Ifølge oversætteren Theodore Graebner er der lagt mere vægt på en
folkelig oversættelse end en videnskabelig. Der er således også en del
udeladelser.
Man får dog stadigvæk præsenteret de vigtigste tanker i Luthers
første fortolkning af hans kære Galaterbrev.
Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians
by Martin Luther, 1519
Translated
by Theodore Graebner 1949
Paul, an apostle, (not of men,
neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from
the dead).
The
world bears the Gospel a grudge because the Gospel condemns the religious
wisdom of the world. Jealous for its own religious views, the world in turn
charges the Gospel with being a subversive and licentious doctrine, offensive
to God and man, a doctrine to be persecuted as the worst plague on earth.
As
a result we have this paradoxical situation: The Gospel supplies the world with
the salvation of Jesus Christ, peace of conscience, and every blessing. Just
for that the world abhors the Gospel.
These
Jewish-Christian fanatics who pushed themselves into the Galatian churches
after Paul's departure, boasted that they were the descendants of Abraham, true
ministers of Christ, having been trained by the apostles themselves, that they
were able to perform miracles.
In
every way they sought to undermine the authority of
When
men claiming such credentials come along, they deceive not only the naive, but
also those who seemingly are well-established in the faith. This same argument
is used by the papacy. "Do you suppose that God for the sake of a few
Lutheran heretics would disown His entire Church? Or do you suppose that God
would have left His Church floundering in error all these centuries?" The
Galatians were taken in by such arguments with the result that Paul's authority
and doctrine were drawn in question.
Against
these boasting, false apostles, Paul boldly defends his apostolic authority and
ministry. Humble man that he was, he will not now take
a back seat. He reminds them of the time when he opposed Peter to his face and
reproved the chief of the apostles.
Paul
devotes the first two chapters to a defense of his office and his Gospel,
affirming that he received it, not from men, but from the Lord Jesus Christ by
special revelation, and that if he or an angel from heaven preach any other
gospel than the one he had preached, he shall be accursed. The Certainty of Our
Calling Every minister should make much of his calling and impress upon others
the fact that he has been delegated by God to preach the Gospel. As the
ambassador of a government is honored for his office and not for his private
person, so the minister of Christ should exalt his office in order to gain
authority among men. This is not vainglory, but needful glorying.
Paul
takes pride in his ministry, not to his own praise but to the praise of God.
Writing to the Romans, he declares, "Inasmuch as I am the apostle of the
Gentiles, I magnify mine office," i.e., I want to be received not as Paul
of Tarsus, but as Paul the apostle and ambassador of Jesus Christ, in order
that people might be more eager to hear. Paul exalts his ministry out of the
desire to make known the name, the grace, and the mercy of God.
Paul loses no time in defending himself
against the charge that he had thrust himself into the ministry. He says to the
Galatians: "My call may seem inferior to you. But those who have come to
you are either called of men or by man. My call is the highest possible, for it
is by Jesus Christ, and God the Father."
When
Paul speaks of those called "by men," I take it he means those whom
neither God nor man sent, but who go wherever they like and speak for
themselves.
When
Paul speaks of those called "by man" I take it he means those who
have a divine call extended to them through other persons. God calls in two
ways. Either He calls ministers through the agency of men, or He calls them
directly as He called the prophets and apostles. Paul declares that the false
apostles were called or sent neither by men, nor by man. The most they could
claim is that they were sent by others. "But as for me I was called
neither of men, nor by man, but directly by Jesus Christ. My call is in every
respect like the call of the apostles. In fact I am an apostle."
Elsewhere
Paul draws a sharp distinction between an apostleship and lesser functions, as
in I Corinthians
Matthias
was called in this manner. The apostles chose two candidates and then cast
lots, praying that God would indicate which one He would have. To be an apostle
he had to have his appointment from God. In the same manner Paul was called as
the apostle of the Gentiles.
The
call is not to be taken lightly. For a person to possess knowledge is not
enough. He must be sure that he is properly called. Those who operate without a
proper call seek no good purpose. God does not bless their labors. They may be
good preachers, but they do no edify. Many of the fanatics of our day pronounce
words of faith, but they bear no good fruit, because their purpose is to turn
men to their perverse opinions. On the other hand, those who have a divine call
must suffer a good deal of opposition in order that they may become fortified
against the running attacks of the devil and the world.
This
is our comfort in the ministry, that ours is a divine office to which we have
been divinely called. Reversely, what an awful thing it must be for the
conscience if one is not properly called. It spoils one's best work. When I was a young man I thought Paul was making too much of his
call. I did not understand his purpose. I did not then realize the
importance of the ministry. I knew nothing of the doctrine of faith because we
were taught sophistry instead of certainty, and nobody understood spiritual
boasting. We exalt our calling, not to gain glory among men, or money, or
satisfaction, or favor, but because people need to be assured that the words we
speak are the words of God. This is no sinful pride. It is holy pride.
Paul is so eager to come to the subject
matter of his epistle, the righteousness of faith in opposition to the
righteousness of works, that already in the title he must speak his mind. He
did not think it quite enough to say that he was an apostle "by Jesus
Christ"; he adds, "and God the Father, who
raised him from the dead."
The
clause seems superfluous on first sight. Yet Paul had a good reason for adding it.
He had to deal with Satan and his agents who endeavored to deprive him of the
righteousness of Christ, who was raised by God the Father from the dead. These
perverters of the righteousness of Christ resist the Father and the Son, and
the works of them both.
In
this whole epistle Paul treats of the resurrection of Christ. By His
resurrection Christ won the victory over law, sin, flesh, world, devil, death,
hell, and every evil. And this His victory He donated unto us. These many
tyrants and enemies of ours may accuse and frighten us, but they dare not
condemn us, for Christ, whom God the Father has raised from the dead is our
righteousness and our victory.
Do
you notice how well suited to his purpose Paul writes? He does not say,
"By God who made heaven and earth, who is Lord of the angels," but
Paul has in mind the righteousness of Christ, and speaks to the point, saying,
"I am an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God
the Father, who raised him from the dead."
This should go far in shutting the mouths
of the false apostles. Paul's intention is to exalt his own ministry while
discrediting theirs. He adds for good measure the argument that he does not
stand alone, but that all the brethren with him attest to the fact that his
doctrine is divinely true. "Although the brethren with me are not apostles
like myself, yet they are all of one mind with me, think, write, and teach as I
do."
Paul had preached the Gospel throughout
It
is the lot of God's ministers not only to suffer opposition at the hand of a
wicked world, but also to see the patient indoctrination of many years quickly
undone by such religious fanatics. This hurts more than the persecution of
tyrants. We are treated shabbily on the outside by tyrants, on the inside by
those whom we have restored to the liberty of the Gospel, and also by false
brethren. But this is our comfort and our glory, that being called of God we
have the promise of everlasting life. We look for that reward which "eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man."
Jerome
raises the question why Paul called them churches that were no churches, inasmuch
as the Galatians had forsaken the grace of Christ for the law
of Moses. The proper answer is: Although the Galatians had fallen away from the
doctrine of Paul, baptism, the Gospel, and the name of Christ continued among
them. Not all the Galatians had become perverted. There were some who clung to
the right view of the Word and the Sacraments. These means cannot be
contaminated. They remain divine regardless of men's opinion. Wherever the
means of grace are found, there is the
The terms of grace and peace are common
terms with Paul and are now pretty well understood. But since we are explaining
this epistle, you will not mind if we repeat what we have so often explained
elsewhere. The article of justification must be sounded in our ears incessantly
because the frailty of our flesh will not permit us to take hold of it
perfectly and to believe it with all our heart.
The
greeting of the Apostle is refreshing. Grace remits sin, and peace quiets the
conscience. Sin and conscience torment us, but Christ has overcome these fiends
now and forever. Only Christians possess this victorious knowledge given from
above. These two terms, grace and peace, constitute Christianity. Grace
involves the remission of sins, peace, and a happy conscience. Sin is not
canceled by lawful living, for no person is able to live up to the Law. The Law
reveals guilt, fills the conscience with terror, and drives men to despair.
Much less is sin taken away by man-invented endeavors.
The fact is, the more a person seeks credit for himself by his own efforts, the
deeper he goes into debt. Nothing can take away sin except the grace of God. In
actual living, however, it is not so easy to persuade oneself that by grace
alone, in opposition to every other means, we obtain
the forgiveness of our sins and peace with God.
The
world brands this a pernicious doctrine. The world advances free will, the
rational and natural approach of good works, as the means of obtaining the
forgiveness of sin. But it is impossible to gain peace of conscience by the
methods and means of the world. Experience proves this. Various holy orders
have been launched for the purpose of securing peace of conscience through
religious exercises, but they proved failures because such devices only
increase doubt and despair. We find no rest for our weary bones unless we cling
to the word of grace.
The
Apostle does not wish the Galatians grace and peace from the emperor, or from
kings, or from governors, but from God the Father. He wishes them heavenly
peace, the kind of which Jesus spoke when He said, "Peace I leave unto
you: my peace I give unto you." Worldly peace provides quiet enjoyment of
life and possessions. But in affliction, particularly in the hour of death, the
grace and peace of the world will not deliver us. However, the grace and peace
of God will. They make a person strong and courageous to bear and to overcome
all difficulties, even death itself, because we have the victory of Christ's
death and the assurance of the forgiveness of our sins.
Men
Should Not Speculate About the Nature of God The
Apostle adds to the salutation the words, "and from our Lord Jesus
Christ." Was it not enough to say, "from God
the Father"?
It
is a principle of the Bible that we are not to inquire curiously into the
nature of God. "There shall no man see me, and live," Exodus 33:20.
All who trust in their own merits to save them disregard this principle and
lose sight of the Mediator, Jesus Christ.
True
Christian theology does not inquire into the nature of God, but into God's
purpose and will in Christ, whom God incorporated in our flesh to live and to
die for our sins. There is nothing more dangerous than to speculate about the
incomprehensible power, wisdom, and majesty of God when the conscience is in
turmoil over sin. To do so is to lose God altogether because
God becomes intolerable when we seek to measure and to comprehend His infinite
majesty.
We
are to seek God as Paul tells us in I Corinthians 1: 23, 24: "We preach
Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks
foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the
power of God, and the wisdom of God." Begin with Christ. He came down to
earth, lived among men, suffered, was crucified, and then He died, standing
clearly before us, so that our hearts and eyes may fasten upon Him. Thus we
shall be kept from climbing into heaven in a curious and futile search after
the nature of God.
If
you ask how God may be found, who justifies sinners, know that there is no
other God besides this man Christ Jesus. Embrace Him, and forget about the
nature of God. But these fanatics who exclude our
Mediator in their dealings with God, do not believe me. Did not Christ Himself
say: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me"? Without Christ there is no access
to the Father, but futile rambling; no truth, but hypocrisy; no life, but
eternal death.
When
you argue about the nature of God apart from the question of justification, you
may be as profound as you like. But when you deal with conscience and with
righteousness over against the law, sin, death, and the devil, you must close
your mind to all inquiries into the nature of God, and concentrate upon Jesus
Christ, who says, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest." Doing this, you will recognize the power, and
majesty condescending to your condition according to Paul's statement to the
Colossians, "In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge," and, "In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead
bodily." Paul in wishing grace and peace not alone from God the Father,but also from Jesus Christ, wants to warn us against the
curious incursions into the nature of God. We are to hear Christ, who has been
appointed by the Father as our divine Teacher.
Christ
is God by Nature At the same time, Paul confirms our creed, "that Christ
is very God." We need such frequent confirmation of our faith, for Satan
will not fail to attack it. He hates our faith. He knows that it is the victory
which overcometh him and the world. That Christ is very God is apparent in that
Paul ascribes to Him divine powers equally with the Father, as for instance,
the power to dispense grace and peace. This Jesus could not do unless He were God.
To
bestow peace and grace lies in the
The
Arians were sharp fellows. Admitting that Christ had two natures, and that He
is called "very God of very God," they were yet able to deny His
divinity. The Arians took Christ for a noble and perfect creature, superior
even to the angels, because by Him God created heaven and earth. Mohammed also
speaks highly of Christ. But all their praise is mere palaver to deceive men.
Paul's language is different. To paraphrase him: "You are established in
this belief that Christ is very God because He gives grace and peace, gifts
which only God can create and bestow."
Paul sticks to his theme. He never loses
sight of the purpose of his epistle. He does not say, "Who received our
works," but "who gave." Gave what? Not gold, or silver, or
paschal lambs, or an angel, but Himself. What for? Not for a crown, or a
kingdom, or our goodness, but for our sins. These words are like so many
thunderclaps of protest from heaven against every kind and type of self-merit.
Underscore these words, for they are full of comfort for sore consciences.
How
may we obtain remission of our sins? Paul answers: "The man who is named
Jesus Christ and the Son of God gave himself for our sins." The heavy
artillery of these words explodes papacy, works, merits, superstitions. For if
our sins could be removed by our own efforts, what need was there for the Son
of God to be given for them? Since Christ was given for our sins it stands to
reason that they cannot be put away by our own efforts.
This
sentence also defines our sins as great, so great, in fact, that the whole
world could not make amends for a single sin. The greatness of the ransom,
Christ, the Son of God, indicates this. The vicious character of sin is brought
out by the words "who gave himself for our sins." So vicious is sin
that only the sacrifice of Christ could atone for sin. When we reflect that the
one little word "sin" embraces the whole
This
passage, then, bears out the fact that all men are sold under sin. Sin is an
exacting despot who can be vanquished by no created power, but by the sovereign
power of Jesus Christ alone.
All
this is of wonderful comfort to a conscience troubled by the enormity of sin.
Sin cannot harm those who believe in Christ, because He has overcome sin by His
death. Armed with this conviction, we are enlightened and may pass judgment
upon the papists, monks, nuns, priests, Mohammedans, Anabaptists, and all who
trust in their own merits, as wicked and destructive sects that rob God and
Christ of the honor that belongs to them alone.
Note
especially the pronoun "our" and its significance. You will readily
grant that Christ gave Himself for the sins of Peter, Paul, and others who were
worthy of such grace. But feeling low, you find it hard to believe that Christ
gave Himself for your sins. Our feelings shy at a personal application of the
pronoun "our," and we refuse to have anything to do with God until we
have made ourselves worthy by good deeds.
This
attitude springs from a false conception of sin, the conception that sin is a
small matter, easily taken care of by good works; that we must present
ourselves unto God with a good conscience; that we must feel no sin before we
may feel that Christ was given for our sins.
This
attitude is universal and particularly developed in those who consider themselves
better than others. Such readily confess that they are frequent sinners, but
they regard their sins as of no such importance that they cannot easily be
dissolved by some good action, or that they may not appear before the tribunal
of Christ and demand the reward of eternal life for their righteousness.
Meantime they pretend great humility and acknowledge a certain degree of
sinfulness for which they soulfully join in the publican's prayer, "God be
merciful to me a sinner." But the real significance and comfort of the
words "for our sins" is lost upon them.
The
genius of Christianity takes the words of Paul "who gave himself for our
sins" as true and efficacious. We are not to look upon our sins as
insignificant trifles. On the other hand, we are not to regard them as so
terrible that we must despair. Learn to believe that Christ was given, not for
picayune and imaginary transgressions, but for mountainous sins; not for one or
two, but for all; not for sins that can be discarded, but for sins that are stubbornly
ingrained.
Practice
this knowledge and fortify yourself against despair, particularly in the last
hour, when the memory of past sins assails the conscience. Say with confidence:
"Christ, the Son of God, was given not for the righteous, but for sinners.
