glorious form his abominations and idolatry, claiming for his order of service
that it is a meritorious and beautiful thing. Again, he calls attention to the
serviceableness of the beautiful, orderly government and power of the Church,
with its well regulated gradations of office and position – bishops superior to
the ordinary priests, and over the bishops Saint Peter’s chair at Rome. In that
chair is vested the authority for the convocation of general councils so often
as these may be necessary. These councils are to judge and decide in all
matters of faith, and their decisions everyone must follow and obey. Again, he
boasts what great service and consolation to the whole world is the work of the
priests in the mass, when they daily renew and offer to God the sacrifice made by Christ on the cross. This is the sweet wine in the
“golden cup” of the scarlet harlot of Babylon, with which she has made drunken all kings and nations, Revelation 17:2-4.
52. Where the devil finds those who give ear to such fables,
he takes them captive and so fills them with these falsehoods that they neither
see nor hear anything else. They think their belief is the only one, and they
will not suffer themselves to be instructed out of God’s Word. And so, in their
madness, without rightful intelligence of faith and all principles of pure
doctrine, they continue in their darkened mind, with their fantastic, lying
prattle, without repentance and amendment, having no grace to learn or do
anything good. This is amply proved by the example of all seditious spirits.
53. Therefore, Peter admonishes us to be “sober and
watchful,” especially in spirit, and to guard ourselves against this sweet poison
and these beautiful, adorned lies and fables of the devil. He teaches us how to
equip and defend ourselves against his wicked devices. “Whom withstand
steadfast in your faith.”
54. The true defense and resistance, in which we are to be
sober and watchful, is to be well grounded in God’s Word and cling firmly
thereto when the devil seeks, with his cunningly devised fables, born of human
understanding and reason, to overthrow our faith. Reason is the devil’s bride,
and always vaunts itself wise and skillful in divine things, and thinks what it
holds to be right and good must be accounted so before God. But faith holds to
God’s Word alone. It knows that before God, human wisdom, skill and power, and
whatever gifts and virtues man may have, count for nothing. Only his grace and
the forgiveness of sins in Christ has value. Therefore, faith can repel and
defeat all these fine pretensions and cunning fables.
55. Worldly dominion and authority boasts before God in this
fashion: My crown is a crown in God’s sight, for my power and sovereignty have
been given me by God. Therefore, whatever I say he must respect and regard as
valid, and everyone must endorse my words and actions. The wise philosopher or
jurist would thus give expression to his boasts and
pretensions: We are the learned, the Wise rulers of the world, and have
admirable laws and statutes. We have superior and beautiful doctrines
concerning good works and virtues. Men must listen to us and allow our judgment
to have precedence. He who can do, or does, such things as we have done is, in
God’s sight, superior to others.
FAITH, NOT WORLDLY
WISDOM, ESSENTIAL
56. No, dear man, says faith to this, I grant that the
things of which thou boastest have been ordained and corn firmed by God; but
they are not of value save for this temporal life. The world regards it a crown
to be known as wise. But in the presence of God thou shouldst lay aside thy
crown, let thy might and power, thy law and wisdom, go, and say: God, be
merciful to me a poor sinner! Reason has this advantage, that it is equipped
and adorned with God’s promise to confirm its rule here on earth and to be
pleased therewith; but with the provision that reason shall not interfere in
God’s government, or boast over against him. Let it be known that what is
called wisdom and prudence on earth, is foolishness before God. What in the
sight of the world is commended and honored as beautiful, valuable, as of honor
and virtue, is before God sin, and subject to his wrath. What on earth is
called life, is before God nothing but death.
57. If, now, the parental, governmental, and other authority
which he, himself, has arrayed and through his word established, and which is
even administered by Christians,
does not endure before him in that other life, how much less will he allow that
to stand which man has devised or subtly contrived out of his own head and
heart! Wouldst thou be wise and prudent, then cultivate these virtues in the
sphere appointed thee, in thy home, the State, and whatever office thou hast. In
these temporal things, rule as well as thou canst. Thou wilt find little enough
to help in all thy books, thy reason and wisdom. But when thou beginnest to
devise out of thine own reason the things of God, though they may all seem
trustworthy wisdom, yet, as Peter says, they are nothing else than fables and
lies.
58. For example, a monk’s words: Whoever dons a cowl can
lead a holy life, for he is cut off from the world, can banish all care and
sorrow, and can undisturbed, in peace and quietness, serve God – these words
appear wisely spoken, but at bottom they are nothing but unreliable and useless
chatter. This is proved from God’s Word, which teaches that God has forbidden
us to invent our own worship; also, that God would have us serve him in our ordinary
life and station and not by fleeing therefrom. Hence, such monkery can not be a
holy, godly life. In Psalm 119:85, we read: “The proud have digged pits for me,
who are not according to thy law.” That is, they preach to me about
praiseworthy things, and represent their cause as most worthy, in order to
overcome me. But when I look at their words aright, I do not find them to be in
accord with thy Word and commandments, which (says he) “are faithful.” A lie is
always beautiful. It attracts and pretends to be truth. It has, further, the
advantage that it can adorn itself from the wardrobe of God’s Word, and,
perverting the Word, can use it in an uncertain sense. On the other hand, the
truth does not so glitter, because it does not make itself plain to reason. For
example, a common Christian, a type of the brethren, hears the Gospel,
believes, uses the sacraments, leads a Christian life at home with wife and
children – that does not shine as does the fascinating
lie of a saintly Carthusian or hermit, who, separated from his fellow men,
would be a holier servant of God than other people. Yet the latter is useful to
nobody. He lets others preach and rule, and labor in the sweat of their brows.
GOD’S WORD THE
CHRISTIAN’S GUIDE
59. The one important thing, then, is to see to it that we
have God’s Word, and that we regulate all the teachings and claims of men in
accordance therewith. We will thus distinguish between the true and the false.
We must remember, also, that human reason holds a far inferior position to
faith and is not to be acknowledged as trustworthy, save as it is authorized by
God for temporal authority. He who has faith can easily perceive when reason
conflicts with God’s Word or seeks, in its wisdom, to rise
superior thereto; just as, in worldly things, each one in his station, office,
or calling, knows full well, when another attempts the same work, whether he
does it right or not. So every householder well understands that in his home
wantonness and wrongdoing on the part of the servants are not to be tolerated.
However, in divine things, reason can so attire and adorn itself as not to be
recognized except by one who, guided by faith, has a right knowledge of God’s
Word. Reason will not refrain from intruding, with its wisdom and prudence,
into the affairs of God, where it has no orders. Thus the devil creates endless
misery, as he did at the beginning in the case of our first parents. And yet
reason will not permit, in its own domain, the slightest interference of one
unskilled in reason’s code.
60. If a cobbler were to arise in the Church and censure the
people because they did not wear his make of shoes, and should try to convince
people that such a procedure was necessary to salvation, they would pursue him
out of the Church with shoes and slippers, and cry after him: Stay at home in
your shop with your shoes and lasts! What does that concern the spiritual
estate? But when a factious spirit stands up and in his supposed wisdom grunts
forth: I am a holy, pious man. I have a special illumination from the spirit.
Therefore do not believe what the others say, which is nothing but the dead
letter, that one person can be God and man; that a virgin can be a mother; that
a man can be cleansed from sin by water and the spoken Word, etc., – when he does this,
then there is no one to offer resistance. Reason then gains the victory if it
only claims the glory of guidance by the Spirit, of a holy life, etc., even
though God’s Word and faith are not present in their purity. Behold, what
mischief the Turk, with his Mohammed, has wrought and is still working, solely
by claiming the honor of worshipping the one God, and asserting that he alone
has the true God! He declares that only he and his
followers are God’s people on earth, to honor which God they war and fight
against the Christians. He presses his cause the more
vigorously because he has such large fortune and victory; so even many
Christians who come among them adopt their faith and become Turks. But none of
the Turks turn Christian.
61. Therefore, no other counsel can be offered for resisting
the devil and escaping destruction by him, than this, that we remain firm in
faith, says Saint Peter. One must have a heart which holds fast to God’s Word
and fully understands the same and holds it to be true.
For faith cannot exist or endure without the Word, nor can it hear or
understand aught else. One must separate the Word far from all reason and
wisdom, placing it above these. He must hold reason as nothing – yea, as dead –
in matters pertaining to God’s government and to how man is to escape sin and
eternal death. Reason must keep silent and give to
God’s Word alone the honor which belongs to the truth, “bringing every thought
into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” as Saint Paul says, 2 Corinthians
10:5. If reason is to be my teacher in these things, what need is there of
faith? And why should I not throw away all the Scriptures? We Christians, says Paul ( 1 Corinthians 1:20-21), preach something else and
higher than reason comprehends, for the wisdom of the world is mere folly. If
reason taught me that the mother of Christ is a virgin, the angel Gabriel might
have remained in heaven and kept silent concerning the matter. Your faith, says
Paul again ( 1 Corinthians 2:4), should not stand in
the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Now you have seen the tricks and
wiles of the devil with which he seeks to devour you, which he bases on reason
as opposed to God’s Word.
62. Peter admonishes all Christians, especially the
preachers, how to defend themselves against the devil’s intrigues and
artifices, with which he seeks to capture them. In order that Christians may be
properly equipped, Saint Peter calls attention to two things: First, we must
know the enemy and realize his purpose; second, we must be armed to meet him
and defend ourselves, that we may stand before him and conquer. He is a
terrible, mighty foe, says Peter, and is the god of this world. He has more wisdom and more deceptive snares than all men, and can
so blind and unsettle reason that it will cheerfully believe and follow him. He
is, moreover, a wicked and bitter enemy to you who in Christ have life. He
cannot bear to see you Christ’s. He thinks and plots about nothing else than
your overthrow. And think not that he is far from you, or that he will pursue
you from a distance. He has encamped close to you and right around you; yea, in
your own territory – that is, in your flesh and blood. There he seeks how to
reach you, and overtake you when unguarded, attempting now this, now that.
Misguided faith, doubt, anger, impatience, covetousness, evil passions, etc.,
are points of attack – any place where he finds an opening or discovers that
you are weak. Therefore, think not that he is simply jesting. He is more furious and hungry than a famished and angry lion. He
does not purpose merely to wound or prick you, but wholly to consume you, so
that nothing of body or soul will remain.
63. Whoever would withstand such a foe must be equipped with
other armor and weapons than those furnished by human wit and understanding, by
human powers or ability. Your defense is nothing else, says Peter, than faith,
which holds and grasps God’s Word. And because the believer holds fast to this,
the devil can gain nothing. It is God’s truth and power, before which, with his
lying and murdering, he cannot stand; he must yield and flee. Therefore
Ephesians
64. If you would withstand these wiles, there can be no
other plan or counsel than this: Fight with God’s Word in firm faith against these
suggestions and allurements. Further, keep in mind both your former misery and
your present treasures of grace. Remember how you were once under God’s wrath
when, without fear of God and without faith, you were the devil’s own, subject
to all his will, and must have perished had not God, in boundless goodness,
forgiven you your sin and bestowed on you his grace. And now give
heed that you may not lose this treasure, to which end the Holy Spirit has been
promised you. You need not succumb if you remain in faith. Again, if you
experience weakness and suffer want, you are bidden to call upon him, certain
that he will hear you. The promise is: “If ye shall ask anything of the Father,
he will give it you in my name,” John
65. Peter would, with his admonitions, make Christians bold
and confident for resisting the temptations of the devil and defending themselves.
He would not have us feel terrified nor despair before Satan, even though that
wicked one press us hard through the instrumentality of the world and of our
own flesh, as well as by his direct onslaughts. We are not to fear though he
seem too strong for us, and though surrender to his prowess seems inevitable.
We are to have a manly heart and fight valiantly through faith. We must be
assured that, if we remain firm in the faith, we shall have strength and final
victory. The devil shall not defeat us; we shall prove superior to him. We have
been called of God and made Christians to the end that
we renounce the devil and contend against him, and thus maintain God’s name,
Word, and kingdom against him. Christ, our head, has already, in himself, smitten
and destroyed for us the devil and his power. In addition, he gives us faith
and the Holy Spirit, whereby we can wholly defeat Satan’s further wickedness
and his attempts to overthrow us.
66. A Christian should bear all this in mind, I say, and
learn to experience the strength and power of faith. So will he not yield to
temptation and enticement. Nor will he, from love of the devil or the world, to
his own eternal hurt, and for the sake of small temporal advantage, pleasure,
or honor, cast from him God’s grace and the Holy Spirit, and put himself again
under God’s eternal anger and condemnation.
“Knowing that the
same sufferings are accomplished in your brethren who are in the world.”
67. This is a very precious and comforting passage, the
truth of which Peter learned not only by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but
from his own experience. One instance of his experience was when, in the
high-priest’s house, he thrice denied his Lord, and soon thereafter fell into
such anxiety and despair that he would have followed the traitor Judas had not
Christ turned and looked on him. It was for this reason that Christ, so soon
after his resurrection, first of all commanded that the glad tidings should be
announced to Peter. Christ also said to him, before all this happened: “Simon,
I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not; and do thou, when once
thou hast turned again, establish thy brethren,” Luke 22:31-32.
CONDUCT IN
SUFFERING
Peter makes faithful use of the present passage for his
readers’ comfort: Ye must expect, in the world, says he, to suffer many and
severe things, both in temptations of soul and body, against the first and the
second table of the law, Satan lying in wait for you with his deceitful and
murderous arts.
68. Weak Christians suffer beyond measure because they are
plagued and beset so constantly by the devil. Their afflictions so sorely
oppress them that they conclude that no one suffers so severely as do they.
Especially does this seem the case in the great spiritual temptations which
come to those endowed with peculiar gifts and who are called to positions of
prominence in the Church. So Paul often laments his great temptations, which
the common people do not understand and cannot endure. God, moreover, is
careful to lay on each one just the cross he is able to carry. Still these
sufferings are such that even the great and strong must languish and wither
beneath them were it not for the comfort God bestows. These troubles grip the
heart, and consume the very marrow, as the Psalms often lament.
69. Some of those living in cloisters, and other pious,
tender consciences, have learned by experience how hard such burdens are to
bear, especially in the darkness of the papacy, where they receive but little
genuine comfort. There are, also, some inexperienced and forward spirits who
have seen but have not understood these things, and who yet desire to be
regarded as people of large experience. When, however, the test comes, they are
found wanting. It is related of one of this class, who heard others bemoaning
their temptations, that he prayed God to let temptation visit him also;
whereupon God permitted him to be tempted with carnal lust. But when he found
he could not bear it, he again prayed God, asking that the burden of his
brother, whom he regarded inferior to himself, be given him. But when this
request was granted, he prayed yet more earnestly that
God would give him back his former burden.
70. Amid such temptations Peter comforts suffering
Christians by telling them that they are not the first, nor the only ones, to
be thus assailed. They are not to feel as if it were a wonderful, rare, unheard
of cross which they bear, or that they bear it alone. They are to know that
their brethren, the Christians of all times, and scattered through all the
world, must, because they are in the world, suffer the same things at the hand
of Satan and his minions. It assuages and comforts beyond measure for the
sufferer to know that he does not suffer alone, but with a great multitude.
71. It is true that in external
temptations this comfort is easily grasped, because of the knowledge of others’
experiences. But when Satan assails thee alone with his poisonous darts – for
example, when he tempts thee to doubt God’s grace, as if thou alone hadst been
cast off; or when he suggests horrible blasphemies, hatred of God, condemnation
of his government, and so tortures and fills with anguish thy heart that thou
art led to think that no man on earth is more
fearfully assailed than thyself – then
there is need to make use of this comfort which Peter offers thee and all
Christians. In other words, Peter would say: “My friend, let not the devil and
thy sufferings terrify thee or lead thee to despair. Thou shouldst know this
for a certainty, that thou sufferest not alone. No matter how shamefully he
attacks thee, he has done and is doing the same to others.” The devil seeks,
not only our own destruction, but also that of all Christendom. It is ever his
purpose to tear out of men’s hearts, in the midst of their sufferings, God’s
Word and faith. He would rob them of their comfort in Christ, and depict God in
the most horrible and hostile light, that the heart may have not one kind
thought regarding him. And he can do this; not only with lofty, refined, subtle
thoughts, but also by gross suggestions from without, before which a man must
fear and shudder. I, myself, saw and heard a girl who complained of a
temptation of this nature; namely, that while she stood in the church and saw
the sacrament elevated, the thought occurred to her: Lo, what a big knave the
priest is elevating. And she was suddenly so frightened at the terrible thought
that she sank to the floor.
72. Such terror and anxiety proceed from the fact that one
imagines that no one else has ever experienced such dreadful assaults. He
thinks he has a special, strange, and unusual affliction. Although it is true that men’s temptations differ and come from different
sources and one may imagine his own a peculiar kind, yet the sufferings and
temptations of all Christians are alike in this, that the devil tries to drive
them all from the fear and confidence of God into unbelief, contempt, hatred,
and blasphemy against God. Therefore, the apostles are accustomed to call
Christians’ sufferings a fellowship in pain and tribulations. They point all
men who suffer to the agonies of Christ our Lord, as the head and exemplar.
Peter says Peter
73. If one would speak of specially severe sufferings,
surely no human heart can comprehend, much less tell, how great and heavy were
the anxiety and sorrow of our first parents on account of their miserable fall
And what sorrow must Adam have witnessed during the nine hundred years of his
life in the experiences of his first son Cain, and his children! No man has
ever borne such a burden as lay on both parents for nearly a hundred years
after Abel’s death, until their third son was born. Truly, these nine hundred
years were a period of sorrow and misery. Perhaps, on the last day, we shall
discuss with this our father the solitary suffering of that time, of which we
know nothing. And we shall willingly confess that in sorrow’s school he stands
far above us and we have been only insignificant pupils. It must have been most
severe and dangerous for him, since he had no example before him of similar suffering
with which to comfort himself.
74. Likewise, if thou couldst rightly understand what the
other holy patriarchs, the prophets and apostles – especially Paul and Peter –
and later all the beloved martyrs and saints, have endured thou wouldst be
forced to say that all thy temptation and suffering are nothing in comparison.
But above all these must we reckon the experiences of the Lord Christ, whose
heart was so pierced by Satan’s fiery darts and bitter thrusts that the bloody
drops of sweat were pressed out of his body. He has gone before and surpassed
us on the way of sorrow. We, with all our suffering, can only follow his
footsteps.
OF TEMPTATION
75. Therefore, learn well this saying of Peter, and think not
that thou alone endurest this severe, fearful temptation and these onslaughts
of the devil. Remember that thy brethren, not only they who are dead – who also
have set thee a good example – but also those who live with thee in the world,
have suffered and do suffer such terror and distress. For they have the very
same enemy Christ and all Christendom have. Thou canst be glad and shout: God
be praised! I am not the only one that suffers, but with me there is a great
multitude, all Christians on earth, my beloved brothers and sisters, even down
to the last who shall walk this earth. And in this passage Peter comforts and
strengthens me, as Christ commanded him, who also has tasted of these sorrows,
and, indeed, in far greater measure than I and others have.
76. I have at times thought, in my trials, that I should
like to argue with Peter and Paul as to whether they were tried more severely
than I. For, when he can do nothing else, the devil resorts to the plan of
leading a man to fix his attention solely on his own affliction, and oppresses
him with the thought: No man has been so cast off by God, or has sunk so deep
into anxiety and distress. The devil has often so wearied me with such
arguments that at length I could offer no further opposition to him, but simply
turned him over to Christ, who can quickly silence him with arguments. If we
have not Christ with us, Satan proves far too strong for us. We cannot silence
him. He soon renders helpless all our skill, and slays us with our own sword.
77. Ah, these seditious leaders and other self-secure
spirits are poor, miserable people, who know nothing at all of this conflict!
They drown in their own imaginations, and think they are perfect. And some of
them are so shameless and without fear as to blaspheme, saying that God himself
could not take their virtue from them. The devil simply strengthens them in
these thoughts, and hardens them the more. This very
thing is a sign that they do not yet know the devil; they are already blinded
and taken captive by him, so that he can ruin them when he pleases.
78. Genuine Christians are not thus self-confident and
boastful when they are attacked. In severe conflicts and anxieties they labor
that the devil may not deprive them of the sword. I know that I am learned and have
seen something of what the devil can do; but I must bear him witness, from my
daily experience, that he can overcome me unless I am well established in faith
and have Christ in my heart. Thomas Munzer was so firm and inflexible, as he
thought, that he dared to say that he would not behold Christ, if he did not
himself wish to speak with him. But at last, when the devil began to attack
him, men saw what his pride and boasts were. No, they are not the ones to
accomplish anything, who go about so boastful, as if they had consumed the
devil. They do not see that they, themselves, were long since devoured seven
times over by him and are held fast in his jaws.
79. The heretic Arius was also secure and proud enough
against the pious bishops and Christians.
Yea, when he was punished for his error by his bishop, and admonished to
desist, he became the more obstinate. He complained
about the bitter persecution to which he was subjected. But his suffering was
that they would not approve his horrible blasphemy. Just so in every age the heretics and blasphemers, yea, even open murderers
and tyrants, pose as martyrs when they are not permitted to run against God’s
Word and against pious people. So confident do they try to be that they have no
fear of God. They count the devil a dead bee until, at length, he suddenly
seizes and destroys them in a moment.
80. But the poor, tempted Christians have need of the
comfort and the strength furnished by God’s Word. They must anxiously contend
lest they lose, in their hours of severe temptation, God, Christ, faith, and
Our Father. Therefore, the mission intrusted to Peter, to strengthen his
brethren, is most needful. So the same comfort was necessary in his own
temptations, and he was even given it beforehand by Christ, who declared that
he had prayed for him that his faith might not be extinguished nor fail, which
faith, however, from the time of his denial on to the third day did almost die, and scarcely the smallest spark remained. Hence he now,
as a true apostle, comforts those who are in the like fears and straits of a
sinking and expiring faith. He says to all the suffering and comfortless: My
dear brother, think not that thou alone sufferest distress and temptation. Many
of thy brethren have suffered quite as heavily, perhaps more
heavily. I, myself, have been as weak as thou canst ever be. If thou dost not
believe this, look and see what occurred in the house of Caiaphas, the
high-priest, when I, who protested my readiness to go with Christ into prison
and death, at a word spoken to me by a maid, fell, and denied and abjured most
shamefully my beloved Lord. For three whole days I lay in misery. I had no one
to comfort me and none who suffered equally with myself. I had no consolation
except that my dear Master gave me, with his eyes, one friendly look.
81. Therefore, no one should regard his distress and need as
too heavy and fearful, as if it were an entirely new thing, something which had
never been experienced by others. To thee it may be something new and untried.
But look about thee, at the great multitude of the Church, from the beginning
until this hour. The Church has been set in the world to suffer the attacks of
the devil, and without ceasing it must be sifted as wheat, as Christ’s words
suggest, Luke
82. When the devil plagues and assails thee with his
manifold temptations, refer him to Christ, with whom to dispute about the
severe temptations, the death struggle, the anguish of hell, etc. Comfort
thyself that thou art one of a great company of sufferers, past present and
future. O beautiful, glorious company! All under one lord and head, who took
from the devil his power and hell-fire. In short, thy affliction cannot prove
so great that thou wilt not find it paralleled in the lives of the apostles,
prophets, patriarchs and all the saints, especially of Christ himself; with
whom, if we suffer, let us not doubt, says Paul, that we shall “be also
glorified,” Romans
Third Sunday after
Trinity;
Luke 15:1-10
Parable of the Lost Sheep: A marvelously
comforting sermon that Luther first preached to the Elector of
King James
Version
Luke
15:1-10
Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners
for to hear him. And the Pharisees and
scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.And
he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred
sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the
wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath
found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he
cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them,
Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that
likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over
ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Either what woman
having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle,
and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath
found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had
lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of
God over one sinner that repenteth.
1. This Gospel contains the teaching
we hold and boast of as our chief doctrine, which is called the true Christian
teaching, namely, the doctrine of grace and forgiveness of sins, and Christian
liberty from the law. It is a very loving and friendly admonition to repentance
and the knowledge of Christ. And it is ever a pity, that a godless, impudent
person should be permitted to hear such an excellent, comforting and joyful
sermon. And yet it is more sad, that every one graduates so soon in it and
masters it so that he thinks he knows it so well that he can learn nothing more
from it. Yet God, our Lord, does not permit himself to become vexed or weary in
repeating it yearly, yea, every day, and enforces it as though he knew nothing
else to preach, and as though he had no other skill or art. While we poor,
wretched people immediately become so overlearned, so satisfied, tired of it
and disgusted besides, that we have no longer a desire or love for it.
2. But before we take up the subject
taught in this Gospel, let us first examine what St. Luke gives as an
introduction to show what prompted Christ to preach the following sermon, when
he says: ”Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him to hear
him,” because they wanted to be near him to hear his word, and he expresses
freely and plainly what kind of people he had about him, namely, those who
openly lived as they should not live, and were called downright sinners and
wicked people. Thus it would appear that the Pharisees had sufficient reason to
blame him, because he, who pretended to be a pious and holy man kept company
with such low characters.
3. For at that time the men
scattered hither and thither through the land were called publicans, to whom
the Romans gave charge of a city, or of the revenue, or other duties or
offices, and required of them a certain amount of revenue; just as the Turks or
Venetians now assign a city or office to a certain person from which he must
give many thousands of dollars a year, and whatever he extorts over and above
that amount is his own. In this manner they proceeded. Those who collected such
revenue and tax proceeded so that they had a profit from it. And as this sum
thus appointed was large for each city or office, the officers extorted without
let or hindrance, so that they might enjoy more as their own; for their masters
were so close with them that they could not gain much for themselves, if they
desired to act justly end take advantage of no one. Hence they were reported in
all lands as being great extortioners in whom little good or honesty could be
found.
4. Thus the other great crowds in
general were called ”sinners,” who otherwise were worse people and publicly
lived in a shameful and wild way, in covetousness, adultery and the like. Such
drew near to Christ in order to hear him, since they had heard, that in the
light of his doctrine and his many miracles he was an excellent man.
5. Now, after all, there was a spark
or two of virtue and honesty in them, that they had a desire for Christ and
gladly heard his doctrine, and see what he did. Inasmuch as they well knew that
he was a good man, and heard nothing but good of him, both in words and deeds,
so that their doings did neither agree nor harmonize with his life; and yet
they feel no enmity against him, nor flee from him, but go to him, not to seek
anything evil in him, but to see and hear something good, and to hope that they
might become better.
6. The Pharisees and the scribes, on
the contrary, who were held and esteemed as the most pious and holy, were such
poisonous reptiles, that they were not only enemies of Christ, and could not
bear to see or hear him, nor suffer poor sinners to come to him and hear him
that they might be made better, yet they even murmured and blamed him for
harboring and receiving them, and said: Behold, is this that excellent and holy
man? Who will now say that he is of God, as he associates with such rogues and
wicked people? Yes, he is a ”wine-bibber and a glutton,” and they say in
another place, ”a friend of publicans and sinners.”
7. Such names he must bear from
these holy people, not because he was riotous or given to gluttony and
drunkenness, but only because he permitted them to come to him, and did not
thrust them from him nor despise them. For they thought he should have done so,
and should have gone forth in a gray frock with a sour countenance and remained
secluded from common people, and when he saw such publicans and sinners, he
should have held his nose and looked the other way, so that he would not become
polluted by them, as they themselves like holy people were accustomed to do. As
Isaiah, 65:5, writes of them: that they kept themselves so pure that they would
not dare to touch a sinner; as may also be seen in the example of Luke
8. Now Christ is also a little
self-willed and shows here that he is simply not to be dictated to by any one,
and that he will be free in all things, as we see also everywhere in the
Gospel, that a peculiar firmness or self-will is found in this man, who is
nevertheless at other times so mild a man, willing and ready to help, the like
of whom was never found on earth. But when they came to him with laws and
wanted to be his teachers, then all friendship was at an end, he starts and
bounds back, as when you strike on an anvil, and he speaks and does just the
contrary they demand of him, although they even say rightly and well, and have
God's word for it, as they do here where they come and say: You should do thus,
you should hold to the society of good people and not to sinners. This is a
precious doctrine taken out of the Scriptures; for Moses himself writes that
they should avoid the wicked, and put away evil from among them. They have the
text on their side, and come trolling with their Moses, and want to bind him
and rule him by their laws.
9. But, whether it be God's law or
the law of man, he will in short be unbound, like the unicorn, of which it is
said, that it cannot be taken alive, it matters not how you attempt it. It will
suffer itself to be pierced, shot and killed, but it will never submit to be
taken. Thus Christ also acts, although you approach him with laws to throw them
over him, he will not endure it, but he bursts through them as through a
spider's web, and gives to them besides a good lecture. As in Mat. 12:3, where
they blamed his disciples because they plucked the ears of corn on the Sabbath
day, citing the divine command to keep the Sabbath day holy; he turns it around
altogether and bursts through the commandment and proves besides, both by
Scriptures and examples, just the contrary. Again, in Mat. 16:22-23, where he
tells his Apostles how he shall suffer and be crucified, and when Peter with
good intentions comes forth with the law of love and sets before him God's
commandment and says: ”Be it far from thee, Lord; this shall never be unto
thee.” In this connection he also gives him a good strong reply, and handles
him roughly and unfriendly, and says: ”Get thee behind me, Satan; for thou
mindest not the things of God, but the things of men.