If I had no sin I should not need Christ. No, Satan, you cannot delude me into
thinking I am holy. The truth is, I am all sin. My
sins are not imaginary transgressions, but sins against the first table,
unbelief, doubt, despair, contempt, hatred, ignorance of God, ingratitude
towards Him, misuse of His name, neglect of His Word, etc.; and sins against
the second table, dishonor of parents, disobedience of government, coveting of
another's possessions, etc. Granted that I have not committed murder, adultery,
theft, and similar sins in deed, nevertheless I have committed them in the
heart, and therefore I am a transgressor of all the commandments of God.
"Because
my transgressions are multiplied an my own efforts at
self-justification rather a hindrance than a furtherance, therefore Christ the
Son of God gave Himself into death for my sins." To believe this is to
have eternal life.
Let
us equip ourselves against the accusations of Satan with this and similar
passages of Holy Scripture. If he says, "Thou shalt be damned," you
tell him: "No, for I fly to Christ who gave Himself for my sins. In
accusing me of being a damnable sinner, you are cutting your own throat, Satan.
You are reminding me of God's fatherly goodness toward me,
that He so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. In
calling me a sinner, Satan, you really comfort me above measure." With
such heavenly cunning we are to meet the devil's craft and put from us the
memory of sin.
Make
ample use of this pronoun "our." Be assured that Christ has canceled
the sins, not of certain persons only, but your sins. Do not permit yourself to
be robbed of this lovely conception of Christ. Christ is no Moses, no
law-giver, no tyrant, but the Mediator for sins, the Giver of grace and life.
We
know this. Yet in the actual conflict with the devil, when he scares us with
the Law, when he frightens us with the very person of the Mediator, when he
misquotes the words of Christ, and distorts for us our Savior, we so easily
lose sight of our sweet High-Priest.
For
this reason I am so anxious for you to gain a true picture of Christ out of the
words of Paul "who gave himself for our sins." Obviously, Christ is
no judge to condemn us, for He gave Himself for our sins. He does not trample
the fallen but raises them. He comforts the broken-hearted. Otherwise Paul
should lie when he writes "who gave himself for our sins."
I
do not bother my head with speculations about the nature of God. I simply
attach myself to the human Christ, and I find joy and peace, and the wisdom of
God in Him. These are not new truths. I am repeating what the apostles and all
teachers of God have taught long ago. Would to God we could impregnate our
hearts with these truths.
Paul calls this present world evil because
everything in it is subject to the malice of the devil, who
reigns over the whole world as his domain and fills the air with ignorance,
contempt, hatred, and disobedience of God. In this devils's kingdom we live.
As
long as a person is in the world he cannot by his own efforts rid himself of
sin, because the world is bent upon evil. The people of the world are the
slaves of the devil. If we are not in the
Take
the talents of wisdom and integrity. Without Christ, wisdom is double
foolishness and integrity double sin, because they not only fail to perceive
the wisdom and righteousness of Christ, but hinder and blaspheme the salvation
of Christ. Paul justly calls it the evil or wicked world, for when the world is
at its best the world is at its worst. The grossest vices are small faults in
comparison with the wisdom and righteousness of the world. These prevent men
from accepting the Gospel of the righteousness of Christ. The white devil of
spiritual sin is far more dangerous than the black devil of carnal sin because
the wiser, the better men are without Christ, the more they are likely to ignore
and oppose the Gospel.
With
the words, "that he might deliver us," Paul argues that we stand in
need of Christ. No other being can possibly deliver us from this present evil
world. Do not let the fact disturb you that a great many people enjoy excellent
reputations without Christ. Remember what Paul says, that the world with all
its wisdom, might, and righteousness is the devil's own. God alone is able to
deliver us from the world.
Let
us praise and thank God for His mercy in delivering us from the captivity of
Satan, when we were unable to do so by our won strength. Let us confess with
Paul that all our work-righteousness is loss and dung. Let us condemn as filthy
rags all talk about free will, all religious orders, masses, ceremonies, vows,
fastings, and the like.
In
branding the world the devil's kingdom of iniquity, ignorance, error, sin,
death, and everlasting despair, Paul at the same time declares the Kingdom of
Christ to be a kingdom of equity, light, grace, remission of sin, peace, saving
health, and everlasting life into which we are translated by our Lord Jesus
Christ, to whom be glory forever.
In
this passage Paul contends against the false apostles for the article of
Justification. Christ, says Paul, has delivered us from this wicked kingdom of
the devil and the world according to the good will, the pleasure and
commandment of the Father. Hence we are not delivered by our own will, or
shrewdness, or wisdom, but by the mercy and love of God, as it is written, I
John
Another
reason why Paul, like John, emphasizes the Father's will is Christ's habit of
directing attention to the Father. For Christ came into the
world to reconcile God with us and to draw us to the Father.
Not
by curious inquiries into the nature of God shall we know God and His purpose
for our salvation, but by taking hold of Christ, who according to the will of
the Father has given Himself into death for our sins. When we understand this
to be the will of the Father in Christ, then shall we know God to be merciful,
and not angry. We shall realize that He loved us wretched sinners so much
indeed that He gave us His only-begotten Son into death for us.
The
pronoun "our" refers to both God and Father. He is our God and our
Father. Christ's Father and our Father are one and the same. Hence Christ said
to Mary Magdalene: "Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my
Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God." God is our Father
and our God, but only in Christ Jesus.
Hebrew writing is interspersed with
expressions of praise and gratitude. This peculiarity can be traced in the
apostolic writings, particularly in those of Paul. The name of the Lord is to
be mentioned with great reverence and thanksgiving.
How patiently Paul deals with his seduced
Galatians! He does not pounce on them but, like a father, he fairly excuses
their error. With motherly affection he talks to them yet he does it in a way
that at the same time he also reproves them. On the other hand, he is highly
indignant at the seducers whom he blames for the apostasy of the Galatians. His
anger bursts forth in elemental fury at the beginning of his epistle. "If
any may," he cries, "preach any other gospel unto you than that ye
have received, let him be accursed." Later on, in the fifth chapter, he
threatens the false apostles with damnation. "He that troubleth you shall
bear his judgment, whosoever he be." He
pronounces a curse upon them. "I would they were even cut off which
trouble you."
He
might have addressed the Galatians after this fashion: "I am ashamed of
you. Your ingratitude grieves me. I am angry with you." But his purpose
was to call them back to the Gospel. With this purpose in his mind he speaks
very gently to them. He could not have chosen a milder expression than this,
"I marvel." It indicates his sorrow and his displeasure.
Paul
minds the rule which he himself lays down in a later
chapter where he says: "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye
which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering
thyself, lest thou also be tempted." Toward those who have been misled we
are to show ourselves parentally affectionate, so that they may perceive that
we seek not their destruction but their salvation. Over against the devil and
his missionaries, the authors of false doctrines and sects, we ought to be like
the Apostle, impatient, and rigorously condemnatory, as parents are with the
dog that bites their little one, but the weeping child itself they soothe.
The
right spirit in Paul supplies him with an extraordinary facility in handling
the afflicted consciences of the fallen. The Pope and his
bishops, inspired by the desire to lord it over men's souls, crack out thunders
and curses upon miserable consciences. They have no care for the saving
of men's souls. They are interested only in maintaining their position.
Paul deplores the fact that it is difficult
for the mind to retain a sound and steadfast faith. A man labors for a decade
before he succeeds in training his little church into orderly religion, and
then some ignorant and vicious poltroon comes along to overthrow in a minute
the patient labor of years. By the grace of God we
have effected here in
The
church is a tender plant. It must be watched. People hear a couple of sermons,
scan a few pages of Holy Writ, and think they know it all. They are bold
because they have never gone through any trials of faith. Void of the Holy
Spirit, they teach what they please as long as it sounds good to the common
people who are ever ready to join something new.
We
have to watch out for the devil lest he sow tares among the wheat while we
sleep. No sooner had Paul turned his back on the churches of
Again the Apostle puts in a gentle word. He
does not berate the Galatians, "I marvel that ye are so unsteady,
unfaithful." He says, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed." He
does not address them as evildoers. He speaks to them as people who have
suffered great loss. He condemns those who removed them rather than the
Galatians. At the same time he gently reproves them
for permitting themselves to be removed. The criticism is implied that they
should have been a little more settled in their beliefs. If they had taken
better hold of the Word they could not have been removed so easily.
Jerome
thinks that Paul is playing upon the name Galatians, deriving it from the
Hebrew word Galath, which means fallen or carried away, as though Paul wanted
to say, "You are true Galatians, i.e., fallen away in name and in fact."
Some believe that the Germans are descended from the Galatians. There may be
something to that. For the Germans are not unlike the
Galatians in their lack of constancy. At first we Germans are very
enthusiastic, but presently our emotions cool and we become slack. When the
light of the Gospel first came to us many were zealous, heard sermons greedily,
and held the ministry of God's Word in high esteem. But now
that religion has been reformed, many who formerly were such earnest disciples
have discarded the Word of God, have become sow-bellies like the foolish and
inconsistent Galatians.
The reading is a little doubtful. The
sentence may be construed to read: "From that Christ that called you into
grace"; or it may be construed to read: "From God that called you
into the grace of Christ." I prefer the former for it seems to me that
Paul's purpose is to impress upon us the benefits of Christ. This reading also
preserves the implied criticism that the Galatians withdrew themselves from
that Christ who had called them not unto the law, but unto grace. With Paul we
decry the blindness and perverseness of men in that they will not receive the
message of grace and salvation, or having received it they quickly let go of
it, in spite of the fact that the Gospel bestows all good things spiritual:
forgiveness of sins, true righteousness, peace of conscience, everlasting life;
and all good things temporal: good judgment, good government and peace.
Why
does the world abhor the glad tidings of the Gospel and the blessings that go
with it? Because the world is the devil's. Under his
direction the world persecutes the Gospel and would if it could nail again
Christ, the Son of God, to the Cross although He gave Himself into death for
the sins of the world. The world dwells in darkness. The world is darkness.
Paul
accentuates the point that the Galatians had been called by Christ unto grace.
"I taught you the doctrine of grace and of liberty from the Law, from sin
and wrath, that you should be free in Christ, and not slaves to the hard laws
of Moses. Will you allow yourselves to be carried away so easily from the
living fountain of grace and life?"
Note the resourcefulness of the devil.
Heretics do not advertise their errors. Murderers, adulterers, thieves disguise
themselves. So the devil masquerades all his devices and activities. He puts on
white to make himself look like an angel of light. He is astoundingly clever to
sell his patent poison for the Gospel of Christ. Knowing Satan's guile, Paul
sardonically calls the doctrine of the false apostles "another
gospel," as if he would say, "You Galatians have now another gospel,
while my Gospel is no longer esteemed by you."
We
infer from this that the false apostles had depreciated the Gospel of Paul
among the Galatians on the plea that it was incomplete. Their
objection to Paul's Gospel is identical to that recorded in the fifteenth
chapter of the Book of Acts to the effect that it was not enough for the
Galatians to believe in Christ, or to be baptized, but that it was needful to
circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses, for "except
ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved."
As though Christ were a workman who had begun a
building and left it for Moses to finish.
Today
the Anabaptists and others, finding it difficult to condemn us, accuse us
Lutherans of timidity in professing the whole truth. They grant that we have
laid the foundation in Christ, but claim that we have failed to go through with
the building. In this way these perverse fanatics parade their cursed doctrine
as the Word of God, and, flying the flag of God's name, they deceive many. The
devil knows better than to appear ugly and black. He prefers to carry on his
nefarious activities in the name of God. Hence the German proverb: "All
mischief begins in the name of God."
When
the devil sees that he cannot hurt the cause of the Gospel by destructive
methods, he does it under the guise of correcting and advancing the cause of
the Gospel. He would like best of all to persecute us with fire and sword, but
this method has availed him little because through the blood of martyrs the
church has been watered. Unable to prevail by force, he engages wicked and
ungodly teachers who at first make common cause with us, then claim that they
are particularly called to teach the hidden mysteries of the Scriptures to
superimpose upon the first principles of Christian doctrine that we teach. This
sort of thing brings the Gospel into trouble. May we all cling to the Word of
Christ against the wiles of the devil, "for we wrestle not against flesh
and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
Here again the apostle excuses the
Galatians, while he blames the false apostles for disturbing their consciences
and for stealing them out of his hand. How angry he gets at these deceivers! He
calls them troublemakers, seducers of poor consciences.
This
passage adduces further evidence that the false apostles defamed Paul as an
imperfect apostle and a weak and erroneous preacher. They condemn Paul, Paul
condemns them. Such warfare of condemnation is always going on in the church.
The papists and the fanatics hate us, condemn our doctrine, and want to kill
us. We in turn hate and condemn their cursed doctrine. In the meanwhile the
people are uncertain whom to follow and which way to turn, for it is not given
to everybody to judge these matters. But the truth will win out. So much is
certain, we persecute no man, neither does our
doctrine trouble men. On the contrary, we have the testimony of many good men
who thank God on their knees for the consolation that our doctrine has brought
them. Like Paul, we are not to blame that the churches have trouble. The fault
lies with the Anabaptists and other fanatics.
Every
teacher of work-righteousness is a trouble-maker. Has it never occurred to you
that the pope, cardinals, bishops, monks, and that the whole synagogue of Satan
are trouble-makers? The truth is, they are worse than false apostles.
The files apostles taught that in addition to faith in Christ the works of the
Law of God were necessary unto salvation. But the papists omit faith altogether
and teach self-devised traditions and works that are not commanded of God,
indeed are contrary to the Word of God, and for these traditions they demand
preferred attention and obedience.
Paul
calls the false apostles troublers of the church because they taught
circumcision and the keeping of the Law as needful unto salvation. They
insisted that the Law must be observed in every detail. They were supporters in
this contention by the Jews, with the result that those who were not firmly
established in faith were easily persuaded that Paul was not a sincere teacher
of God because he ignored the Law. The Jews were offended at the idea that the
Law of God should be entirely ignored by Paul and that the Gentiles, former
idol-worshippers, should gratuitously attain to the station of God's people
without circumcision, without the penitentiary performance of the law, by grace
alone through faith in Christ Jesus.
These criticisms were amplified by the
false apostles. They accused Paul of designs to abolish the law of God and the
Jewish dispensation, contrary to the law of God, contrary to their Jewish
heritage, contrary to apostolic example, contrary to Paul's own example. They
demanded that Paul be shunned as a blasphemer and a rebel, while they were to
be heard as true teachers of the Gospel and authentic disciples of the
apostles. Thus Paul stood defamed among the Galatians. He was forced to attack
the false apostles. He did so without hesitation.
To paraphrase this sentence: "These
false apostles do not merely trouble you, they abolish Christ's Gospel. They
act as if they were the only true Gospel-preachers. For all that they muddle
Law and Gospel. As a result they pervert the Gospel. Either
Christ must live and the Law perish, or the Law remains and Christ must
perish; Christ and the Law cannot dwell side by side in the conscience. It is
either grace or law. To muddle the two is to eliminate the Gospel of Christ
entirely."
It
seems a small matter to mingle the Law and Gospel, faith and works, but it
creates more mischief than man's brain can conceive. To mix Law and Gospel not
only clouds the knowledge of grace, it cuts out Christ altogether.
The
words of Paul, "and would pervert the gospel of Christ," also
indicate how arrogant these false apostles were. They were shameless boasters.
Paul simply had to exalt his own ministry and Gospel.
Paul's zeal for the Gospel becomes so
fervent that it almost leads him to curse angels. "I would rather that I,
my brethren, yes, the angels of heaven be
anathematized than that my gospel be overthrown."
The
Greek word anathema, Hebrew herem, means to accurse, execrate,
to damn. Paul first (hypothetically) curses himself. Knowing persons first find
fault with themselves in order that they may all the more earnestly reprove
others.
Paul
maintains that there is no other gospel besides the one he had preached to the
Galatians. He preached, not a gospel of his own invention, but the very same
Gospel God had long ago prescribed in the Sacred Scriptures. No wonder Paul
pronounces curses upon himself and upon others, upon the angels of heaven, if
anyone should dare to preach any other gospel than Christ's own.
Paul repeats the curse, directing it now
upon other persons. Before, he cursed himself, his brethren, and an angel from
heaven. "Now," he says, "if there are any others who preach a
gospel different from that you have received from us, let them also be
accursed." Paul herewith curses and excommunicates all false teachers
including his opponents. He is so worked up that he dares to curse all who
pervert his Gospel. Would to God that this terrible
pronouncement of the Apostle might strike fear into the hearts of all who
pervert the Gospel of Paul.
The
Galatians might say: "Paul, we do not pervert the Gospel you have brought
unto us. We did not quite understand it. That is all. Now these teachers who
came after you have explained everything so beautifully."
This
explanation the Apostle refuses to accept. They must add nothing; they must
correct nothing. "What you received from me is the genuine Gospel of God.
Let it stand. If any man brings any other gospel than the one I brought you, or
promises to deliver better things than you have received from me, let him be
accursed."
In
spite of this emphatic denunciation so many accept the
pope as the supreme judge of the Scriptures. "The Church," they say,
"chose only four gospels. The Church might have chosen more. Ergo the
Church is above the Gospel." With equal force one might argue: "I
approve the Scriptures. Ergo I am above the Scriptures. John the Baptist
confessed Christ. Hence he is above Christ." Paul subordinates himself,
all preachers, all the angels of heaven, everybody to
the Sacred Scriptures. We are not the masters, judges, or arbiters, but
witnesses, disciples, and confessors of the Scriptures, whether we be pope, Luther, Augustine, Paul, or an angel from heaven.
With the same vehemence Paul continues:
"You Galatians ought to be able to tell from my preaching and from the
many afflictions which I have endured, whether I serve men or God. Everybody
can see that my preaching has stirred up persecution against me everywhere, and
has earned for me the cruel hatred of my own people, in fact the hatred of all
men. This should convince you that by my preaching I do not seek the favor and
praise of men, but the glory of God."
No
man can say that we are seeking the favor and praise of men with our doctrine.
We teach that all men are naturally depraved. We condemn man's free will, his
strength, wisdom, and righteousness. We say that we obtain grace by the free
mercy of God alone for Christ's sake. This is no preaching to please men. This
sort of preaching procures for us the hatred and disfavor of the world,
persecutions, excommunications, murders, and curses.
"Can't
you see that I seek no man's favor by my doctrine?" asks Paul. "If I
were anxious for the favor of men I would flatter them. But what do I do? I
condemn their works. I teach things only that I have been commanded to teach
from above. For that I bring down upon my head the wrath of Jews and Gentiles.
My doctrine must be right. It must be divine. Any other doctrine cannot be
better than mine. Any other doctrine must be false and wicked."
With
Paul we boldly pronounce a curse upon every doctrine that does not agree with
ours. We do not preach for the praise of men, or the favor of princes. We
preach for the favor of God alone whose grace and mercy we proclaim. Whosoever
teaches a gospel contrary to ours, or different from ours, let us be bold to
say that he is sent of the devil.
"Do I serve men or God?" Paul
keeps an eye on the false apostles, those flatterers of men. They taught
circumcision to avoid the hatred and persecution of men.
To
this day you will find many who seek to please men in order that they may live
in peace and security. They teach whatever is agreeable to men, no matter
whether it is contrary to God's Word or their own conscience. But we who endeavor to please God and not men, stir up hell
itself. We must suffer reproach, slanders, death.
For
those who go about to please men we have a word from Christ recorded in the
fifth chapter of
Observe the consummate cleverness with
which the false apostles went about to bring Paul into disrepute. They combed
Paul's writings for contradictions (our opponents do the same) to accuse him of
teaching contradictory things. They found that Paul had circumcised Timothy
according to the Law, that Paul had purified himself with four other men in the
This passage constitutes Paul's chief
defense against the accusations of his opponents. He maintains under oath that
he received his Gospel not from men, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
In
declaring that his Gospel is not after man, Paul does not merely wish to state
that his Gospel is not mundane. The false apostles made the same claim for
their gospel. Paul means to say that he learned his Gospel not in the usual and
accepted manner through the agency of men by hearing, reading, or writing. He
received the Gospel by special revelation directly from Jesus Christ.
Paul
received his Gospel on the way to
Paul
was forced to speak of his conversion to combat the slanderous contention of
the false apostles to the effect that this apostleship was inferior to that of
the other apostles.
If
it were not for the example of the Galatian churches I
would never have thought it possible that anybody who had received the Word of
God with such eagerness as they had, could so quickly let go of it. Good Lord,
what terrible mischief one single false statement can create.
The
article of justification is fragile. Not in itself, of course, but in us. I
know how quickly a person can forfeit the joy of the Gospel. I know in what
slippery places even those stand who seem to have a
good footing in the matters of faith. In the midst of the conflict when we
should be consoling ourselves with the Gospel, the Law rears up and begins to
rage all over our conscience. I say the Gospel is frail because we are frail.
What
makes matters worse is that one-half of ourselves, our own reason, stands
against us. The flesh resists the spirit, or as Paul puts it, "The flesh
lusteth against the Spirit." Therefore we teach that to know Christ and to
believe in Him is no achievement of man, but the gift of God. God alone can
create and preserve faith in us. God creates faith in us through the Word. He
increases, strengthens and confirms faith in us through His word. Hence the
best service that anybody can render God is diligently to hear and read God's
Word. On the other hand, nothing is more perilous than to be weary of the Word
of God. Thinking he knows enough, a person begins little by little to despise
the Word until he has lost Christ and the Gospel altogether.
Let
every believer carefully learn the Gospel. Let him continue in humble prayer.
We are molested not by puny foes, but by mighty ones, foes who never grow tired
of warring against us. These, our enemies, are many: Our own flesh, the world,
the Law, sin, death, the wrath and judgment of God, and the devil himself.
The
arguments which the false apostles advanced impress people to this day.
"Who are you to dissent from the fathers and the entire Church, and to
bring a contradictory doctrine? Are you wiser than so many holy men, wiser than
the whole Church?" When Satan, abetted by our own reason, advances these
arguments against us, we lose heart, unless we keep on saying to ourselves:
"I don't care if Cyprian, Ambrose, Augustine, Peter, Paul, John, or an
angel from heaven, teaches so and so. I know that I teach the truth of God in
Christ Jesus."
When
I first took over the defense of the Gospel, I remembered what Doctor Staupitz
said to me. "I like it well," he said, "that the doctrine which
you proclaim gives glory to God alone and none to man. For
never can too much glory, goodness, and mercy be ascribed unto God."
These words of the worthy Doctor comforted and confirmed me. The Gospel is true
because it deprives men of all glory, wisdom, and righteousness and turns over
all honor to the Creator alone. It is safer to
attribute too much glory unto God than unto man.
You
may argue that the Church and the fathers are holy. Yet the Church is compelled
to pray: "Forgive us our trespasses," I am not to be believed, nor is
the Church to be believed, or the fathers, or the apostles, or an angel from
heaven, if they teach anything contrary to the Word of God. Let the Word of God
abide forever.
Peter
erred in life and in doctrine. Paul might have dismissed Peter's error as a
matter of no consequence. But Paul saw that Peter's
error would lead to the damage of the whole Church unless it were corrected.
Therefore he withstood Peter to his face. The Church, Peter, the apostles,
angels from heaven, are not to be heard unless they
teach the genuine Word of God.
This
argument is not always to our advantage. People ask: "Whom
then shall we believe?" Our opponents maintain that they teach the pure
Word of God. We do not believe them. They in turn hate and persecute us for
vile heretics. What can we do about it? With Paul we glory in the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. What do we gain? We are told that our glorying is idle vanity and
unadulterated blasphemy. The moment we abase ourselves and give in to the rage
of our opponents, Papists and Anabaptists grow arrogant. The Anabaptists hatch
out some new monstrosity. The Papists revive their old abominations. What to
do? Let everybody become sure of his calling and doctrine,
that he may boldly say with Paul: "But though we, or an angel from
heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than ye have received, let him be
accursed."
This passage does not contain doctrine.
Paul adduces his own case for an example. "I have," he says, "at
one time defended the traditions of the Pharisees more fiercely than any of
your false apostles. Now, if the righteousness of the Law had been worth
anything I would never have forsaken it. So carefully did I live up to the Law
that I excelled many of my companions. So zealous was I in defense of the Law
that I wasted the
Speaking now of the Mosaic Law, Paul
declares that he was wrapped up in it. To the
Philippians he wrote: "As touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal,
persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law,
blameless." He means to say, "I can compare myself with the best and
holiest of all those who are of the circumcision. Let them show me if they can,
a more earnest defender of the Mosaic Law than I was at one time. This fact, O
Galatians, should have put you on your guard against these deceivers who make
so much of the Law. If anybody ever had reason to glory in the righteousness of
the Law, it was I."
I
too may say that before I was enlightened by the Gospel, I was as zealous for
the papistical laws and traditions of the fathers as ever a man was. I tried
hard to live up to every law as best I could. I punished myself with fasting,
watching, praying, and other exercises more than all those who today hate and
persecute me. I was so much in earnest that I imposed upon my body more than it
could stand. I honored the pope as a matter of conscience. Whatever I did, I
did with a single heart to the glory of God. But our opponents, well-fed idlers
that they are, will not believe what I and many others have endured.
Here Paul relates that immediately upon
being called by God to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, he went into
We
also have come to the knowledge of the truth by the same kindness of God. I
crucified Christ daily in my cloistered life, and blasphemed God by my wrong
faith. Outwardly I kept myself chaste, poor, and obedient. I was much given to
fasting, watching, praying, saying of masses, and the like. Yet under the cloak
of my outward respectability I continually mistrusted, doubted, feared, hated,
and blasphemed God. My righteousness was a filthy puddle. Satan loves such
saints. They are his darlings, for they quickly destroy their body and soul by
depriving them of the blessings of God's generous gifts.
I
tell you I stood in awe of the pope's authority. To dissent from him I
considered a crime worthy of eternal death. I thought of John Huss as a cursed
heretic. I counted it a sin even to think of him. I would gladly have furnished
the wood to burn him. I would have felt I had done God a real service.
In
comparison with these sanctimonious hypocrites of the papacy, publicans and
harlots are not bad. They at least feel remorse. They at least do not try to
justify their wicked deeds. But these pretended saints, so far from
acknowledging their errors, justify them and regard them as acceptable
sacrifices unto God.
"By the favor of God I, a wicked and
cursed wretch, a blasphemer, persecutor, and rebel, was spared. Not content to
spare me, God granted unto me the knowledge of His salvation, His Spirit, His
Son, the office of an apostle, everlasting life." Paul
speaking.
God
not only pardoned our iniquities, but in addition overwhelmed us with blessings
and spiritual gifts. Many, however, are ungrateful. Worse, by opening again a
window to the devil many begin to loathe God's Word, and end by perverting the
Gospel.
This is a Hebrew expression, meaning to
sanctify, ordain, prepare. Paul is saying, "When I was not yet born God ordained
me to be an apostle, and in due time confirmed my apostleship before the world.
Every gift, be it small or great, spiritual or temporal, and every good thing I
should ever do, God has ordained while I was yet in my mother's womb where I
could neither think nor perform any good thing. After I was born God supported
me. Heaping mercy upon mercy, He freely forgave my sins, replenishing me with
His grace ton enable me to learn what great things are ours in Christ. To crown
it all, He called me to preach the Gospel to others."
"Did God call me on account of my holy
life? Or on account of my pharisaical religion? Or on account of my prayers, fastings, and works? Never. Well, then, it is certain God did not call me on
account of my blasphemies, persecutions, oppressions. What prompted Him to call
me? His grace alone."
We now hear what kind of doctrine was
committed to Paul: The doctrine of the Gospel, the doctrine of the revelation
of the Son of God. This doctrine differs greatly from the Law. The Law
terrorizes the conscience. The Law reveals the wrath and judgment of God. The
Gospel does not threaten. The Gospel announces that Christ is come to forgive
the sins of the world. The Gospel conveys to us the inestimable treasures of
God.
"It pleased God," says the
Apostle, "to reveal himself in me. Why? For a twofold
purpose. That I personally should believe in the Son of God, and that I
should reveal Him to the Gentiles."
Paul
doe not mention the Jews, for the simple reason that he was the called and
acknowledged apostle of the Gentiles, although he preached Christ also to the
Jews.
We
can hear the Apostle saying to himself: "I will not burden the Gentiles
with the Law, because I am their apostle and not their lawgiver. Not once did
you Galatians hear me speak of the righteousness of the Law or of works. My job
was to bring you the Gospel. Therefore you ought to listen to no teachers of
the Law, but the Gospel: not Moses, but the Son of God; not the righteousness
of works, but the righteousness of faith must be proclaimed to the Gentiles.
That is the right kind of preaching for Gentiles."
Once Paul had received the Gospel from
Christ, he conferred with nobody in
"I went to
Paul minutely recounts his personal history
to stop the cavil of the false apostles. Paul does not deny that he had been
with some of the apostles. He went to
Why
does Paul harp on this seemingly unimportant fact? To convince the churches of
Was
it necessary for Paul to go under oath? Yes. Paul is reporting personal
history. How else would the churches believe him? The false apostles might say,
"Who knows whether Paul is telling the truth?" Paul, the elect vessel
of God, was held in so little esteem by his own Galatians to whom he had
preached Christ that it was necessary for him to swear an oath that he spoke
the truth. If this happened to Paul, what business have
we to complain when people doubt our words, or hold us in little regard, we who
cannot begin to compare ourselves with the Apostle?
In
Paul taught justification by faith in
Christ Jesus, without the deeds of the Law. He reported this to the disciples
at
Great
dissension followed. Paul and Barnabas stood up for the truth. They testified:
"Wherever we preached to the Gentiles, the Holy Ghost came upon those who
received the Word. This happened everywhere. We preached not circumcision,
we did not require observance of the Law. We preached faith in Jesus Christ. At
our preaching of faith, God gave to the hearers the Holy Ghost." From this
fact Paul and Barnabas inferred that the Holy Ghost approved the faith of the
Gentiles without the Law and circumcision. If the faith of the Gentiles had not
pleased the Holy Ghost, He would not have manifested His presence in the
uncircumcised hearers of the Word.
Unconvinced,
the Jews fiercely opposed Paul, asserting that the Law ought to be kept and
that the Gentiles ought to be circumcised, or else they could not be saved.
When
we consider the obstinacy with which Romanists cling to their traditions, we
can very well understand the zealous devotion of the Jews for the Law. After
all, they had received the Law from God. We can understand how impossible it
was for recent converts from Judaism suddenly to break with the Law. For that
matter, God did bear with them, as He bore with the infirmity of
The
opponents of Paul had his own example to prefer against him. Paul had
circumcised Timothy. Paul defended his action on the ground that he had
circumcised Timothy, not from compulsion, but from Christian love, lest the
weak in faith should be offended. His opponents would not accept Paul's
explanation.
When
Paul saw that the quarrel was getting out of hand he obeyed the direction of
God and left for
Paul chose two witnesses, Barnabas and
Titus. Barnabas had been Paul's preaching companion to the Gentiles. Barnabas
was an eye-witness of the fact that the Holy Ghost had come upon the Gentiles
in response to the simple preaching of faith in Jesus Christ. Barnabas stuck to
Paul on this point, that it was necessary for the Gentiles to be bothered with
the Law as long as they believed in Christ.