10. In short, wherever they begin to
deal with him only according to laws, he resents it and will be free from all
laws, and be the Lord of them all, by which he thrusts them from him, and will
observe no law at all, as though he were bound to keep it. And yet, on the
contrary, when it springs from himself no law is so trifling, but that he will
gladly keep it, yea, even much more than the law could demand, so that a more
willing servant could not be found, when he is left free without a master. Yea,
he even humbles himself as lowly as to wash and kiss the feet of Judas, his
betrayer, and even protects his disciples at night, as history relates of him,
and we may well believe, as he says himself, Mat.
11. This has been written for us as
an example, that we may learn what a true Christian man he is according to the
Spirit, and that we should not judge him according to the law, nor master him
according to our own shrewdness; for this reason also Christ is our Lord, that
he may make out of us such people as he is himself. And as he will not suffer
himself to be bound by any laws, but is Lord over the law and all things, thus
also the faith of a Christian church should not suffer it. For through Christ
and his baptism we are to be so highly exalted and liberated that our
conscience according to faith may know no law, but simply remain unmastered and
unjudged by the same, that nothing else may be so cheerful to us according to
the internal experience of conscience, than as though no law had ever appeared
on earth, neither ten nor one commandment, either of God, or the Pope, or the
emperor; but at all times stand in liberty, that we can say: I know no law, and
do not desire to know any.
12. For in this state and nature by
virtue of which we became Christians, all human works cease, and hence all law.
For where there is no work, there can be no law to demand work and to say: do
this, leave that; but we are through baptism and through the blood of Christ
simply free from all works, and justified by mere grace and mercy, and even
live before God alone by them. This is, I say, our treasure, according to which
we are Christians and live and stand before God. For how we should live
according to the outward life in our flesh and blood before the world, has
nothing whatever to do here.
13. Therefore a Christian must so
learn to rule his conscience before God as not to permit himself to be ensnared
by any law, but whenever his faith is attacked by the law, let him defend
himself against it, and act as Christ does here and in other places, where he
shows himself so firm, exceptional and odd, that neither Moses nor any legal
exacter can do anything with him, although he is otherwise the most humble, the
most gentle and friendly of men.
14. However, this is an excellent
and sublime art, which no one knows but he alone who was the master of it, who
was able to defy all laws and teachers of law. But we cannot attain to this high
degree, for the devil sports with our flesh and blood, when he attacks a man in
his conscience and makes him tell what he has done and not done, and disputes
with him both concerning his sins and piety. Here a man is drawn into a pit of
clay and deep mire, so that he cannot extricate himself, but only sinks deeper
and deeper. For it rests upon him as a heavy load and presses him down, so that
he is not able to rise above it, under which he goes on and consumes himself
with it, and can not obtain peace. As I also feel in my own experience, when
with my labor I can not extricate myself, although I labor incessantly, and
though I strangle myself to get out of the pit, that I might rise above the
law, and accomplish enough to compel it to be quiet and say: Well, you have
done sufficient, now I am satisfied with thee! But it amounts to nothing, for
it is such a deep pit and mire, out of which no one can emerge, even if he take
the whole world to his assistance, as all can bear me witness who have tried
it, and still daily experience.
15. Now the cause of this is that
our entire nature is so that it is in short inclined to be occupied with works
and laws and hear what they dictate and follow those who say: Why does he eat
with publicans and sinners? If he would eat and drink with us, then he would do
right. Again: Why do your disciples pluck the ears of corn and do what one
ought not to do on the Sabbath day? And they always act and dispute with the
law until it says: Now you are good. For it can not rise higher nor understand
anything better than that the doctrine of the law is the highest doctrine, and
its righteousness is the best life before God. Thus human nature remains in the
law, forever captive and bound. And as it lays hold and makes the attempt, it
can never quiet the law, so that it has nothing to demand or to punish, but is
compelled to remain captive under the law as in a perpetual prison. And the
longer human nature struggles and afflicts itself with the law, the worse it
becomes until entirely overcome.
16. What then am I to do when the
law attacks me and oppresses my conscience, because I am conscious of not
having done what it requires? I answer: Behold what Christ does here, he sets
his head against it, and grows firm, and allows no law to be forced upon him,
even though it be taken from the law of God. Thus you must learn to do, and
flatly say to it: My dear law, let your contention cease, and go your own way,
for I have nothing to do with thee; yes, just because you come to dispute with
me and inquire how good I am, I will not hear thee; for nothing avails before
this judge, with whom we now dispute, nothing what I am and shall do or not do;
but only what Christ is, gives and does. For we are now in the bridal chamber,
where the bride and the bridegroom should be alone, you have no right to enter
there, or speak on this subject.
17. However in this very way the law
still continues to knock and say: Yes,
nevertheless you must do good works, keep God's commandment, if you want to be
saved. Here answer again: Do you not clearly hear, that it avails nothing now
to consider this. For I have already my righteousness and the sum of all
salvation in Christ my Lord without any works, and I was already saved long
before thou camest, so that I have no need whatever of thee. For as I said,
where works are of no avail, the law also amounts to nothing, and where no law
is there is also no sin. Therefore nothing shall rule here except the bride
alone in the bridal chamber with Christ, in whom she possesses all things
together, and lacks nothing that is necessary unto salvation, and the law must
remain excluded with drums and trumpets, and courageously despised and banished
when it would attack the conscience. For it does not belong here, it comes out
of season, and wants to make a great ado where it should not intrude, for here
we are in the sphere of the article of faith; I believe in Jesus Christ, my
Lord, who suffered for me, died and was buried, rose again from the dead, etc.
Before him must give place the law of Moses, of the emperor and of God, and I
am to repel everything that would dispute with me about sin, right or wrong,
and everything I may do.
18. Behold, Christ would here
present to us such liberty, so that we as Christians according to our faith may
tolerate no other master, but only hold that we are baptized and called unto
Christ, and through him have become justified and sanctified, and say: This is
my righteousness, my treasure, my work and everything against sin and wrong,
which the law can do and bring against me. If you want another righteousness,
work, law, sin, then take them where you may, you will not find them in me. In
this way a man may defend himself and withstand the suggestions and temptations
of the devil, either referring to past or present sins; so that these two may
be kept wide apart, Moses and Christ, works and faith, conscience and the
outward life; so that when the law attacks me and would terrify my heart, then
it is time to give the good law a furlough, and if it will not go, bravely drive it away, and
say: Gladly would I do and promote good works where I can at the proper time,
when among the people; but here where my conscience must stand before God, I
will know nothing of them, in this only let me alone, and do not speak to me of
what I do or fail to do. Here I will not listen either to Moses or the
Pharisees, but my baptism and Christ only shall reign here in full sway, and I
will like Mary sit at his feet and hear his Word. But Martha must stay out and
go about in the kitchen and do her housework, and in short, leave the
conscience alone.
19. But how is it, if I still
continually have sin in me, that is certainly not right? I answer: It is true,
I am a sinner and do wrong; but I am not going to despair on that account nor run
straight to hell, or flee from the law; for I have still a righteousness and
work far above Moses, by which I apprehend him who has apprehended me, and I
cleave to him who has embraced me in baptism and laid me in his bosom, and by
his Gospel has promoted me to the fellowship of all his benefits, and commands
me to believe in him. Where he is, there I command the Pharisees, and Moses
with his tables, all lawyers with their books, all men with their works,
immediately to be silent and depart. For here no law has any right to accuse or
demand, although I have not done it nor can I do it, for in Christ I have all
things in abundance, whatever I need or lack.
20. Such, I say, is the Christian's doctrine
and skill, and it belongs only where Christ reigns, and the conscience acts as
in God's presence. But this is not preached to rough, impudent and light-minded
people, who understand nothing of it, and who as St. Peter says in his second
Epistle, 3:6, only confuse and pervert such doctrine to their own condemnation,
from which they take license to live as they please, and say: Ho! why shall I
do good works? What harm is it if I am a sinner? Has not Christ abolished the
law? Now, this too will not avail, for here you must view Christ from another
point, and observe what he further does. For here he himself says that he is
the man who seeks the poor lost sheep,
and besides proves it by his present deed, in that he receives publicans and
sinners, and preaches to them. Here you will see that he does a great deal more
than what the law has commanded, and by his example also teaches thee to do
likewise. He is so proud that he will not be under the law; and again he is so
willing that he desires to do much more than the law can require. Do thou also
likewise, and wait not first until you are driven and tormented with the law,
but do what you should of your own accord without the law, as St Peter
admonishes, 1 Pet.
21. For where the Gospel is truly in
the heart, it creates a new man who does not wait until the law comes, but,
being so full of joy in Christ, and of desire and love for that which is good,
he gladly helps and does good to every one wherever he can, from a free heart,
before he ever once thinks of the law. He wholly risks his body and life,
without asking what he must suffer on account of it, and thus abounds in good
works which flow forth of themselves. Just like Christ will not be compelled to
pick up a straw, but without compulsion he permits himself to be nailed to the
cross for me and the whole world, and dies for the lost sheep. This may indeed
be called work above work.
22. Therefore learn now carefully to
discriminate, both rightly to place and to divide these things, when it comes
to the test, and when the law and sin would dispute with the conscience, that
you courageously take the word out of the mouth of Moses and tell him to be
still, and order him out to your old man, whom you are to lead into the school
of Moses, that he may dispute with him and say: Listen, you are both lazy and
slow to do good, and to serve your neighbor. When you should praise Christ, you
rather drink a bottle of beer. And before you expose yourself to danger for
Christ's sake, you prefer to rob and cheat your neighbor wherever you can. For
the same lazy scoundrel who will not move, whose hands will not work, whose
feet will not go where they should, whose eyes are not chaste, here you may
take stones and smite the old Adam until he does move.
23. Therefore, when Moses attacks me
where it is right, I am to say to him, I will gladly hear and follow thee,
namely with my hands and life, aside from the faith and righteousness of my
conscience before God, there thou mayest reign like a schoolmaster amid the
servants of the family, and order me to be obedient, chaste and patient, to do
good to my neighbor, to help the poor, to praise and honor God, besides allow
myself to be disgraced and slandered for the sake of his Word, and suffer the
world to bring upon me all its torments. In all this I am well pleased, and am
willing to do even more than I am able as to the outward man. For Christ says
the spirit is willing, and more than willing, but the flesh is weak. For thus
he permits himself to be circumcised, to offer in the temple, to be scourged
and crucified, none of which was necessary for him, nor could the law demand
them from him. But should Moses go further, where he has no right, that is,
into my heart and conscience, there I will neither hear nor see him. For there
I have another great and unspeakable treasure, called Christ, with his baptism
and Gospel. In a word, what concerns the outer man, there Moses cannot burden
nor urge too much, but he dare not in the least burden the conscience. For where
the Spirit is who brings us Christ, he is above all law, as St. Paul says, 1
Tim. 1:9: ”That law is not made for a righteous man,” and yet he at the same
time does more than he is able to accomplish according to the flesh. For after
the flesh we are nothing but sinners, and as to our person we would of course
have to remain condemned under the law; but by virtue of Christ and baptism we
rise high above all law.
24. Thus let Moses carry on his
rough work, aside from Christ to urge those who are not Christians, or ever
spur the old Adam. For Christians he cannot thereby make either pious or
righteous; but of course he does this, namely, he shows them their duty, which
according to the Spirit they gladly do, and much more besides, except that the
flesh does not willingly follow nor obey the Spirit, so that on this account
they still need not be admonished and urged. But at the same time the
conscience must remain free, for the law has no right here before God to accuse
and condemn. Wherefore in Christianity such doctrine and admonition must be
upheld, as even the Apostles did, whereby every one is admonished and reminded
of the duty of his calling.
25. But Moses must be allowed to
have absolute rule over those who are not Christians, and burden them both outwardly
and inwardly, so that he may force and torment them to do what is right and
omit what is wrong, although they do it not gladly, like the licentious
multitude and stiffnecked people, who neither esteem nor understand the liberty
of Christ, although they can prate and boast of the Gospel, and yet they only
misuse it for their licentiousness. They should remember that they belong under
Moses. For they are not people who can grasp our doctrine. They go along so
securely and think they have no need of the Gospel, or that they know it well
enough; but it is only for those who thus dispute with the law because of their
sins and the wrath of God, and are frightened by it and feel their hearts say
to them: Woe is me! how have I lived? How shall I stand before God? And thus
they go about too timid and bashful, whereas others are too hard and
presumptious, so that they neither feel nor care for any law nor for their sins
and distress. Hence to both it is unequally distributed, so that those who
ought to have nothing to do with the law are the only ones to feel it and they
have too much of it; but the others, who only ought to feel it, do not concern
themselves about it at all; yes, the more you try to terrify them with the law
and the wrath of God, the harder they become. Therefore they need another
master, namely, the hangman and the sheriff to teach them; if they will not do
good in God's name, that they may be obliged to do it in the name of some one
else, and have no thanks for it, but receive hell-fire and all torments as
their reward.
26. On the contrary, Christ, here
and everywhere, as I have said, teaches us, who feel our sins and the burden of
the law, and would gladly be Christians, both by his example and his sermons,
to accustom ourselves to contend against it, and directs us from ourselves to
himself, and not to give place to the devil, who by the law would invade the
bride chamber of Christ, and sit in his place, that is, rob the conscience of
its joy and comfort, in order that he may force man into despair, so as not to
be able to lift up his head or heart to God. For this is called the Christian's
art, who should learn and know more than the vulgar, profane crowd can know and
understand, namely, that they are able to contend against and withstand the
devil, when he attacks us and desires to dispute with us with the aid of Moses;
so that we simply allow him no argument or conversation, but direct him from
Moses to Christ and stay with the latter; for he only goes about cunningly to
bring us from Christ under Moses; for he knows when he accomplishes this, he
has the victory.
27. Wherefore be on your guard that
you be not led from the way or be tempted out of your sphere; but, although he
already sets forth many things from the law, which is also God's Word, which
you are in duty bound to obey, you can answer him and say: Dost thou indeed not
understand that I will now neither know nor hear of any law? For we are now
within a sphere and on ground, where there is no question as to what I shall do
or leave undone. I already know well enough, that I have not done, nor do I do,
what the law requires; but here is the question, how may I acquire a gracious
God and the forgiveness of sins, and how shall I learn the article of faith
concerning Christ? Here I will abide in the arms of Christ and hang about his
neck, and creep into his baptism, God grant it, and let the law say and my
heart feel what they may. If we can only keep this chief part pure, and this
bulwark firm and well secured, then I will gladly do and suffer externally as
much as is laid upon me.
28. Behold, whoever learns this art
well is a truly perfect man, as Christ was, so far above all law that he might
also call St. Peter a devil, the Pharisees fools and blind leaders, and stop
the mouth of Moses and order him to keep quiet, and thus live entirely without
any law, and yet fulfill all laws and be proud and firm against everything that
would bind and lead him captive, and yet also of his own free self be
serviceable and subject unto all men.
29. But here we are always
deficient, that we can never properly learn this, for the devil lies in our
path and leads us so far that we pervert it and are only too willing and modest
to hear everything the law says and become frightened at it, when we should raise
our head and neither hear nor follow it. Again, in external matters, we are
only too liable to fall into license, when we should courageously keep down the
body and exercise it with the law, that it may be compelled to suffer
everything that causes it pain, because it still continually commits sin; yet,
so that sin here remain without, where it should remain, and have its Moses to
lay upon its back and oppress it. But internally no sin or law ought to reign,
but Christ alone with pure grace, joy and consolation. Then all things would go
right, and man would be prepared for every good work, both to do and suffer all
things with joy, with a glad and willing heart, out of good, honest faith in
the grace of God through Christ, [so that the conscience remain a master over
all laws, and the flesh be subject to all laws.]
30. Now, whoever can do such things,
let him thank God, and see to it, that he be able to do it only not too well or
loudly boast that he has great skill. For I, and those like me, can not yet
accomplish it as we should, although we have indeed tried it most and practiced
it the longest; for it is, as I have said, a skill that no one possesses but
Christians, all of whom must remain scholars and learn it all their lives;
except only those other secure spirits, who pretend that they alone know
everything, and yet with such pretended skill they know nothing at all, and
thereby have departed farthest from it. There is not a more vexatious thing,
nor a greater affliction or harm that can happen to Christendom than that
everything becomes full of factions and sects through such sophists; while they
are only people who serve neither God nor the world, and hear rightly neither
the law nor the Gospel, but securely despise the former and become disgusted with
the latter, and are always seeking some other doctrine. But we do not preach in
their behalf, for they are unworthy of it, and are punished by God so that they
can never learn it or derive any benefit from it, although they hear it; also,
that we nevertheless only retain it and that they take nothing of it from us,
except that they hear only an empty sound and noise of it.
This is the first part which Christ
here teaches by his own example; [how we should keep our conscience free from
all disputations of the law and from all the terrors of the wrath of God and of
sin]. Now let us examine this beautiful sermon of the Lord, where he begins and
says:
”What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and
having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness,
and go after that which is lost, until he find it?”
31. Christ the Lord is not only
firm, in that he refuses to obey their doctrine and despotism, but also shows
good reasons for doing so, and with great and fine skill overthrows their
objections and stops their mouths, so that they have nothing to say against it,
yes, he circumvents them by their own actions and example, and forces them in
their very hearts to be ashamed of themselves, that they demanded such things
of him and blame him in such weighty matters, which they themselves do in much
more trifling things, and wish to do them even with honor.
32. For how could he answer them
better than to say: You great masters and dear sophists, would you order and
teach me that I should thrust from me poor sinners who desire me and come unto
me to hear my words? While even you yourselves for the sake of one lost sheep
do much more, when among a hundred you miss a single one, you leave the ninety
and nine in the wilderness, that is, in the field with the shepherds, standing
all alone, and run after the one of the hundred and have no rest until you find
it, and this you call a good and praiseworthy deed, and if any one would reprove
you for it, you would consider him mad and foolish. And should not I, the
Saviour of souls, do the same for men as you do for a sheep, although there is
no comparison whatever between a soul and everything else that lives and moves
of all the creatures on the earth. Then should you not in your hearts be
ashamed of yourselves, to boss and reprove me in a work which is infinitely
better than the work you yourselves praise and are compelled to praise? So, if
you reprove me, you must first condemn yourselves.
33. This is called giving a good
answer, and in all honor putting them to silence, while he gives sufficient
reasons why he does not at all need their great authority, yea, he will not,
neither should he, endure it. And so they run on as is their nature, for they
obtain thus nothing but their own sins and shame. For it is truly a shame to
all masters, and an insufferable outrage, for them to attempt to dictate to
him, who is appointed of God Lord over all. But it ought to be as I said,
whoever desires to direct and judge a Christian, and lead him away from his
baptism and the article of faith in Christ, and to govern him by his wisdom and
laws, does not only make a fool of himself, but also causes abomination and
murder; for he defiles God's temple and sanctuary, and with a devilish outrage
invades his kingdom, where he alone should reign through his Holy Spirit.
Wherefore he fairly and justly deserves that God should also put him to sin and
shame before all the world, because he wants to be a master in the devil's
name, whereas Christ alone is master, and with his head he runs against him who
is too high and wise for him.
34. Therefore it is not a good thing
to trifle with Christians, for they are living saints, who are undisturbed
before all the world only because of their man whose name is Christ; for men
gain nothing in him at any rate, as he will not suffer others to teach and rule
him. So also a Christian can and should not suffer it, for if he suffers it and
gives place and yields to suggestions of this kind, where one would blame and
master Christ in him, or attack his faith with the law and doctrine of works,
then he is lost and fallen from Christ. Therefore let us only hold firmly to
him, and care not if the whole world outwits and masters us. For when we abide
in him and hold fast to the true sense of this article of faith, we will easily
overcome all such fanatics and put them to shame. For this Christ shall and
will remain uncorrected and without a master, but he alone will rule and reform
the whole world, so that they shall either by grace acknowledge him as their
Lord and Master, and themselves as fools, or without grace be exposed to shame
and utterly perish.
35. But, as I have said, this sermon
is much too good, sweet and comforting for the coarse, rough crowd, and the
mad, knotty mob, and so we do not preach it to them that they may know it; but
only to those who are in the terrors and anxiety of conscience, or in the
danger and toils of death, and when the devil disputes with them about their
sins, to drive them into melancholy and despair. To those this lovely picture
must be presented, that they may become comforted and joyful. But the rest, who
already live in drunkenness and know but very little of melancholy and
spiritual sorrow, are to be diverted to Moses and mister hangman and his
servants, and afterwards to the devil. For it is painted so very friendly and
much better than any man can paint it, and no one is so eloquent as to outline
it or equal it with words, but as much as possible it must be grasped by faith
in the heart. However, we must notice a little of it, so as to give an occasion
to meditate upon it.
36. Christ says I have a hundred
sheep, that is, the little flock of entire Christendom, from which number one
is lost and fallen from the communion of Christians. If you would know how it
is with my heart, only truly describe such a shepherd and his lost sheep!
37. For while the shepherd is merely
a man and tends the dumb animals, created to be slaughtered and killed, yet he
has such a sympathetic heart for his lost sheep, that he is in as great anxiety
to find the sheep as it is to find its shepherd. For as soon as the sheep
knows, as it does by instinct, that he is its shepherd, it is not at all
afraid, but runs up to him with all confidence, and walks along before him in
perfect trust. Yes, as soon as it only hears his voice, it bleats and runs
after him, and has no rest until it comes to him. And thus there is of course
the purest friendship and love between them both, and they have toward each
other only one heart and one mind; so that if the lamb could speak and pour out
its heart, it would desire nothing but its shepherd. Again, the shepherd has no
other cares and anxieties than how he may again find his precious pet, that has
gone from him and strayed away. He makes haste, and sends out servants wherever
he thinks it may be found, and never ceases until he has found it and brought
it home. For he knows well enough what a poor animal it is, as it can live only
by the help and under the protection of its shepherd, and can not at all care
for itself, but is wholly lost and must perish, if deprived of its shepherd,
and besides it is naturally fearful and inclined to stray; and as soon as it
leaves the way and loses the shepherd, it is at once discomfited and can not
rest, although it comes among other shepherds and sheep, and the stranger calls
it, yet it runs in its fright through briers and water and everything before it
until it falls a prey to the wolf or otherwise perishes.
38. But still it has in it the
virtue and good nature, that it holds with all diligence to its shepherd and
knows his voice so well, and when it hears it, it runs immediately to him, and
will not permit itself to be taken from him, though all the world may call and
coax. And though it be already lost or gone astray, still it has the hope as
much as instinct gives it, if it can only once again hear its shepherd, it would be cheerful and void of all care. Thus
the shepherd is not for the purpose, when he finds it again, to be angry at it
and thrust it away, or to cast it into the jaws of the wolf; but all his cares
and thoughts are, only to allure it in the most friendly manner and treat it in
the tenderest way, he takes it upon his shoulders, holds and carries it, until
he again brings it home.
39. The picture painted before us by
this creature of God is, how Christ shows his disposition toward us, what he
will do for us and what we may expect from him. For, as all this is true in
nature, much more is it true in the
40. For when a man has lost this
shepherd and does not hear his voice, it is with him exactly as with the lost
sheep, which always wanders ever farther and farther from him. And though be
even be allured and called by strange doctrines to run over to them and think
it is coming to its shepherd, yet it does not find him, but always runs from
one corner to another, and the longer it runs the farther it goes astray, and
it has no comfort nor help, until it again hears the voice of its true Shepherd
ringing in its ears. As also experience plainly shows us, and every one can
experience it in his own heart. For if the second article of the creed
concerning Christ be taken away or not taught, then here comes a factious
spirit, there a fanatic, where one perverts the sacrament of the altar, the
other baptism, and one preaches this, the other that, concerning strange
holiness of life, and each one entices the poor sheep to himself, and pretends
to be the Shepherd, by which the sheep strays more and more, until it loses the
way altogether.
41. Moreover, the devil also joins
in with his own thoughts, which he shoots into the heart: Ah, if you had done
this and that, or not done it! by which the heart becomes only more fickle and
erring, that it does not know whither to go. This certainly takes place when
Christ is removed out of sight, and the article of faith concerning him is not
taught. It matters not how they teach, advise and admonish, it will only be
worse and approach nearer destruction, unless the true Shepherd with his own
voice comes again to him.
42. Therefore we should now learn
rightly to know and recognize Christ our Lord, that we may not regard him as a
tyrant or an angry judge, as hitherto he has been preached to us, and as the
devil always presents him to the heart, as one standing behind us with a sword.
But as the little lamb naturally beholds its shepherd, not at all as one who
would frighten, hunt and strike it down, but as soon as it first sees him, it
becomes happy and obtains a hope as though it received help already, and needs
no more to fear or care, and runs straight up to him with all confidence.
43. Thus too, if our confidence is
to begin, and we become strengthened and comforted, we must well learn the voice
of our Shepherd, and let all other voices go, who only lead us astray, and
chase and drive us hither and thither. We must hear and grasp only that article
which presents Christ to us in the most friendly and comforting manner
possible. So that we can say with all confidence: My Lord Jesus Christ is truly
the only Shepherd, and I, alas, the lost sheep, which has strayed into the
wilderness, and I am anxious and fearful, and would gladly be good, and have a
gracious God and peace of conscience, but here I am told that He is as anxious
for me as I am for him. I am anxious and in pain about how I shall come to him
to secure help, But he is in anxiety and worry and desires nothing else than to
bring me again to himself.
44. Behold, if we could thus portray
his heart, and press it into our own heart, that he has such a gushing desire,
anxiety and longing for us, then we could not dread or fear him, but would
joyfully run up to him and abide with him alone, and hear no other doctrine or
teacher. For wherever a different doctrine comes, be it of Moses or others, it
will certainly accomplish nothing, except only to hunt us down and torment us,
so that we can find neither rest nor peace. Wherefore Christ also says, Mat.
45. We will gladly permit the
preaching of good works, the ten commandments and all other moral teaching; but
to preach to the conscience bound in torment and terror on account of its sins,
there shall positively be no other word preached except the Word of Christ. For
this is that poor lost sheep, which neither shall nor can have and suffer any
master, except this its only Shepherd, who does not deal with it by compulsions
and the requirements of the law, but in the sweetest and tenderest manner, and
takes upon himself the dear sheep with all its distress, sins and anxiety, and
himself does what the sheep should do, as we shall hear further.
46. But, as I have sufficiently said
before, we must well distinguish here between two kinds of preaching, or the
voice of Moses and the voice of Christ, that by no means you may permit any
Moses to come to the lost sheep, though his preaching be ever so excellent. For
if these things be confused and we attempt to comfort the troubled conscience
with the law thus: Be of good cheer, you have not committed murder nor adultery
and done any other outrage, or you have indeed meant it all good! This also is
comfort, but it will not last long nor hold out against the cuffs of the devil.
For this is nothing more nor less than a consolation with yourself, by which
the poor sheep is not benefited, for it remains astray and lost in spite of
this, and it can not help itself or come to its Shepherd.
47. However, if he is to be helped,
he must be shown the true Shepherd, who comes and seeks him to bring him home,
and let his voice be heard, then he can receive true comfort, so that he dare
answer Moses and say: I now no longer care either for thy comfort or terror,
and you may make me just as bad as you can, you may make me a murderer time and
again, and say I have hanged my father and mother; but now, because I am in
anxiety and terror before the wrath of God and eternal condemnation, I will
neither hear nor obey thee. For I myself feel and confess, that I am, alas, a
poor lost sheep; but this is my salvation and comfort in which I triumph, that
I have the Shepherd who himself seeks me, his lost sheep, and carries me on his
shoulders. Let us now discuss this, and not how good or bad I am, but, how I am
to come to Christ.
48. Therefore, all preaching must be
adapted to the capacity of the hearers. For I have said that this doctrine is
not suited to a carnal and hardened man, even as it does not profit to give a
hardy thresher sugar and costly delicacies, which are intended for the sick,
but give him a good piece of hard bread and cheese and a drink of water. But
other soft and delicate food reserve for the sick and young children, who
cannot digest anything hard. Thus you must also observe here how rightly to
divide and give each one his proper portion, like a prudent householder.
Likewise, that you hold fast to the preaching of Moses and the law, until you
find hard and vicious people, who live secure and without fear. These you must
permit to eat only the coarse food of common laborers, that is, to hear the
angry Moses, who thunders and flashes from
49. But wherever there are troubled,
weak hearts and consciences, which have now become lost sheep, there keep
silent about Moses and all the works of God, done under the law, and speak only
of the works done by Christ in the time of grace, and well impress the poor
conscience how he shows himself toward the lost Sheep; namely, that he is the dear, good Shepherd, who is so anxious
and concerned about the sheep that he drops everything and leaves all lay, only
that he may find it again, and never ceases until he brings it home. For it
grieves him that a man should remain in sin, fear and tremble; and he cannot
endure it, that he remains there and perishes. But he calls to thee with his
Gospel in the most friendly manner, that you should only come to him, and be
taken up and carried on his shoulders, and remain his dear sheep.