Titus
was superintendent of the churches in
If God had not ordered Paul to
After an absence of fourteen years,
respectively eighteen years, Paul returned to
Among the Jews Paul allowed Law and
circumcision to stand for the time being. So did all the apostles. Nevertheless
Paul held fast to the liberty of the Gospel. On one occasion
he said to the Jews: "Through this man (Christ) is preached unto you
forgiveness of sins; and by him all that believe are justified from all things,
from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts
Paul
admits that he conferred with the apostles concerning his Gospel. But he denies
that the conference benefited or taught him anything. The fact is he resisted
those who wanted to force the practice of the Law upon the Gentiles. They did
not overcome him, he overcame them. "Your false apostles
lie, when they say that I circumcised Timothy, shaved my head in Cenchrea, and
went up to
The
matter upon which the apostles deliberated in conference was this: Is the
observance of the Law requisite unto justification? Paul answered: "I have
preached faith in Christ to the Gentiles, and not the Law. If
the Jews want to keep the Law and be circumcised, very well, as long as they do
so from a right motive."
This is to say, "I conferred not only
with the brethren, but with the leaders among them."
Not that Paul himself ever thought he had
run in vain. However, many did think that Paul had preached the Gospel in vain,
because he kept the Gentiles free from the yoke of the Law. The opinion that
obedience to the Law was mandatory unto salvation was gaining ground. Paul
meant to remedy this evil. By this conference he hoped to establish the
identity of his Gospel with that of the other apostles, to stop the talk of his
opponents that he had been running around in vain.
The word "compelled" acquaints us
with the outcome of the conference. It was resolved that the Gentiles should
not be compelled to be circumcised.
Paul
did not condemn circumcision in itself. Neither by word nor deed did he ever
inveigh against circumcision. But he did protest against circumcision being
made a condition for salvation. He cited the case of the Fathers. "The
fathers were not justified by circumcision. It was to them a sign and seal of righteousness.
They looked upon circumcision as a confession of their faith."
The
believing Jews, however, could not get it through their heads that circumcision
was not necessary for salvation. They were encouraged in their wrong attitude
by the false apostles. The result was that the people were up in arms against
Paul and his doctrine.
Paul
did not condemn circumcision as if it were a sin to receive it. But he
insisted, and the conference upheld him, that circumcision had no bearing upon
salvation and was therefore not to be forced upon the Gentiles. The conference
agreed that the Jews should be permitted to keep their ancient customs for the
time being, so long as they did not regard those customs as conveying God's
justification of the sinner.
The
false apostles were dissatisfied with the verdict of the conference. They did
not want to rest circumcision and the practice of the Law in Christian liberty.
They insisted that circumcision was obligatory unto salvation.
As
the opponents of Paul, so our own adversaries [Luther's, the enemies of the
Reformation] contend that the traditions of the Fathers dare not be neglected
without loss of salvation. Our opponents will not agree with us on anything.
They defend their blasphemies. They go as far to enforce them with the sword.
Paul's
victory was complete. Titus, who was with Paul, was not compelled to be
circumcised, although he stood in the midst of the apostles when this question
of circumcision was debated. This was a blow to the false apostles. With the
living fact that Titus was not compelled to be circumcised Paul was able to
squelch his adversaries.
Paul here explains his motive for going up
to
When
Paul speaks of the truth of the Gospel he implies by contrast a false gospel. The
false apostles also had a gospel, but it was an untrue gospel. "In holding
out against them," says Paul, "I conserved the truth of the pure
Gospel."
Now the true Gospel has it that we are justified by faith alone,
without the deeds of the Law. The false gospel has it that we are
justified by faith, but not without the deeds of the Law. The false apostles
preached a conditional gospel.
So
do the papists. They admit that faith is the foundation of salvation. But they
add the conditional clause that faith can save only when it is furnished with
good works. This is wrong. The true Gospel declares that good works are the
embellishment of faith, but that faith itself is the gift and work of God in
our hearts. Faith is able to justify, because it apprehends Christ, the
Redeemer.
Human
reason can think only in terms of the Law. It mumbles: "This I have done,
this I have not done." But faith looks to Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
given into death for the sins of the whole world. To turn one's eyes away from
Jesus means to turn them to the Law.
True
faith lays hold of Christ and leans on Him alone. Our opponents cannot
understand this. In their blindness they cast away the precious pearl, Christ,
and hang onto their stubborn works. They have no idea what faith is. How can
they teach faith to others?
Not
satisfied with teaching an untrue gospel, the false apostles tried to entangle
Paul. "They went about," says Paul, "to spy out our liberty
which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring
us into bondage."
When
Paul saw through their scheme, he attacked the false apostles. He says,
"We did not let go of the liberty which we have in Christ Jesus. We routed
them by the judgment of the apostles, and we would not give in to them, no, not
an inch."
We
too were willing to make all kinds of concessions to the papists. Yes, we are
willing to offer them more than we should. But we will not give up the liberty
of conscience which we have in Christ Jesus. We refuse to have our conscience
bound by any work or law, so that by doing this or that we should be righteous,
or leaving this or that undone we should be damned.
Since
our opponents will not let it stand that only faith in Christ justifies, we
will not yield to them. On the question of justification we must remain adamant,
or else we shall lose the truth of the Gospel. It is a matter of life and
death. It involves the death of the Son of God, who died for the sins of the
world. If we surrender faith in Christ, as the only thing that can justify us,
the death and resurrection of Jesus are without meaning; that Christ is the
Savior of the world would be a myth. God would be a liar, because He would not
have fulfilled His promises. Our stubbornness is right, because we want to
preserve the liberty which we have in Christ. Only by preserving our liberty
shall we be able to retain the truth of the Gospel inviolate.
Some
will object that the Law is divine and holy. Let it be divine and holy. The Law
has no right to tell me that I must be justified by it. The Law has the right
to tell me that I should love God and my neighbor, that
I should live in chastity, temperance, patience, etc. The Law has no right to
tell me how I may be delivered from sin, death, and hell. It is the Gospel's
business to tell me that. I must listen to the Gospel. It tells me, not what I
must do, but what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has done for me.
To
conclude, Paul refused to circumcise Titus for the reason that the false
apostles wanted to compel him to circumcise Titus. Paul refused to accede to
their demands. If they had asked it on the plea of brotherly love, Paul would
not have denied them. But because they demanded it on the ground that it was
necessary for salvation, Paul defied them, and prevailed. Titus was not
circumcised.
This is a good point in Paul's refutation.
Paul disparages the authority and dignity of the true apostles. He says of
them, "Which seemed to be somewhat." The authority of the apostles
was indeed great in all the churches. Paul did not want to detract form their
authority, but he had to speak disparagingly of their authority in order to
conserve the truth of the Gospel, and the liberty of conscience.
The
false apostles used this argument against Paul: "The apostles lived with
Christ for three years. They heard His sermons. They witnessed His miracles.
They themselves preached and performed miracles while Christ was on earth. Paul
never saw Jesus in the flesh. Now, whom ought you to
believe: Paul, who stands alone, a mere disciple of the apostles, one of the
last and least; or will you believe those grand apostles who were sent and
confirmed by Christ Himself long before Paul?"
What
could Paul say to that? He answered: "What they say has no bearing on the
argument. If the apostles were angels from heaven, that would not impress me.
We are not now discussing the excellency of the
apostles. We are talking about the Word of God now, and the truth of the
Gospel. That Gospel is more excellent than all apostles.
Paul is quoting Moses: "Thou shalt not
respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty." (Lev.
19:15) This quotation from Moses ought to shut the mouths of the false
apostles. "Don't you know that God is no respecter of persons?" cries
Paul. The dignity or authority of men means nothing to God. The fact is that
God often rejects just such who stand in the odor of sanctity and in the aura
of importance. In doing so God seems unjust and harsh.
But men need deterring examples. For it is a vice with us to esteem personality
more highly than the Word of God. God wants us to exalt His Word and not men.
There
must be people in high office, of course. But we are not to deify them. The
governor, the mayor, the preacher, the teacher, the scholar, father, mother,
are persons whom we are to love and revere, but not to the extent that we
forget God. Least we attach too much importance to the person, God leaves with
important persons offenses and sins, sometimes
astounding shortcomings, to show us that there is a lot of difference between
any person and God. David was a good king. But when the people began to think
too well of him, down he fell into horrible sins, adultery and murder. Peter,
excellent apostle that he was, denied Christ. Such examples
of which the Scriptures are full, ought to warn us not to repose our trust in
men. In the papacy appearance counts for everything.
Indeed, the whole papacy amounts to nothing more than a mere kowtowing of
persons and outward mummery. But God alone is to be feared and honored.
I
would honor the Pope, I would love his person, if he
would leave my conscience alone, and not compel me to sin against God. But the
Pope wants to be adored himself, and that cannot be done without offending God.
Since we must choose between one or the other, let us
choose God. The truth is we are commissioned by God to resist the Pope, for it
is written, "We ought to obey God rather than men." (Acts
We
have seen how Paul refutes the argument of the false apostles concerning the
authority of the apostles. In order that the truth of the Gospel may continue;
in order that the Word of God and the righteousness of faith may be kept pure
and undefiled, let the apostles, let an angel from heaven, let Peter, let Paul,
let them all perish.
The Apostle repeats: "I did not so
confer with the apostles that they taught me anything. What could they possibly
teach me since Christ by His revelation had taught me all things? It was but a
conference, and no disputation. I learned nothing,
neither did I defend my cause. I only stated what I had done,
that I had preached to the Gentiles faith in Christ, without the Law, and that
in response to my preaching the Holy Ghost came down upon the Gentiles. When
the apostles heard this, they were glad that I had taught the truth."
If
Paul would not give in to the false apostles, much less ought we to give in to
our opponents. I know that a Christian should be humble, but against the Pope I
am going to be proud and say to him: "You, Pope, I will not have you for
my boss, for I am sure that my doctrine is divine." Such pride against the
Pope is imperative, for if we are not stout and proud we shall never succeed in
defending the article of the righteousness of faith.
If
the Pope would concede that God alone by His grace through Christ justifies sinners,
we would carry him in our arms, we would kiss his feet. But since we cannot
obtain this concession, we will give in to nobody, not to all the angels in
heaven, not to Peter, not to Paul, not to a hundred emperors, not to a thousand
popes, not to the whole world. If in this matter we
were to humble ourselves, they would take from us the God who created us, and
Jesus Christ who has redeemed us by His blood. Let this be our resolution, that
we will suffer the loss of all things, the loss of our good name, of life
itself, but the Gospel and our faith in Jesus Christ - we will not stand for it
that anybody take them from us.
Here the Apostle claims for himself the
same authority which the false apostles attributed to the true apostles. Paul
simply inverts their argument. "to bolster their
evil cause," says he, "the false apostles quote the authority of the
great apostles against me. I can quote the same authority against them, for the
apostles are on my side. They gave me the right hand of fellowship. They
approved my ministry. O my Galatians, do not believe the counterfeit
apostles!"
What
does Paul mean by saying that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed
unto him, and that of the circumcision to Peter? Did
not Paul preach to the Jews, while Peter preached to the Gentiles also? Peter
converted the Centurion. Paul's custom was to enter into the synagogues of the
Jews, there to preach the Gospel. Why then should he call himself the apostle
of the Gentiles, while he calls Peter the apostle of the circumcision?
Paul
refers to the fact that the other apostles remained in
Paul
reiterates that Peter, James, and John, the accepted pillars of the Church, taught him nothing, nor did they commit unto him the office
of preaching the Gospel unto the Gentiles. Both the knowledge of the Gospel and
the commandment to preach it to the Gentiles, Paul received directly from God.
His case was parallel to that of Peter's, who was particularly commissioned to
preach the Gospel to the Jews.
The
apostles had the same charge, the identical Gospel. Peter did not proclaim a
different Gospel, nor had he appointed his fellow apostles. They were equals.
They were all taught of God. None was greater than the other,
none could point to prerogatives above the other. To justify his usurped
primacy in the Church the Pope claims that Peter was the chief of the apostles.
This is an impudent falsehood.
With these words Paul refutes another
argument of the false apostles. "What reason have
the false apostles to boast that the Gospel of Peter was mighty, that he
converted many, that he wrought great miracles, and that his very shadow healed
the sick? These reports are true enough. But where did Peter acquire this
power? God gave him the power. I have the same power. I received my power, not
from Peter, but from the same God. the same Spirit who
was mighty in Peter was mighty in me also." Luke corroborates Paul's
statement in the words: "And God wrought special miracles by the hands of
Paul, so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons,
and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of
them." (Acts
To conclude, Paul is not going to be
inferior to the rest of the apostles. Some secular writers put Paul's boasting
down as carnal pride. But Paul had no personal interest in his boasting. It was
with him a matter of faith and doctrine. The controversy was not about the
glory of Paul, but the glory of God, the Word of God, the true worship of God,
true religion, and the righteousness of faith.
"The fact is, when the apostles heard
that I had received the charge to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles from
Christ; when they heard that God had wrought many miracles through me; that
great numbers of the Gentiles had come to the knowledge of Christ through my
ministry; when they heard that the Gentiles had received the Holy Ghost without
Law and circumcision, by the simple preaching of faith; when they heard all
this they glorified God for His grace in me." Hence, Paul was justified in
concluding that the apostles were for him, and not against him.
As if the apostles had said to him:
"We, Paul, do agree with you in all things. We are companions in doctrine.
We have the same Gospel with this difference, that to you is committed the
Gospel for the uncircumcised, while the Gospel for the circumcision is
committed unto us. But this difference ought not to hinder our friendship,
since we preach one and the same Gospel." VERSE 10.
Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was
forward to do.
Next
to the preaching of the Gospel, a true and faithful pastor will take care of
the poor. Where the Church is, there must be the poor, for the world and the
devil persecute the Church and impoverish many faithful Christians.
Speaking
of money, nobody wants to contribute nowadays to the maintenance of the
ministry, and the erection of schools. When it comes to establishing false
worship and idolatry, no cost is spared. True religion is ever in need of
money, while false religions are backed by wealth.
Paul goes on in his refutation of the false
apostles by saying that in
For
defending the truth in our day, we are called proud and obstinate hypocrites.
We are not ashamed of these titles. The cause we are called to defend, is not Peter's cause, or the cause of our parents,
or that of the government, or that of the world, but the cause of God. In
defense of that cause we must be firm and unyielding.
When
he says, "to his face," Paul accuses the false apostles of slandering
him behind his back. In his presence they dared not to open their mouths. He
tells them, "I did not speak evil of Peter behind his back, but I
withstood him frankly and openly."
Others
may debate here whether an apostle might sin. I claim that we ought not to make
Peter out as faultless. Prophets have erred. Nathan told David that he should
go ahead and build the
Luke
reports "that the contention between Paul and Barnabas was so sharp that
they departed asunder one from the other." The cause of their disagreement
could hardly have been small since it separated these two, who had been joined
together for years in a holy partnership. Such incidents are recorded for our
consolation. After all, it is a comfort to know that even saints might and do
sin.
Samson,
David, and many other excellent men, fell into grievous sins. Job and Jeremiah
cursed the day of their birth. Elijah and Jonah became weary of life and prayed
for death. Such offenses on the part of the saints, the Scriptures record for
the comfort of those who are near despair. No person has ever sunk so low that
he cannot rise again. On the other hand, no man's standing is so secure that he
may not fall. If Peter fell, I may fall. If he rose again, I may rise again. We
have the same gifts that they had, the same Christ, the same baptism and the
same Gospel, the same forgiveness of sins. They needed these saving ordinances
just as much as we do.
The Gentiles who
had been converted to faith in Christ, ate meats forbidden by the Law. Peter,
visiting some of these Gentiles, ate meat and drank wine with them, although he
knew that these things were forbidden in the Law. Paul declared that he did
likewise, that he became as a Jew to the Jews, and to them that were without
law, as without law. He ate and drank with the Gentiles unconcerned about the
Jewish Law. When he was with the Jews, however, he abstained from all things
forbidden in the Law, for he labored to serve all men, that he "might by
all means save some." Paul does not reprove Peter for transgressing the
Law, but for disguising his attitude to the Law.
Paul does not accuse Peter of malice or
ignorance, but of lack of principle, in that he abstained from meats, because
he feared the Jews that came from James. Peter's weak attitude endangered the
principle of Christian liberty. It is the deduction rather than the fact which
Paul reproves. To eat and to drink, or not to eat and drink, is immaterial. But
to make the deduction "If you eat, you sin; if you abstain you are
righteous" -- this is wrong.
Meats
may be refused for two reasons. First, they may be refused for the sake of
Christian love. There is no danger connected with a refusal of meats for the
sake of charity. To bear with the infirmity of a brother is a good thing. Paul
himself taught and exemplified such thoughtfulness. Secondly, meats may be
refused in the mistaken hope of thereby obtaining righteousness. When this is
the purpose of abstaining from meats, we say, let charity go. To refrain from meats for this latter reason amounts to a denial of
Christ. If we must lose one or the other, let us lose a friend and
brother, rather than God, our Father.
Jerome,
who understood not this passage, nor the whole epistle for that matter, excuses
Peter's action on the ground "that it was done in ignorance." But
Peter offended by giving the impression that he was indorsing the Law. By his
example he encouraged Gentiles and Jews to forsake the truth of the Gospel. If
Paul had not reproved him, there would have been a sliding back of Christians
into the Jewish religion, and a return to the burdens of the Law.
It
is surprising that Peter, excellent apostle that he was, should have been
guilty of such vacillation. In a former council at
It is marvelous how God preserved the
Church by one single person. Paul alone stood up for the truth, for Barnabas,
his companion, was lost to him, and Peter was against him. Sometimes one lone
person can do more in a conference than the whole assembly.
I
mention this to urge all to learn how properly to differentiate between the Law
and the Gospel, in order to avoid dissembling. When it come
to the article of justification we must not yield, if we want to retain the
truth of the Gospel.
When
the conscience is disturbed, do not seek advice from reason or from the Law,
but rest your conscience in the grace of God and in His Word, and proceed as if
you had never heard of the Law. The Law has its place and its own good time.
While Moses was in the mountain where he talked with God face to face, he had
no law, he made no law, he administered no law. But
when he came down from the mountain, he was a lawgiver. The conscience must be
kept above the Law, the body under the Law.
Paul
reproved Peter for no trifle, but for the chief article of Christian doctrine,
which Peter's hypocrisy had endangered. For Barnabas and other Jews followed
Peter's example. It is surprising that such good men as Peter, Barnabas, and
others should fall into unexpected error, especially in a matter which they
knew so well. To trust in our own strength, our own goodness, our own wisdom,
is a perilous thing. Let us search the Scriptures with humility, praying that
we may never lose the light of the Gospel. "Lord, increase our
faith."
No one except Paul had his eyes open.
Consequently it was his duty to reprove Peter and his followers for swerving
from the truth of the Gospel. It was no easy task for Paul to reprimand Peter.
To the honor of Peter it must be said that he took the correction. No doubt, he
freely acknowledged his fault.
The
person who can rightly divide Law and Gospel has reason to thank God. He is a
true theologian. I must confess that in times of temptation I do not always
know how to do it. To divide Law and Gospel means to place the Gospel in
heaven, and to keep the Law on earth; to call the righteousness of the Gospel
heavenly, and the righteousness of the Law earthly; to put as much difference
between the righteousness of the Gospel and that of the Law, as there is
difference between day and night. If it is a question of faith or conscience,
ignore the Law entirely. If it is a question of works, then lift high the
lantern of works and the righteousness of the Law. If your conscience is
oppressed with a sense of sin, talk to your conscience. Say: "You are now
groveling in the dirt. You are now a laboring ass. Go ahead, and carry your
burden. But why don't you mount up to heaven? There the Law cannot follow
you!" Leave the ass burdened with laws behind in the valley. But your conscience, let it ascend with Isaac into the
mountain.
In
civil life obedience to the law is severely required. In civil life Gospel,
conscience, grace, remission of sins, Christ Himself, do not count, but only
Moses with the lawbooks. If we bear in mind this distinction, neither Gospel
nor Law shall trespass upon each other. The moment Law and sin cross into
heaven, i.e., your conscience, kick them out. On the other hand, when grace
wanders unto the earth, i.e., into the body, tell grace: "You have no
business to be around the dreg and dung of this bodily life. You belong in
heaven."
By
his compromising attitude Peter confused the separation of Law and Gospel. Paul
had to do something about it. He reproved Peter, not to embarrass him, but to
conserve the difference between the Gospel which justifies in heaven, and the
Law which justifies on earth.
The
right separation between Law and Gospel is very important to know. Christian doctrine
is impossible without it. Let all who love and fear God,
diligently learn the difference, not only in theory but also in practice.
When
your conscience gets into trouble, say to yourself: "There is a time to
die, and a time to live; a time to learn the Law, and a time to unlearn the
Law; a time to hear the Gospel, and a time to ignore the Gospel. Let the Law
now depart, and let the Gospel enter, for now is the right time to hear the
Gospel, and not the Law." However, when the conflict of conscience is over
and external duties must be performed, close your ears to the Gospel, and open
them wide to the Law.
To live as a Jew is nothing bad. To eat or
not to eat pork, what difference does it make? But to play the Jew, and for
conscience' sake to abstain from certain meats, is a denial of Christ. When
Paul saw that Peter's attitude tended to this, he withstood Peter and said to
him: "You know that the observance of the I,aw is
not needed unto righteousness. You know that we are justified by faith in
Christ. You know that we may eat all kinds of meats. Yet by your example you obligate
the Gentiles to forsake Christ, and to return to the Law. You give them reason
to think that faith is not sufficient unto salvation."
Peter
did not say so, but his example said quite plainly that the observance of the
Law must be added to faith in Christ, if men are to be saved. From Peter's
example the Gentiles could not help but draw the conclusion that the Law was
necessary unto salvation. If this error had been permitted to pass
unchallenged, Christ would have lost out altogether.
The
controversy involved the preservation of pure doctrine. In such a controversy
Paul did not mind if anybody took offense.
"When we Jews compare ourselves with
the Gentiles, we look pretty good. We have the Law, we have good works. Our
rectitude dates from our birth, because the Jewish religion is natural to us.
But all this does not make us righteous before God."
Peter
and the others lived up to the requirements of the Law. They had circumcision,
the covenant, the promises, the apostleship. But
because of these advantages they were not to think themselves righteous before
God. None of these prerogatives spell faith in Christ, which alone can justify
a person. We do not mean to imply that the Law is bad. We do not condemn the
Law, circumcision, etc., for their failure to justify us. Paul spoke
disparagingly of these ordinances, because the false apostles asserted that
mankind is saved by them without faith. Paul could not let this assertion stand,
for without faith all things are deadly.
For the sake of argument let us suppose
that you could fulfill the Law in the spirit of the first commandment of God:
"Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all thy heart." It would do
you no good. A person simply is not justified by the works of the Law.
The
works of the Law, according to Paul, include the whole Law, judicial,
ceremonial, moral. Now, if the performance of the
moral law cannot justify, how can circumcision justify, when circumcision is
part of the ceremonial law?
The
demands of the Law may be fulfilled before and after justification. There were
many excellent men among the pagans of old, men who never heard of
justification. They lived moral lives. But that fact did not justify them.
Peter, Paul, all Christians, live up to the Law. But that fact does not justify
them. "For I know nothing by myself," says Paul, "yet am I not hereby
justified." (I Cor. 4:4.)
The
nefarious opinion of the papists, which attributes the merit of grace and the
remission of sins to works, must here be emphatically rejected. The papists say
that a good work performed before grace has been obtained, is able to secure grace
for a person, because it is no more than right that God should reward a good
deed. When grace has already been obtained, any good work deserves everlasting
life as a due payment and reward for merit. For the first, God is no debtor,
they say; but because God is good and just, it is no more than right (they say)
that He should reward a good work by granting grace for the service. But when
grace has already been obtained, they continue, God is in the position of a
debtor, and is in duty bound to reward a good work with the gift of eternal
life. This is the wicked teaching of the papacy.
Now,
if I could perform any work acceptable to God and deserving of grace, and once
having obtained grace my good works would continue to earn for me the right and
reward of eternal life, why should I stand in need of the grace of God and the
suffering and death of Christ? Christ would be of no benefit to me. Christ's
mercy would be of no use to me.
This
shows how little insight the pope and the whole of his religious coterie have
into spiritual matters, and how little they concern themselves with the
spiritual health of their forlorn flocks. They cannot believe that the flesh is
unable to think, speak, or do anything except against God. If they could see
evil rooted in the nature of man, they would never entertain such silly dreams
about man's merit or worthiness.
With
Paul we absolutely deny the possibility of self merit. God never yet gave to
any person grace and everlasting life as a reward for merit. The opinions of the
papists are the intellectual pipe-dreams of idle pates, that serve no other
purpose but to draw men away from the true worship of God. The papacy is
founded upon hallucinations.
The
true way of salvation is this. First, a person must realize that he is a
sinner, the kind of a sinner who is congenitally unable to do any good thing.
"Whatsoever is not of faith, is sin." Those who seek to earn the
grace of God by their own efforts are trying to please God with sins. They mock
God, and provoke His anger. The first step on the way to salvation is to
repent.
The
second part is this. God sent His only-begotten Son into the world that we may
live through His merit. He was crucified and killed for us. By sacrificing His
Son for us God revealed Himself to us as a merciful Father who donates
remission of sins, righteousness, and life everlasting for Christ's sake. God
hands out His gifts freely unto all men. That is the praise and glory of His
mercy.
The
scholastics explain the way of salvation in this manner. When a person happens
to perform a good deed, God accepts it and as a reward for the good deed God
pours charity into that person. They call it "charity infused." This
charity is supposed to remain in the heart. They get wild when they are told that
this quality of the heart cannot justify a person.
They
also claim that we are able to love God by our own natural strength, to love
God above all things, at least to the extent that we deserve grace. And, say
the scholastics, because God is not satisfied with a literal performance of the
Law, but expects us to fulfill the Law according to the mind of the Lawgiver,
therefore we must obtain from above a quality above nature, a quality which
they call "formal righteousness."
We say, faith apprehends Jesus Christ. Christian faith is
not an inactive quality in the heart. If it is true faith it will surely take
Christ for its object. Christ, apprehended by faith and dwelling in the heart,
constitutes Christian righteousness, for which God gives eternal life.
In
contrast to the doting dreams of the scholastics, we teach this: First a person
must learn to know himself from the Law. With the prophet he will then confess:
"All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." And,
"there is none that doeth good, no, not one." And, "against
thee, thee only, have I sinned."
Having
been humbled by the Law, and having been brought to a
right estimate of himself, a man will repent. He finds out that he is so
depraved, that no strength, no works, no merits of his own will ever deliver
him from his guilt. He will then understand the meaning of Paul's words:
"I am sold under sin"; and "they are all under sin."
At
this state a person begins to lament: "Who is
going to help me?" In due time comes the Word of
the Gospel, and says: "Son, thy sins are forgiven thee. Believe in Jesus
Christ who was crucified for your sins. Remember, your sins have been imposed
upon Christ."
In
this way are we delivered from sin. In this way are we
justified and made heirs of everlasting life.
In
order to have faith you must paint a true portrait of Christ. The scholastics
caricature Christ into a judge and tormentor. But Christ is no law giver. He is
the Lifegiver. He is the Forgiver of sins. You must believe that Christ might
have atoned for the sins of the world with one single drop of His blood.
Instead, He shed His blood abundantly in order that He might give abundant
satisfaction for our sins.
Here
let me say, that these three things, faith, Christ, and imputation of
righteousness, are to be joined together. Faith takes hold of Christ. God
accounts this faith for righteousness.
This
imputation of righteousness we need very much, because we are far from perfect.
As long as we have this body, sin will dwell in our flesh. Then, too, we
sometimes drive away the Holy Spirit; we fall into sin, like Peter, David, and
other holy men. Nevertheless we may always take recourse to this fact,
"that our sins are covered," and that "God will not lay them to
our charge." Sin is not held against us for Christ's sake. Where Christ
and faith are lacking, there is no remission or covering of sins, but only
condemnation.
After
we have taught faith in Christ, we teach good works. "Since you have found
Christ by faith," we say, ' begin now to work and do well. Love God and
your neighbor. Call upon God, give thanks unto Him, praise Him, confess Him. These are good works. Let them flow from a
cheerful heart, because you have remission of sin in Christ."
When
crosses and afflictions come our way, we bear them patiently. "For
Christ's yoke is easy, and His burden is light." When sin has been
pardoned, and the conscience has been eased of its dreadful load, a Christian
can endure all things in Christ.
To
give a short definition of a Christian: A Christian is not somebody chalks sin,
because of his faith in Christ. This doctrine brings comfort to consciences in
serious trouble. When a person is a Christian he is above law and sin. When the
Law accuses him, and sin wants to drive the wits out of him, a Christian looks
to Christ. A Christian is free. He has no master except Christ. A Christian is
greater than the whole world.
VERSE 16. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might
be justified.
The true way of becoming a Christian is to
be justified by faith in Jesus Christ, and not by the works of the Law. We know
that we must also teach good works, but they must be taught in their proper
turn, when the discussion is concerning works and not the article of
justification.
Here
the question arises by what means are we justified? We answer with Paul,
"By faith only in Christ are we pronounced righteous, and not by
works." Not that we reject good works. Far from it.
But we will not allow ourselves to be removed from the anchorage of our
salvation.
The
Law is a good thing. But when the discussion is about justification, then is no
time to drag in the Law. When we discuss justification we ought to speak of
Christ and the benefits He has brought us.
Christ
is no sheriff. He is "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world." (John
VERSE 16. That we might be justified by
the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the Law.
We
do not mean to say that the Law is bad. Only it is not able to justify us. To
be at peace with God, we have need of a far better mediator than Moses or the
Law. We must know that we are nothing. We must understand that we are merely
beneficiaries and recipients of the treasures of Christ.
So
far, the words of Paul were addressed to Peter. Now Paul turns to the Galatians
and makes this summary statement:
By the term "flesh" Paul does not
understand manifest vices. Such sins he usually calls by their proper names, as
adultery, fornication, etc. By "flesh" Paul understands what Jesus
meant in the third chapter of John, "That which is born of the flesh is
flesh". (John 3:6.) "Flesh" here means the whole nature of man,
inclusive of reason and instincts. "This flesh," says Paul, "is not justified by the works of the law."
The
papists do not believe this. They say, "A person who performs this good
deed or that, deserves the forgiveness of his sins. A person
who joins this or that holy order, has the promise of everlasting life."
To
me it is a miracle that the Church, so long surrounded by vicious sects, has
been able to survive at all. God must have been able to call a few who in their
failure to discover any good in themselves to cite against the wrath and
judgment of God, simply took to the suffering and death of Christ, and were
saved by this simple faith.
Nevertheless
God has punished the contempt of the Gospel and of Christ on the part of the
papists, by turning them over to a reprobatestate of mind in which they reject
the Gospel, and receive with gusto the abominable rules, ordinances, and
traditions of men in preference to the Word of God, until they went so far as
to forbid marriage. God punished them justly, because they blasphemed the only
Son of God.
This
is, then, our general conclusion: "By the works of the law shall no flesh
be justified."
Either we are not justified by Christ, or
we are not justified by the Law. The fact is, we are
justified by Christ. Hence, we are not justified by the Law. If we observe the
Law in order to be justified, or after having been justified by Christ, we
think we must further be justified by the Law, we convert Christ into a
legislator and a minister of sin.