50. But that multitude must not be
called the lost sheep, which lives securely and riotously and do not concern
themselves whether God above is angry or laughs, for it is a wild goat that
will not be either led or protected. But those are called the stray, lost
sheep, whose sins oppress them and who struggle in the conflict of faith, where
there is no danger of losing Moses but Christ and his chief article of faith,
that is, where the conscience is in anxiety and worry as to whether God is
merciful to him? This is the true sheep which sighs and cries for its Shepherd,
and would be glad for help, as David says, Ps. 119:176: ”I am gone astray like
a lost sheep, seek thy servant,” etc. To those the sugar and this friendly
sweet refreshment tastes good, by which the heart is revived that it may not
despair, but that it may raise itself up again by such consolation, not through
Moses but in Christ; not in order to make Moses his friend or be able to quiet
his voice, but because he has a gracious God in his Lord and Christ. God grant
it. Let Moses abide with his comfort where he can.
51. Although it is also a fine thing
and should be so, that a man should not live contrary to the law, rob, steal,
murder, or do his neighbor wrong and cause him pain; yet such a life does not
give the heart true comfort, but only tickles the skin, which does not enter
the heart nor lasts. For when the devil comes and seizes the heart, he takes
away all such comfort, and although you have even done right, yet he of course
prefers tenfold against it, where you did the contrary. Yea, in the very best
works he can easily find much uncleanness, and turn everything to sin.
Therefore nothing can be built on such comfort, but only courageously cast it
away, and say: God grant, whether I be good or not, this I will reserve for its
proper place, when we come to teach and treat of works; but in this circle in
which I now stand, it avails nothing to treat of my works and goodness, but of
Christ and his works which he has done for me as his lost sheep. If now you ask
whether I am good, I will simply answer: No, and I do not want to be in this
circle of good people.
52. But if you ask whether Christ is
good, then without hesitation I can say yes, and present him as my
righteousness, and defiantly appeal to him. For in him I have been baptized,
and I have the seal and document here in the Gospel, that I am his dear sheep,
and he is my good and pious Shepherd who seeks his lost sheep, and deals with
it entirely without the law, demands nothing of me, neither drives, threats nor
frigbtens, but shows me pure sweet grace, and humbles himself beneath me and
takes me upon himself, that I may only lie on his back and be carried. Why
should I then fear the terrors and thunderings of Moses, or the devil besides,
because I am in the protection of that man who gives me his holiness and
everything he has, to possess it as my own, and who carries and holds me so
that I cannot be lost, because I remain a sheep and do not deny the Shepherd or
maliciously fall from him.
53. Thus you have this picture
presented in the most lovely manner it is possible to present it. But all this
is done only on account of faith. For the picture is indeed fine and full of
comfort, and is the truth itself. But it is wanting in this, that it is not
felt in experience as it should be. For while the sheep runs astray, that is,
when man feels his sins and they oppress him, and he does not know where to
stand, and the devil terrifies him; then only the contrary takes place, and he
cannot grasp that it is true, for all that he has here heard entirely departs
through his present feelings and experience. For the devil has so perverted his
vision that he sees nothing but God's wrath and indignation, by which his heart
is so burdened that he cannot raise himself above it or turn his eyes from it,
for he has so deeply sunk into it that he sees nothing else even in Christ than
an angry Judge, as he has been hitherto described and forced into all hearts by
the scandalous Papists as sitting alone on the rainbow with a sword in his
mouth.
54. For the real art and roguery of
the devil, which he practices on the poor wandering sheep, are that he perverts
this picture and makes a continual bawling in his presence, that he can no more
recognize his Shepherd, so that in Christ's name he might lead the man subject
to Moses, as he disputes about Christ just as he did before about Moses, so
that he indeed needs a strong faith that it is true, and a man first of all
must contend against himself on this account. For his own feeling is powerful
in itself, and the devil magnifies sin and terror so greatly, that nerve and
bone, and the heart in the body, could fail.
55. Therefore it is not so easily
learned as some imagine. When all is peace it is easily believed that Christ is
sweet and amiable, but when anxiety and terror break forth and overwhelm the
heart, then man is blind and wandering, and will judge only according to his
heart and feelings, to which he clings and confirms himself in his error, for
he is held captive in it, and cannot think otherwise but that it is as he feels
it, and yet it is not true.
56. Now this would be an art, were
he able to say to his heart: If You acknowledge yourself to be a lost sheep,
you speak the truth; but that you would on this account flee from Christ, and
imagine him to be a man who would hunt you down and frighten you, this is the
work of the sorry devil himself. For if you rightly behold and confess him as
your true Shepherd, you would neither be afraid nor frightened at him, but you
would run up to him with joy and confidence. For he is not present here to
condemn thee, but he comes to seek thee, to carry you on his back, to help and
deliver you from sin, error, the power of the devil and every misfortune. If
you now feel that you are a sinner and have deserved the wrath of God, then you
should just on this account the more earnestly cry and run to your dear
Shepherd, that he might deliver you, and you should not imagine him to be
anything else than the sheep does its shepherd, which cannot fear him, but is
glad and happy as soon as it sees and hears him, although it has strayed away
from him, and deserved on this account to fear him. But it knows full well that
he bears no anger or indignation against such a sheep, and can expect nothing
of him but love and every good thing.
57. Hence everything here depends
only upon this, that you rightly learn to look upon Christ according to the Word,
and not according to your own thoughts and feelings, for human thoughts are
frauds and lies, but his Word is true and cannot lie. For he has even proved it
by living deeds and examples, and daily proves it still throughout the whole of
Christendom. Wherefore we must only press the Word close to our hearts, and
knit ourselves into it and learn the art to reprove our own heart with its
lies, and set this article of faith against it. For this alone must remain
true, and everything opposed to it, must be false and a pack of lies. But this
is an art which I cannot master, and much less can other vain spirits, who
boast so much of it, as though they knew it all, if they have only heard it but
once, and yet they never taste or experience anything of it. For it is an easy
matter to speak and preach about it; but how difficult it is to prove it in
reality, which those thoroughly experience, who are earnestly concerned about
it.
58. Now this is the first
description of the lovely Christ, set forth by himself in this Gospel, that he
pours out all his heart and is so anxious for the sheep, that he goes after it
alone, leaving the ninety and nine; not to frighten or strike it, but to help
it and bring it home again, and to rejoice the wretched and sorrowful heart and
conscience by his sweet and friendly voice, so that on both sides there is
nothing but hearty love and joy for each other, that you can see what great
love and pleasure you thereby afford him, when you cleave to him with the whole
heart and look to him for every good thing.
59. You see in the second place how
he pours out his joy and unspeakable goodness by external signs and gestures of
every kind, and how, when he has found the sheep, he shows himself so friendly,
for he does not deal with it at all according to his own law or force, to which
indeed he has a right, to drive it before him like the other sheep, and leave
it go alone. On the contrary he lays hold and puts it on his shoulders and
carries it himself the whole way through the wilderness, takes all the labor
and trouble upon himself only in order that the sheep may have rest and a home,
and he does it gladly and heartily for he is full of pure joy, only because he
once more has it in his care. And observe also how well it is with the sheep, how
it lies in all peace and safety upon the shoulders of its Shepherd, and how
well pleased it is that it lies so softly and does not need to travel, is safe
and without care, both from dogs and wolves, that is, from all error and lies,
danger and destruction. This is indeed a friendly painting, excellent, lovely
and refreshing to behold.
60. For just so Christ our Lord does
when he delivers us, which he once did bodily by his sufferings and death, but
now he continually does in power and spirit by his Word. In this way he lays us
on his shoulders, carries and defends us, that we may be safe from all danger
of sin, of death and the devil; although they even terrify us, and act as if
they would tear us away and devour us. For being thus carried is our salvation,
and we remain safe from every peril and need fear nothing; just like the
precious lamb that lays on the shoulders of the Shepherd will not let itself be
disturbed, although the dogs already like fiends bark, and the wolf lurks
about, while it hangs its head without any care and sweetly sleeps. So we do
also, if we stand and abide in this article of faith: I believe in Jesus
Christ, our Lord, who suffered, died and rose again for us, etc., then we need
not worry about being lost, or that the devil can devour us, though he even
opens his jaws ever so wide. For we are not then on our own way, nor do we walk
with our own feet, but hang about the neck of our dear Shepherd and lay upon
his back, where we are entirely safe. For although sin, death and hell appear
ever so wicked and terrible, they cannot devour him; otherwise we poor sheep
would too soon be lost and destroyed.
61. For even as the sheep cannot
protect or provide for itself that it go not astray, unless the shepherd
continually directs and leads it in the way; and when it has strayed and is
lost, it cannot of itself find the right way or come to its shepherd, but the
shepherd himself must go after it, and seek it until he find it, and when he
has found it, he holds and bears it upon his back, that it may no more be
frightened away from him, hunted or seized by the wolf. So we too cannot either
help or advise ourselves, that we may obtain rest and peace of conscience, and
escape the devil, death and hell, unless Christ himself brings us again and calls
us to himself by his Word. And when we come to him and are in a state of faith,
even then we are not able to keep ourselves in faith or be steadfast, unless he
himself by his Word and power holds and carries us, because the devil every way
and without ceasing watches for us, end lurks, round about us like a roaring
lion, as St. Peter In 1 Pet. 5:8 says, to devour us. So that here it avails
nothing whatever to boast of our free will and strength, either to begin or
continue our return to the Shepherd, and to abide with him, but Christ alone,
our Shepherd, must do everything.
62. But now we are certain of this,
that as long as we lie around the neck of Christ, we shall be safe from all
terror and misfortune. For he will certainly not permit us to be torn from his
neck, norr will he cast us off, because he is so happy and of good cheer that
he once again has his sheep, and can bring it back to the rest of the flock. In
short, there is nothing here of terror, driving and commanding, but a simple
friendly carrying and a mere life of grace, by which he cares for his sheep in
the tenderest manner. On the contrary, Moses, not like a shepherd of poor, weak
sheep, but of rough, strong cattle, with his staff and rod drives his herd
before him a three days journey into the wilderness, Ex. 3:1, until they become
weary; for such treatment is proper for hardened and proud people.
63. Even we also, when we come under
Moses, namely, according to the flesh and the external life, must then go
ourselves and do what the law demands. But according to our faith we must not
suffer any work to be forced upon us or required of us, but only permit
ourselves to be carried and raised up most tenderly, not on horse and chariot,
but on his own back and shoulders. Which, as I said, is done, when he permits
his Word to be preached unto us, that he died for us, and bore our sins in his
own body on the cross, and put the devil with death and sin under his feet, and
has led us unto eternal life, and always carries us as long as we live, so that
we need not look to our life, how good and strong we are, but only lie upon his
shoulders. For in this circle or article of faith we need not be troubled about
any sin, death or life, but we have all things in Christ who carries and
defends us.
64. Now he is not satisfied with the
two parts, that he so lovingly seeks the lost sheep, and carries it so gently
and with joy; but also when he brings it home he appoints a special feast and
season of joy, and calls together his friends and neighbors that they may
rejoice with him. Yea, he makes such a great jubilee, that God in heaven
together with all the heavenly hosts and all creatures rejoice over one sinner
that repenteth. By this he shows and explains who it is that is called a lost
sheep, namely, the sinner who repents, that is, who feels his sins and is
heartily sorry on account of them, and would gladly be free from them and come
to Christ and amend his life, which is called having a miserable, sorrowful
heart and an afflicted conscience, which the devil attacks, that it might
perish with sorrow and sadness. For Christ is such a man who seeks and carries
no sheep except that which is lost and knows no refuge or help of its own.
65. And now consider, how could he
preach still more friendly and comfortingly, or what more should he do to make
the heart joyful, and awaken a strong confidence in him? Since we see such a
Shepherd, we miserable sinners are painted forth by him, who so unwillingly
loses his sheep and so anxiously seeks it, and when he has found it carries it
with all joy, and spreads forth such joy that all the angels and saints in
heaven, yea, and all creatures rejoice and smile over us so friendly, that even
the sun must shine much more lovely. For as it is natural that when a man is
sorrowful, the sun and everything looks dark to him, and again when the heart
is happy, then man appears twice as joyful, and everything looks to him lighter
and brighter.
66. Now he who can firmly believe
this, shall also receive true consolation and joy in and through Christ the
Lord, because he has here the certain promise, that if he cleave thus unto
Christ, and permit himself to be carried on his shoulders, that he is a dear
guest in the kingdom of heaven, and will be received with great joy.
67. But we have altogether a
different feeling in the sorrow and melancholy of the conscience, when the
heart cannot think otherwise than that every angel stands behind us with a
drawn sword, so that we can have no good cheer either from God or angels, that
even some cannot behold any creature with joy, and fear the friendly sun
itself, yea, every leaf that stirs. All which arises from tormenting and
consuming themselves with their own thoughts, from which they would gladly
disentangle themselves, and labor so much and feel so good that they need not
fear; but by this they only make the evil worse.
68. But if you desire to possess
true comfort and joy in your soul, then only learn to impress this lovely
picture and word of this Gospel in your heart, that you may seek it where it is
to be found, namely, in Christ, and nowhere else. For in this man you will find
all things, if you only remain under his protection and lie still upon his
shoulders. But whatever joy may be sought outside of him, never enters the
heart, even if you took to your aid all creatures, and had in one place the joy
and pleasure of the whole world.
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER
TRINITY
ROMANS 8:18-22
ROMANS 8:18-22.
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present
time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to
us-ward. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the revealing
of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to vanity not of its own
will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself
also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the
glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and
travaileth in pain together until now.
CONSOLATION IN
SUFFERING, AND PATIENCE.
1. Paul’s language here is peculiar. He speaks in a manner
wholly different from the other apostles. There is something particularly
strange about the first sentences of the passage. His words must be faithfully
studied and their meaning learned by personal experience. The Christian life
consists altogether in the practice and experience of what the Word of God
tells us. He who has no experimental knowledge of the Word will have but little
conception and appreciation of Paul’s words here. Indeed, they will be wholly
unintelligible to him.
2. Up to the point where our text begins, Paul has been
assuring us in this epistle that through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ we
attain the high privilege of calling God our Father; that the Holy Spirit bears
witness in our hearts of our sonship, and makes us bold enough to come, by
faith in Christ the Mediator, joyfully before God, trusting him to fill and
bless us. Then Paul draws the conclusion, first, that we are children of God;
next, he says: “If children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ.” The second conclusion is the outcome of the first. For the reason that
we have the boldness and assurance to call God our Father in sincerity and
nothing doubting, we are become not only children but heirs, heirs of God and
brethren to Christ, joint-heirs with him. But all this, as Paul says, is true “if so be that we suffer with him” ( Romans 8:7).
3. The high prerogative of heirship, Paul faithfully
enjoins, is dependent on a sacred duty. Let him who would be Christ’s brother,
and joint-heir with him, remember he must also be a joint-martyr and
joint-sufferer with Christ. The apostle’s meaning is: Many are the Christians,
indeed, who would be joint-heirs with Christ and gladly enjoy the privilege of
sharing his inheritance, but who object to suffering with him; they separate
themselves from him because unwilling to participate in his pain. But Paul says
this will not do. The inheritance follows only as a consequence of the
suffering. Since Christ, our dear Lord and Savior, had to suffer before he
could be glorified, we must be martyrs with him, with him be mocked by the
world, despised, spit upon, crowned with thorns and put to death, before the
inheritance will be ours. It cannot be otherwise. A consistent sympathy is
essential to Christian faith and doctrine. He who would be Christ’s brother and
fellow-heir must also suffer with him. He who would live with Christ must first
die with him. The members of a family not only enjoy
good together but also share in their ills. As the saying is, “He who would be
a companion in eating must also be a companion in labor.”
4. Paul would earnestly admonish us not to become false
Christians who look to find in Christ mere pleasure and enjoyment, but to
remember that if we are to participate in the “eternal weight of glory” we must
first bear the “light affliction, which is for the moment.” 2 Corinthians
5. And in the verse preceding our text he tells us that as
our blissful inheritance through brotherhood and joint-heirship with Christ is not
a mere fancy and false hope of the heart, but a real inheritance, so our
sympathy must amount to real suffering, which we take upon ourselves as
befitting joint-heirs. Now Paul comforts the Christian in his sufferings with
the authority of one who speaks from experience, from thorough acquaintance
with his subject. He seems to view this life as through obscurities, while
beholding the life to come with clear and unobstructed vision. He says:
“For I reckon that
the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shal be revealed to usward [in us].”
6. Notice how he turns his back to the world and his face to
the future revelation, as if seeing no suffering anywhere, but all joy. “Even
if it does go ill with us,” he would argue, “what indeed is our suffering in
comparison with the unspeakable joy and glory to be revealed in us? It is too
insignificant to be compared and unworthy to be called suffering.” We fail to
realize the truth of these words because we do not see with our bodily eyes the
supreme glory awaiting us; because we fail to grasp fully the fact that we
shall never die but shall have a body that cannot
suffer nor be ill. If one could conceive the nature of this reward he would be
compelled to say: “Were it possible for me to suffer ten deaths by fire or
flood, that would be nothing in comparison to the future life of glory. What is
temporal suffering, however protracted, contrasted with eternal life? It is not
worthy to be called suffering or to be esteemed meritorious.”
7. In this light does Paul regard suffering, as he says, and
he admonishes Christians to look upon it similarly. Then shall they find the
infinite beyond all comparison with the finite. What is a single penny measured
by a world of dollars? though this is not an appropriate
comparison since the things compared are both perishable. The suffering
of the world is always to be counted as nothing measured by the glorious and
eternal possessions yet to be ours. “I entreat you, therefore, beloved brethren,”
Paul would say, “to fear no sufferings, not even should it be your lot to be
slain. For if you are actually joint-heirs, it must be your fortune, a part of
your inheritance, to suffer with others. But what is your pain measured by the
eternal glory prepared for you and obtained by the sacrifice of your Savior
Jesus Christ? It is too insignificant to be contrasted.” So Paul makes all
earthly suffering infinitely small – a drop, a tiny spark, so to speak; but of
yonder hopedfor glory he makes a boundless ocean, an illimitable flame.
8. Why cannot we take his view of the insignificance of our
afflictions and the magnitude of the future glory? The extravagance of our
conduct is apparent in the fact that but a harsh word uttered by one to his
fellow will make the injured one ready to overturn mountains and uproot trees
in his resentment. To them who are so unwilling to suffer, Paul’s word of
encouragement here is wholly unintelligible. Christians are not to conduct
themselves in this impatient manner. It ill becomes them to make extravagant
complaint and outcry about injustice. “But,” you say, “I have truly suffered
injustice.” Very well, so be it. But why do you make so much of your sufferings
and never give a thought to what awaits you in heaven?
Why not exalt the future glory also? If you desire to be a Christian, truly it
will not do to conduct yourself in this impatient manner. If you must air your
grievances, surely you may do it quietly and decorously.
9. In this life it must be otherwise than in the life of
glory. If you essay to be a joint-heir with the Lord Jesus Christ and do not
suffer with him, to be his brother and are not like unto him, Christ certainly
will not at the last day acknowledge you as a brother and fellow-heir. Rather
he will ask where are your crown of thorns, your cross, the nails and scourge;
whether you have been, as he and his followers ever have from the beginning of
time, an abomination to the world. If you cannot qualify in this respect, he
cannot regard you as his brother. In short, we must all suffer with the Son of
God and be made like unto him, as we shall see later,
or we shall not be exalted with him in glory.
10. Upon this same topic Paul addresses also the Galatians ( Galatians 6:17): Henceforth let no one confuse
me, say nothing to me about the doctrine that friendship is rewarded on earth;
for I bear branded on my body the marks of my Lord Jesus Christ. His reference
is to the signs in ancient paintings of Christ, where the Savior was
represented as bearing his cross upon his shoulders, with the nails, the
scourge, the crown of thorns and other emblems in evidence. These marks or
signs, Paul instructs, all Christians as well as himself must exhibit, not
painted on a wall but branded in their flesh and blood. They are made when
inwardly the devil affrights and assails us with all manner of terrors and
overwhelming afflictions, and at the same time outwardly the world slanders us
as heretics, laying her hand to our throats whenever possible and putting us to
death.
THE REWARD
Such marks, or scars, for Christ the Lord, Paul admonishes
all Christians to exhibit. Thus he encourages them not to be terrified though
they suffer every conceivable wrong, such as our brethren here and there have
suffered now for several years. But brighter days are in store for us when once
the hour of our enemies and the power of darkness shall come. Our adversaries
annoy us now with malignant words and slanderous writings, and indeed they may
take our lives. So be it. We must in any event suffer if we are ever to attain true glory. But what they will secure by putting us to death
they certainly shall experience.
11. In Paul’s reference to the glory that shall be revealed
in us there is a hint as to the cause of man’s unwillingness to suffer: faith
is yet weak and fails to descry the hidden glory; that glory is yet to be
revealed in us. Could we but behold it with mortal vision, what noble, patient
martyrs we should be! Suppose one stood on yonder side of the Elbe with a chest
full of gold, offering it to him who should venture to swim across for it. What
an effort would be made for the sake of that tangible
wealth!
12. Take the case of the adventurous officer. For a few
dollars per month he defies spears and guns, exposing himself to almost certain
death. The merchant hurries to and fro in the world in a frenzied effort to
amass riches, hazarding life and limb, apparently careless of physical cost so
long as God’s mercy preserves to him but the shattered hulk of a body. And what
must not one endure at court before he realizes, if he ever does, the
fulfillment of his ambition? In temporal things man can do and suffer
everything for the sake of honor, wealth and power, because these are manifest
to earthly vision. But in the spiritual conflict, because the reward is not
discernible to the senses it is very difficult for the old man in us to believe
that God will finally grant us glorious bodies, pure souls and hearts of
gladness, and make us superior to any earthly king. Indeed, the very reverse of
this condition obtains now. Here is one condemned as a heretic; there one is
burned or in some other way put to death. Glory, wealth and honor are not in
evidence now. So it seems hard for us to resign ourselves to suffering and wait
for the redemption and glory yet unrevealed. Again, no hardship is too great
for the world to undergo for the sake of sordid gain; it willingly suffers
whatever comes for that which moth and rust consume and thieves steal.
13. Paul means to say: “I am certain there is reserved for
us exceeding glory, in comparison wherewith all earthly suffering is actually
of no consideration; only it is not yet manifest.” If we have to face the
slightest gale of adversity, or if a trifling misfortune befalls us, we begin
to make outcry, filling the heavens with our false complaint of a terrible
calamity. Were our faith triumphant, we would regard it but as a small
inconvenience to suffer, even for thirty or forty years or longer; indeed, we
should think our sufferings too trifling to be taken into account. May the Lord
our God only forbear to reckon with us for the sins we have committed! Why will
we have so much to say about great sufferings and their merits? How utterly
unworthy we are of the free grace and ineffable glory which are ours in the
fact that through Christ we become children and heirs of God, brethren and
joint-heirs with Christ! Well may we resolve: “I will maintain a cheerful
silence about my sufferings, boasting not of them nor complaining about them. I
will patiently endure all my merciful God sends upon me, meanwhile rendering
him my heartfelt gratitude for calling me to such surpassing grace and
blessing.” But, as I said, the vision of glory will not enter our hearts
because of our weak and miserable flesh, which allows itself to be more influenced by the present than by the future. So the
Holy Spirit must be our schoolmaster to bring the matter home to our hearts.
14. Note particularly how Paul expressly states that the
glory is to be revealed in us. He would remind us that not only such as Peter
or Paul are to participate in the blessing, as we are prone to believe, but
that we and all Christians are included in the word “us.” Indeed, even the
merest babe obtains at death, wherein it is a joint-sufferer with mankind, this
unspeakable glory, which the Lord Jesus into whose death it was baptized has
purchased and bestowed upon it. Though in the life beyond one saint may have more glory than another, yet all will have the same eternal
life. Here on earth men differ in point of strength, comeliness, intellect, yet
all enjoy the same animal life. So in the other life there will be degrees of
radiance or glory, as Paul teaches ( 1 Corinthians
15:41), yet all will share the same eternal happiness and joy; there will be
one glory for all, for we shall all be the children of God.
15. Now the first point of consolation is that we turn our
backs upon all suffering, saying: “What is all my pain, though it were tenfold
greater, compared to the eternal life unto which I am baptized, to which I am
called? My sufferings are not worthy to be so termed in connection with the
exceeding glory to be revealed in me.” Paul magnifies the future glory to make
the temporal sufferings the more insignificant. Then
follows:
“For the earnest
expectation of the creature waiteth for the revealing [manifestation] of the
sons of God. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but
by reason of him who subjected it, in hope: [For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who
hath subjected the same in hope;]”
16. Here is the second point of consolation. Paul holds up
as an example to us the condition of the whole creation. He exhorts us to
endure patiently, as the creature does, all the violence and injustice we
suffer from the devil and the world, and to comfort ourselves with the hope of
future redemption. Remarkable doctrine this, unlike anything elsewhere found in
the Scriptures, that heaven and earth, sun, moon and stars, leaf and blade,
every living thing, waits with sighing and groaning for the revelation of our
glory.
THE TRAVAIL OF
CREATION.
17. Such sighing and agony of the creature is not audible to
me, nor is it to you. But Paul tells us he sees and hears it, not expressed by
one creature alone, but by all God has made. What does
he mean? What is the sighing and longing of creation? It is not that annually
the leaves wither and the fruits fall and decay: God purposes that every year
new fruits shall grow; he decrees the shattering of the fallen tree. But Paul
refers to the creature’s unwilling subjection to the ungodly; “subject to
vanity,” he phrases it.
For instance,
the blessed sun, most glorious of created things, serves the small minority of
the godly, but where it shines on one godly man it must shine
on thousands and thousands of knaves, such as enemies of God, blasphemers,
persecutors, with whom the world is filled; also murderers, robbers, thieves,
adulterers. To these it must minister in all their ungodliness and wickedness,
permitting its pure and glorious influence to benefit the unworthy, most
shameful and abandoned profligates. According to the apostle, this subjection
is truly painful, and were the sun a rational creature obeying its own volition
rather than the decree of the Lord God who has subjected it to vanity against
its will, it might deny every one of these wicked wretches even the least ray
of light; that it is compelled to minister to them is its cross and pain, by
reason of which it sighs and groans.
Just as we
Christians endure many kinds of injustice and consequently sigh for and implore
help and deliverance in the Lord’s prayer, so do the creatures sigh. Although
they have not human utterance, yet they have speech intelligible to God and the
Holy Spirit, who mark the creatures’ sighs over their unjust abuse by the
ungodly.
18. Nowhere else in the Holy Scriptures do we find anything
like Paul’s declaration here concerning the earnest expectation and waiting of
the creatures for the revelation of the children of God; which waiting the
apostle characterizes as a sighing in eager desire for man’s redemption. A
little later he compares the state of the creature to a woman in travail,
saying it cries out in its anguish. The sun, moon and stars, the heavens and
earth, the bread we eat, the water or wine we drink, the cattle and sheep, in
short, all things that minister to our comfort, cry out in accusation against
the world because they are subjected to vanity and must suffer with Christ and
his brethren. This accusing cry is beyond human power to express, for God’s
created things are innumerable. Rightly was it said from the pulpit in former
times that on the last day all creatures will utter an accusing cry against the
ungodly who have shown them abuse here on earth, and will call them tyrants to
whom they were unjustly subjected.
19. Paul presents this example of the creatures for the
comfort of Christians. His meaning is: Be not sorrowful because of your
sufferings; they are small indeed when the ensuing transcendent glory is
considered. You are not alone in your tribulation and your complaint at
injustice; the whole creation suffers with you and cries out against its
subjection to the wicked world. Every bleat of the flock, every low of the
herd, is an outcry against the ungodly as enemies of God and not worthy to
enjoy the creatures’ ministrations; not even to receive a morsel of bread or a
drink of water. Along this line St. Augustine is eloquent. “A miserly wretch,”
he says, “is unworthy the bread he eats, for he is an enemy of God.”
Paul tells us
the whole creation groans and travails with us, as if desiring relief from
anguish; that it suffers like a woman in travail. For instance: the heavenly
planets would gladly be freed from serving, yes, in the extent of their anguish
would willingly suffer eclipse; the earth would readily become unfruitful; all
waters would voluntarily sink from sight and deny the wicked world a draught;
the sheep would prefer to produce thorns for the ungodly instead of wool; the
cow would willingly yield them poison rather than milk. But they must perform
their appointed work, Paul says, because of him who has subjected them in hope.
God will finally answer the cry of creation; he has already determined that
after the six thousand years of its existence now passed, the world shall have
its evening and end.
20. Had not our parents sinned in paradise, the world would
never be dissolved. But since man has fallen in sin, we all – the whole
creation – must suffer the consequence; because of our sins, creation must be
subjected to vanity and dissolution. During the six thousand years, which are
as nothing compared to eternal life, all created things must be under the power
of a condemned world, and compelled to serve with all their energies until God
shall overthrow the entire world and for the elect’s sake purify again and
renew the creature, as Peter teaches. 2 Peter
21. The sun is by no means as gloriously brilliant as when
created. Because of man’s ungodliness its brightness is to an extent dimmed.
But on the day of visitation God will cleanse and purify it by fire ( 2 Peter 3:10), giving it a greater glory than it had
in the beginning. Because it must suffer in our sins, and is obliged to shine as well for the worst knave as the godly man, even for
more knaves than godly men, it longs intensely for the day when it shall be
cleansed and shall serve the righteous alone with its light. Neither would the
earth produce thistles nor thorns were it not cursed for our sins. So it, with
all creatures, longs for the day when it shall be changed and renewed.
22. This is the explanation of Paul’s remarkable declaration
concerning the “earnest expectation of the creation.” The creature continually
regards the end of service, and freedom from slavery to the ungodly. This event
will not take place before the revealing of the sons of God; therefore the
earnestly expectant creation desires that revelation to come without delay, at
any moment. Until such manifestation the world will not consider godly souls as
children of the Father, but as children of the devil. So it boldly abuses and
slanders, persecutes and puts to death, God’s beloved children, thinking it
thereby does God service. In consequence the whole creation cries: “Oh, for a
speedy end of this calamity, and the dawning of glory for the children of God!”
23. We have plain authority for the interpretation of the
groaning of creation in Paul’s further words, “the creation was subjected to
vanity, not of its own will.” He thus makes all creation – sun and moon, fire,
air, water, heaven and earth with all they contain – merely poor, captive
servants. And whom do they serve? Not our Lord God; not for the most part his
children, for they are a minority among those ministered unto. To whom, then,
is their service given? To the wicked – to vanity. The created things are not,
as they would be, in righteous service. The sun, for instance, would choose to shine for Paul, Peter and other godly ones. It begrudges to
wicked characters like Judas, Pilate, Herod, Annas and Caiaphas the least ray
of light; for it is useless service, yielding no good. To serve Peter and Paul
would be productive of pleasure and profit; well may its benefit be bestowed
upon these godly ones. But the sun must shine as well
for the wicked as for the ungodly. Indeed, where it fittingly serves one godly
individual, thousands abuse its service.
The case is
similar with gold and other minerals, and with all the articles of food, drink
and clothing. To whom do these minister? Wicked desperadoes, who in return
blaspheme and dishonor God, condemn his holy Gospel and murder his Christians. This is wasted
service.
24. So Paul says, “The creature was made
subject to vanity;” it must render service against its consent, having no
pleasure therein. The sun does not shine for the
purpose of lighting a highway robber to murder. It would light him in godly
deeds and errands of mercy; but since he follows not these things the service
of the blessed sun is abused and that creature ministers with sincere
unwillingness. But how is it to avoid service? A wicked tyrant, a shameful
harlot, may wear gold ornaments. Is the gold responsible for its use? It is the
good creature of the Lord our God and fitted to serve righteous people. But the
precious product must submit to accommodating the wicked world against it will.
Yet it endures in hope of an end of such service – such slavery. Therein it
obeys God. God has imposed the obligation, that man may know him as a merciful
God and Father, who, as Christ teaches ( Matthew
5:45), makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good. For the Father’s sake
the blessed sun serves wickedness, performing its service and bestowing its
favors in vain. But God in his own good time will
reckon with those who abuse the glorious sunlight and other creatures, and will
richly recompense the created things for their service.
25. Beloved, Paul thus traces the holy cross among all
creatures; heaven and earth and all they contain suffer with us. So we must not
complain and excessively grieve when we fare ill. We must patiently wait for
the redemption of our bodies and for the glory which is to be revealed in us;
especially when we know that all creatures groan in anguish, like a woman in
travail, longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For then shall begin
their redemption, when they shall not be slaves to wickedness but shall
willingly and with delight serve God’s children only. In the meantime they bear
the cross for the sake of God, who has subjected them in hope. Thus we are
assured that captivity will not endure forever, but a time must come when the
creatures will be delivered. “Do ye likewise, beloved Christians,” Paul would
advise, “and reflect that as the creature will rejoice with you on the last day,
so does it now mourn with you; that not you alone must suffer, but the whole
creation suffers with you and awaits your redemption, a redemption so great and
glorious As to make your sufferings unworthy to be considered.”
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
SECOND SERMON.
ROMANS 8:18-22.
REDEMPTION OF THE
CREATURES.
ROMANS 8:18-22.
For I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed to us-ward. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for
the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to vanity not
of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope that the
creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the
liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole
creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
1. We have heard how Paul comforts the Christians in their
sufferings, pointing them to the future inconceivable and eternal glory to be
revealed in us in the world to come; and how he has, for our greater
consolation, reminded us that the whole creation as one being suffers in
company with the Christian Church. We have noted how he sees, with the clear,
keen eye of an apostle, the holy cross in every creature. He brings out this
thought prominently, telling us it is not strange we Christians should suffer,
for in our preaching, our reproving and rebuking, we easily merit the world’s
persecution; but creation must suffer being innocent, must even endure forced
subjection to the wicked and the devil himself.
2. Could the sun voice its experience from Adam’s time down,
what misery it has witnessed and endured, undoubtedly it would tell of its heavy
cross in being compelled to serve innumerable adulterers, thieves, murderers,
in fact, the devil’s whole kingdom. Yet it is a noble and admirable work of
creation, fit to serve only God, angels and pious Christians, who thank God for
it. But it must serve those who blaspheme and dishonor God and who are guilty
of all wickedness and lawlessness. Notwithstanding its dislike of such service,
it is with every other created thing obedient to God.
3. This is a fine and comforting thought of the apostle’s,
that all creatures are martyrs, having to endure unwillingly every sort of
injustice. The creatures do not approve the conduct of the devil and of the
wicked in their shameful abuse of creation, but they submit to it for the sake
of him who has subjected them to vanity, at the same time hoping for a better
dispensation in the fulfillment of time, when they shall again be rightly
received and abuse be past. Hence Paul points to another life for all creation,
declaring it to be as weary of this order as we are and to await a new
dispensation. By his reference to the earnest expectation of the creature he
means that it does not expect to remain in its present condition, but with us
looks toward heaven and hopes for a resurrection from this degraded life into a
better one where it will be delivered from the bondage of corruption, as he
says later.
4. By these sayings Paul gives us to understand that all
creation is to attain a perfection far beyond its present state where with us
it must be subject to tyrants. These tyrants wantonly abuse our characters, our
bodies, our property rights, just as the devil abuses our souls. But we must
suffer our lot, remembering that mankind is captive on earth in the kingdom of
the devil, and all creation with it. The earth must submit to be trodden and to
be cultivated by many a wicked one, to whom it must yield subsistence. Likewise
is this submission true of the elements – air, fire,
water – all creation having its cross, yet hoping for the end of the
dispensation.
5. There is a refined and comforting perception in the
apostle’s exposition where he represents the entire creation as one being, with
us looking forward to entrance upon another life. We are satisfied that our
present life is not all, that we await another and true
life. Likewise the sun awaits the restoration coming to it, to the earth and
all creatures, when they shall be purified from the contaminating abuse of the
devil and the world.
6. And this condition is to come about when the children of
God are revealed. True, they are God’s children on earth, but they have not yet
entered into their glory. Similarly, the sun is not now in possession of its
real glory, for it is subject to evil; it awaits the appointed time when its
servitude shall cease. With all creation and with the true
saints it waits and longs, being meanwhile subject to vanity – that is, the
devil and the wicked world – for the sake of God alone, who subjects, yet
leaves hope that the trial shall not continue forever.
7. We are children of God now on earth. We are blessed if we
believe and are baptized, as it is written: “He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved.” Mark
8. Not without significance is Paul’s assertion that the
glory of God’s children is now unmanifest but shall be revealed in them. In
Colossians 3:3-4 he declares: “Ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in
God. When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with
him be manifested in glory.” So long as God’s children are here upon earth they
are not arrayed in the garb of his own, but wear the livery of the devil. It
would be fitting for the children of the devil to be bound, fettered and
imprisoned and to suffer all manner of misfortune; but it does not so come to
pass. They have the world’s pleasures. They are wealthy and powerful, have
honor and money in plenty and withal bear God’s name and wear the garb of his
children, as if having his approval. Meanwhile they regard us as heretics and
enemies of God. Thus the rightful order of things is reversed: they who are
God’s appear to be the devil’s, and the devil’s to be God’s. This condition is
painful to the pious. Indeed, heaven and earth and all creatures cry out in
complaining protest, unwilling to be subject to evil and to suffer the abuse of
the ungodly; to endure that dishonor of God that opposes the hallowing of his
name, the extension of his kingdom and the execution of his will on earth as in
heaven.
9. Because God’s children are thus unrevealed and denied
their true insignia, all creation, as Paul says, cries
out with them for the Lord God to rend the heavens and come down to distinguish
his children from those of the devil. Considering the unrevealed state of God’s
own on earth, the ungodly in their great blindness are not able to discern
them. The doctrine of the righteous which magnifies God’s grace manifest in
Christ is by the wicked termed error, falsehood, heresy and diabolical
teaching. So Paul says the whole creation waits for the manifestation of the
children of God.
THE CHRISTIAN’S
GLORY TO BE REVEALED
John, also, says: “Beloved, now are we children of God, and
it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know
that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him.” 1 John 3:2. That is,
when our Lord Jesus Christ comes with his loved angels and we are drawn up into
the clouds to meet him in the air, he will bring to God’s children a glory
consistent with their name. They will be far more
splendidly arrayed than were the children of the world in their lifetime, who
went about in purple and velvet and ornaments of gold, and as the rich man, in
silk. Then shall they wear their own livery and shine
as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Such is the wonderful glory of the
revelation that the radiant beauty of poor Lazarus who lay in wretchedness at
the rich man’s gate surpasses all expectation. Upon this topic, see Wisdom of
Solomon, Song of Solomon 5:2ff.
10. The hope of this wonderful glory, Paul says, is ours and
that of all creation with us, for creation is to be purified and renewed for
our sakes. Then will we be impressed with the grandeur of the sun, the majesty
of the trees and the beauty of the flowers. Having so much in prospect, we
should, in the buoyancy of our hope, attach little importance to the slight
suffering that may be our earthly lot. What is it compared to the glory to be
revealed in us? Doubtless in yonder life we shall reproach ourselves with the
thought: “How foolish I was! I am unworthy to be called the child of God, for I
esteemed myself all too highly on earth and placed too little value upon this
surpassing glory and happiness. Were I still in the world and with the
knowledge I now have of the heavenly glory, I would, were it possible, suffer a
thousand years of imprisonment, or endure illness, persecution or other
misfortunes. Now I have proven true that all the
sufferings of the world are nothing measured by the glory to be manifested in
the children of God.”
11. We find many, even among nominal Christians, with so
little patience they scarce can endure a word of criticism, even when well
deserved. Rather than suffer from the world some slight reproach, some trifling
loss, for the sake of the Gospel, they will renounce that Gospel and Christ.
But how will it be in the day of revelation? Beloved, let us be wise now and
not magnify our temporal sufferings; let us patiently submit to them as does
creation, according to Paul’s teaching. We may imagine the earth saying: “I
permit myself to be plowed and cultivated for man’s benefit, notwithstanding
the Christians whom I bless are in the minority, the great mass of those
profiting by me being wicked men. What am I to do? I will endure the conditions
and permit myself to be tilled because my Creator so orders; meanwhile I hope
for a different order eventually, when I shall no longer be subject to
wickedness and obliged to serve God’s enemies.”
12. Peter also alludes to the new order of creation, saying:
“The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be
dissolved with fervent heat… But according to his promise, we look for new
heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Peter
13. But Paul protects the creature from condemnation and reproach
for sinful submission to abuse. He says, in effect: “True, it is subject to
vanity, yet not willingly.” Likewise I do not desire to suffer reproach as a
heretic and a deceiver, but I endure it for God’s sake, who permits it. This
attitude on my part does not make me partaker of the sin committed against me
by enemies of the truth who reproach me. The case is the same as that of the
creature suffering abuse for the sake of him who has subjected it. And you
Christians are to imitate the example of creation. The sun seems to say: “Great
God, I am thy creature; therefore I will perform, I will suffer, whatsoever is
the divine will.” So when the Lord God sends upon you some affliction and says,
“Endure a little suffering for my sake; I will largely repay it,” you are to
say: “Yes, gladly, blessed Lord. Because it is thy will, I will suffer it with
a willing heart.”
OF HOPE
It also belongs to the consolation against suffering to be conscious
that the suffering will not last forever, but will sometime have an end – on
the day of judgment, when the godless shall be separated from the godly. For
this life on earth is nothing else than a masquerade where people walk in
masks, and one sees another different than he is. He who appears to be an angel
is a devil, and those considered the children of the devil are angels and the
children of our dear Lord. Hence it is that they are attacked, plagued,
martyred and put to death as heretics and children of the devil.
This masquerade must be tolerated until the day of judgment;
when the wicked will be unmasked and will no longer be able to pass as holy
people. The text now continues:
“That the creation
itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty
of the glory of the children of God.” “[Because the creature itself also shall
be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the
children of God.]”
14. We Christians are not the only beings to receive
deliverance, Paul declares; the creature in bondage has the same hope of
release as the poor, enslaved human being. Sun, moon and every other created
thing is captive to the devil and to wicked people, and must serve them in
every form of sin and vice. Hence these sigh and complain, waiting for the
manifestation of the children of God, when the devil and the ungodly shall be
thrust into hell, and for all eternity be denied sight of sun and moon, the
enjoyment of a drop of water or a breath of air, and forever deprived of every
blessing.
15. So the apostle tells us, “Creation itself also shall be
delivered from the bondage of corruption.” In other words, creation must now
subserve most shameful ends. Sun, moon and all creatures must be slaves to the
devil and the ungodly because God so desires. He wills for his beautiful
creation to lie at the feet of Satan and his adherents and to serve them for
the present. Likewise many a sensitive heart is compelled to obey a tyrant or a
Turk because the Lord has imposed that servitude upon it. Some may even have to
clean the Turk’s boots, or perform still more menial
duties, and in addition suffer all sorts of indignities from that individual.
16. These words, “Creation itself also shall be delivered
from the bondage of corruption,” signify that all created things must until the
final reckoning be servants and menials, not to the godly, but to the devil and
wicked men. Paul himself regards with pity the sun and other creatures because
of their forced service to Satan and to tyrannical beings. The created works no
more desire such servility than we desire subjection to the Turk. Nevertheless,
they submit and wait – for what? The glorious liberty of the children of God.
Then shall they be released from slavery and be no longer bound to serve the
wicked and worthless. More than that, in their freedom they will have a
grandeur far in excess of their present state and shall minister only unto
God’s children. They will be done with bondage to the devil.
“For we know that
the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”
17. Paul uses forcible language here. Creation is aware, he
says, not only of its future deliverance from the bondage of corruption, but of
its future grandeur. It hopes for the speedy coming of its glory, and waits
with the eagerness of a maiden for the dance. Seeing the splendor reserved for
itself, it groans and travails unceasingly. Similarly, we Christians groan and
intensely desire to have done at once with the Turks, the Pope, and the
tyrannical world. Who would not weary of witnessing the present knavery,
ungodliness and blasphemy against Christ and his Gospel, even as Lot wearied of
the ungodliness he beheld in Sodom? Thus Paul says that creation groaneth and
travaileth while waiting for the revelation and the glorious liberty of the
children of God.
18. “And not only so,” he adds, “but ourselves also, who
have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves,
waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” We pray, we cry
with great longing, in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come,” meaning: “Help,
dear Lord, and speed the blessed day of thy second advent, that we may be
delivered from the wicked world, the devil’s kingdom, and may be released from
the awful distress we suffer – inwardly from our own consciences and outwardly
from the wicked. Afflict to the limit these old bodies of ours so long as we
may obtain others not sinful, as these; not given to iniquity and disobedience;
bodies that can never know illness, persecution or death; bodies delivered from
all physical and spiritual distress and made like unto
thine own glorified body, dear Lord Jesus Christ. Thus may we finally realize
our glorious redemption. Amen.”
19. Paul uses a peculiar word here in the text, which we
cannot render by any other in our language than “travail.” It carries the idea
of pains and pangs such as a woman knows in childbirth. The mother’s ardent
desire is to be delivered. She longs for it with an intensity that all the
wealth, honor, pleasure and power of the world could not awaken. This is
precisely the meaning of the word Paul applies to creation. He declares it to
be in travail, suffering pain and anguish in the extremity of its desire for
release. But who can discern the anguish of creation? Reason cannot believe,
nor human wisdom imagine, the thing. “It is impossible,” declares reason. “The
sun cannot be more glorious, more pleasing and beneficent. And what is lacking
with the moon and stars and the earth? Who says the creature is in travail or
unwillingly suffers its present state?”
The writer of
the text, however, declares creation to be weary of present conditions of
servitude, and as eager for liberation as a mother for deliverance in the hour
of her anguish. Truly it is with spiritual sight, with apostolic vision, that
Paul discerns this fact in regard to creation. He turns away from this world,
oblivious to the joys and the sufferings of earthly life, and boasts alone of
the future, eternal life, unseen and unexperienced. Thus he administers real
and effectual comfort to Christians, pointing them to a future life for
themselves and all created things after this sinful life shall have an end.
20. Therefore, believers in Christ are to be confident of
eternal glory, and with sighs and groans to implore the Lord God to hasten the
blessed day of the realization of their hopes. For so Christ has taught us to
pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come.” May he who has commanded give us grace and strength to perform, and a firm faith in
our future glory. Our faith is not to be exercised for the attainment of early
riches, but as a means to bring us into another life. We are not baptized unto
the present life, nor do we receive the Gospel as ministering to our temporal
good; these things are to point us to yonder eternal life. God grant the speedy
coming of the glad day of our redemption, when we shall realize all these
blessings, which now we hear of and believe in through the Word.
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER
TRINITY.
LUKE 6:36-42.
This sermon appeared in 1535 under the title: “A Beautiful
Christian consolation in all kinds of suffering and trial from the 8th chapter
of Romans, with the explanation of the Gospel for the Fourth Sunday after
Trinity. Preached by Dr. Martin Luther.”
THE RIGHT CONDUCT
TO ONE’S ENEMIES
_____________
King James Version
Luke 6:36-42
Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also
is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall
not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be
given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running
over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete
withal it shall be measured to you again. And he spake a parable unto them, Can
the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the
ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect
shall be as his master. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy
brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how
canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in
thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt
thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.
1. Beloved Friends! Upon this Gospel a great deal might be
said, but at present we will not consider it all, lest we overload ourselves
and retain nothing. You have heard in the text how our dear Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ, holds up to us the works of mercy, how we should be merciful; not
to judge nor to condemn but gladly forgive everyone
and in like manner willingly give and help all, as there is need. If we do
this, he says, there shall be given to us again good measure, pressed down,
shaken together and running over. But if we will not do this, with the same
measure we mete to others it shall be measured to us again. By this he would
earnestly forbid his Christians to condemn anyone, to judge or avenge
themselves, or to take from anyone, but rather to give
and forgive. For a better understanding of this Gospel, we must in the first
place reply to our adversaries, who hold up this text against us as a strong,
firm ground of their doctrine, that a man can by works obtain forgiveness of
sins and eternal life, and boast of it as though they already had surely gained
the victory. They say: Here indeed it stands clearly written: “Forgive, and ye
shall be forgiven; give, and it shall be given to you again.” What can a man
bring up against such clear passages? Therefore, it certainly follows from
this, that a man can obtain forgiveness of sins by good works. Thus, by these
and similar passages concerning works, they wish to prove that we are justified
and saved by our own merit; and denounce and condemn us as heretics, because we
teach that we are saved only through faith in Jesus Christ, who has been
crucified and died for us, who gave his body and shed his blood for us for the
forgiveness of sins. Thus they make Christ entirely unprofitable for us, and
call the doctrine of faith simply an error and falsehood. Here we see how the
blind lead the blind.
2. Well, we allow them to proceed, because they want to be
blind and hardened. But if they were in earnest to know the truth, they could
plainly see from this Gospel to what such passages, to which they so firmly hold,
properly refer, and how they should be interpreted. For this Gospel evidently
and plainly says, that Christ does not speak to those who shall first obtain
grace, but to his disciples, who already are children of grace and justified,
and are also sent out by him, that they should preach to others such grace and
salvation; from which it clearly follows that they already have forgiveness of
sins, and are pious and justified, and are not first to obtain salvation
through works. I say, he speaks to those, and instructs them how they shall
conduct themselves toward their enemies, namely, when they are persecuted by
them, that they should not persecute them in return, but should patiently
suffer all these things, and do them good for evil.
3. Hence it is not meant, that by such works as are here
enumerated they should first obtain forgiveness of sins and the righteousness
that avails before God; but Christ speaks plainly and simply to his disciples
whom he had chosen and called Apostles, as St. Luke shows preceding this
Gospel. Christ teaches them how they shall conduct themselves when they preach,
as though he would say: You dear disciples, I send you as sheep among wolves,
and commend this office unto you to preach, and others shall hear your
preaching, accept and believe it. And you will be so received that the world
will be offended at you and regard you as enemies, and you will find just as
much friendship and love in it, as sheep among wolves. For it will become
wholly mad and foolish at your preaching, and will by no means tolerate it.
Therefore see to it that you lead a better life and conversation than your
enemies, who will practice upon you all kinds of unmerciful deeds by judging
and condemning you. Moreover they will not only not forgive
you any sin, but will proclaim your best works and deeds of mercy as the
greatest sins. Again, they will not only not give you
anything, but they will also hunt down that which is your own, and will take
and keep it by violence. Thus they will treat you. But beware, that you be not
like them; on the other hand where they judge, judge not; where they condemn,
bless; where they take revenge, forgive; when they take, give. For immediately
before, the Lord teaches the very same when he says: Love your enemies, do good
to them that hate you, bless them that curse you, pray for them that
despitefully use you.
4. In this manner St. Paul also admonishes the Christians at
Rome ( Romans 12:18-19): “If it be possible, as much
as in you lieth, be at peace with all men. Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath of God.” Christ here teaches the
very same when he says: Be merciful, judge not, condemn not, avenge not
yourselves, give unto and assist everyone, in order that you may not become
equally as bad as your enemies; but rather that they may be prevailed upon by
your kind and friendly conversation, to give you a good testimony, and finally
be compelled to say conscientiously: Behold, we judge and condemn these people,
and carry out all our maliciousness against them; against this they neither
defend or avenge themselves, but suffer it all patiently, and besides, they
overcome evil with good, Surely, they cannot be bad people, because they have
so much patience, and reward evil with good; I myself, will also hold to them,
because they do no one any harm, although they have good reasons for so doing.
5. From this one can easily see that Christ does not here
teach us to become pious and just through our works, but admonishes those who
were already pious and just, that they be merciful like their Father in heaven,
so that the heathen may thereby become better, and that thus unbelievers may be
kindly enticed to become converted and edified, not only by preaching, but also
by the merciful and blameless lives and good conduct of the good and just.
6. In the same sense St. Paul also teaches in 1 Corinthians
7. Kindhearted Monica answered them and said: I fear you give your husbands cause for doing this. If you were subject
to them and would not clamor back, or especially when they begin to be
strangely cruel, if you would not answer back, but be patient, submit and obey
them, and with friendly words appease them, you would, of course, not be
beaten. For thus I am accustomed to treat my husband; when my lord scolds, I
pray; is he angry, I avoid him, or return kind words; in this way I have not
only put down his anger, but I have also brought him so far, that he is
converted and has become a Christian. Behold, the beautiful fruit that followed
this conduct, because kind Monica was merciful toward her husband, and did not
condemn and judge him. Thus it can often take place, as St. Paul says, that an
unbelieving husband or wife, may become converted through the one who believes.
8. Thus, says Christ here, should you Christians also do,
because you are children of grace and peace, not of anger and discord, and are
also called to inherit the blessing. Therefore you should also bring the
blessing among the people, first by your preaching and public confession, and
after that also by your good outward conduct, so that when the unbelievers
judge and condemn you, treat you unmercifully and rob you, you will be merciful
to them, and not avenge yourselves, but give and
forgive, and besides help, love and bless them, and speak the best things of
them before God and the world; that they may also observe by your good conduct
that you are pious and blameless people, who do not only suffer evil, but also
return good for evil. By this you will obtain a good name among the heathen,
and be estimable and honorable in my sight, who art your Lord and God.
9. Thus you see that this text does not at all permit us to
conclude from it that forgiveness of sins is obtained by works; for Christ here
speaks to those who are already children of grace, and does not instruct them
how to obtain by works, as the Papists dream, the forgiveness of sins, which
they already had by grace; however, he here teaches them how they are to
conduct themselves, when they go forth and preach, toward the people who
persecute, judge, condemn them, and afflict them with all kinds of torment and
misfortune; that they immediately do the contrary, not judge, nor condemn, but forgive and give; and then they shall also be neither judged
nor condemned before God or the world. And even though the world judge them,
still God will not condemn them, as it is said in Psalm 37:13-40. So it shall
also be forgiven and given them again.
10. Thus Christ admonishes his disciples with these words,
that they diligently perform the duties of their office and preach with
courage, let it offend whom it may, and that nothing whatever may lead them
astray, even though all the world revile and curse; let them only freely
continue and they shall be richly rewarded; for it is already determined in
heaven that there shall be given unto them full measure, pressed down, shaken
together and running over.
11. From all this it is certainly clear, that Christ does not
here speak of that righteousness, of how a man becomes just before God, which
takes place alone through faith in Jesus Christ, but teaches his disciples how
to lead a good life here on earth among unbelievers, by which they may be of
great benefit to those who judge and condemn them. When they do such things, it
shall be rewarded unto them again both here and hereafter; not that they
thereby merit the forgiveness of sins; for no work, be it ever so good, is able
to accomplish this; but when they on this account suffer or lose anything, it
shall be returned to them even here in this life an hundred fold, as is written
in Mark
12. The Lord further says: When you fail to do thus, but
return evil for evil, it shall be measured to you again, “for with what measure
you mete, it shall be measured to you again.” For by thus judging and
condemning those who judge and condemn you, you sufficiently show that you are
not my true disciples, and have not yet the
forgiveness of sins, or else you would do what I have commanded you. From which
it follows further that your faith is not right. So with you it will be
changed, and you will hear from me that you have no faith and are false Christians.
13. This is sufficiently proved, because you still judge one
another, and one does not assist the other. This my Christians will not do.
Therefore your sins will remain upon you, and will only become greater, as is
shown in the parable of the wicked servant who owed his Lord ten thousand
talents and could not pay it; the Lord forgave him the debt out of pure grace.
But as he would not forgive his fellow servant the
very little debt, he again fell into his own former debt, which was forgiven
him and brought down upon himself the great wrath of his Lord, who delivered
him over to the tormentors. Matthew
14. Thus our dear Lord would here kindly and lovingly invite
us to do good works and lead a Christian life also among our enemies. But when
we fail to do this he threatens us, that he would not regard us as Christians. For such works are
as a sign or confession that we are true Christians.
In addition to this, other people will be made better
by such works, and so will we ourselves who do them, as St. Peter says, we make
our calling and election sure thereby, and become richer in faith.
15. To this friendly admonition of Christ our Lord we
Christians and especially we ministers should diligently give
due heed, for we also have at the present day adversaries of our faith and
doctrine, who are great and powerful, ‘kings, princes, lords, Pope and bishops.
To these our enemies according to this doctrine of Christ we show all mercy,
and are not willing that a hair of their heads should be injured, or that they
should be robbed of a cent. But this we wish them from our heart, that they may
learn to know their errors and sins, and commit themselves to the grace of God
and believe the Gospel. On this account they judge, condemn and persecute us,
rob us of honor, goods, body and life, as though we were the worst rogues that
tread the earth. Such things we do not to them in return, God be praised! but
show them all love and kindness, and would willingly help them, if they would
only permit it.
16. Yes, they say, you revile us nevertheless, both in
writing and preaching, and condemn us as heretics, and will not permit us to be
the Christian Church. Is such reproof and condemnation mercy? We answer: This
is quite a different matter. Christ in this Gospel speaks of those who shall
suffer injustice. And it would not be right to apply this to those who by
virtue of their office are required to reprove what is wrong. For those who
have the office to judge and condemn, do no wrong thereby, in so doing. For as
little as it agrees or is valid for a child to say to its father when he would
punish it; father, be merciful, and God will then also be merciful to thee; so
little is it valid against those who have the office of reproof. For it would
be very inappropriate for a thief or evil doer to say to the officer of the
law: Dear sir, forgive and do not judge me, and then our Lord God will again forgive thee. No, my dear fellow, the officer of the law by
virtue of his office will thus answer and say: It is not necessary that I
should forgive you. I do what is right, and doing
right needs no forgiveness, but is praiseworthy. Thus also when father and
mother punish their children, they do right, for this is called true punishment, when the office requires it. But beware,
that you do not revenge yourself against him who must punish you, even if at times he treats you unjustly.