"What
are these false apostles doing?" Paul cries. "They are turning Law
into grace, and grace into Law. They are changing Moses into Christ, and Christ
into Moses. By teaching that besides Christ and His righteousness the performance
of the Law is necessary unto salvation, they put the Law in the place of
Christ, they attribute to the Law the power to save, a power that belongs to
Christ only."
The
papists quote the words of Christ: "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the
commandments." (Matt. 19 :17.) With His own words they deny Christ and abolish faith in Him. Christ is
made to lose His good name, His office, and His glory, and is demoted to the
status of a law enforcer, reproving, terrifying, and chasing poor sinners around.
The
proper office of Christ is to raise the sinner, and extricate him from his
sins.
Papists
and Anabaptists deride us because we so earnestly require faith.
"Faith," they say, "makes men reckless." What do these
law-workers know about faith, when they are so busy calling people back from
baptism, from faith, from the promises of Christ to the Law?
With
their doctrine these lying sects of perdition deface the benefits of Christ to
this day. They rob Christ of His glory as the Justifier of mankind and cast Him
into the role of a minister of sin. They are like the false apostles. There is
not a single one among them who knows the difference between law and grace.
We
can tell the difference. We do not here and now argue whether we ought to do
good works, or whether the Law is any good, or whether the Law ought to be kept
at all. We will discuss these questions some other time. We are now concerned
with justification. Our opponents refuse to make this distinction. All they can
do is to bellow that good works ought to be done. We know that. We know that
good works ought to be done, but we will talk about that when the proper time
comes. Now we are dealing with justification, and here good works should not be
so much as mentioned.
Paul's
argument has often comforted me. He argues: "If we who have been justified
by Christ are counted unrighteous, why seek justification in Christ at all? If
we are justified by the Law, tell me, what has Christ achieved by His death, by
His preaching, by His victory over sin and death? Either we are justified by
Christ, or we are made worse sinners by Him."
The
Sacred Scriptures, particularly those of the New Testament, make frequent
mention of faith in Christ. "Whosoever believeth in him is saved, shall
not perish, shall have everlasting life, is not judged," etc. In open
contradiction to the Scriptures, our opponents misquote, "He that
believeth in Christ is condemned, because he has faith without works."
Our opponents turn everything topsy-turvy.
They make Christ over into a murderer, and Moses into
a savior. Is not this horrible blasphemy?
This is Hebrew phraseology, also used by
Paul in II Corinthians, chapter 3. There Paul speaks of two ministers: The
minister of the letter, and the minister of the spirit; the minister of the
Law, and the minister of grace; the minister of death, and the minister of
life. "Moses," says Paul, "is the
minister of the Law, of sin, wrath, death, and condemnation."
Whoever
teaches that good works are indispensable unto salvation, that to gain heaven a
person must suffer afflictions and follow the example of Christ and of the
saints, is a minister of the Law, of sin, wrath, and of death, for the
conscience knows how impossible it is for a person to fulfill the Law. Why, the
Law makes trouble even for those who have the Holy Spirit. What will not the
Law do in the case of the wicked who do not even have
the Holy Spirit?
The
Law requires perfect obedience. It condemns all do not accomplish the will of
God. But show me a person who is able to render perfect obedience. The Law
cannot justify. It can only condemn according to the passage: "Cursed is
every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of
the law to do them."
Paul
has good reason for calling the minister of the Law the minister of sin, for
the Law reveals our sinfulness. The realization of sin in turn frightens the
heart and drives it to despair. Therefore all exponents of the Law and of works
deserve to be called tyrants and oppressors.
The
purpose of the Law is to reveal sin. That this is the purpose of the Law can be
seen from the account of the giving of the Law as reported in the nineteenth
and twentieth chapters of Exodus. Moses brought the people out of their tents
to have God speak to them personally from a cloud. But the people trembled with
fear, fled, and standing aloof they begged Moses: "Speak thou with us, and
we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die." The proper
office of the Law is to lead us out of our tents, in other words, out of the
security of our self-trust, into the presence of God, that we may perceive His
anger at our sinfulness.
All
who say that faith alone in Christ does not justify a person,
convert Christ into a minister of sin, a teacher of the Law, and a cruel tyrant
who requires the impossible. All merit-seekers take Christ for a new lawgiver.
In
conclusion, if the Law is the minister of sin, it is at the same time the
minister of wrath and death. As the Law reveals sin it fills a person with the
fear of death and condemnation. Eventually the conscience wakes up to the fact
that God is angry. If God is angry with you, He will destroy and condemn you
forever. Unable to stand the thought of the wrath and judgment of God, many a
person commits suicide.
Christ is not the minister of sin, but the
Dispenser of righteousness and the Giver of life. Christ is Lord over law, sin
and death. All who believe in Him are delivered from law, sin and death.
The
Law drives us away from God, but Christ reconciles God unto us, for "He is
the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world." Now if the sin
of the world is taken away, it is taken away from me. If sin is taken away, the
wrath of God and His condemnation are also taken away. Let us practice this
blessed conviction.
"I have not preached to the end that I
build again the things which I destroyed. If I should do so, I would not only
be laboring in vain, but I would make myself guilty of a great wrong. By the
ministry of the Gospel I have destroyed sin, heaviness of heart, wrath, and
death. I have abolished the Law, so that it should not bother your conscience
any more. Should I now once again establish the Law, and set up the rule of
Moses? This is exactly what I should be doing, if I would urge circumcision and
the performance of the Law as necessary unto salvation. Instead of
righteousness and life, I would restore sin and death."
By
the grace of God we know that we are justified through faith in Christ alone.
We do not mingle law and grace, faith and works. We keep them far apart. Let
every true Christian mark the distinction between law and grace, and mark it well.
We
must not drag good works into the article of justification as the monks do who
maintain that not only good works, but also the punishment which evildoers
suffer for their wicked deeds, deserve everlasting life. When a criminal is
brought to the place of execution, the monks try to comfort him in this manner:
"You want to die willingly and patiently, and then you will merit
remission of your sins and eternal life." What cruelty is this, that a
wretched thief, murderer, robber should be so miserably misguided in his
extreme distress, that at the very point of death he should be denied the sweet
promises of Christ, and directed to hope for pardon of his sins in the
willingness and patience with which he is about to suffer death for his crimes?
The monks are showing him the paved way to hell.
These
hypocrites do not know the first thing about grace, the Gospel, or Christ. They
retain the appearance and the name of the Gospel and of Christ for a decoy only.
In their confessional writings faith or the merit of Christ are never
mentioned. In their writings they play up the merits of man, as can readily be
seen from the following form of absolution used among the monks.
"God
forgive thee, brother. The merit of the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
of the blessed Saint Mary, always a virgin, and of all the saints; the merit of
thy order, the strictness of thy religion, the humility of thy profession, the
contrition of thy heart, the good works thou hast done and shalt do for the
love of our Lord Jesus Christ, be available unto thee for the remission of thy
sins, the increase of thy worth and grace, and the reward of everlasting life.
Amen."
True,
the merit of Christ is mentioned in this formula of absolution. But if you look
closer you will notice that Christ's merit is belittled, while monkish merits
are aggrandized. They confess Christ with their lips, and at the same time deny
His power to save. I myself was at one time entangled in this error. I thought
Christ was a judge and had to be pacified by a strict adherence to the rules of
my order. But now I give thanks unto God, the Father of all mercies, who has
called me out of darkness into the light of His glorious Gospel, and has
granted unto me the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord.
We
conclude with Paul, that we are justified by faith in Christ, without the Law.
Once a person has been justified by Christ, he will not be unproductive of
good, but as a good tree he will bring forth good fruit. A believer has the
Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will not permit a person to remain idle, but
will put him to work and stir him up to the love of God, to patient suffering
in affliction, to prayer, thanksgiving, to the habit of charity towards all men.
This cheering form of speech is frequently
met with in the Scriptures, particularly in the writings of St. Paul, when the
Law is set against the Law, and sin is made to oppose sin, and death is arrayed
against death, and hell is turned loose against hell, as in the following
quotations: "Thou hast led captivity captive," Psalm 68:18. "O
death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction," Hosea
Here
Paul plays the Law against the Law, as if to say: "The Law of Moses
condemns me; but I have another law, the law of grace and liberty which
condemns the accusing Law of Moses."
On
first sight Paul seems to be advancing a strange and ugly heresy. He says,
"I am dead to the law, that I might live unto God." The false
apostles said the very opposite. They said, "If you do not live to the
law, you are dead unto God."
The
doctrine of our opponents is similar to that of the false apostles in Paul's
day. Our opponents teach, "If you want to live unto God, you must live
after the Law, for it is written, Do this and thou
shalt live." Paul, on the other hand, teaches, "We cannot live unto
God unless we are dead unto the Law." If we are dead unto the Law, the Law
can have no power over us.
Paul
does not only refer to the Ceremonial Law, but to the whole Law. We are not to
think that the Law is wiped out. It stays. It continues to operate in the
wicked. But a Christian is dead to the Law. For example, Christ by His
resurrection became free from the grave, and yet the grave remains. Peter was
delivered from prison, yet the prison remains. The Law is abolished as far as I
am concerned, when it has driven me into the arms of Christ. Yet the Law
continues to exist and to function. But it no longer exists for me.
"I
have nothing to do with the Law," cries Paul. He could not have uttered
anything more devastating to the prestige of the Law. He declares that he does
not care for the Law, that he does not intend ever to be justified by the Law.
To
be dead to the Law means to be free of the Law. What right, then, has the Law
to accuse me, or to hold anything against me? When you see a person squirming
in the clutches of the Law, say to him: "Brother, get things straight. You
let the Law talk to your conscience. Make it talk to your flesh. Wake up, and
believe in Jesus Christ, the Conqueror of Law and sin. Faith in Christ will
lift you high above the Law into the heaven of grace. Though Law and sin
remain, they no longer concern you, because you are dead to the Law and dead to
sin."
Blessed
is the person who knows how to use this truth in times of distress. He can
talk. He can say: "Mr. Law, go ahead and accuse me as much as you like. I
know I have committed many sins, and I continue to sin daily. But that does not
bother me. You have got to shout louder, Mr. Law. I am deaf, you know. Talk as much as you like, I am dead to you. If you want to
talk to me about my sins, go and talk to my flesh. Belabor that, but don't talk
to my conscience. My conscience is a lady and a queen, and has nothing to do
with the likes of you, because my conscience lives to Christ under another law,
a new and better law, the law of grace."
We
have two propositions: To live unto the Law, is to die unto God. To die unto
the Law, is to live unto God. These two propositions go against reason. No
law-worker can ever understand them. But see to it that you understand them.
The Law can never justify and save a sinner. The Law can only accuse, terrify,
and kill him. Therefore to live unto the Law is to die unto God. Vice versa, to
die unto the Law is to live unto God. If you want to live unto God, bury the
Law, and find life through faith in Christ Jesus.
We
have enough arguments right here to conclude that justification is by faith
alone. How can the Law effect our justification, when Paul so plainly states
that we must be dead to the Law if we want to live unto God? If we are dead to
the Law and the Law is dead to us, how can it possibly contribute anything to
our justification ? There is nothing left for us but
to be justified by faith alone.
This
nineteenth verse is loaded with consolation. It fortifies a person against
every danger. It allows you to argue like this:
"I confess I have sinned."
"Then God will punish you."
"No, He will not do that."
"Why not? Does
not the Law say so?"
"I have nothing to do with the
Law."
"How so?"
"I have another law, the law of
liberty."
"What do you mean -- 'liberty'?"
"The liberty of Christ, for Christ has
made me free from the Law that held me down. That Law is now in prison itself,
held captive by grace and liberty."
By
faith in Christ a person may gain such sure and sound comfort, that he need not
fear the devil, sin, death, or any evil. "Sir Devil," he may say,
"I am not afraid of you. I have a Friend whose name is Jesus Christ, in
whom I believe. He has abolished the Law, condemned sin, vanquished death, and
destroyed hell for me. He is bigger than you, Satan. He has licked you, and
holds you down. You cannot hurt me." This is the faith that overcomes the
devil.
Paul
manhandles the Law. He treats the Law as if it were a thief and a robber He
treats the Law as contemptible to the conscience, in order that those who
believe in Christ may take courage to defy the Law, and say: "Mr. Law, I
am a sinner. What are you going to do about it?"
Or
take death. Christ is risen from death. Why should we
now fear the grave? Against my death I set another death, or rather life, my
life in Christ.
Oh,
the sweet names of Jesus! He is called my law against the Law, my sin against
sin, my death against death. Translated, it means that He is my righteousness,
my life, my everlasting salvation. For this reason was He made the law of the
Law, the sin of sin, the death of death, that He might redeem me from the curse
of the Law. He permitted the Law to accuse Him, sin to
condemn Him, and death to take Him, to abolish the Law, to condemn sin, and to
destroy death for me.
This
peculiar form of speech sounds much sweeter than if Paul had said: "I
through liberty am dead to the law." By putting it in this way, "I
through the law am dead to the law," he opposes one law with another law,
and has them fight it out.
In
this masterly fashion Paul draws our attention away from the Law, sin, death,
and every evil, and centers it upon Christ.
Christ is Lord over the Law, because He was
crucified unto the Law. I also am lord over the Law, because by faith I am
crucified with Christ.
Paul
does not here speak of crucifying the flesh, but he speaks of that higher
crucifying wherein sin, devil, and death are crucified in Christ and in me. By
my faith in Christ I am crucified with Christ. Hence these evils are crucified
and dead unto me.
"I do not mean to create the
impression as though I did not live before this. But in reality I first live
now, now that I have been delivered from the Law, from sin, and death. Being
crucified with Christ and dead unto the Law, I may now rise unto a new and
better life."
We
must pay close attention to Paul's way of speaking. He says that we are
crucified and dead unto the Law. The fact is, the Law
is crucified and dead unto us. Paul purposely speaks that way in order to
increase the portion of our comfort.
Paul explains what constitutes true
Christian righteousness. True Christian righteousness is the righteousness of
Christ who lives in us. We must look away from our own person. Christ and my
conscience must become one, so that I can see nothing else but Christ crucified
and raised from the dead for me. If I keep on looking
at myself, I am gone.
If
we lose sight of Christ and begin to consider our past, we simply go to pieces.
We must turn our eyes to the brazen serpent, Christ
crucified, and believe with all our heart that He is our righteousness and our
life. For Christ, on whom our eyes are fixed, in whom we live, who lives in us,
is Lord over Law, sin, death, and all evil.
"Thus I live," the Apostle starts
out. But presently he corrects himself, saying, "Yet not I, but Christ
liveth in me." He is the form of my perfection. He embellishes my faith.
Since
Christ is now living in me, He abolishes the Law, condemns sin, and destroys
death in me. These foes vanish in His presence. Christ abiding in me drives out
every evil. This union with Christ delivers me from the demands of the Law, and
separates me from my sinful self. As long as I abide in Christ, nothing can
hurt me.
Christ
domiciling in me, the old Adam has to stay outside and remain subject to the
Law. Think what grace, righteousness, life, peace, and salvation there is in
me, thanks to that inseparable conjunction between Christ and me through faith!
Paul
has a peculiar style, a celestial way of speaking. "I live," he says,
"I live not; I am dead, I am not dead; I am a sinner,
Faith
connects you so intimately with Christ, that He and you
become as it were one person. As such you may boldly say: "I am now one
with Christ. Therefore Christ's righteousness, victory, and life are
mine." On the other hand, Christ may say: "I am that big sinner. His
sins and his death are mine, because he is joined to me, and I to him."
Whenever
remission of sins is freely proclaimed, people misinterpret it according to
Romans 3:8, "Let us do evil, that good may
come." As soon as people hear that we are not justified by the Law, they
reason maliciously: "Why, then let us reject the Law. If grace abounds,
where sin abounds, let us abound in sin, that grace
may all the more abound." People who reason thus are reckless. They make
sport of the Scriptures and slander the sayings of the Holy Ghost.