17. Wherefore it is not appropriate to twist this text, as
though the Lord speaks of those who have the authority to punish the wrong, as
ministers and all persons in authority, fathers, mothers, princes, lords, and finally
also the executioner, who should not say to the evil doer, to whom he must
administer justice, as however they are accustomed to do: “Dear Sir, forgive
me, what I do to you today,” for why should he say this? As he does right, he
needs no forgiveness, which pertains alone to sin and wrong; for. his office is to punish wrong. Just as it would be wrong if
a father would say to his son when he would punish him: Dear son, forgive me,
that I punish you. No, he does right, therefore the son should bear it, for
thus God will have it.
18. Thus St. Paul says, 2 Corinthians
19. Thus also a judge can say, when by virtue of his office
he sentences the evil doer unto death, that he serves God thereby. So also
father and mother, when they punish their child as it has deserved, thus serve
God; but if they, punish it somewhat milder than it deserves, it is for the
good of the child.
20. We must make a distinction however, for it is vastly
different when a person punishes who has the office to punish, and when one
punishes who has not this office. An office, call it what you may, is ordained
to punish sin; not to tolerate wrong, but protect the right. Therefore, because
I and other ministers have this office, we do right, a work of mercy for the
people, when we rebuke them, let whoever will do us good or evil for it.
21. Just as it is a great mercy not to allow young people to
have their will and way, whether it be accomplished by threats or by the rod;
it will still cost trouble and labor enough to oppose and prevent evil, even
though we punish severely. If punishment were altogether omitted and mercy took
the place of office, the country would be full of rogues, and the world become
a mere den of murderers. Then one would say to another: If you steal from me, I
will rob you; if you go with my wife, I will go with yours. No, this would
never do; therefore the executioner is a very beneficial and even a merciful
man, for he prevents the rogue from repeating his crime, and restrains others
from committing crimes. He executes the one and thus threatens others that
would do the like, that they may fear the sword and keep the peace. This is a
magnificent grace and pure mercy.
22. Again, it is a great sin against mercy, yes a horrible
murder, when a father allows his child to go unpunished; for this is just the
same as though he killed it with his own hands; hence Solomon says, Proverbs
23. Therefore it is senseless for the Papists to cry: We of
course teach others not to judge, nor condemn, but we ourselves do the
contrary, punish, judge and condemn everyone. For as I said, what we do in
this, we do by virtue of our office. Therefore our judging and punishing is of
such a nature, that it only makes one better and harms no one. And we are
obliged to do it on account of the command of Christ our Lord, Luke 24:47, that
repentance and forgiveness of sins be preached in his name among all nations on
earth; and John 16:8: “The Holy Spirit will reprove the world of sin.”
24. According to this command all the Apostles have first
judged and reproved the world, and proclaimed God’s wrath against it;
afterwards they preached forgiveness of sins in Christ’s name, as St. Paul
does, Romans 1:3, and St. Peter, Acts 2:3-10, and Christ himself when he says,
John
25. As therefore the Apostles have preached according to the
command of Christ, so too must we do, and say that all men are conceived and
born in sin and are by nature children of wrath, and on this account condemned,
and can neither by their own or any other creature’s help, advice, work or
merit, receive forgiveness of sins and be saved. This is to reprove, judge and
condemn everybody, and yet we do this, not out of our own wantonness, or that
we take pleasure in crying down men as sinners and godless; but out of Christ’s
order and command. With this however we do not cease, but we again encourage
and comfort those whom we have rebuked, and say that Jesus Christ has come into
the world to save sinners, so that all who believe in him, should not perish,
but receive everlasting life.
26. Therefore God-fearing people accuse us of no fault in
this; for they observe that we do not preach human nonsense like monks in their
hoods, but proclaim the Gospel of Christ; they are glad therefore, and heartily
thank God that they have lived to see the time when they can know the precious
truth, and thereby obtain comfort for their consciences, and accept this our
reproof and judgment as a great mercy. Again, the great and godless crowd scold
and condemn us on account of this our reproof, as heretics and traitors, who
disturb both the old faith and worship and also the worldly government and
peace. We must bear this; yet our conscience gives us the testimony that they
wrongfully accuse us, and besides we are comforted to know that we are not the
first ones who have been thus slandered. St. Paul also had to hear from Jews
and Gentiles, that he was a blasphemer and traitor. Yea, Christ himself was
accused before Pilate for misleading the people and making them disobedient to
the emperor, for which also he was crucified, With them we are glad to be cried
down as heretics and traitors, until the time when our innocence shall come to
light.
27. If now the wretched, hardened Papists were not such
bitter enemies of the truth, and of us on account of the truth, they could
observe by our life that we hold firmly to this admonition of Christ, be
merciful; for God be praised, we have not thus far avenged ourselves against
any man who has done us injury, we have not driven anyone from house and home,
wife and child, we have cast no one into prison on account of his faith, much
less have we beheaded, burnt at the stake or hung anyone for their faith, as
the Papists have done, the tender saints, who have for the last few years shed
much innocent blood, and still do not cease. But we have complied with this
doctrine and admonition of Christ, and have honored their order and government
and confirmed it with our doctrine as far as they are right, we have prayed and
pleaded for them, privately and publicly, and have faithfully also admonished
them in writings by virtue of our office which God has committed to our charge.
And for this our mercy we have received from them the reward, that they have
put us under the ban, cursed and persecuted us, and driven many of our brethren
from their possessions and murdered them. What more shall we do? Yet we must
bear the name of being impatient, angry, spiteful, and revengeful people, who
judge and condemn all the world. Well, we must bear this disgrace before the
world, until our dear Lord Jesus Christ, the just Judge, shall examine us and
decide the matter; in the meantime we permit them evermore to lie, slander and
persecute us; but they shall learn by experience when God’s time comes, whom
they have slandered and persecuted in us.
28. This much is said of the chief meaning of this Gospel,
how we are to be merciful also toward our enemies. Now we should also apply it
to our own lives, we who want to be Christians and brethren should practice
this among ourselves; for it is very necessary also that this admonition be
preached to us. Although we are all called Evangelical, I fear that the most of
us are heathen under the Christian name. Well, what shall we do about it? We
must allow the name to all, although few there be who bear it in truth. For St.
Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:2 says: “For all have not faith”; and Christ himself
complains, Matthew
29. Therefore let everyone who goes to the sacrament and
pretends to be a Christian take heed to himself that he deceive not himself.
For one can now well see what a scraping, grabbing and scratching there is even
among those who want to be Christians, from the lowest to the highest stage of
society. It is a sin and a shame to hear it. Nearly everyone falls into this
shameful greed, and such a state may well be called a swine’s life, for as the
swine in the trough, whichever one is the strongest pushes the rest away, as
though she wanted to devour all herself, just so it goes in the world today,
and everyone goes securely forth, gives nothing whatever and takes all he can
get, whether he gets it rightfully or wrongfully, so that the word give, which stands here in the Gospel, has almost
disappeared, and instead robbery and theft in homes and in the market have
everywhere come to take its place. What unfaithfulness prevails even among day
laborers and house servants, how shamefully they earn their bread with
malicious unfaithfulness, cheating and overcharging. They do not look upon it
as stealing, and yet it is just as much stealing when they labor unfaithfully,
as when they steal it out of our purse. This is the way servants and laborers
do, and it matters not by what they are called.
30. But how will such people stand in that day when Christ
shall ask them, whether they have done according to his admonition? For if
Christians are to be merciful to their enemies as Christ here teaches, much more will it become them to show all love and friendship
toward their brethren and Christian people; and as they are not to curse their
enemies, much less should they curse their friends. Again, if they are not to
avenge themselves on unbelievers, but give to them and
do them good, much more should they show this kindness to the household of
faith. Yes, turn the thing around to rob, to covet, and to take advantage of
another wherever one can; this goes on yet in the world with violence. But the
holy Gospel says: Give, and it shall be given unto you; if we do not hold
ourselves to this rule, we shall hear the opposite: Steal and rob, and you
shall be robbed and stolen from again.
31. But our Lord God is so full of resources that he can
send misfortune upon a city or a country so that even after they have gathered
and hoarded for a long time, some tramp brother or fellow pilgrim comes along,
to whom one must give or he will take it himself by
force. For it must surely come to this that if we willfully forget that word
“give,” our Lord God will make out of it “take.” After such misfortune we
strive with all diligence, for wherever the Lord says “give” there we only wish
to make out of it “take.” Well then take, steal and rob as long as you will,
what will it avail you; things will take a turn some day so that it will be
taken from you again.
32. All history teaches us, that when a kingdom, a
principality, or a city, has been exalted to the highest pitch and becomes
rich, then comes a war, or some other misfortune, so that it again becomes
poor. Thus it happens also to individual families and persons; when they rise suddenly and become powerful, they also immediately
fall again. I have already observed several who sat amid great possessions, and
yet in a short time were thoroughly ruined. Why is this? Because they did not
want to give as Christ here admonishes, but much
rather took from others, for this reason a change took place with them, that it
was again taken from them; as also teaches experience, and the common proverb runs:
Goods unjustly won, will not last to the third son, that he may enjoy it. Such
things we see daily in all ranks of life; and if it does endure for a time and
descends from father to son, yet it sinks with the third heir, for it is a
cursed wealth, which has either been obtained by theft or greed.
33. By such daily experience the children of the world ought
to become wise and think: Why scratch and scrape so long, you cannot rightfully
possess goods obtained by stinginess after all, nor will it prosper in your
hands, as you have time and again experienced from one or another.
34. But we Christians should be more
influenced by what the Holy Scriptures teach about it. Thus David says, Psalm
37:16-18: “Better is a little that the righteous hath, than the abundance of
many wicked,” and the reason immediately follows: “For the arm of the wicked
shall be broken, and the Lord upholdeth the righteous. The Lord knoweth the
days of the perfect; and their inheritance shall be forever.” As though he
would say: Although a good man may have but little, if he only has it with God
and honor, it will be dearer to him than all the treasures of the ungodly. For
our Lord God will shower his blessings upon that little, so that it will last
to children’s children to the thousandth generation. This is also apparent; for
at the present time we find many old and honorable families in the cities,
whose possessions have reached to several hundred generations, whereas with
others it has disappeared with the third. We should learn from this and similar
passages, and hold to it because it is the truth, that it is better to have
thirty dollars with God and honor, than three thousand won without God and with
dishonor. For God blesses the little which the righteous have (says Psalm 37:16),
so that he may not only possess it with a good conscience, but will also be to
his benefit and he will use it so that God may be pleased with it. But the
wealth that has been unjustly obtained, may be enjoyed for a time; yet because
God’s blessing does not rest upon it, it wears away and loses itself, so that
we cannot tell what has become of it; for it has been won by greed and wrong,
and as they did not regard it as stealing for one to scrape all together and give nothing away, the rust is entered into it and eats it
up, so that it cannot be seen that there ever was a penny there. As also the
heathen have learned from experience and said: “By evil acquired, by evil it
goes,” “As it is won, so it is gone.”
35. But why say more? One will not
grow wise except by his own losses; we let our Lord God promise and threat in
vain, but who asks about it? Though we preach ever so much, Proverbs 11:4:
“Riches profit not in the day of wrath; but righteousness delivereth from
death,” and Proverbs
36. Now dear friends, do not despise such a warning, but
take it to yourselves, and if you have already been ensnared by this
covetousness, turn again and reform. Formerly when one served the devil in
popedom, everyone was merciful and kind, then they gave with both hands
joyfully and with great devotion, to support the false worship of God. Now,
when one should justly be kind and give, and show his
thankfulness to God for the holy Gospel, everyone is about to perish with
hunger, no one will give anything, but will only receive. Formerly every city
according to its size, liberally supported several cloisters, not to mention
mass-priests and rich monasteries. Now, when only two or three persons, who
preach God’s Word, administer the sacraments, visit and comfort the sick in an
honest and Christian manner and instruct the youth, are to be supported in one
city, and that too not from their own but from property that came to us from
the papacy, it is hard for everybody to give.
37. But thus it must be, that Jesus with Mary and Joseph
should have no room in the inn at Bethlehem, but after all he finds a crib, and
Mary and Joseph a stall, in which they miserably help themselves as best they
may. And as they are not at home in Nazareth but in a strange place at an
inconvenient time, in the midst of winter, and altogether forgotten in the
stall by the people of Bethlehem, yet after all they do not perish with hunger.
But before they should suffer hunger among their blood relations who care
nothing for them, even the heathen must come from rich Arabia and present the
little child Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh. Christians understand well
enough what is meant.
38. Therefore let everyone be diligent to comply with this
admonition, that he willingly give, if he desires that
it shall be given unto him again. If he will not do this, Christ will most
certainly keep his Word, that it shall not be given unto him again. And though
he already has something, there shall not be given him grace enough to enjoy
it, as has already been shown from Scripture passages, Now God does not only
show us by his Word that our covetousness is displeasing to him, and that
usurers shall not enjoy their goods, but proves it also by daily examples. I
will relate one as a warning which has recently occurred, although some may be
offended at it: It is not far from here to Wittenberg, as has been reported to
me and have also myself made proper inquiries, there was a farmer, who all his
life cheated and took advantage of the people in the market, as at present
nearly all are accustomed to do, he went into his barn to look after his grain;
then the devil set such a ghost before his eyes, that he found his barn empty,
and could see no corn there. What happened? The miserable, stingy man becomes
frightened, and thinks the corn was secretly stolen from his barn. He goes down
to his wife and servants with great cries and lamentations and says all his
grain has been stolen out of his barn. As the wife and servants go in to look
after it, in the meantime the wretched man hangs himself for grief, and dies in
the rope before they return again to him. And yet it was but the deception of
the devil. For all the corn was still lying untouched on the floor. The devil
by the decree of God had thus infatuated him, that he could not see even a
single grain.
39. This I say, has taken place before our very doors, to frighten
and warn us. What benefit did the poor man reap from it? What help are now his
goods to him, which he had scraped together so long with care and labor? The
devil wanted to kill him, therefore he so blindfolded him that he could not see
his own corn, and thus he gave him a cause, to hang himself for grief. This is
I think a curse, which came upon ill-gotten goods, that he should not only not
enjoy it, but even not behold it, and thereby lose both body and soul. More
similar histories have appeared, as you at other times have heard from me; and
it is good not to forget them, there may yet be some who will be reformed by
them. The wretched man who so miserably hung himself will find his sentence.
But we tell it you as a warning. If you will not receive it, but despise it,
you do not despise me who told it you, but the Lord Christ, who tells it to you
through me. But if you receive it and do better, I will give
you no reward, for I cannot reward the works of a Christian. But he who here
says: Give and it shall be given to you, will richly reward it. Whoever will,
let him accept, and whoever will not, can let it alone. This text will not
become false on that account. For although not all are punished like this man,
yet everyone who despises this admonition of Christ, will find his condemnation
on the last day. And it is indeed to be wondered at, that we willingly and with
great care, weariness and labor, for the stingy man’s stinginess becomes very
hard, 1 Timothy
40. Were it not better, you had but little with God and
honor, and give and help the needy according to your
ability, and have thereby a good conscience and the glorious comfort that God
will bless and increase your humble store, than that you should, with care and
restlessness and with an evil conscience, have great possessions, which you not
only cannot enjoy, but cannot even be master of, for a miser is mammon’s
servant and a captive. And yet, you do not only know from God’s Word, although
you will not believe it, but also from daily experience, that it will do your
children or heirs no good, but by the very consumption of it they shall become
poor.
41. What have you of it at last, O wretched man, when you have so long scraped and scratched together, except that you have made your life very toilsome in sins, and the devil, when your last hour comes, will drag you into the abyss of hell, and so you will not only shamefully lose your money and goods, which in this life you never could enjoy, but besides you also wretchedly lose both body and soul, and upon all this with your condemned treasures you bring down God’s displeasure and curse upon your children and heirs, who have become no better than yourself, but fall into poverty and into all distress and misfortune. Very well, he that will hear, let him hear. For everyone must bear his own burden, as St. Paul says, Galatians 6:5: I believe it also. Therefore you who will not hear, answer for yourselves. This is enough of this Gospel for a small admonition. God grant, that in some of you it may bring forth fruit! Amen.
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER
TRINITY
1 PETER 3:8-15.
1 PETER 3:8-15.
Finally, be ye all like-minded, compassionate,
loving as brethren, tender-hearted, humble-minded: not rendering evil for evil,
or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing; for hereunto were ye
called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For, He that would love life, And
see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips that they
speak no guile: And let him turn away from evil, and do good; Let him seek
peace, and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, And his
ears unto their supplication: But the face of the Lord is upon them that do
evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be zealous of that which is good?
But even if ye should suffer for righteousness’ sake, blessed are ye: and fear
not their fear, neither be troubled; but sanctify in your hearts Christ as
Lord.
EXHORTATION TO THE
FRUITS OF FAITH
1. Here you have enumerated again a long list of eminently good
works enjoined upon Christians who believe and have confessed their faith in
the Gospel. By such fruits is faith to be manifest. Peter classifies these
works according to the obligations of Christians to each other, and their
obligations to enemies and persecutors.
2. Immediately preceding the text, Paul has been instructing
concerning the domestic relations of husband and wife; how they should live
together as Christians in love and companionship, giving due honor and
patiently and reasonably bearing with each other. Now he extends the
exhortation to Christians in general, enjoining them to live together in
Christian love, like brothers and sisters of a household. In the rehearsal of
many preeminently noble virtues and works, he portrays the ideal church,
beautiful in its outward adornment, in the grace wherewith it shines before
men. With such virtues the Church pleases and honors God, while angels behold
with joy and delight. And what earthly thing is more
desirable to man’s sight? What happier and more
pleasing society may he seek than the company of those who manifest a unity of
heart, mind and will; brotherly love, meekness, kindliness and patience, even
toward enemies? Surely, no man is too depraved to command such goodness and to
desire companionship among people of this class.
3. The first virtue is one frequently mentioned by the
apostles. Paul, for instance, in Romans
4. Pride is the common vice of the world, and the devil
fosters it among his numerous followers thereby causing every sort of misery
and unhappiness, corrupting all ranks and stations, and rendering men vicious,
depraved and incapable of executing good. In opposition to this vice the
apostles diligently admonish Christians to be of one mind, regardless of station
or occupation, since every individual must remain in the position to which he
has been ordained and called of God. All ranks and stations cannot be one.
Particularly is this true in the Church; for in
addition to the outward difference of person, station, and so on, there are
manifold divine gifts unequally distributed and varyingly imparted. Yet these
many dissimilarities, both spiritual and secular, are to be amenable to the
unity of the spirit, as Paul calls it, or a spiritual unity. Just as the members
of the physical body have different offices and perform different functions, no
one member being able to do the work of the other, and yet all are in the unity
of one bodily life; so also Christians, whatever the dissimilarity of language,
office and gift among them, must live, increase and be preserved in unity and
harmony of mind, as in one body.
5. This matter of harmony is the first and most necessary
commandment enjoined by the doctrine of faith; ay, this virtue is the first
fruit which faith is to effect among Christians, who are called in one faith
and baptism. It is to be the beginning of their Christian love. For true faith
necessarily creates in all believers the spirit that reasons: “We are all
called by one Word, one baptism and Holy Spirit, to the same salvation; we are
alike heirs of the grace and the blessings of God. Although one has more and greater gifts than another, he is not on that
account better before God. By grace alone, without any merit of ours, we are
pleasing to God. Before him none can boast of himself.”
6. How can I think myself better than another by reason of
my person or my gifts, rank or office? Or what more than I has another to boast
of before God concerning himself? No one has a different baptism or sacrament,
a different Christ, from mine, or grace and salvation other than I have. And no
individual can have another faith than have Christians in general, nor does he
hear any other Gospel or receive a different absolution, be he lord or servant,
noble or ignoble, poor or rich, young or old, Italian or German. When one
imagines himself different from or better than his fellows, desiring to exalt
and glorify himself above others, he is truly no longer a Christian; because he
is no longer in that unity of mind and faith essential to Christians. Christ
with his grace is always the same, and cannot be divided or apportioned within
himself.
7. Not without reason did the beloved apostles urge this
point. They clearly saw how much depends upon it, and what evil and harm result
from disregard of the commandment. Where this commandment is dishonored,
schisms and factions will necessarily arise to corrupt pure doctrine and faith,
and the devil will sow his seed, which afterwards can be eradicated only with
difficulty. When once self-conceit rules, and one, pretending more learning, wisdom, goodness and holiness than his
fellows, begins to despise others and to draw men to himself, away from the
unity of mind which makes us one in Christ, and when he desires the first
praise and commendation for his own doctrine and works, his own preaching, then
the harm is already done; faith is overthrown and the Church is rent. When
unity becomes division, certainly two sects cannot both be the true Church. If one is godly, the other must be the devil’s
own. On the other hand, so long as unity of faith and oneness of mind survives,
the true Church of God abides, notwithstanding there
may be some weakness in other points. Of this fact the devil is well aware;
hence his hostility to Christian unity. His chief effort is to destroy harmony.
“Having that to contend with,” he tells himself, “my task will be a hard and
wearisome one.”
8. Therefore, Christians should be all the more careful to cherish the virtue of harmony, both in the
Church and in secular government. In each instance there is of necessity much
inequality. God would have such dissimilarity balanced by love and unity of
mind. Let everyone be content, then, with what God has given or ordained for
him, and let him take pleasure in another’s gifts, knowing that in eternal
blessings he is equally rich, having the same God and Christ, the same grace
and salvation; and that although his standing before God may differ from that
of his fellows, he is nevertheless in no way inferior to them, nor is anyone
for the same reason at all better than or superior to himself.
9. In temporal affairs, every inequality in the world can be
harmonized by a unity of mind and heart. In relations other than spiritual
there is mutual love and friendship. How great the outward dissimilarity
between man and wife – in person, nature and employment! likewise
between masters and their subjects. Yet, in mutual conscientiousness
they mutually agree and are well satisfied with each other. So it would be
possible to enjoy life upon earth in peace and happiness were it not that the
devil cannot suffer it. He must divide hearts and alienate love, allowing no
one to take pleasure in another. He who is illustrious, of noble birth, or has
power or riches, feels bound to despise others as silly geese or witless ducks.
SYMPATHY A
CHRISTIAN VIRTUE
10. The other virtues enjoined by Peter are easily
recognized – “Compassionate, loving as brethren, tenderhearted, and
humbleminded” [Luther translates “friendly” – courteous]. These particularly
teach that Christians should esteem one another. God has subjected them all to
love and has united them, with the design that they shall be of one heart and
soul, and each care for the other as for himself. Peter’s exhortation was
especially called for at that time, when Christians were terribly persecuted.
Here a pastor, there a citizen, was thrown into prison, driven from wife,
child, house and home, and finally executed. Such things happen even now, and
may become yet more frequent considering that
unfortunate people are harassed by tyrants, or led away by the Turks, and
Christians are thus dispersed in exile here and there. Wherever by his Word and
faith God has gathered a church, and that spiritual unity, the bond of
Christianity, exists in any measure, there the devil has no peace. If he cannot
effect the destruction of that church by factiousness, he furiously persecutes
it. Then it is that body, life and everything we have must be jeopardized – put
to the stake – for the sake of the Church.
11. Christians, according to Peter, should, in the bond of a
common heart and mind, sympathetically share the troubles and sufferings of
their brethren in the faith, whoever and wherever the brethren may be. They are
to enter into such distresses as if themselves suffering, and are to reason:
“Behold, these suffer for the sake of my precious faith, and standing at the
front, are exposed to the devil, while I have peace. It does not become me to
rejoice in my security and to manifest my pleasure. For what befalls my dear
brethren affects me, and my blessings are the cause of their misfortune. I must
participate in their suffering as my own.” According to the admonition of
Hebrews 13:3: “Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; that is, as
if in the same bonds and distress. Remember them that are illtreated, as being
yourselves also in the body;” as members of the same body.
12. We are all bound to one another, just as in the body one
member is bound to another. As you know by your own physical experience,
“Whether one member suffereth, all the members suffer with it; or one member is
honored, all the members rejoice with it,” as Paul says in Corinthians
13. This virtue of sympathy, resulting as it does from a
unity of mind and faith, is impossible to the world. In the world every man looks
only upon what benefits himself and regards not how others, especially the
godly, fare. Indeed, the world is capable of scornful smiles and extreme
pleasure at sight of Christians in poverty and distress, and in their
sufferings it can give them vinegar and gall to drink.
But you who claim to be a Christian, should know it is yours to share the
sufferings of your brethren and to prove your heartfelt sympathy with them. If
you cannot do more, at least show it with comforting
words or prayer. Their suffering concerns you as well as themselves, and you
must expect the same afflictions from the devil and the wicked world.
OF LOVE
“Loving as
brethren.”
14. This virtue must prevail among Christians everywhere.
They are to manifest toward one another the love and faithfulness of brothers
according to the flesh. It is a law of nature that brothers have a peculiar
confidence in one another, being of the same blood and flesh and having a
common inheritance. Particularly is this true when in
distress. Although they may not be united in other respects, yet when stranger
blood assails and necessity comes, they of the same flesh and blood will take
one another’s part, uniting person, property and honor.
15. Likewise Christians should exercise a peculiar brotherly
love and faithfulness toward one another, as having one Father in heaven and
one inheritance, and in the bond of Christianity being of one faith, united in
heart and mind. None may despise another. Them among us who are still weak,
frail and eccentric in faith and morals, we are to treat with gentleness,
kindness and patience. They must be exhorted, comforted, strengthened. We
should do by them as do the brothers and sisters of a household toward the
member who is weak or frail or in need. Indeed we cannot otherwise dwell in
peace. If we are to live together we must bear with one another much weakness,
trouble and inconvenience; for we cannot all be equally strong in faith and
courage and have equal gifts and possessions. There is none without his own numerous
weaknesses and faults, which he would have others tolerate.
OF MERCY
“Tenderhearted,
humbleminded” [friendly].
16. Here Peter has in mind mankind in general – friends and
enemies, Christians and persecutors. Owing to original
sin, man is naturally disposed to seek revenge,
especially upon those who injure him without cause. If he can do no more, he at least maliciously invokes evil upon his enemy
and rejoices in his misfortune. Now, Christians more
than any others in this world are innocently persecuted, injured, oppressed and
aggrieved, even by those having the name and honor of Christians, a thing of
frequent occurrence today. God’s people are aggrieved by such treatment, and if
the natural instinct of flesh and blood could have its way, they would gladly
revenge themselves; just as they of the world mutually exercise their revenge,
not content until passion is cooled.
17. But a Christian should not, and indeed consistently he
cannot, be unmerciful and vindictive, for he has become a child of God, whose
mercy he has accepted and therein continues to live. He cannot seek pleasure in
injury to his neighbor or enjoy his misfortune. He cannot maintain a bitter or
hard and stubborn heart toward him. Rather he is disposed to show mercy even to
his hostile neighbor, and to pity his blindness and misery; for he recognizes
that neighbor as under God’s wrath and hastening to everlasting ruin and
condemnation. Thus the Christian is already more than
revenged on his enemy. Therefore he should be friendly towards the hostile
neighbor and do him every kindness he will permit, in an effort to lead him to
repentance.
18. Yet, in showing mercy, as frequently enjoined heretofore
we are not to interfere with just and ordained punishments. God’s Word does not
teach us to demand mercy or commend kindness where sin and evil practices call
for punishment, as the world would have us believe when their sins merit
rebuke, particularly the vices of those in high places. These transgressors
claim that when reproved their honor is assailed and occasion is given for
contempt of their office and authority, and for rebellion, a thing not to be
tolerated. This is not true. The lesson teaches the
duty of each individual toward all other individuals, not toward the
God-ordained office. Office and person must be clearly distinguished. The
officer or ruler in his official capacity is a different man from what he is as
John or Frederick. The apostle or preacher differs from the individual Peter or
Paul. The preacher has not his office by virtue of his own personality; he
represents it in God’s stead. Now, if any person be unjustly persecuted,
slandered and cursed, I ought to and will say: “Thank God;” for in God I am
richly rewarded for it. But if one dishonors my baptism or sacrament, or the
Word God has commanded me to speak, and so opposes not me but himself, then it
is my duty not to be silent nor merciful and friendly, but to use my
God-ordained office to admonish, threaten and rebuke, with all earnestness,
both in season and out of season – as Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:2 – those who
err in doctrine or faith or who do not amend their lives; and this regardless
of who they are or how it pleases them.
19. But the censured may say: “Nevertheless you publicly
impugn my honor; you give me a bad reputation.” I answer: Why do you not
complain to him who committed the office to me? My honor is likewise dear to
me, but the honor of my office must be more sacred
still. If I am silent where I ought to rebuke, I sully my own honor, which I
should maintain before God in the proper execution of my office; hence I with
you deserve to be hanged in mid-day, to the utter extinguishment of my honor
and yours. No, the Gospel does not give you authority
to say the preacher shall not, by the Word of God, tell you of your sin and
shame. What does God care for the honor you seek from the world when you defy
his Word with it? To the world you may seem to defend your honor with God and a
good conscience, but in reality you have nothing to boast of before God but your
shame. This very fact you must confess if you would retain your honor before
him; you must place his honor above that of all creatures. The highest
distinction you can achieve for yourself is that of honoring God’s Word and
suffering rebuke.
20. “Yes, but still you attack the office to which I am
appointed.” No, dear brother, our office is not assailed when I and you are
reminded of our failure to do right, to conduct the office as we should. But
the Word of God rebukes us for dishonoring that divinely ordained appointment
and abusing it in violation of his commandment. Therefore you cannot call me to
account for reproving you. However, were I not a pastor or preacher, and had I
no authority to rebuke you, then it would be my duty and my pleasure to leave
your honor and that of every other man unscathed. But if I am to fill a divine
office and to represent not my own but God’s dignity, then for your own sake I
must not and will not be silent. If you do wrong, and disgrace and dishonor
come upon you, blame yourself. “Thy blood shall be upon thine own head,” says
Scripture, 1 Kings
21. This much by way of reminder of the difference between
official rebuke and personal anger and revenge. It must constantly be kept
before us because of the artfulness of flesh and blood, which ever seeks to
disregard that difference. True, God would have all men to be merciful and
friendly, to forgive and not to avenge wrong; but the
office, which is ordained for the punishment of the wicked, will not always
admit of that course. Few are willing to forgive, and
therefore God must enforce his government over the merciless. They must be
punished without mercy. This divine principle must not be restricted. Neither
must it be applied beyond measure. Every official must be careful not to exceed
the demands of his office, exercising his own revenge, his own envy and hatred,
in the name and under pretense of that position.
22. Peter continues to expatiate upon this topic – the good
works he has been discussing: gentleness, mercy, friendliness – citing
beautiful passages of Scripture and using other exhortations – to incite
Christians to practice these virtues. He says:
“Not rendering evil
for evil, or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing: for hereunto
were ye called, that ye should inherit a blessing.”
23. We have now seen whose prerogative it is to avenge,
rebuke and punish evil. This passage does not refer to official duty. When the
judge declares sentence of execution upon a thief we have truly an instance of
vengeance and reproach, and a public and extreme reflection upon honor. But it
is God’s judgment and his doing, with which we are not here concerned. The
Christian of true faith and innocent life, who
confesses his doctrine and belief, and as he is commanded rebukes opposing
forces, will provoke the devil and the world, and will be persecuted, oppressed
and harassed in the name of office and right, even by individuals whose
official duty it is to protect the godly and restrain unjust power. If these
cannot do more, they will at least annoy, hinder and
oppose that Christian as far as possible. If the Christian be quick-tempered
and fail to curb his anger and impatience, he will effect no good. He will only
bring upon himself that disquiet of heart which consumes and worries itself
with thoughts of revenge and retaliation upon the offender; which when the
devil perceives, he rejoices. He so urges and instigates as to cause more mischief on both sides. Thus he doubly injures the
Christian – through his enemy and through the anger wherewith the Christian
torments himself and spoils his own peace.
OF PATIENCE
24. What then shall we do, you say, when we must suffer such
abuse and without redress? The only resource, Peter says, is to possess your
heart in patience and commit the matter to God. This is all that remains when
they whose duty it is will not help you, nor restrain and punish the wrong, but
even do you violence themselves. If the evil receive not judicial punishment,
let it go unpunished until God looks into it. Only see that you keep a quiet conscience
and a loving heart, not allowing yourself, on account of the devil and wicked
men, to be disturbed and deprived of your good conscience, your peaceful heart
and your God-given blessing. But if in your official capacity you are commanded
to punish the evil, or if you can obtain protection and justice from rightful
authorities, avail yourself of these privileges without anger, hatred or
bitterness, ay, with a heart that prompts to give good
for evil and blessing for reviling.
25. Such conduct is becoming you as
Christians, the apostle says, for you are a people
called to inherit a blessing. Oh, wonderful and glorious fact, that God has
decreed and appropriated to you this blessing whereby all the riches of his
grace and everything good are yours! and that he will abundantly give you his Spirit to remain with you, blessing body and
soul, if only you hold fast his grace and do not allow yourselves to be
deprived of it. What price would you not gladly pay for this blessing, were it
purchasable, instead of being freely given, without your merits, and were you
privileged thus to buy the assurance of having a God so gracious, one willing
to bless you in time and eternity? Who would not willingly give
even body and life, or joyfully undergo all suffering to have the perfect
assurance of heart which says: “I know I am a child of God, who has received me
into his grace and I live in the sure hope that I will be eternally blessed and
saved.” Think, Peter says, what a vast difference God makes between you and others
because you are Christians. He has appointed you to be heirs of everlasting
grace and blessing and of eternal life. But they who are not
Christians – what have they but a terrible sentence
like a weight about their necks? the sentence pronouncing
them children of the curse and of eternal condemnation.
26. If men would take this to heart, it would be easy by
teaching and persuasion to win them to friendship and kindness toward their
fellow-men; to induce them not to return evil or reviling from motive of
revenge, but when their own privileges and protection and the punishment of
evil cannot be obtained, quietly and peaceably to suffer injury rather than
lose their eternal comfort and joy. Christians have excellent reason, a
powerful motive, for being patient and not revengeful or bitter in the fact
that they are so richly blessed of God and given that great glory whereof, as
Peter afterwards remarks, they cannot be deprived, nor can they suffer its
loss, if only they abide in it. The apostle emphasizes this fact and further
persuades Christians by citing the beautiful passage in Psalm 34:12-16:
“He that would love
life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips
that they speak no guile: and let him turn away from evil, and do good; let him
seek peace, and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and
his ears unto their supplication: but the face of the Lord is upon them that do
evil.”
27. These words the Holy Spirit uttered long ago through the
prophet David, for the instruction and admonition of all saints and children of
God. David presents to us the matter as he daily saw it in his own life and
learned from his own experience, and as he gathered from examples of the dear
fathers from the beginning of the world. “Come hither, dear children,” he would
say, “if you will be taught and advised, I will give
you sound instruction as to how we are to fear God and become his children. Who
desires peace and comfort?” “Oh, who would not desire peace and comfort?” cries
the world. For these everyone seeks and strives, and all the efforts of the
world are directed toward this end.
THE CHRISTIAN’S
PEACE
28. There are two ways to the goal of peace. One is that
chosen by the world. The world seeks to obtain peace by preserving its own with
violence. It desires the death of all who oppose it and will suffer injury or
evil in word or deed from no one. This method, it is true,
is appointed to govern mental authority. It is the duty of civil rulers to
faithfully employ it to arrest and hinder evil as far as possible. But they can
never wholly restrain evil nor punish every offense. Much wickedness will
remain, particularly secret evil, which must punish itself, either by
repentance here or in hell hereafter. By this procedure Christians will not
accomplish for themselves any personal advantage; the world is too wicked and
it will not give them support.
29. Therefore, if you desire peace for yourself personally,
particularly as a Christian, you must choose another way. The Psalm shows it to
you when it says: “Refrain thy tongue from evil, and thy lips that they speak
no guile.” This injunction really applies to doctrine, meaning that we are to
abide by the true Word of God and not to allow
ourselves to be seduced by false teaching. But Peter here extends the
application to the outward life and conduct of Christians in the work, the
circumstances being such as to call for this admonition in the matter of
refraining the tongue. On account of the faith and confession for which men are
called Christians, they must suffer much; they are endangered, hated,
persecuted, oppressed and harassed by the whole world. Christ foretold ( Matthew 10:22): “Ye shall be hated of all men for
my name’s sake.” Easily, then, Christians, might believe they have cause to
return evil, and being still flesh and blood mortals, they are inevitably moved
to be angry and to curse, or to forsake their confession and doctrine and with
unbelievers to join the false church with its idolatrous teaching. Here the Psalm
admonishes: Dear Christian, let not all this move you to rave,
curse, blaspheme and revile again, but abide in the blessing prepared for you
to inherit; for you will not by violence remedy matters or obtain any help. The
world will remain as it is, and will continue to hate and persecute the godly
and believing. Of what use is it for you to hate, chafe and curse against its
attitude? You only disturb your own heart with bitterness, and deprive yourself
thereby of the priceless blessing bestowed upon you.
30. We have the same teaching in the fourth verse of Psalm
4, which comforts saints and strengthens them against the temptation and
provocation to anger and impatience which they must experience in the world.
“Be ye angry,” David says, “and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your
bed, and be still.” That is, although according to the nature of flesh and
blood you fret because you are compelled to witness the prosperity of the world
in its ungodly life and wickedness, and how it spites, despises and persecutes
you with pride and insolence, nevertheless let not yourselves be easily
provoked; let wrong, displeasure, vexation and worry remain outside the inner
life; let them affect only the outward life, body and possessions. By no means
let them become rooted in your heart. Still your hearts and content yourselves,
and regard all this vexation as not worth losing sleep over. If you desire to
serve God truly and to render acceptable sacrifice to him, then with faith in
his Word place your hope in him as your dear Father who cares for you, hears
you and will wondrously support you.
GUARDING THE LIPS
31. But the psalmist’s additional words, “Refrain your lips
that they speak no guile,” refer, as I have said, primarily to confession of
the doctrine; but there is another thought: When one is prompted to anger and
to complaint about injury and wrong, in his impatience and irritation he cannot
speak fairly concerning the matter of offense, but invariably exaggerates. So
it is with anger and retaliation. One receiving but a pin-point wound will fly
into a passion and be ready to break the offender’s head. The individual that
suffers a single adverse word immediately proceeds to abuse and slander in the
extreme his opponent. In short, an angry heart knows no moderation and cannot
equally repay, but must make of a splinter, even a mote, a great beam, or must
fan a tiny spark into a volcano of flame, by retaliating with reviling and
cursing. Yet it will not admit that it does wrong. It would, if possible,
actually murder the offender, thus committing a greater wrong than it has
suffered.
32. So wicked and unjust is human nature that when offended
it stops not with equal measure in retribution; it goes beyond and in its anger
and revenge spares neither the neighbor’s honor nor his body and life. James
33. So Peter admonishes you to restrain your tongues, to
curb them, lest they suddenly escape your control and sin with wicked words,
doing injury double that you have received. Guard your lips that your mouth
utter not guile or falsehood through your anger, and that it may not calumniate,
abuse and slander your neighbor contrary to truth and justice and in violation
of the eighth commandment. Such conduct is, before God and man, unbecoming a
Christian and leads to that most disgraceful vice of slander, which God
supremely hates. It is the devil’s own, whence he has his name of liar or
slanderer – diabolus, or devil.
GOOD WORKS
34. The Psalm says further: “Turn away from evil and do
good”; that is, beware lest on account of the wickedness of another you also become
wicked, for anger and revenge meditate only harm and wickedness. Therefore be
all the more diligent to do good, if you can, that your heart may retain its
honor and joy and that you may abide in righteousness, and not fall from God’s
grace and from obedience to him into the service of the devil. By anger and
revenge the devil tempts you, endeavoring to get you again into his toils and
to embitter your heart and conscience until you shall exceed others in sin.
35. “Seek peace and pursue it,” continues the apostle. This
is a sublime exhortation, and faithful, divine counsel. You must not think,
Peter would say, that peace will run after you, or that the world – much less
the devil – will bring it into your house. Rather you will find the very opposite
true. From without strife will be carried to you in
bales, and within your own heart will be kindled anger and bitterness to fill
you with everlasting disquiet. Therefore if you desire peace, wait not until
other people help you to obtain it, nor until you create it for yourself by
force and revenge. Begin with yourself. Turn from the evil to the good. Even
undergo suffering to provide your heart with the peace which endures in spite
of all that would rob you of it. Strive ever to keep your heart firm in the
resolve: I will not be angry nor seek revenge, but will commit my affairs to
God and to those whose duty it is to punish evil and wrongdoing. As for my
enemy, may God convert and enlighten him. And however much more
of violence and wrong I may suffer, I will not allow my heart to be robbed of
its peace.
36. Notice, the way to preserve peace and to see good days
even in evil times is to keep a silent tongue and a quiet heart through the
comfort of divine grace and blessing. No outward occasion may be given for
strife, but always peace is to be sought with good words, works and prayers. We
must even pursue peace, follow after it, with genuine and strong suffering.
Thus we preserve it by force. In no other way can a Christian see good days and
hold fast his blessing. Remember you must make strenuous effort if you would
not reject your blessing nor be influenced by another to carelessly lie and
otherwise sin with your tongue. Flesh and blood are weak and sluggish in the
matter of preserving peace, therefore Peter strengthens his exhortation and
further encourages us by the promise of God’s help and protection for the
faithful and his punishment of their enemies. He says:
“For the eyes of
the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears unto their supplication.”
37. Inscribe this verse upon your heart in firm faith and
see if it does not bring you peace and blessings. Try to believe that God sits
above, sleepless and with his vigilant eye ever upon you. With watchful vision
he beholds the righteous as they suffer violence and wrong. Why will you
complain and become discouraged by reason of the harm and grief you experience,
when the gracious eyes of the true Judge and God are
upon you and his intent is to help you? All the wealth of the world would I
give, if I might, to purchase that watchful care, or rather to obtain the
requisite faith; for surely the lack is not in his regarding, but in our faith.
GOD OVER ALL
38. More than this, God’s ears, the apostle tells us, are
also open to the prayers of the righteous. As he looks upon you with gracious,
winning eyes, so also are his ears alert to even the faintest sound. He hears
your complaint, your sighing and prayer, and hears, too, willingly and with
pleasure; as soon as you open your mouth, your prayer is heard and answered.
39. Again, Peter says: “The face of the Lord is upon them
that do evil.” True, God’s eyes are upon the righteous, but nevertheless he
sees also the others. In this case he beholds not with a friendly look or
gracious countenance, but with a displeased and wrathful face. When a man is
angry the forehead frowns, the nostrils dilate and the eyes flash. Such a
manifestation of anger are we to understand by the Scripture when it refers
here to “the face of the Lord.” On the other hand it illustrates the pleased
and gracious aspect of God by “the eyes of the Lord.”
40. Now, why is “the face of the Lord” upon evil-doers and
what is its effect? Certainly God’s purpose is not to heed or to help them, to
bestow blessing or success upon their evil-doing. His purpose is, according to
the succeeding words in the psalm, “to cut off the remembrance of them from the
earth.” This is a terrible, an appalling sentence, before which a heart may
well be prostrated as from a thunderbolt. And ungodly hearts would be thus
appalled were they not so hardened as to despise God’s Word.
41. Notwithstanding the indifference of the wicked, the
sentence is passed. Verily it is no jest with God. It illustrates how sincerely
he cares for the righteous and how he will avenge them on the wicked, toward
whom his countenance bespeaks punishment in due time and the cutting off of
their memory from the earth. In contrast, the righteous, because they have
feared God and abode in their piety though suffering for it, shall, even here
upon earth, live to see blessing and prosperity upon their children’s children.
Although for a time the company of the wicked conduct themselves with pride
upon the earth, and imagine themselves secure beyond the possibility of being
unseated, nevertheless when their hour comes they are suddenly hurled down from
earth into the abyss of hell and must suffer the righteous to remain in
possession of the earth. So testifies Christ in Matthew 5:5, and Psalm 37 more fully explains the matter.
42. It is proven by all the examples of Scripture and also
by the experience of the whole world from the beginning, that God casts down
those who seek only to injure. They who have despised God’s threats and angry
countenance with security and defiance have at last experienced the fulfillment
of these warnings and perished thereby. King Saul thought to destroy godly
David, to exterminate his root and branch and blot out his name as if he had
been a rebellious, accursed man. But God effected the very opposite. Because
David in his sufferings and persecution walked in the fear of God and trusted
him with simplicity, desiring no harm to his enemy, God’s gracious eye was ever
upon him and preserved him from that enemy. On the other hand, the angry face
of God was bent upon King Saul, and before David was aware of it the king had
fallen, and his whole family met ruin with him; they were obliged to surrender
crown and kingdom to the persecuted David.
43. Christians should strengthen their faith with the
comforting thought that God’s gracious countenance is over them and he turns
eye and ear toward them; and that on the other hand he looks with angry face
upon their enemies and those seeking to injure, and will take a hand in their
game, obliging them either to refrain from their evil-doing, or to perish by
it. Such retribution is certain. No one can live long without proving by his
own experience and that of other men the truth of the proverb, “Right will
assert itself.” However, we lack in faith and cannot wait God’s hour. We think
he delays too long and that we suffer too much. But in reality his time will
come speedily, and we can well wait and endure if we believe in God, who but
grants our enemies a brief opportunity to be converted. But their appointed
hour is already at hand and they will not escape if it overtakes them without
repentance.
“And who is he that
will harm you, if ye be zealous of that which is good? But even if ye should
suffer for righteousness’ sake, blessed are ye.”
44. According to Peter’s words here, you have a very great
advantage over all your enemies, whoever they be, in being richly endowed by
God with eternal blessing. You know he will protect, support and avenge you,
hence you abide in your faith and godliness. Although your adversaries think to
trouble and harm you, they can do you no real injury whatever they effect. For
wherein can persecution harm if you strive for godliness and abide in it? Not
by malice, might and violence can your enemies take from you, or diminish, your
piety and God’s grace, his help and blessing. And even from all the bodily and
temporal harm they can inflict, you suffer no loss. For the more
they seek to injure you, the more they hasten their own punishment and
destruction, and the greater is your recompense from God. By the very fact that
they slander, disgrace, persecute and trouble you, they multiply your blessing
with God and further your cause, for God must the sooner consider your case,
supporting you and overthrowing them. They but prepare your reward and benefit
by their wicked, venomous hatred, their envy, anger and fury. At the same time
they effect for themselves conditions the very reverse. Being condemned by
their own evil consciences, they cannot in their hearts enjoy one good day, one
peaceful hour; and they heap up for themselves God’s wrath and punishment.
45. Indeed, you are all the more blessed, temporally and
eternally, Peter declares, for the very reason that you suffer for
righteousness’ sake. You are so to regard the situation and to praise and thank
God for your suffering. The apostle looks upon tribulation in this light and
exalts it as supreme blessedness and a glorious thing. Christ says in Matthew
5:11-12: “Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and
say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be
exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven.” Oh, your adversaries
should purchase a little of this comfort regardless of cost and boast of
suffering a little for the sake of righteousness! Could they understand the
promise and be worthy of it, how intensely might they desire to have suffered
all and much more than they thought to inflict upon
you, if only they might be blessed and prove the comfort of this precious,
divine promise!
“Fear not their
fear, neither be troubled; but sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord.”
46. Here again Peter resorts to Scripture and cites a verse
from the prophet Isaiah ( Isaiah 8:12-13) where he
admonishes God’s people not to be terror-stricken by the wrath and threats of
men, but firmly and confidently to trust in God. The prophet speaks similarly
in Isaiah 51:7: “Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye dismayed at
their revilings.” As if he would say: Why will you permit yourselves to be
disturbed by the persecutions of men, however great, mighty and terrible
enemies they may be, when you are blessed and happy in God to the extent that
all creatures must pronounce you blessed? Moreover, you know the eyes of your
God behold you and his ears are open to your cry, and whatever you desire and
pray for is heard and granted. More than this, your adversaries are threatened
by his angry face. What are all men – tyrants, pope, Turk, Tartars, ay, the
devil himself – compared to this Lord, and what can they do against him, when
and wheresoever he chooses to show his power? They are but as a straw to a
mighty thunderbolt which makes the earth tremble. Therefore, if you are indeed
Christians and believe in God you ought in no wise to fear all these
adversaries, but rather, joyfully and with scornful courage to despise their
defiance, their threatening and rage, as something
utterly harmless to you; they are but effecting their own destruction in
hurling themselves at the Majesty before which all creatures must tremble.
TRUST IN GOD
ENJOINED
47. But this you are to do: Sanctify God; that is, regard
and honor him as holy. This is nothing else than to believe his Word; be
confident that in God you have truly one who, if you suffer for righteousness’
sake, neither forgets nor forsakes, but graciously looks upon you and purposes
to give his support and to revenge you on your
enemies. Such faith and confession honors him as the true
God, upon whom man can confidently and joyfully call for help, reposing his
whole trust in him upon the authority of his sure Word and promise, which
cannot deceive or fail.
48. In contrast, unbelievers cannot sanctify God; they
cannot render him due honor, although they may talk much of him and display
much divine worship. They do not accept God’s Word as the truth, but always
remain in doubt. In the hour of suffering they deem themselves utterly
forgotten and forsaken by the Lord. Therefore they murmur and fret, being very
impatient and disobedient toward God. They rashly seek to protect and revenge
themselves by their own power. That very conduct betrays them as beings without
a God, as blind, miserable, condemned heathen. Such are the great multitude of
Turks, Jews, Papists and unbelieving saints today throughout the world.
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER
TRINITY.
LUKE 5:1-11.
________________
King James Version
Luke 5:1-11
And it came to pass, that, as the people
pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And
saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them,
and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was
Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he
sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking,
he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a
draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the
night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the
net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes:
and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the
other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both
the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at
Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was
astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they
had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were
partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou
shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook
all, and followed him.
PART I
CONCERNING FAITH,
THE CARE OF GOD, AND OUR DAILY OCCUPATION
1. This Gospel brings before us two parts, in which it
exhorts to faith and strengthens faith. In the first part it shows that Christ
cares for those who believe in him, so that they are abundantly supplied
against temporal and bodily needs. In the second part it shows that he will
help them still more against spiritual needs, thus in
reality proving the truth of what St. Paul says in 1 Timothy 4:8: “Godliness is
profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that
which is to come.” The Scriptures are everywhere full of these two kinds of
promises.
2. To faith he assures temporal and bodily help by giving to
Peter and his partners so great a draught of fishes after they had vainly
toiled all night and caught nothing, and now could have no expectation or hope
of taking anything. But herein he adheres to the rule and order which he
himself has given and taught in Matthew
3. Although it is not indeed the purpose of Christ’s coming
or preaching to foster and provide for the body, yet he is not unmindful of it
when the first thing sought is his kingdom. He therefore takes upon himself the
distress of these poor fishermen who, through all this night, and with all
their efforts and toil, have caught nothing. However, as they have lent him
their boat to preach, and have listened to him, he, without any thought on
their part, and before they have uttered any prayer, provides for them a
draught of fishes so great that they are thereby enabled fully to learn and
clearly to understand that in him they have a Master who cares for them and
will not forsake them, provided they abide in his Word and remain his
disciples.
4. He would that his Church, or believing people, should be
comforted by the fact that he provides for them, and that somewhere on earth
they shall find bread and an abiding place, even though they are everywhere so
persecuted and scattered, that their place and provision in the world must be
uncertain. We find this set forth, not only in the present instance, and in
others like it, but in many a beautiful passage, such as Psalm 34:10: “The
young lions do lack, and suffer hunger; but they that seek Jehovah shall not
want any good thing.” And Psalm 33:18-19: “Behold, the eye of Jehovah is upon
them that fear him, upon them that hope in his loving kindness; to deliver
their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.” And Proverbs 10:3:
“Jehovah will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish,” etc.
5. By this example he especially shows how it goes with
those upon whom he is to bestow his gifts and assistance, and how he is
accustomed to bestow these favors. It goes with them as it went with those
fishermen, who labored all the night, yet had nothing for all their trouble and
labor, and had nothing to hope for from human counsel or aid. Manifold
tribulations, miseries and distress are the daily experience of all
Christendom. If Christ is to help, there must be trials, trouble and toil, and
it must come to this, that we despair of all human counsel, comfort and
ability. Then he comes with his help, and shows that he still has the means of
comfort, counsel, protection and deliverance, and that he is able to bestow all
this when everything else has failed us, and when all that we have done or
suffered, and still may be able to do, is nothing and in yam; yea, that in such
need and weakness he gives and helps in richer measure than could be done by
all human power, skill and aid.
6. On the other hand, by saying to his disciples: “Put out
into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught,” Christ shows that he does
not forbid work, or would have that neglected which we have been commanded to
do. He thereby enjoins upon them to continue in their handicraft. The two
things are thus well maintained over against each other, namely, that we must
work, and that our work accomplishes nothing. For if toil and trouble could
have accomplished anything, then would the disciples have accomplished it
during the hours of the night; and all the more so
then, as they had hopes of taking a greater number of fishes while the silence
and darkness continued than when Christ, in broad daylight, commanded them to
let down their nets. Nevertheless, at Christ’s word, and at one draught, they
drew them in full to overflowing.
7. From this every one may see and learn that no man lives
by his labor or exertion, however great and unhampered this may be, but must
live by God’s blessing and grace. Let it remain at this, as the Germans say,
that “God helps,” or “God bestows his gifts over night,” which saying has come
down to us from pious men of old who realized its truth in their experience.
Daily experience still shows that many a one toils, tooth and nail, in anxiety
and hard work, who yet can scarcely earn his bread or get rid of his debts and
poverty; whilst to another, who takes it easy and newer overexerts himself,
everything comes and flows in so abundantly that we really must say: “All this
comes from God’s help and not from any man’s labor.” In <19C702> Psalm
127:2 we are told: “So he giveth it unto his beloved in sleep,” as if the
Psalmist would say: “It is in vain that you fret and plague yourself with cares
and labor, day and night, in order to provide what is needed in the home. Much
may be needed there; but it does not depend upon your hands and labor at all.
Nothing will come of your effort unless God himself is the “House Father” and
makes it possible for you to say: ‘God bestows his gifts over night. ’ Grain
and all food from the earth, yea, all that a man has, or may acquire, must be
given him of God.”
8. Such favors he also bestows upon the godless and
unbelieving, and upon them more than upon others. With
temporal goods he fills to overflowing the house and home of many wicked men
who never think of a God. And he does this, not by their exertion and labor,
but by a simple act of blessing, as we are told concerning such men in Psalm
9. Hereby Christ would have Christians aroused and
strengthened in faith, and protected against unbelief with its harmful fruits,
such fruits, especially, as covetousness, and anxious cares for the body and
the present life. These cling to man by nature like an inborn plague which,
together with the lusts of unbelief, moves and rages against the Spirit, as St.
Paul teaches in Galatians
10. Scripture, however, everywhere shows the harm that is
done by the avarice and anxieties of unbelief. For unbelief can by no means
obtain anything from God that would benefit, comfort or bless it, but so
deprives itself of the divine benediction that it can have no satisfaction or
joy in the temporal goods it desires, and can never possess a good and peaceful
conscience. Hence it is that Christ, in Matthew
11. Here compare the good things that faith brings and does,
with the harm that is done by unbelief. For, in addition to this, that faith
has the divine grace and blessing, it also has the promise that it shall be
sufficiently supplied with all that it needs. It fills the heart with such
goodness, peace and joy that it may well be called the root of all good things.
Unbelief, on the other hand, with all its cares and covetousness, shall have
this as its reward, that it is not bettered thereby, but must fall into all
sorts of snares through many hurtful lusts and desires; and thus it attains to
nothing in the end but eternal destruction. It is therefore nothing but the
root whence all misfortunes spring.
12. These two things are clearly seen in the world. Those
men are at rest and in peace who content themselves with the things that God
provides. They journey onward cheerfully and courageously, whatever their
calling may be. They have enough to live on, and all their necessities are so
well supplied that they must say to themselves: “No evening yet have I gone
hungry to sleep,” although it appears as if affliction and want are at their
very doors, as, according to our text, was the case with Peter. They have this
benefit from their confidence and faith in God, that they need not fret and
wound themselves among the thorns (cares for the body), or be stung and injured
by them, but can, so to speak, sit amid roses in a garden of pleasure. As
Solomon says in Proverbs
13. Of this we see daily examples in those who boast of the
Gospel and their Christianity. Everywhere we find robbery, oppression,
assessment, usury, etc. , to such an extent that even God and conscience are set aside for the sake of a miserable penny. Then, as if
such a fall were not deep enough, they harden themselves, and keep on their
course defiantly and sacriligiously, until they sink so far as to become
enemies of God’s Word, become blind and deaf, yea, become so unblessed and
accursed that they are of no service in any station, and can do nothing that is
wholesome and good or useful to the pleasure and improvement of others. All
they can do is to cause and bring harm, misfortune and misery upon land and
people.
14. All comes from this, as St. Paul says, that men are bent
on being rich. For such covetousness and cares do assuredly keep company with a
pride that makes men aim at being something great and powerful. Covetousness
would appropriate everything to itself. It begins at first by saying: “Would
that I had this house, this field, this castle, this village,” etc. Thus it
grows greater and greater till it becomes a dragon’s tail that draws everything
after it. And where covetousness has once become rooted there it daily brings
forth cares of a hundred different kinds, as it seeks to obtain still more goods and gold. There the human heart boils and bubbles
with countless insatiable lusts, and desires, that serve no other purpose than
its own destruction, and spring from no other source than man’s fall from
faith, and thence from one temptation and snare into another. It is a dreadful
plague that has taken such thorough possession of men that, on account of it,
they can do nothing good or useful in their station, and no longer
,an have any thought of serving God or man.
15. When one has scraped together a great deal, he has no
less trouble in retaining and protecting it. He must then try to gain favor and
friendship, and in all sorts of ways seek to prevent the loss of his property.