However,
there are others who are not malicious, only weak, who may take offense when
told that Law and good works are unnecessary for salvation. These must be
instructed as to why good works do not justify, and from what motives good
works must be done. Good works are not the cause, but the fruit of
righteousness. When we have become righteous, then first are we able and
willing to do good. The tree makes the apple; the
apple does not make the tree.
Paul does not deny the fact that he is
living in the flesh. He performs the natural functions of the flesh. But he
says that this is not his real life. His life in the flesh is not a life after
the flesh.
"I
live by the faith of the Son of God," he says. "My speech is no
longer directed by the flesh, but by the Holy Ghost. My sight is no longer
governed by the flesh, but by the Holy Ghost. My hearing is no longer
determined by the flesh, but by the Holy Ghost. I cannot teach, write, pray, or
give thanks without the instrumentality of the flesh; yet these activities do
not proceed from the flesh, but from God."
A
Christian uses earthly means like any unbeliever. Outwardly they look alike.
Nevertheless there is a great difference between them. I may live in the flesh,
but I do not live after the flesh. I do my living now "by the faith of the
Son of God." Paul had the same voice, the same tongue, before and after
his conversion. Before his conversion his tongue uttered blasphemies. But after
his conversion his tongue spoke a spiritual, heavenly language.
We
may now understand how spiritual life originates. It enters the heart by faith.
Christ reigns in the heart with His Holy Spirit, who sees, hears, speaks, works, suffers, and does all things in and through
us over the protest and the resistance of the flesh.
Verse 20. Who loved me, and gave himself for me.
The
sophistical papists assert that a person is able by natural strength to love
God long before grace has entered his heart, and to perform works of real
merit. They believe they are able to fulfill the commandments of God. They
believe they are able to do more than God expects of them, so that they are in
a position to sell their superfluous merits to laymen, thereby saving
themselves and others. They are saving nobody. On the contrary, they abolish
the Gospel, they deride, deny, and blaspheme Christ, and call upon themselves
the wrath of God. This is what they get for living in their own righteousness,
and not in the faith of the Son of God.
The
papists will tell you to do the best you can, and God will give you His grace.
They have a rhyme for it:
"God will no more require of man, Than of himself perform he can."
This
may hold true in ordinary civic life. But the papists apply it to the spiritual
realm where a person can perform nothing but sin, because he is sold under sin.
Our
opponents go even further than that. They say, nature is depraved, but the
qualities of nature are untainted. Again we say: This may hold true in everyday
life, but not in the spiritual life. In spiritual matters a person is by nature
full of darkness, error, ignorance, malice, and perverseness in will and in
mind.
In
view of this, Paul declares that Christ began and not we. "He loved me,
and gave Himself for me. He found in me no right mind and no good will. But the
good Lord had mercy upon me. Out of pure kindness He loved me, loved me so that
He gave Himself for me, that I should be free from the Law, from sin, devil,
and death."
The
words, "The Son of God who loved me, and gave Himself for me," are so
many thunderclaps and lightning bolts of protest from heaven against the
righteousness of the Law. The wickedness, error, darkness, ignorance in my mind
and my will were so great, that it was quite impossible for me to be saved by
any other means than by the inestimable price of Christ's death.
Let
us count the price. When you hear that such an enormous price was paid for you,
will you still come along with your cowl, your shaven pate, your chastity, your
obedience, your poverty, your works, your merits? What
do you want with all these trappings? What good are the works of all men, and
all the pains of the martyrs, in comparison with the pains of the Son of God
dying on the Cross, so that there was not a drop of His precious blood, but it
was all shed for your sins. If you could properly evaluate this incomparable
price, you would throw all your ceremonies, vows, works, and merits into the
ash can. What awful presumption to imagine that there is any work good enough
to pacify God, when to pacify God required the invaluable price of the death
and blood of His own and only Son?
Who is this "me"? I, wretched and damnable sinner, dearly beloved of the Son of God.
If I could by work or merit love the Son of God and come to Him, why should He
have sacrificed Himself for me? This shows how the papists ignore the
Scriptures, particularly the doctrine of faith. If they had paid any attention
at all to these words, that it was absolutely necessary for the Son of God to
be given into death for me, they would never have invented so many hideous
heresies.
I
always say, there is no remedy against the sects, no power to resist them,
except this article of Christian righteousness. If we lose this article we
shall never be able to combat errors or sects. What business
have they to make such a fuss about works or merits? If I, a condemned
sinner, could have been purchased and redeemed by any other price, why should
the Son of God have given Himself for me ? Just
because there was no other price in heaven and on earth big and good enough,
was it necessary for the Son of God to be delivered for me. This He did out of
His great love for me, for the Apostle says, "Who loved me."
Did
the Law ever love me? Did the Law ever sacrifice itself for me? Did the Law
ever die for me? On the contrary, it accuses me, it frightens me, it drives me crazy. Somebody else saved me from the Law,
from sin and death unto eternal life. That Somebody is
the Son of God, to whom be praise and glory forever.
Hence,
Christ is no Moses, no tyrant, no lawgiver, but the Giver of grace, the Savior,
full of mercy. In short, He is no less than infinite mercy and ineffable
goodness, bountifully giving Himself for us. Visualize Christ in these His true
colors. I do not say that it is easy. Even in the present diffusion of the
Gospel light, I have much trouble to see Christ as Paul portrays Him. So deeply
has the diseased opinion that Christ is a lawgiver sunk into my bones. You
younger men are a good deal better off than we who are old. You have never
become infected with the nefarious errors on which I suckled all my youth,
until at the mention of the name of Christ I shivered with fear. You, I say,
who are young may learn to know Christ in all His sweetness.
For
Christ is Joy and Sweetness to a broken heart. Christ is a Lover of poor sinners, and such a Lover that He gave Himself for us. Now
if this is true, and it is true, then are we never justified by our own righteousness.
Read
the words "me" and "for me" with great emphasis. Print this
"me" with capital letters in your heart, and do not ever doubt that
you belong to the number of those who are meant by this "me." Christ
did not only love Peter and Paul. The same love He felt for them He feels for
us. If we cannot deny that we are sinners, we cannot deny that Christ died for
our sins.
Paul is now getting ready for the second argument
of his Epistle, to the effect that to seek justification by works of the Law, is to reject the grace of God. I ask you, what sin can
be more horrible than to reject the grace of God, and to refuse the
righteousness of Christ? It is bad enough that we are wicked sinners and
transgressors of all the commandments of God; on top of that to refuse the
grace of God and the remission of sins offered unto us by Christ, is the worst
sin of all, the sin of sins. That is the limit. There is no sin which Paul and
the other apostles detested more than when a person despises the grace of God
in Christ Jesus. Still there is no sin more common. That is why Paul can get so
angry at the Antichrist, because he snubs Christ, rebuffs the grace of God, and
refuses the merit of Christ. What else would you call it but spitting in
Christ's face, pushing Christ to the side, usurping Christ's
throne, and to say: "I am going to justify you people; I am going
to save you." By what means? By masses,
pilgrimages, pardons, merits, etc. For this is Antichrist's doctrine: Faith is
no good, unless it is reinforced by works. By this abominable doctrine
Antichrist has spoiled, darkened, and buried the benefit of Christ, and in
place of the grace of Christ and His Kingdom, he has established the doctrine
of works and the kingdom of ceremonies.
We
despise the grace of God when we observe the Law for the purpose of being
justified. The Law is good, holy, and profitable, but it does not justify. To
keep the Law in order to be justified means to reject grace, to deny Christ, to
despise His sacrifice, and to be lost.
Did Christ die, or did He not die? Was His
death worth while, or was it not? If His death was worth while, it follows that
righteousness does not come by the Law. Why was Christ born anyway? Why was He
crucified? Why did He suffer? Why did He love me and give Himself for me? It
was all done to no purpose if righteousness is to be had by the Law.
Or
do you think that God spared not His Son, but delivered Him for us all, for the
fun of it? Before I would admit anything like that, I would consign the
holiness of the saints and of the angels to hell.
To
reject the grace of God is a common sin, of which everybody is guilty who sees
any righteousness in himself or in his deeds. And the Pope is the sole author
of this iniquity. Not content to spoil the Gospel of Christ, he has filled the
world with his cursed traditions, e.g., his bulls and indulgences.
We
will always affirm with Paul that either Christ died in vain, or else the Law
cannot justify us. But Christ did not suffer and die in vain. Hence, the Law
does not justify.
If
my salvation was so difficult to accomplish that it necessitated the death of
Christ, then all my works, all the righteousness of the Law, are good for
nothing. How can I buy for a penny what cost a million dollars? The Law is a
penny's worth when you compare it with Christ. Should I be so stupid as to
reject the righteousness of Christ which cost me nothing, and slave like a fool
to achieve the righteousness of the Law which God disdains?
Man's own righteousness is in the last analysis a despising
and rejecting of the grace of God. No combination of words can do justice to
such an outrage. It is an insult to say that any man died in vain. But to say
that Christ died in vain is a deadly insult. To say that Christ died in vain is
to make His resurrection, His victory, His glory, His kingdom, heaven, earth,
God Himself, of no purpose and benefit whatever.
That
is enough to set any person against the righteousness of the Law and all the
trimmings of men's own righteousness, the orders of monks and friars, and their
superstitions.
Who
would not detest his own vows, his cowls, his shaven crown, his bearded
traditions, yes, the very Law of Moses, when he hears that for such things he
rejected the grace of God and the death of Christ. It seems that such a
horrible wickedness could not enter a man's heart, that he should reject the
grace of God, and despise the death of Christ. And yet this atrocity is all too
common. Let us be warned. Everyone who seeks righteousness without Christ, either by works, merits, satisfactions, actions, or by the Law,
rejects the grace of God, and despises the death of Christ.
THE Apostle Paul manifests his apostolic
care for the Galatians. Sometimes he entreats them, then again he reproaches
them, in accordance with his own advice to Timothy: "Preach the word; be
instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort."
In
the midst of his discourse on Christian righteousness Paul breaks off, and
turns to address the Galatians. "O foolish Galatians," he cries.
"I have brought you the true Gospel, and you received it with eagerness
and gratitude. Now all of a sudden you drop the Gospel. What has got into
you?"
Paul
reproves the Galatians rather sharply when he calls them "fools,
bewitched, and disobedient." Whether he is indignant or sorry, I cannot
say. He may be both. It is the duty of a Christian pastor to reprove the people
committed to his charge. Of course, his anger must not flow from malice, but
from affection and a real zeal for Christ.
There
is no question that Paul is disappointed. It hurts him to think that his Galatians
showed so little stability. We can hear him say: "I am sorry to hear of
your troubles, and disappointed in you for the disgraceful part you
played." I say rather much on this point to save Paul from the charge that
he railed upon the churches, contrary to the spirit of the Gospel.
A
certain distance and coolness can be noted in the title with which the Apostle
addresses the Galatians. He does not now address them as his brethren, as he
usually does. He addresses them as Galatians in order to remind them of their
national trait to be foolish.
We
have here an example of bad traits that often cling to individual Christians
and entire congregations. Grace does not suddenly transform a Christian into a
new and perfect creature. Dregs of the old and natural corruption remain. The
Spirit of God cannot at once overcome human deficiency. Sanctification takes
time.
Although
the Galatians had been enlightened by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of
faith, something of their national trait of foolishness plus their original
depravity clung to them. Let no man think that once he has received faith, he
can presently be converted into a faultless creature. The leavings of old vices
will stick to him, be he ever so good a Christian.
Paul calls the Galatians foolish and
bewitched. In the fifth chapter he mentions sorcery among the works of the
flesh, declaring that witchcraft and sorcery are real manifestations and
legitimate activities of the devil. We are all exposed to the influence of the
devil, because he is the prince and god of the world in which we live.
Satan
is clever. He does not only bewitch men in a crude manner, but also in a more
artful fashion. He bedevils the minds of men with hideous fallacies. Not only
is he able to deceive the self-assured, but even those who profess the true
Christian faith. There is not one among us who is not at times seduced by Satan
into false beliefs.
This
accounts for the many new battles we have to wage nowadays. But the attacks of
the old Serpent are not without profit to us, for they confirm our doctrine and
strengthen our faith in Christ. Many a time we were wrestled down in these
conflicts with Satan, but Christ has always triumphed and always will triumph.
Do not think that the Galatians were the only ones to be bewitched by the
devil. Let us realize that we too may be seduced by Satan.
In this sentence Paul excuses the
Galatians, while he blames the false apostles for the apostasy of the
Galatians.
As
if he were saying: "I know your defection was not
willful. The devil sent the false apostles to you, and they tallied you into
believing that you are justified by the Law. With this our epistle we endeavor
to undo the damage which the false apostles have inflicted upon you."
Like
Paul, we struggle with the Word of God against the fanatical Anabaptists of our
day; and our efforts are not entirely in vain. The trouble is there are many
who refuse to be instructed. They will not listen to reason; they will not
listen to the Scriptures, because they are bewitched by the tricky devil who can make a lie look like the truth.
Since
the devil has this uncanny ability to make us believe a lie until we would
swear a thousand times it were the truth, we must not be proud, but walk in
fear and humility, and call upon the Lord Jesus to save us from temptation.
Although
I am a doctor of divinity, and have preached Christ and fought His battles for
a long time, I know from personal experience how difficult it is to hold fast
to the truth. I cannot always shake off Satan. I cannot always apprehend Christ
as the Scriptures portray Him. Sometimes the devil distorts Christ to my
vision. But thanks be to God, who keeps us in His
Word, in faith, and in prayer.
The
spiritual witchery of the devil creates in the heart a wrong idea of Christ.
Those who share the opinion that a person is justified by the works of the Law, are simply bewitched. Their belief goes against faith
and Christ.
Paul incriminates the Galatians in worse
failure. "You are so bewitched that you no longer obey the truth. I fear
many of you have strayed so far that you will never return to the truth."
The
apostasy of the Galatians is a fine indorsement of the Law, all right. You may
preach the Law ever so fervently; if the preaching of the Gospel does not
accompany it, the Law will never produce true conversion and heartfelt
repentance. We do not mean to say that the preaching of the Law is without
value, but it only serves to bring home to us the wrath of God. The Law bows a
person down. It takes the Gospel and the preaching of faith in Christ to raise
and save a person.
Paul's increasing severity becomes apparent
as he reminds the Galatians that they disobeyed the truth in defiance of the
vivid description he had given them of Christ. So vividly had he described
Christ to them that they could almost see and handle Him.
As if Paul were to say: "No artist with all his
colors could have pictured Christ to you as vividly as I have pictured Him to
you by my preaching. Yet you permitted yourselves to be seduced to the extent
that you disobeyed the truth of Christ."
"You have not only rejected the grace
of God, you have shamefully crucified Christ among you." Paul employs the
same phraseology in Hebrews 6:6: "Seeing they crucify to themselves the
Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."
It
should make any person afraid to hear Paul say that those who seek to be
justified by the Law, not only deny Christ, but also crucify Him anew. If those
who seek to be justified by the Law and its works are crucifiers of Christ,
what are they, I like to know, who seek salvation by
the filthy rags of their own work-righteousness?
Can
there be anything more horrible than the papacy, an alliance of people who
crucify Christ in themselves, in the Church, and in the hearts of the
believers?
Of
all the diseased and vicious doctrines of the papacy the worst is this:
"If you want to serve God you must earn your own remission of sins and
everlasting life, and in addition help others to obtain salvation by giving
them the benefit of your extra work-holiness." Monks, friars, and all the
rest of them brag that besides the ordinary requirements common to all
Christians, they do the works of supererogation, i. e., the performance of more
than is required. This is certainly a fiendish illusion.