In the meantime he brings upon himself hatred and envy and troubles of many
kinds, from which he cannot escape; and thus, as St. Paul shows, there is nothing
left but disturbance and sorrows of conscience, and a veritable hell, into
which the man has cast himself. Upon the covetous man the plague and curse have
already been pronounced that he shall never be satisfied, and, furthermore,
that he must endure all sorts of misfortune and heartgriefs through the very
things he has coveted to his everlasting destruction and damnation.
16. We see from daily experience what shameful and accursed
vice covetousness is, and what harm it does, especially in high office, whether
clerical or lay. If the money fiend has taken possession of a pastor’s or
preacher’s heart, so that he, like the rest of the world, only aims at securing
for himself great riches, then has he already, like Judas the traitor, fallen
into the jaws of the devil, and is prepared, for a few pieces of silver, to
betray Christ and his Word and his Church. Thus has the Pope, in order to
secure and maintain his riches and dominion, introduced, in the name of God and
the Church, all sorts of idolatries and abominations, and has openly led
multitudes of souls to the devil, so filling men with the false terrors of his
ban that no one dares to say a word against it.
17. How harmful it is in civil governments when lords and
princes are dominated by this shameful vice, aiming to appropriate everything
to themselves. Thereby they forget to exercise their princely office so as to
be of help to the land and people over whom, for this purpose, they have been
placed as lords, and thus they forfeit the commendation and love which, with
all honor and praise, they should receive as the fathers of their people and
country. They do not concern themselves about the spread of God’s Word, the
administration and support of churches and schools, the proper instruction of
the people, or the maintenance of law and order among their subjects. They
permit destitute pastors, with their children, widows and orphans, to suffer
injustice, violence and want. In the meantime they go about with their tax
lists, and only consider how they may collect money enough for their excessive
expenditures and pomp. And when this does not suffice, they flay and tax their
poor subjects to such an extent that they themselves fall into perplexities and
difficulties which must bring poverty and ruin upon themselves, their land and
their people. Or if, in their avarice, they have already accumulated enough to
make them think they are quite rich, then, in order to carry out their
undertakings, they involve themselves in manifold strange dealings and affairs
that finally, to their own punishment, they bring upon themselves great burdens
and ruin.
18. What a dreadful disaster and ruin has been brought upon
Germany merely by the shameful and accursed usury which has everywhere gotten
the upper hand, so that there is no longer any check or restraint to it,
especially as those who should check it are themselves mixed up in it. Nowadays
every one who has the power, by means of his money, impoverishes his neighbors,
and thereby sets God and conscience aside. Thus, with open eyes, and with an
evil, self-accusing conscience, he speeds off to hell, burdened with the curse
that has been pronounced upon the abominations of covetousness, – the curse,
that he shall not himself enjoy such property in peace and tranquility as has
been gained by usury, but either himself shall lose it by God’s visitation or
it shall not descend to his heirs. Upon such un-Christian doings must come the
fearful wrath and punishment of God, which alas! we have long ago greatly
deserved; and the time must come when he will turn us out of doors, together
with the Turks and other terrible plagues, so that, since we would not heed his
Word and admonition, he him. self may put a forcible end to
this godless business.
19. This the believer avoids and escapes who, with good
conscience and godly fear, occupies his station in life peacefully and quietly,
and is satisfied with the things that God gives him. He does not expose himself
to the dangers of temptation or snares. He is in no need of troubling himself
with cares and anxieties, or of engaging with others in bickering and brawling
disputes, quarrels, jealousies and hatreds. He is a man of fine, blessed and
useful character, one who can be of service and assistance to many. He finds
grace and favor with God and man that shall benefit and honor even his
children’s children.
20. The example before us in this Gospel should teach and
admonish us that we may learn to believe, and thus experience through faith, that
God cares for his children and provides for them to such an extent that they
need not worry and condemn themselves with cares or covetousness. And yet,
though cares and covetousness are forbidden, it should be borne in mind, as I
have already said, that no one dare cease from labor. The world turns these two
things upside down, as it usually does with all the words and ordinances of
God. To care and to strive for the obtaining of gold and goods is something it
is determined to do. Such care, however, concerns God alone, and for himself
alone has he reserved it. And yet the world is willing enough to let God attend
to the work which it has been commanded to do; yea, all the aim of its cares
and covetousness is to be set free from working in the sweat of its face. God
wants just the opposite. He wants us to keep the work and to leave the care
with him. By doing this we shall do our part, and, with moderate labor and no
care, we shall soon come into possession of all we need.
21. When Christ wished to bestow his gift upon Peter and
others he did not cause the fish to leap into the boat without labor or nets,
as he very well might have done. But he commanded them to put out into the deep
and let down their nets. That is, they should engage in the handicraft they
understood and had learnt and were accustomed to, and should act as fishermen.
Christ keeps aloof from the lazy, unfaithful idlers who will not do as they
have been commanded, and will not keep their hands and feet from straying. Thus
he teaches a twofold lesson, that he will not give us
anything unless we work for it, and that the things we obtain do not come from
our work, but only from God’s help and blessing. You are to work, but you are
not to depend upon that work, as if that which resulted therefrom were of your
own accomplishment.
22. In short, our work produces and bestows nothing. Yet it
is necessary as a means through which we may receive what God gives. The
disciples must use their hands to let down the nets and to draw them in, if
they wish to secure anything, and must be willing to do so. Yet they are
obliged to acknowledge that their labor did not bring about the result,
otherwise they would have succeeded, in the first place, without Christ. He
therefore permits them to make a sufficient trial, and to discover by
experience that the toil of this entire night has been in vain and to no
purpose.
23. This he teaches us by daily experience in all sorts of
affairs and doings and governments on earth. Very often he permits us to labor
long and arduously and without results, till it becomes bitterly painful to us,
and we are forced to complain with Peter: “We toiled all night, and took
nothing.” This he does that we may not venture to depend upon our labor, but
may know that he must grant it success, and that we have not secured this
through our own effort, skill or diligence.
24. What diligence, money and effort many a father and
mother have bestowed in order to rear their son to honor and virtue, and that
with a hope and confidence as great as if (to use a common expression) he were
to become an angel. And yet he has become nothing but a notoriously willful and
prodigal child. On the other hand, many a poor and forlorn orphan, upon whom
very little effort and diligence have been expended, has grown up so
surprisingly well-bred as to make us think that it just happened so, and did
not depend upon any diligence or care of our own.
25. Of what do all civil governments more
generally complain than of fruitless labors and efforts, even where their work
is carried on energetically and in earnest, and where there are men who are
willing and able to rule well, – men who are not lacking in wisdom,
understanding, power and might? These are obliged to learn, after a long period
of governing, that thereby they have not accomplished anything. How often it
happens, indeed, that the best plans, the wisest counsels, and the brightest
ideas prove to be the very worst, and result in nothing but harm and ruin. The
very wisest rulers have always experienced and complained of this. And thus we
may learn that God will not grant prosperity and success through human wisdom,
plans and intrigues, if these are the things we depend upon.
26. Hence, if the world be willing to receive counsel from a
plain and straightforward man, namely, from the Lord our God, who certainly has
had some experience and understands the art of ruling, the best counsel would
be, that each one, in his administration of government, should simply direct
his thoughts and plans to a faithful prosecution and believing performance of
the duties enjoined upon him, not placing any dependence upon his own thoughts
and plans, but casting all his cares upon God. The man who does this will at
last be sure to discover that he who trusts in God accomplishes more than he who seeks to transact his affairs according to
his own wisdom and thought, or in his own power and might.
27. So it goes in the spiritual government of the Church, as
specially indicated in the narrative now before us. Where I have preached and
taught during the past ten or twenty years, there another could, perhaps, have
done more in one year; and one sermon may bring forth
more fruit than many others. Here, also, it is true
that our labor, diligence and effort can accomplish nothing. These two things
must go together, namely, that each one does his duty, and that he,
nevertheless, acknowledges with Peter: “My labor cannot bring forth anything,
if thou dost not give the increase.” As Paul also says
in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7: “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the
increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that
watereth; but God that giveth the increase,” etc.
28. In short, all human nature and life are so that, until
God gives the increase, we may often labor long and much, and all to no
purpose. But the work is not to cease on that account, nor should any man be
found without work. He must wait for the increase till God gives it, as Solomon
says in Ecclesiastes 11:6: “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening
withhold not thy hand; for thou knowest not which shall prosper, whether this
or that,” etc.
29. However, the circumstances are especially pointed out
under which work becomes useful and fruitful, namely, when Christ appears and
commands to let down the nets, etc., that is, when there is a faith that takes
hold of his Word and promise and then, cheerfully and bravely, does what has
been commanded, waiting, with prayer and supplication, for his help and
blessing. This is to say with Peter: “Lord, I have indeed done and labored and
suffered ninth, but I know that I shall accomplish nothing thereby, unless thou
art present to give strength and increase. I will
therefore depend, not upon myself or my own works, but upon thy Word, and will
leave everything to thy care.” Thus shall we prosper; and experience shows that
Christ, when he is present, gives more as the result
of little labor and effort than any one would have dared to hope. For there can
be no failure or scanty fruits where he adds his blessing.
30. Thus the disciples could see the experience for
themselves what a difference there is between the work they had done all the
previous night without faith in Christ, and the work they did when, without
prospect of taking anything, they nevertheless, through faith in Christ’s word,
and at one draught, drew in an overflowing multitude of fishes. Therefore, if
we accomplish little or nothing through our labor and effort, we must put the
blame upon our unbelief, or upon the weakness of our faith, and not upon
anything else.
31. Yet this is also true, that
Christ often delays the bestowal of his help, as he did on this occasion, and
on another, John 21, when he permitted the disciples to toil all the night
without taking anything, and really appeared as if he would forget his own Word
and promise. But this he does that he may drive us to implore his help the more earnestly, and that we may learn to strengthen and
maintain our faith, so that we do not doubt, or cease to labor, but continue to
wait for the bestowal of his gifts in his own good time and way. For it is his
purpose to guide all Christians into a knowledge and experience of the fact
that their livelihood and help do not depend on what they see or do, but upon
what is invisible and hidden. This he therefore calls his “hid treasure,” as we
have already said in regard to Psalm
32. Behold, this is the first part of our Gospel, the events
of which took place and were recorded that Christians might be instructed and
comforted by the fact that Christ cares even for the temporal needs of his
Church, so that it is fed and supported, although it should come into a
distress where everything is at the point of ruin, and where it seems to have
done and suffered everything in vain. Always and everywhere does it happen that
the Gospel, as it advances, brings poverty in its train, together with hunger
and nakedness and want. But at last, when the storms of the devil have blown
over a little, and the world’s greed and appetite have been satisfied, Christ
comes and declares that he, too, is a Lord of the earth. For in Psalm 24:1 it
is written: “The earth is Jehovah’s, and the fullness thereof,” etc. Also in
Psalm 8:6-8: “Thou hast put all things under thy feet; all sheep and oxen, yea,
and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea.” All
these must obey our Lord, and must bend beneath his scepter, so that the world,
after all, cannot prevent him and his from sharing in its food.
33. But, as I have said, we must first have hunger and want,
that is, Peter’s empty boat and net, even where there has been long-continued
labor. Yet Christ, after such a trial, makes his gifts all the more abundant, not only a tub full, with which the disciples
might have been satisfied, but the entire net full and the two empty boats
full. He does this that their faith in his spiritual help may thereby be strengthened,
He shows this sign to Peter, and to the others whom he intends to call to be
his Apostles, not only in order that they should believe that he would care for
their bodies, but that he would so strengthen and help them in their apostolic
calling that it should not prove to be in vain or fruitless.
PART II
THE SPIRITUAL
DISTRESS AND CONFLICT OF CONSCIENCE
34. The second part of this Gospel presents the great
doctrine of the inner distress and conflict of conscience, and what constitutes
our true comfort in the midst of it. Only after Peter
saw this wonderful work of Christ and the abundance it produced, did he begin
to consider what sort of a Man this Wonderworker must be, and what sort of a
man he himself was in comparison. Out of this great blessing there comes upon
him a greater distress than he has ever experienced from any bodily want. He
now becomes so thoroughly poor and destitute, that, on account of terror, he
almost sinks to the earth and bids Christ depart from him. He has begun to feel
his unworthiness and sins. He is forced to acknowledge and lament that he is a
poor sinner.
35. Peter is to become a different man; and a greater
miracle is to be wrought in him than in the draught of fishes. The sermon which
Christ had previously preached from the boat now first began to have its effect
upon him. He, with the others, had indeed listened to Christ before this, but
he had given no thought to the character of his Person. He had not thought of
obtaining any temporal or eternal good from him; nor had he yet begun to
tremble on account of his sins. But now when Peter perceives the miracle and
the blessing, and realizes, through the present event, what sort of a Man this
Jesus is, he stumbles at the greatness of the blessing and of the Person on the
one hand, and, on the other, at the extent of his own unworthiness. He trembles
on account of his sins. His heart tells him that he does not deserve such great
favor, and that he is far more deserving of God’s
wrath and disfavor. He is now filled with anxiety and fear, not as to temporal
poverty, or as to means of support, for he has been supplied with what he
needs; but as to his ability to stand before God and before this man who has
shown this great favor to such an unworthy and sinful human being as he.
36. This is the way Christ begins to make Peter spiritually
rich in things that are eternally good, so that he may be able to impart them
to others, yea, to the entire world. As on a previous occasion, he must first
feel spiritual hunger and distress, that is, terror and anguish of conscience,
before he can attain to forgiveness and to comfort. The boat and the world have
become too narrow for him. He knows not whither to betake himself from Christ,
whom, however, he has found to be, not terrifying, but friendly and helpful.
37. Here you see how poor and miserable conscience is when
it really begins to feel its sins. how it trembles’. How it runs to escape from
God when he draws nigh, as if it would run across a hundred worlds! Thus Adam
in Paradise thought to hide himself when God kindly asked: “Adam, where art
thou?” So shy and timorous is such a heart and conscience that it gets
frightened at itself, and flees from a rustling leaf as from thunder and
lightning. It cannot endure the judgment of the Law, which reveals its sins and
God’s eternal wrath. And here it is of no use to comfort a man by reminding him
of the favors that God has shown him in the past. This only terrifies him all
the more, as thereby he realizes that he deserves still greater wrath on
account of his ingratitude and sins.
38. Yea, even they have ever to contend with this temptation
and fear who already have received the comfort of the grace of God through
faith. For his goodness and grace are too great and overwhelming. On the other
hand, our heart, in the feeling and consideration of its own unworthiness, is
far too narrow and feeble to hold and comprehend such great goodness and mercy.
At this it is simply filled with amazement. God therefore shows himself
merciful to us by veiling and covering these things under simple words and
beneath great weakness.
39. But such is the awful wickedness of our nature that,
even when Christ comes to us with his grace and comfort, we avoid and flee from
our Savior, while we rather, though naked and barefooted, should run after him
to the ends of the earth. We turn and twist, and resort to our own works, and
would first, by our own efforts, cleanse and make ourselves worthy enough to
deserve such a gracious God and Christ. Thus Peter thinks to seek peace and to
escape sin by running away from the Lord. He first looks for something in
himself to make him worthy of coming to Christ, but thereby only falls all the more deeply into terror and despair, until the Savior, by
his word, raises him up again.
40. All this does, and indeed must, come to pass, where
nothing but the Law is taught and understood, and where Christ is not rightly
and fully known through the Gospel. A knowledge of the Law has been inscribed
and implanted in every human heart by nature, as St. Paul says in Romans
41. All God’s benefits when they move the heart, are really
living sermons unto repentance that lead a man to acknowledge his sins and make
him fear them, as St. Paul, in Romans 2:1, says to the impenitent, hardened
hypocrite: “Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long
suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”
42. Hence, there is nothing in the juggling tricks which our
Antinomians play upon this example, when they say that repentance is not to be
preached and practiced through the Law, but through the Gospel, or, as they put
it, through the revelation of the Son. They change the proper order of the two
parts: the revelation of grace and the revelation of wrath, as if we are first
to preach comfort through grace and afterwards to terrify through wrath. This
is nothing but a blind and foolish pretext on the part of these people. They
have no understanding of wrath or grace or repentance, and know not how to
comfort the conscience.
43. All preaching of sin and God’s wrath is a preaching of
the Law, no matter how or when it may be done. On the other hand, the Gospel is
such preaching as sets forth and bestows nothing but grace and forgiveness in
Christ. And yet it is true that the Apostles and
preachers of the Gospel sanctioned the preaching of the Law, as Christ himself
did, and began with this in the case of those who had not yet acknowledged
their sins and had felt no fear of God’s anger. Thus our Lord says in John
16:8: “The Comforter, when he is come, will convict the world in respect of
sin,” etc. Yea, what more solemn and terrible proof and preaching of God’s
wrath can there be than the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, his son? It
is not the preaching of the Gospel, nor is it Christ’s own preaching, but the
preaching of Moses and the Law to the impenitent, so long as nothing but God’s
wrath is preached and men are terrified. For the Gospel and Christ were neither
ordained nor given in order to terrify or condemn, but to comfort and raise up
such as are fearful and faint-hearted. And from this it follows that the man,
whose heart has been rightly impressed by the sufferings of Christ, must, of
his own accord, see and feel in these the unbearable wrath of God against sin,
and thereby be so stricken with fear that the world becomes too narrow for him.
St. Bernard testifies that this was his experience as soon as he gained a right
insight into the sufferings of Christ. He says: “Alas, I thought I was safe! I
knew nothing of the judgment and wrath that had come upon me, till I saw that
the only begotten Son of God had to take my place,” etc. This idea is so
terrible that even the damned in hell can have no greater torment, no greater
feeling of God’s wrath and condemnation, than this vision of the death of the
Son of God, the benefits of which they have forfeited. Thus Judas, the traitor,
as he would not heed the kindly admonitions and warnings of the Lord Jesus, and
would not take into consideration how he acted towards him, was finally driven
into such terror by this vision that he preached the Law and damnation to
himself in saying: “I have betrayed innocent blood,” etc. , Matthew 27:4.
44. In like manner, Peter preaches to himself the Law
concerning his sins and God’s wrath, and takes as his text Christ’s great
kindness towards him. From this kindness he can gather nothing but wrath and
terror on account of his unworthiness before God. For he has, as yet, no other
understanding in his heart than that of the Law, which Law shows that God is
hostile to sin and will punish it. He is still ignorant of the grace of Christ
which, through the Gospel, is freely offered to all sinners. To this grace he
could not have attained, but must have despaired in ‘the midst of his terror,
had not Christ delivered another sermon whereby he comforted him and raised him
up. For, of himself, no man can grasp this doctrine, or arrive at an
understanding of it, without the revelation of the Holy Spirit through the word
of the Gospel.
45. Hence those foolish souls are entirely wrong, who allege
that the Law is not to be preached under the New Testament dispensation, or
that men are to be terrified with God’s wrath through the Gospel only after
grace has been preached to them. For it is certain that the Gospel preaches no
wrath; nor does it cause fear and anguish. When it comes, it is for the purpose
of comforting consciences. The order everywhere indicated and observed by
Scripture is this, that sin must always be acknowledged and fear of God’s wrath
be realized, through the preaching or experience of the Law, before there can
be such comfort as proceeds from forgiveness, the purpose of this order being
that men may be led to long for grace and be made fit
to receive the comfort of the Gospel. Those, therefore, who are yet without any
fear of God’s wrath, who are secure and hardened and unyielding, must be
strongly admonished and urged to repentance by the threats and terrors of that
wrath, that is, to them no Gospel is to be preached, but only the Law and
Moses.
46. On the other hand, no law is to be preached to those in
whose hearts it has wrought its purpose so that, through the realization of
their sins, they have become terrified, faint-hearted and fearful. To such as
these nothing is to be preached but the Gospel and its comfort. For it is
really the purpose of Christ’s coming, and of his command to preach the Gospel
to all poor sinners, that they should believe that it abolishes and does away
with all the accusations and fears and threatenings of the Law, and puts a
perfect comfort in their place. This he everywhere teaches in the Gospel; and
in Luke
47. But besides, we must bear in mind that the doctrine of
the Law is not to be entirely done away with, even in the case of those who are
Christians, inasmuch as Christians must exercise themselves in daily
repentance, because they still live in the flesh which is moved by sinful
lusts. hence they must be so taught and admonished, after they have received
the forgiveness of sins, that they do not fall back again into a state of
security, or give the flesh occasion to war against
the Spirit. Galatians
48. Such is Peter’s experience at this time. In his terror
he has not, as yet, any revelation or knowledge of grace or forgiveness of
sins. The revelation of wrath is working in him, and this impels him to flee
even from Christ, which he certainly would not hare done, had he rightly known
him. But Christ is now about to make of him a true Christian, about to make him
experience the real comfort of conscience which overcomes the terror of the Law
and raises man from the misery of sin to grace and blessedness, from death to
life, from hell to heaven. It is necessary, therefore, that he should first
have a real taste of that power of the Law which is roused and wrought, not by
Christ, but by Moses through the ten Commandments.
49. Now, see how kindly Christ comforts the terrified heart
and conscience. He says: “Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.” In
tones so truly loving does the Savior speak to all who are in fear and terror
by reason of their sins. He will not have them to remain any longer in fear and
anguish. He takes away from them all the dread of the Law, and shows them that
they should not, on account of their sins, flee from him but to him, so that
they may learn to know him as the loving Savior who has come into this world,
not to reject poor sinners, but to allure them to himself, and to enrich and
bless them with his comfort and help. He therefore says, in Luke
50. Not only does Christ give
comfort to poor, terror-stricken Peter by the kindly words in which he declares
and offers to him his grace and absolution, but he goes on to strengthen this
comfort by the great promise that he will give him something far beyond
anything he has hitherto received from him; and all this in order that Peter
may perceive and experience how Christ’s heart and love go out to him. “From
henceforth,” Christ says, “thou shalt catch men.” That Peter is not to be
alarmed on account of his unworthiness and sins is, in itself, an abundant
comfort and grace. However, he is not only to have the forgiveness of his sins,
but is also to know that God intends to accomplish still greater things through
him by making him a help and comfort to others. What Christ would say is this:
“That which thou hast accomplished by this draught of fishes is much too little;
really, it is nothing at all. Thou art henceforth to become a different kind of
fisherman, in a different sea, with a different net and boat. For I am going to
engage thee in a business which shall be called ‘catching men’; and this means
that, throughout the entire world, thou art to draw away souls from the power
of the devil into the kingdom of God. Then, first, wilt thou become the sort of
man that can help others, even as thou thyself hast been helped.”
51. From this Gospel let us rightly acknowledge and lay hold
upon Christ and the power of his comfort, in order that we may comfort both
ourselves and others, and may instruct and remind the consciences which are in
distress and fear that they are by no means to run or flee away from Christ, but
should much rather flee to him and wait for his comfort. Thus to run away, thus
to fear, is nothing else than to drive your own salvation and happiness away
from you. For Christ has not come to make you afraid, but to remove from you
your sins and distress. Nor does he draw nigh and follow after you in order to
drive you away, but that he may kindly allure you to himself. You must
therefore not do him the dishonor of thrusting him away from you. And you must
not pervert to your own fear and despair the comfort he brings you, but much
rather run to him in all confidence. Then you will soon hear the cheering and
comforting words: “Fear not?’ which he speaks to your heart, and to the hearts
of all troubled consciences, and through them he pronounces absolution for all
sins and removes all fear. Yea, he will grant you a still richer grace by
making you such a holy, blessed and useful man in his kingdom, that you can be
of comfort to others, and can bring those to him who, like yourself, are now
full of fear and in need of comfort and grace.
52. Here you see how a man is delivered from spiritual
poverty and distress, that is, how, through Christ’s Word, he obtains
forgiveness of sins and peace of conscience together with grace and increase of
spiritual gifts, without any merit or worthiness of his own but only through
the grace of Christ. It is in this respect as it was with the temporal miracle
of the draught of fishes, which the disciples did not secure by reason of their
toil, and which was not given to them before they had labored and striven in
vain, and had despaired of taking anything. And yet, as Christ on that occasion
does not forbid their laboring, but commands them to let down their nets for a
draught, so now he does not abolish works. Although Peter does not deserve
grace and forgiveness by what he does, but receives forgiveness and grace
freely, yet the Lord will not permit him to dispense with all work and effort.
Yea, he assigns to him the duty and business of bringing the same blessings to
others, and, in the assignment of this duty, comforts him with the assurance
that the necessary power and blessing shall be added. “For,” says he, “I will
make thee a fisher of men.” Thus are the two parts rightly taught, namely, that
faith deserves nothing by its works, and yet, that it performs all sorts of
works in its station and calling, according to the word and command of God.
PART III
THE SPIRITUAL
MEANING OF THIS DRAUGHT OF FISHES
53. Christ himself teaches the meaning of this history of
Peter’s draught of fishes when he says: “From henceforth thou shalt catch men.”
Herein is represented the spiritual rule of the Church, which consists in the
office of preaching. The sea, or the water, represents the world, the fishes
represent men, while the outward office of preaching is represented by the hand
and the net by which the fishes are caught. For as the net is let down among
the waves, so the sermon finds its way among men.
54. But this office of preaching is of twofold One seeks to
win men without Christ. This is the preaching of the Law, which demands of us
nothing but works, and either makes arrogant saints who, without accomplishing
anything, would pursue their own free, unhampered course through the wild and
watery wastes, or only terrifies and drives away the consciences which, without
works, are timid and weak.
55. Hence the labor and effort of the entire night (of the
Law) must prove vain and lost until Christ comes with the other kind of preaching,
– until he brings with him the dawn and revelation of the comforting and
cheering Gospel that enlightens the hearts of men with the knowledge of the
grace of God, – until he commands us to let down the net for a draught. When
this is done at his word and command, great and rich fruits are the result.
Then men’s hearts are willing and ready to come to the obedience of faith in
Christ, yea, even to press forward to it, and to venture life and limb in its
attainment, as Christ says in Matthew
56. This draught of fishes is so great that the one boat
alone (hitherto representing the Church of the Jewish people) is not able to
draw it up or large enough to contain it. Those in the one boat must beckon to
their partners in the other to come and help them. This other boat is the
assembly and Church of the Gentiles which has been established and spread by
the Apostles. Thus were the two boats filled with one and the same draught of
fishes, that is, with one and the same sort of preaching, and with a
corresponding faith and confession.
57. Owing to the great draught the nets began to break, and
some of the fishes fell out. These are they who are not sincere, and do not
abide in the Gospel, but cast themselves out of it, preferring to continue amid
their free and wild waves rather than submit themselves to Christ. So there
were many, especially among the Jews, who disobeyed and gainsaid the Gospel.
These, and all others who establish sects and factions of their own, may not
and cannot continue with the true band of God’s people
in the assembly of the Church, but make themselves manifest as being good for
nothing. Hence St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians
58. And as the net suffers through being let down into the
water and becomes wet, so must the office of preaching suffer through all sorts
of trials and persecutions in the world, even to the extent of being rent and
torn. It cannot produce profitable or fruitful results in all men; yet great
power and much fruit are found in those who remain steadfast and are kept to
the end. It is our comfort, however, that Christ, through our preaching, will
lead his own into the boat, and will keep them there, although we know that we
cannot make devout men of all to whom we preach, and that we cannot escape
persecution on account of our office; yea, though we know that many will fall
away even among those of whom we felt sure that we had them in the net.
SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
ROMANS 6:3-11.
ROMANS 6:3-11.
Or are ye ignorant that all we who were
baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried
therefore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from
the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of
life. For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we
shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection; knowing this, that our old
man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away, that so we
should no longer be in bondage to sin; for he that hath died is justified from
sin. But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him;
knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more;
death no more hath dominion over him. For the death that he died, he died unto
sin once: but the life that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Even so reckon ye
also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus.
EXHORTATION TO
CHRISTIAN LIVING.
1. In this epistle lesson Paul gives Christians instruction
concerning the Christian life on earth, and connects with it the hope of the
future and eternal life, in view of which they have been baptized and become
Christians. He makes of our earthly life a death – a grave – with the
understanding, however, that henceforth the risen man and the newness of life
should be found in us. And he treats of this doctrine because of an error that
always prevails: When we preach that upon us is bestowed grace and the
forgiveness of sins, without any merit on our part, people are disposed to
regard themselves as free from obligation and will do no works except those to
which their own desires prompt them. This was Saint Paul’s experience when he
so strongly commended the grace of Christ and its consolation
(ch. 5:20), declaring that “where sin abounded, grace did abound more exceedingly,” and that where there are many and great
sins, there also reigns great, abundant and rich grace. The rude crowd cried:
Oh, is it true that great grace follows upon great
sin? In that case we will cheerfully load ourselves with sin so that we may
receive the greater grace.
GRACE DOES NOT GIVE
LICENSE TO SIN.
2. Such argument Paul now confutes. He says: It is not the
intention of the Gospel to teach sin or to allow it; it teaches the very
opposite – how we may escape from sin and from the awful wrath of God which it
incurs. Escape is not effected by any doings of our own, but by the fact that
God, out of pure grace, forgives us our sins for his Son’s sake; for God finds
in us nothing but sin and condemnation. How then can this doctrine give
occasion or permission to sin when it is so diametrically opposed to it and
teaches how it is to be blotted out and put away.
3. Paul does not teach that grace is acquired through sin,
nor that sin brings grace; he says quite the opposite – that “the wrath of God
is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,”
Romans
4. Therefore he begins his sermon by inquiring, in this
sixth chapter (verses 1-3): “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin,
that grace may abound? God forbid. We who died to sin, how shall we any longer
live therein?” In other words: How is it possible that because grace should
destroy sin ye should live unto sin? And then, further to illustrate this, he
says: “Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death?”
5. He speaks here in figurative language to clearly and
forcibly impress this matter upon us; ordinarily it would have been sufficient
for him to ask: “We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein?”
that is to say, Inasmuch as ye have been saved from sin through grace, it is
not possible that grace should command you to continue in sin, for it is the
business of grace to destroy sin. Now, in the figurative words above quoted, he
wishes to vividly remind us what Christ has bestowed upon us. He would say to
us: Do but call to mind why you are Christians – you have been baptized into
Christ. Do you know why and whereunto you have been baptized, and what it
signifies that you have been baptized with water? The meaning is that not only
have you there been washed and cleansed in soul through the forgiveness of
sins, but your flesh and blood have been condemned, given over unto death, to
be drowned, and your life on earth to be a daily dying unto sin. For your
baptism is simply an overwhelming by grace – a gracious overwhelming – whereby
sin in you is drowned; so may you remain subjects of grace and not be destroyed
by the wrath of God because of your sin. Therefore, if you let yourself be
baptized, you give yourself over to gracious drowning
and merciful slaying at the hands of your God, and say to him: Drown and
overwhelm me, dear Lord, for gladly would I henceforth, with thy Son, be dead
to sin, that I may, with him, also live through grace.
THE POWER OF
BAPTISM.
6. When he says, “All we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death,” and again, “We were buried therefore with him
through baptism into death,” he speaks in his own Pauline style concerning the
power of baptism, which derives its efficacy from the death of Christ. By his
death he has paid for and taken away our sins; his death has been an actual
strangling and putting to death of sin, and it no longer has dominion over him.
So we, also, through his death have obtained forgiveness of sins; that sin may
not condemn us, we die unto sin through that power
which Christ – because we are baptized into him – imparts to and works in us.
7. Yea, he further declares that we are not only baptized
into his death, but, by the same baptism, we are buried with him into death;
for in his death he took our sins with him into the grave, burying them
completely and leaving them there. And it follows that, for those who through
baptism are in Christ, sin is and shall remain completely destroyed and buried;
but we, through his resurrection – which, by faith, gives us the victory over
sin and death and bestows upon us everlasting righteousness and life – should
henceforth walk in newness of life.
8. Having these things through baptism, we dare no longer
obey – live unto – -the sin which still dwells in our flesh and blood in this
life; we must daily strangle it so that it may have no power nor life in us if
we desire to be found in the estate and life of Christ. For he died unto sin,
destroying it by his death and burying it in his grave; and he acquired life
and the victory over sin and death by his resurrection, and bestows them upon
us by baptism. The fact that Christ himself had to die
for sin is evidence of the severe wrath of God against sin. Sin had to be put
to death and laid away in the grave in the body of Christ. Thereby God shows us
that he will not countenance sin in us, but has given us Christ and baptism for
the purpose of putting to death and burying sin in our bodies.
9. Thus Paul shows us in these words what has been effected
by Christ’s death and burial, and what is the signification of our being buried
with him. In the first place, Christ was buried that he might, through
forgiveness, cover up and destroy our sin, both that which we have actually
committed and that which is inherent in us; he would not have it inculpate and
condemn us. In the second place, he was buried that he might, through the Holy
Spirit, mortify this flesh and blood with its inherent sinful lusts; they must
no longer have dominion over us, but must be subject to the Spirit until we are
utterly freed from them.
10. Thus, we still lie with Christ in the grave according to
the flesh. Although it be true that we have the forgiveness of sins, that we
are God’s children and possess salvation, yet all this is not perceptible to
our own senses or to the world. It is hidden in Christ by faith until the
judgment day. For we do not yet experience in ourselves such righteousness,
such holiness, such life and such salvation as God’s Word describes and as
faith expects to find. Wherefore Paul says in Colossians 3:3-4 (as we have
heard in the Easter sermons), “Your life is hid with Christ in God. When
Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be
manifested in glory.”
11. On the other hand, we are outwardly oppressed with the
cross and sufferings, and with the persecution and torments of the world and
the devil, as with the weight of a heavy stone upon us, subduing our old sinful
nature and checking us against antagonizing the Spirit and committing other
sins. “For if we have become united [planted together] with him in the likeness
of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection; knowing
this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be
done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin; for he that hath
died is justified from sin.”
12. This is another distinctly apostolic discourse. Being
baptized into Christ’s death and buried with him, to which Paul had just referred,
he here calls being united, or planted together, with Christ in the likeness of
his death. Christ’s death and resurrection and our baptism are intimately
united with, and related to, one another. Baptism is not to be regarded a mere
empty sign, as Anabaptists erroneously hold. In it is embodied the power of
both Christ’s death and resurrection. Hence Paul says, “we are planted together
with him,” engrafted into him as a member of his body, so that he is a power in
us and his death works in us. Through baptism he dedicates us to himself and
imparts to us the power of his death and resurrection, to the end that both
death and life may follow in us. Hence our sins are crucified through his
death, taken away, that they may finally die in us and
no longer live.
13. Being placed under the water in baptism signifies that
we die in Christ. Coming forth from the water teaches,
and imparts to, us a new life in him, just as Christ remained not in death, but
was raised again to life. Such life should not and can not be a life of sin,
because sin was crucified before in us and we had to die
to it. It must be a new life of righteousness and holiness, Christ through his
resurrection finally destroyed sin, because of which he had to die, and instead he brought to himself the true life of
righteousness, and imparts it to us. Hence we are said to be planted together
with Christ or united with him and become one, so that we both have in us the
power of his death and resurrection. The fruits and results of this power will
be found in us after we are baptized into him.
14. The apostle speaks consolingly of the death of the
Christian as a being planted, to show that the Christian’s death and sufferings
on earth are not really death and harm, but a planting unto life; being
redeemed, by the resurrection, from death and sin, we shall live eternally. For that which is planted is
not planted unto death and destruction, but planted that it may sprout and
grow. So Christ was planted, through death, unto life; for not until he was
released from this mortal life and from the sin which rested on him and brought
him into death on our account, did he come into his divine glory and power.
Since this planting begins in baptism, as said, and we by faith possess life in
Christ, it is evident that this life must strike root in us and bear fruit. For
that which is planted is not planted without purpose; it is to grow and bear
fruit. So must we prove, by our new conversation and by our fruits, that we are
planted in Christ unto life.
CHRISTIAN GROWTH.
15. Paul gives the reason for new growth. He says: “Knowing
this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be
done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin.” It does not
become us, as baptized Christians, to desire to remain in our old sinful
estate. That is already crucified with Christ, the sentence of condemnation
upon it has been pronounced and carried out. For that is what being crucified
means. Just so, Christ, in suffering crucifixion for our sins, bore the penalty
of death and the wrath of God. Christ, innocent and sinless, being crucified
for our sins, sin must be crucified in our body; it must be utterly condemned
and destroyed, rendered lifeless and powerless. We dare not, then, in any wise
serve sin nor consent to it. We must regard it as actually condemned, and with
all our power we must resist it; we must subdue and put it to death.
16. Paul here makes a distinction. He says, “Our old man was
crucified with him [Christ],” and “that the body of sin might be done away.” He
intimates that the “old man” and “the body of sin” are two different things. By
the term “old man” he means not only the body – the grossly sinful deeds which
the body commits with its five senses – but the whole tree with all its fruits,
the whole man as he is descended from Adam. In it are included body and soul,
will, reason and understanding. Both inwardly and outwardly, it is still under
the sway of unbelief, impiety and disobedience. Man is called old, not because
of his years; for it is possible for a man to be young
and strong and vigorous and yet to be without faith or a religious spirit, to
despise God, to be greedy and vainglorious, or to live in pride or the conceit
of wisdom and power. But he is called the old man because he is unconverted,
unchanged from his original condition as a sinful descendant of Adam. The child
of a day is included as well as the man of eighty years; we all are thus from
our mother’s womb. The more sins a man commits, the older and more unfit he is before God. This old man, Paul says, must
be crucified – utterly condemned, executed, put out of the way, even here in
this life. For where he still remains in his strength, it is impossible that
faith or the spirit should be; and thus man remains in his sins, drowned under
the wrath of God, troubled with an evil conscience which condemns him and keeps
him out of God’s kingdom.
17. The “new man” is one who has turned to God in
repentance, one who has a new heart and understanding, who has changed his
belief and through the power of the Holy Spirit lives in accordance with the
Word and will of God. This new man must be found in all Christians; it begins
in baptism or in repentance and conversion. It resists and subdues the old man
and its sinful lusts through the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul declares, “They
that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the
lusts,” Galatians
18. Now, although in those who are new men, the old man is
crucified, there yet, Paul says, remains in them in this life “the body of
sin.” By this we understand the remaining lusts of the old man, which are still
felt to be active in the flesh and blood, and which would fain resist the
spirit. But inasmuch as the head and life of sin are destroyed, these lusts
cannot harm the Christian. Still the Christian must take care not to become
obedient to them, lest the old man come to power again. The new man must keep
the upper hand; the remaining sinful lusts must be weakened and subdued. And
this body of ours must finally decay and turn to dust, thereby utterly
annihilating sin in it.
19. Now, he says, if ye be dead to sin under the reign of
the spirit and the new man, and adjudged to death under the reign of the body,
ye must no longer permit sin to bring you under its dominion, lest it inculpate
and condemn you. But ye must live as those who are wholly released from it,
over whom it no longer has any right or power. For we read, “He that hath died
is justified from sin.” This is said of all who are dead. He that has died has
paid for his sin; he need not
die for it again, for he no longer commits sin and evil deeds. If sin be
destroyed in man by the Spirit, and the flesh also is dead and gone, man is
completely released and freed from sin.
20. Paul comprehends the whole existence of the Christian on
earth in the death of Christ, and represents it as dead and buried, in the
coffin; that is, the Christian has ceased from the life of sin, and has nothing
more to do with it. He speaks of sin as being dead
unto the Christian and of the latter as being dead unto sin for the reason that
Christians no longer take part in the sinful life of the world. And, too, they
are doubly dead. First, spiritually they are dead unto sin. And this, though
painful and bitter to flesh and blood, is a blessed, a comfortable and happy
dying, sweet and delightful, for it produces a heavenly life, pure and perfect.
Secondly, they are physically dead – the body dies. But this is not really
death; rather a gentle, soothing sleep. Therefore ye are, Paul would say,
beyond measure happy. In Christ ye have already escaped death by dying unto
sin; that death ye need die no more. It – the first
death, which ye have inherited from Adam through sin – is already taken away
from you. That being the real, the bitter and eternal death, ye are
consequently freed from the necessity of dying. At the same time there is a
death, or rather only the semblance of one, which ye must suffer because ye are
yet on earth and are the descendants of Adam.
SPIRITUAL AND
PHYSICAL RESURRECTION.
21. The first death, inherited from Adam, is done away with:
changed into a spiritual dying unto sin, by reason of which the soul no longer
consents to sin and the body no longer commits it. Thus, in place of the death
which sin has brought upon us, eternal life is already begun in you. Ye are now
freed from the dreadful damning death; then accept the sweet, holy and blessed
death unto sin, that ye may beware of sin and no longer serve it. Such is to be
the result of the death of Christ into which ye are baptized; Christ has died
and has commanded you to be baptized in order that sin might be drowned in you.
22. The other, the “little death,” is that outward, physical
death. In the Scriptures it is called a sleep. It is imposed upon the flesh,
because, so long as we live on earth, the flesh never ceases to resist the
spirit and its life. Paul says: “The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye
may not do the things that ye would.” Galatians
23. And after all, it is but a gentle and easy death. It is
truly only a sleep. Since soul and spirit are no longer dead, the body shall
not remain dead; it shall come forth again, cleansed and purified, on the last
day, to be united with the soul. Then shall it be a gentle, pure and obedient
body, without sin or evil lust.
24. These words of Paul are an admirable Christian picture
of death, representing it not as an awful thing, but as something comforting and
pleasant to contemplate. For how could Paul present a more attractive
description than when he describes it as stripped of its power and
repulsiveness and makes it the medium through which we attain life and joy?
What is more desirable than to be freed from sin and
the punishment and misery it involves, and to possess a joyful, cheerful heart
and conscience? For where there is sin and real death – the sense of sin and
God’s wrath – there are such terror and dismay that man feels like rushing
through iron walls. Christ says, in Luke
25. That dreadful death which is called in the Scriptures
the second death is taken away from the Christian through Christ, and is
swallowed up in his life. In place of it there is left a miniature death, a
death in which the bitterness is covered up. In it the Christian dies according
to the flesh; that is, he passes from unbelief to faith, from the remaining sin
to eternal righteousness, from woes and sadness and tribulation to perfect
eternal joy. Such a death is sweeter and better than any life on earth. For not
all the life and wealth and delight and joy of the world can make man as happy
as he will be when he dies with a conscience at peace with God and with the
sure faith and comfort of everlasting life. Therefore truly may this death of
the body be said to be only a falling into a sweet and gentle slumber. The body
ceases from sin. It no longer hinders or harasses the spirit. It is cleansed
and freed from sin and comes forth again in the resurrection clothed with the
obedience, joy and life which the spirit imparts.
26. The only trouble is that the stupid flesh cannot
understand this. It is terrified by the mask of death, and imagines that it is
still suffering the old death; for it does not understand the spiritual dying
unto sin. It judges only by outward appearance. It sees that man perishes,
decays under the ground and is consumed. Having only this abominable and
hideous mask before its eyes, it is afraid of death. But its fear is only
because of its lack of understanding. If it knew, it would by no means be
afraid or shudder at death. Our reason is like a little child who has become
frightened by a bugbear or a mask, and cannot be lulled to sleep; or like a
poor man, bereft of his senses, who imagines when brought to his couch that he
is being put into the water and drowned. What we do not understand we cannot
intelligently deal with. If, for instance, a man has a penny and imagines it to
be a five-dollar gold piece, he is just as proud of it as if it were a real
gold piece; if he loses it he is as grieved as if he had lost that more valuable coin. But it does not follow that he has
suffered such loss; he has simply deluded himself with a false idea.
27. Thus it is not the reality of death and burial that
terrifies; the terror lies in the flesh and blood, which cannot understand that
death and the grave mean nothing more than that God lays us – like a little
child is laid in a cradle or an easy bed – where we shall sweetly sleep till
the judgment day. Flesh and blood shudders in fear at that which gives no
reason for it, and finds comfort and joy in that which really gives no comfort
or joy. Thus Christians must be harassed by their ignorant and insane flesh,
because it will not understand its own good or harm. They must verily fight
against it as long as they live, at the cost of much pain and weariness.
28. There is none so perfect that he does not flee from and
shudder at death and the grave. Paul complains and confesses of himself, and in
his own person of all Christians: “For that which I do I know not: for not what
I would, that do I practice.” Romans
29. Paul says, “Knowing this, that our old man was
crucified” – that is, we know that, in soul and spirit, we are already dead
unto sin – “that the body of sin might be done away.” The meaning is: Because
the body does not willingly and cheerfully follow the spirit, but resists and
would fain linger in the old life of sin, it is already sentenced, compelled to
follow and to be put to death that sin may be destroyed in it.
30. He does not say that the body is destroyed as soon as a
man has been baptized and is become a Christian, but that the body of sin is
destroyed. The body which before was obstinate and disobedient to the spirit is
now changed; it is no longer a body of sin but of righteousness and newness of
life. So he adds, “that we should no longer be in bondage to sin.” “But if we
died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him; knowing that
Christ being raised from the dead dieth, no more;
death no more hath dominion over him. For the death that he died, he died unto
sin once; but the life that he liveth, he liveth unto God.”
31. Here he leads us out of the death and grave of sin to
the resurrection of spirit and body. When we die – spiritually unto sin, and
physically to the world and self – what doth it profit us? Is there nothing
else in store for the Christian but to die and be
buried.? By all means yes, he says; we are sure by faith that we also shall
live, even as Christ rose from death and the grave and lives. For we have died
with him, or, as stated above, “we have become united with him in the likeness
of his death.” By his death he has destroyed our sin and death; therefore we
share in his resurrection and life. There shall be no more sin and death in our
spirit or body, just as there is no more death in him.
Christ, having once died and been raised again, dieth no more.
There is nothing to die for. He has accomplished
everything. He has destroyed the sin for which he died, and has swallowed up
death in victory. And that he now lives means that he lives in everlasting
righteousness, life and majesty. So, when ye have once passed through both
deaths, the spiritual death unto sin and the gentle death of the body, death
can no more touch you, no more reign over you.
32. This, then, is our comfort for the timidity of the poor,
weak flesh which still shudders at death. If thou art a Christian, then know
that thy Lord Jesus Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. Therefore, death
hath no more dominion over thee, who art baptized into him. Satan is defied and
dared to try all his powers and terrors on Christ; for we are assured, “Death
no more hath dominion over him.” Death may awaken
anger, malice, melancholy, fear and terror in our poor, weak flesh, but it hath
no more dominion over Christ. On the contrary, death
must submit to the dominion of Christ, in his own person and in us. We have
died unto sin; that is, we have been redeemed from the sting and power, the
control, of death. Christ has fully accomplished the work by which he obtained
power over death, and has bestowed that power upon us, that in him we should
reign over death. So Paul says in conclusion: “Even so reckon ye also
yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus.”
33. “Reckon ye also yourselves,” he says. Ye, as Christians,
should be conscious of these things, and should conduct yourselves in all your
walk and conversation as those who are dead to sin and who give
evidence of it to the world. Ye shall not serve sin, shall not follow after it, as if it had dominion over
you. Ye shall live in newness of life, which means that ye shall lead a godly
life, inwardly, by faith and outwardly in your conduct; ye shall have power
over sin until the flesh – the body – shall at last fall asleep, and thus both
deaths be accomplished in you. Then there will remain nothing but life – no
terror or fear of death and no more of its dominion.
SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER
TRINITY.
MATTHEW 5:20-26.
This sermon was first printed in the “Two Sermons on Anger.”
A new and unaltered reprint appeared under the title: “One person should not be
angry at another, an excellent sermon. – An exhortation to patience and
meekness, a second sermon by Dr. Martin Luther, Wittenberg, 1543.” At the end
are the words, “Printed at Wittenberg by Joseph Klug.”
Contents:
Concerning anger and its signs.
___________
King James Version
Matthew 5:20-26
For I say unto you, That except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye
shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Ye have heard that it was
said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall
be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with
his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever
shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but
whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if
thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath
ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way;
first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree
with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any
time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the
officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no
means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
This text has now been the theme of sermons for more than fifteen hundred years, and will continue to be
until the day of judgment, before a person can be found who fully believes and
keeps it. It has been copied enough and clearly enough explained, so that we
can read and hear it daily and continually. However, it will indeed not be
exhausted and still less lived perfectly, although everybody fancies he can
hear and learn his fill in one day, so that he will need no more
of it. But God knows What fools and dunces we are when we believe ourselves to
be the wisest; for that reason he constantly presents one and the same sermon
to us, and does not grow tired of drilling and forcing it into us continually,
hoping to bring us to the point of seeing our blindness and stupidity, and,
like obedient pupils, begin to learn and practice it. [The above is inserted
from Luther’s Two Sermons, “Zwo Predigten.”]
PART 1
CONCERNING ANGER
1. This Gospel we have fully and sufficiently explained on
other occasions, when treating of the entire sermon of Christ, which Matthew the
Evangelist records in three chapters; for today we will take a part of it,
where Christ expounds and explains the fifth commandment. For here we observe
first, that Christ attacks a sin called anger, which is very common and
powerfully rules the world. And it is not one of the gross, public vices
punished also by the world, but one of those fine sins of the devil that do not
want to pass for sin. For they sail under false colors, so that no one can
rebuke and punish them. For instance, pride will not be called pride, but truth
and justice; envy and hatred do not want to be reprimanded, but rather extolled
as being true earnestness and godly zeal against
wickedness. These are really the two colors the devil carries in his realm,
namely, lying and murder, which in the eyes of the world claim the honor and
praise of being holiness and righteousness in the highest degree.
2. For this reason our Lord and Savior singles out the
Pharisees, who fain would be the holiest and most pious, and be so considered
by everybody; he even calls their doings by the beautiful name of
righteousness, but he pictures and judges it as one not leading to heaven but
into the abyss of perdition, a veritable fruit of satan. And this he does for
the reason that they wanted to be called righteous and pious, defying the whole
world to prove the contrary, and at the same time were filled with venomous
wrath, envy and hate. The world cannot see nor judge in such matters, therefore
Christ alone is the judge here who dare and can pass such a sentence of
judgment. Even if this righteousness of the Pharisees be ever so beautiful and
holy, yet, they shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven; for I do not desire
nor will have a righteousness that stamps itself as such, and will not be
called sin, but struts about in the fine coat of divine righteousness, so that
we must call them Christian, pious people, holy spiritual fathers, etc.
3. Now, on what is this righteousness of the Pharisees based
and where does it derive its name? On the fact that God said, “Thou shalt not
kill,” etc. On these words they planted themselves and stood. The text says
nothing more than “Thou shalt not kill;” hence it follows that whoever does not
kill, is righteous. But when my feelings are hurt and I am wronged, I have good
grounds and reasons for being wrought up and for resenting the injustice; at
the same time my wrath appears doubly justified because it suffers violence and
injustice without actually killing. This wrath of mine advances a step by
embellishing its cause in proclaiming its innocence and parading its piety
before God and the world thus: Have I not good reasons for being angry? This
and that my neighbor has done to me in return for my many favors, and I would
have gladly given him my life’s blood; this is the thanks, the returns, with
which he pays me. Am I to suffer all this and pass such malice by? And at this
point a Pharisee boldly proceeds to malign and persecute his neighbor in the
highest degree, wherever he can, inflicting harm and injury; and all this is
claimed to be done justly, he himself being pious and holy, yea, extolled as a
martyr in the sight of God and men.
4. In like manner, when the Pope and his followers condemn.
burn and murder all who will not worship their abominations, counting them as
disobedient to the Christian Church and obstinate, this of course must be
called genuine service of God, and God should feel elated over becoming worthy
of such saints. Our great noblemen act much in the same way, who boast so
loudly they are friends of God and of the whole world, but enemies to iniquity.
Indeed, what a great friendship we here have with God and with mankind! Where
shall God stand before such saints in order to raise them high enough
heavenward?
5. Behold the excellent, grand and sacred anger of the
cavalier or nobleman, who cannot possibly be guilty of a transgression or an
injustice; and whoever is not of this opinion is evidently not a godly man.
This sermon of Christ seems therefore very peculiar to the world, in fact it is
unknown in use and practice, though heard often enough and well known as to its
words. For the world does not consider it a sin for a man to resent a wrong,
when he is innocent; and it is true that he who has a
clear case against his offender can also seek redress in court, all this we
must admit. But in adding his personal wrath to matters and trying to avenge
himself, he overdoes it; one law now conflicts with the other, and a small
right develops into a great wrong.
6. Hence you must in this instance so tune
the organ as to have the pipes sound in harmony, and so as to prevent two from
clashing. For what kind of justice would you call it when one offends you by a
mere word, or pilfers a penny’s worth, and you go and cut off his arm or burn
down his house, crying angrily the while: Well, he did me wrong, and I have
good reasons, etc.! In such a case your murderous wrath, that does tenfold more violence and injustice to me, is not to be called a
sin, but righteousness and holiness, while I am to be considered unrighteous
aria suffer wrong.
7. This now I am not saying for the benefit of strangers,
who are without, except merely for an illustration to show how this vice rules
in the world; but concerning us, both teachers and scholars, who pride
ourselves on being evangelical and still want the liberty of becoming angry and
to rage when we please; and not permit ourselves to be
punished nor reproved, but rather than that everything may go to pieces, if
only we be considered to be in the right, and pious, despite the fact that such
a despicable farce of right causes a hundredfold more wrong.
8. Therefore Christ here takes energetic action, and
abolishes anger wholly and completely in the entire world, draws it to himself
and says: I do not merely say, Thou shalt not kill, nor say Raca to thy
brother, but thou shalt in no case be angry; the one is as solemnly and
earnestly prohibited as the other. For you are not told to judge or avenge
yourself, and even though you are right and have a just cause, still your wrath
is of the devil; as St. James in his James
9. Now, I fear, this will not be done by us as long as we
are here in this life, and yet it would be grace, if we only became so pious as
to make a beginning; for as soon as we suffer an injury, flesh and blood at
once act as flesh and blood; they begin to rage and
rave in anger and impatience. It is natural for us to feel hurt when suffering
injustice and violence, hence it is necessary to check and restrain the
feelings of anger and resist them. The feeling that you are injured will pass
away; but that you in addition desire to avenge yourself in this or that way,
is prohibited. Therefore see to it that one fits well into the other, that one
claim does not conflict with the other nor cancel it, but let the two
harmonize, so that both may continue. If you cannot secure your rights without
doing greater harm, let it go. For it is not good to check or punish one wrong
with another, nor is God willing to have universal justice perish because of
your petty claims.
10. Now the aim and contents of this sermon by Christ are as
follows: You fancy that whoever does not inflict a blow with his arm has not
acted contrary to God’s command; but he is at liberty to be angry at his
neighbor and to avenge himself; and to take vengeance is so far right, and no
sin at all. This would nullify the commandment, leaving it without any force
whatever. For it does not ask merely that you refrain from killing with your
fist, but also from doing harm or injury with your tongue or your heart. If
not, how about the command that we are to do good to our enemy? If that is to
hold good, we most certainly must not work against our neighbor. Otherwise in
what respect would we be better than publicans and public sinners, as Christ
himself says, Luke
11. But possibly you say’ Well, if wrath is to be so
thoroughly rooted out of the heart of man, how is evil to be stayed and
punished, which cannot be done without some severity? But if evil is to have
free course and left go unpunished, you would soon have no house and no town. I
would reply: We know that God has committed the judiciary to the civil
government and to that end established princes and lords, who bear the sword in
God’s stead; their sword and its edge is God’s sword and edge. Aside from this
they are personally exactly as other people are, having no more
right to be angry than anybody else. Now the judge or executioner, in
condemning and executing a man that never personally did an injury to either,
does so in God’s stead, officiating in God’s place, inasmuch as the malefactor
has become liable to God’s sentence and penalty. Assuredly there should be no
anger nor bitterness in man’s heart, and yet God’s wrath and sword accomplish
their work.
12. The same holds good in war, when you must either defend
yourself, or vigorously thrust, beat and burn: then likely wrath and revenge
reign supreme, and yet it should not proceed from the heart of man, but emanate
from the divine authority and command, so that the wicked be punished and peace
be maintained. Even though you thereby meet with damage and harm, you must
submit. Thus God suffered his wrath to come over Jerusalem through the king of
Babylon; again through the Romans, until not one stone remained upon another.
13. Hence where such wrath exists it is not to be called
man’s wrath, but God’s. And when, unhappily, you commingle God’s and man’s
wrath, it is the miserable doings of the devil. Wickedness, I say, must be
restrained; but this duty must be performed in God’s place and stead. But when
a judge and government are not godly, and they mingle their personal wrath with
God’s, and grace their actions with the name and shield of the office; when
they are secretly hostile to me and can do me harm, they avail themselves of
opportunities to do so, and then claim to have done so officially: this I would
call diabolical malignity, but they claim to have done the right thing and to
be entitled to praise.
14. But you say: Well, the officer has done this and the
other thing to me, and I cannot restrain him in any other way; if I should
allow it, I would never have peace. I answer: It is indeed not right for
persons to harm you, nor are you forbidden to protect yourself in a proper way;
but it will never do for you to play double, using the office as a vent for
your wrath, so that people will later on say: Mr. John – or Mr. Peter – did not
do this, but the mayor or the judge, and you then take credit in saying that
you did not do it from motives of anger or hatred, but of duty and justice.
15. Here you see that infamous filth formed by appending
human, yea, devilish wrath to divine wrath and making one cake of both, which
indeed should be kept asunder farther than heaven and earth. And just as they,
contrary to the second commandment, use the name of God in vain by swearing and
the like, making that sacred name serve the purpose of a lie, so that it can be
on the market under the label of that beautiful and glorious name: so too in
this instance the office and law that are God’s must serve the purposes of your
envy and hatred giving them a standing so they can achieve all they purpose in
the way of harming a neighbor. At the same time you parade about as if you had
done the right and proper thing. Yea, you are a two-fold saint; in the first
place you have been abused; in the second place, you do not avenge yourself or
seek redress personally, but in the capacity of an officer or judge. In this same
way our tender saints, the Papists, bishops and priests, now act everywhere,
and, following in their wake, great princes and lords illtreat and murder
people, as the whim of their raving wrath and hatred may move them. And in the
end all this is to be called the service of God and supreme holiness.
16. Thus the wrath of man is at all times full of envy and h