No
wonder Paul employs such sharp language in his effort to recall the Galatians
from the doctrine of the false apostles. He says to them: "Don't you
realize what you have done? You have crucified Christ anew because you seek salvation
by the Law."
True,
Christ can no longer be crucified in person, but He is crucified in us when we
reject grace, faith, free remission of sins and
endeavor to be justified by our own works, or by the works of the Law.
The
Apostle is incensed at the presumptuousness of any person who thinks he can
perform the Law of God to his own salvation. He charges that person with the
atrocity of crucifying anew the Son of God.
There is a touch of irony in these words of
the Apostle. "Come on now, my smart Galatians, you who all of a sudden
have become doctors, while I seem to be your pupil: Received ye the Holy Ghost
by the works of the Law, or by the preaching of the Gospel?" This question
gave them something to think about, because their own experience contradicted
them.
"You
cannot say that you received the Holy Spirit by the Law. As long as you were
servants of the Law, you never received the Holy Ghost. Nobody ever heard of
the Holy Ghost being given to anybody, be he doctor or dunce, as a result of
the preaching of the Law. In your own case, you have not only learned the Law
by heart, you have labored with all your might to perform it. You most of all
should have received the Holy Ghost by the Law, if that were possible. You
cannot show me that this ever happened. But as soon as the Gospel came your
way, you received the Holy Ghost by the simple hearing of faith, before you
ever had a chance to do a single good deed." Luke verifies this statement
of Paul in the Book of Acts: "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy
Ghost fell on all them which heard the word." (Acts
Try
to appreciate the force of Paul's argument which is so often repeated in the
Book of Acts. That Book was written for the express purpose of verifying Paul's
assertion, that the Holy Ghost comes upon men, not in
response to the preaching of the Law, but in response to the preaching of the
Gospel. When Peter preached Christ at the first Pentecost, the Holy Ghost fell
upon the hearers, "and the same day there were
added unto them about three thousand souls." Cornelius received the Holy
Ghost while Peter was speaking of Christ. "The Holy Ghost fell on all of
them which heard the word." These are actual experiences that cannot very
well be denied. When Paul and Barnabas returned to
Now
as God gave the Holy Ghost to the Gentiles without the Law by the simple
preaching of the Gospel, so He gave the Holy Ghost also to the Jews, without
the Law, through faith alone. If the righteousness of the Law were necessary
unto salvation, the Holy Ghost would never have come to the Gentiles, because
they did not bother about the Law. Hence the Law does not justify, but faith in
Christ justifies.
How
was it with Cornelius? Cornelius and his friends whom
he had invited over to his house, do nothing but sit and listen. Peter is doing
the talking. They just sit and do nothing. The Law is far removed from their
thoughts. They burn no sacrifices. They are not at all interested in
circumcision. All they do is to sit and listen to Peter. Suddenly the Holy
Ghost enters their hearts. His presence is unmistakable, "for they spoke
with tongues and magnified God."
Right
here we have one more difference between the Law and the Gospel. The Law does
not bring on the Holy Ghost. The Gospel, however, brings on the gift of the
Holy Ghost, because it is the nature of the Gospel to convey good gifts. The
Law and the Gospel are contrary ideas. They have contrary functions and
purposes. To endow the Law with any capacity to produce righteousness is to
plagiarize the Gospel. The Gospel brings donations. It pleads for open hands to
take what is being offered. The Law has nothing to give. It demands, and its
demands are impossible.
Our
opponents come back at us with Cornelius. Cornelius, they point out, was
"a devout man, and one that feared God with all his
house, which gave much alms to the people and prayed God always." Because
of these qualifications, he merited the forgiveness of sins, and the gift of
the Holy Ghost. So reason our opponents.
I
answer: Cornelius was a Gentile. You cannot deny it. As a Gentile he was
uncircumcised. As a Gentile he did not observe the Law. He never gave the Law
any thought. For all that, he was justified and received the Holy Ghost. How
can the Law avail anything unto righteousness ?
Our
opponents are not satisfied. They reply: "Granted that Cornelius was a
Gentile and did not receive the Holy Ghost by the Law, yet the text plainly
states that he was a devout man who feared God, gave alms, and prayed. Don't
you think he deserved the gift of the Holy Ghost?"
I
answer: Cornelius had the faith of the fathers who were saved by faith in the
Christ to come. If Cornelius had died before Christ, he would have been saved
because he believed in the Christ to come. But because the Messiah had already
come, Cornelius had to be apprized of the fact. Since Christ has come we cannot
be saved by faith in the Christ to come, but we must believe that he has come.
The object of Peter's visit was to acquaint Cornelius with the fact that Christ
was no longer to be looked for, because He is here.
As
to the contention of our opponents that Cornelius deserved grace and the gift
of the Holy Ghost, because he was devout and just, we say that these attributes
are the characteristics of a spiritual person who already has faith in Christ,
and not the characteristics of a Gentile or of natural man. Luke first praises
Cornelius for being a devout and God-fearing man, and then Luke mentions the
good works, the alms and prayers of Cornelius. Our opponents ignore the
sequence of Luke's words. They pounce on this one sentence, "which gave
much alms to the people," because it serves their assertion that merit
precedes grace. The fact is that Cornelius gave alms and prayed to God because
he had faith. And because of his faith in the Christ to come, Peter was
delegated to preach unto Cornelius faith in the Christ who had already come.
This argument is convincing enough. Cornelius was justified without the Law,
therefore the Law cannot justify.
Take
the case of Naaman, the Syrian, who was a Gentile and did not belong to the
race of Moses. Yet his flesh was cleansed, the God of Israel was revealed unto
him, and he received the Holy Ghost. Naaman confessed his faith: "Behold,
now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in
Long
before the time of Moses, God justified men without the Law. He justified many
kings of
All
this happened long before Christ was born. If the Gentiles were justified
without the Law and quietly received the Holy Spirit at a time when the Law was
in full force, why should the Law count unto righteousness now, now that Christ
has fulfilled the Law?
And
yet many devote much time and labor to the Law, to the decrees of the fathers,
and to the traditions of the Pope.. Many of these
specialists have incapacitated themselves for any kind of work, good or bad, by
their rigorous attention to rules and laws. All the same, they could not obtain
a quiet conscience and peace in Christ. But the moment the Gospel of Christ
touches them, certainty comes to them, and joy, and a right judgment.
I
have good reason for enlarging upon this point. The heart of man finds it
difficult to believe that so great a treasure as the Holy Ghost is gotten by
the mere hearing of faith. The hearer likes to reason like this: Forgiveness of
sins, deliverance from death, the gift of the Holy Ghost, everlasting life are
grand things. If you want to obtain these priceless benefits, you must engage
in correspondingly great efforts. And the devil says, "Amen."
We
must learn that forgiveness of sins, Christ, and the Holy Ghost, are freely
granted unto us at the preaching of faith, in spite of our sinfulness. We are
not to waste time thinking how unworthy we are of the blessings of God. We are
to know that it pleased God freely to give us His unspeakable gifts. If He
offers His gifts free of charge, why not take them? Why worry about our lack of
worthiness? Why not accept gifts with joy and thanksgiving?
Right
away foolish reason is once more offended. It scolds us. "When you say
that a person can do nothing to obtain the grace of God, you foster carnal
security. People become shiftless and will do no good at all. Better not preach
this doctrine of faith. Rather urge the people to exert and to exercise
themselves in good works, so that the Holy Ghost will feel like coming to
them."
What
did Jesus say to Martha when she was very "careful and troubled about many
things" and could hardly stand to see her sister
Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus, just listening? "Martha, Martha,"
Jesus said, "thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one
thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken
away from her." A person becomes a Christian not by working, but by
hearing. The first step to being a Christian is to hear the Gospel. When a
person has accepted the Gospel, let him first give thanks unto God with a glad
heart, and then let him get busy on the good works to strive for, works that
really please God, and not man-made and self-chosen works.
Our
opponents regard faith as an easy thing, but I know from personal experience
how hard it is to believe. That the Holy Ghost is received by faith, is quickly said, but not so quickly done.
All
believers experience this difficulty. They would gladly embrace the Word with a
full faith, but the flesh deters them. You see, our reason always thinks it is
too easy and cheap to have righteousness, the Holy Spirit, and life everlasting
by the mere hearing of the Gospel
Paul now begins to warn the Galatians
against a twofold danger. The first danger is: "Are ye so foolish, that
after ye have begun in the Spirit, ye would now end in the flesh?"
"Flesh"
stands for the righteousness of reason which seeks justification by the
accomplishment of the Law. I am told that I began in the spirit under the
papacy, but am ending up in the flesh because I got married. As though single life were a spiritual life, and married life a carnal life.
They are silly. All the duties of a Christian husband, e.g., to love his wife,
to bring up his children, to govern his family, etc., are the very fruits of
the Spirit.
The
righteousness of the Law which Paul also terms the righteousness of the flesh
is so far from justifying a person that those who once had the Holy Spirit and
lost Him, end up in the Law to their complete destruction.
The other danger against which the Apostle
warns the Galatians is this: "Have ye suffered so many things in
vain?" Paul wants to say: "Consider not only the good start you had
and lost, but consider also the many things you have suffered for the sake of
the Gospel and for the name of Christ. You have suffered the loss of your
possessions, you have borne reproaches, you have
passed through many dangers of body and life. You endured much for the name of
Christ and you endured it faithfully. But now you have lost everything, the
Gospel, faith, and the spiritual benefit of your sufferings for Christ's sake.
What a miserable thing to endure so many amictions for nothing."
The Apostle adds the afterthought: "If
it be yet in vain. I do not despair of all hope for you. But if you continue to
look to the Law for righteousness, I think you should be told that all your
past true worship of God and all the afflictions that you have endured for
Christ's sake are going to help you not at all. I do not mean to discourage you
altogether. I do hope you will repent and amend."
This argument based on the experience of
the Galatians, pleased the Apostle so well that he returns to it after he had
warned them against their twofold danger. "You have not only received the
Spirit by the preaching of the Gospel, but by the same Gospel you were enabled
to do things." "What things?" we ask. Miracles.
At least the Galatians had manifested the striking fruits of faith which true
disciples of the Gospel manifested in those days. On one occasion the Apostle
wrote: "The
When
the Gospel is preached unto faith, hope, love, and patience, God gives His
wonder-working Spirit. Paul reminds the Galatians of this. "God had not
only brought you to faith by my preaching. He had also sanctified you to bring
forth the fruits of faith. And one of the fruits of your faith was that you
loved me so devotedly that you were willing to pluck out your eyes for
me." To love a fellow-man so devotedly as to be ready to bestow upon him
money, goods, eyes in order to secure his salvation, such love is the fruit of
the Holy Spirit.
"These
products of the Spirit you enjoyed before the false apostles misled you,"
the Apostle reminds the Galatians. "But you haven't manifested any of
these fruits under the regime of the Law. How does it come that you do not grow
the same fruits now? You no longer teach truly; you do not believe boldly; you
do not live well; you do not work hard; you do not bear things patiently. Who has
spoiled you that you no longer love me; that you are not now ready to pluck out
your eyes for me? What has happened to cool your personal interest in me?"
The
same thing happened to me. When I began to proclaim the Gospel, there were
many, very many who were delighted with our doctrine and had a good opinion of
us. And now? Now they have succeeded in making us so
odious to those who formerly loved us that they now hate us like poison.
Paul
argues: "Your experience ought to teach you that the fruits of love do not
grow on the stump of the Law. You had not virtue prior to the preaching of the
Gospel and you have no virtues now under the regime of the false
apostles."
We,
too, may say to those who misname themselves "evangelical" and flout
their new-found liberty: Have you put down the tyranny of the Pope and obtained
liberty in Christ through the Anabaptists and other fanatics? Or have you
obtained your freedom from us who preach faith in Christ Jesus? If there is any
honesty left in them they will have to confess that their freedom dates from
the preaching of the Gospel.
The Apostle next adduces the example of
Abraham and reviews the testimony of the Scriptures concerning faith. The first
passage is taken from Genesis 16:6: "And he believed in the Lord; and he
counted it to him for righteousness." The Apostle makes the most of this
passage. Abraham may have enjoyed a good standing with men for his upright life,
but not with God. In the sight of God, Abraham was a condemned sinner. That he
was justified before God was not due to his own exertions, but due to his
faith. The Scriptures expressly state: "Abraham believed in the Lord; and
he counted it to him for righteousness."
Paul
places the emphasis upon the two words: Abraham believed. Faith in God
constitutes the highest worship, the prime duty, the first obedience, and the
foremost sacrifice. Without faith God forfeits His glory, wisdom, truth, and
mercy in us. The first duty of man is to believe in God and to honor Him with
his faith. Faith is truly the height of wisdom, the right kind of
righteousness, the only real religion. This will give us an idea of the
excellence of faith.
To
believe in God as Abraham did is to be right with God because faith honors God.
Faith says to God: "I believe what you say."
When
we pay attention to reason, God seems to propose impossible matters in the
Christian Creed. To reason it seems absurd that Christ should offer His body
and blood in the Lord's Supper; that Baptism should be the washing of
regeneration; that the dead shall rise; that Christ the Son of God was
conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary, etc. Reason shouts that all this is
preposterous. Are you surprised that reason thinks little of faith? Reason
thinks it ludicrous that faith should be the foremost service any person can
render unto God.
Let
your faith supplant reason. Abraham mastered reason by faith in the Word of
God. Not as though reason ever yields meekly. It put up a fight against the
faith of Abraham. Reason protested that it was absurd to think that Sarah who was ninety years old and barren by nature, should
give birth to a son. But faith won the victory and routed reason, that ugly
beast and enemy of God. Everyone who by faith slays reason, the world's biggest
monster, renders God a real service, a better service than the religions of all
races and all the drudgery of meritorious monks can render.
Men
fast, pray, watch, suffer. They intend to appease the wrath of God and to
deserve God's grace by their exertions. But there is no glory in it for God,
because by their exertions these workers pronounce God an unmerciful slave
driver, an unfaithful and angry Judge. They despise God, make a liar out of
Him, snub Christ and all His benefits; in short they pull God from His throne
and perch themselves on it.
Faith
truly honors God. And because faith honors God, God counts faith for
righteousness.
Christian
righteousness is the confidence of the heart in God through Christ Jesus. Such
confidence is accounted righteousness for Christ's sake. Two things make for
Christian righteousness: Faith in Christ, which is a gift of God; and God's
acceptance of this imperfect faith of ours for perfect righteousness. Because
of my faith in Christ, God overlooks my distrust, the unwillingness of my
spirit, my many other sins. Because the shadow of Christ's wing covers me I
have no fear that God will cover all my sins and take my imperfections for
perfect righteousness.
God
"winks" at my sins and covers them up. God says: "Because you
believe in My Son I will forgive your sins until death shall deliver you from
the body of sin."
Learn
to understand the constitution of your Christian righteousness. Faith is weak,
but it means enough to God that He will not lay sin to our charge. He will not
punish nor condemn us for it. He will forgive our sins as though they amount to
nothing at all. He will do it not because we are worthy of such mercy. He will
do it for Jesus' sake in whom we believe.
Paradoxically,
a Christian is both right and wrong, holy and profane, an enemy of God and a
child of God. These contradictions no person can harmonize who does not
understand the true way of salvation. Under the papacy we were told to toil
until the feeling of guilt had left us. But the authors of this deranged idea
were frequently driven to despair in the hour of death. It would have happened
to me, if Christ had not mercifully delivered me from this error.
We
comfort the afflicted sinner in this manner: Brother, you can never be perfect
in this life, but you can be holy. He will say: "How can I be holy when I
feel my sins?" I answer: You feel sin? That is a good sign. To realize
that one is ill is a step, and a very necessary step, toward recovery.
"But how will I get rid of my sin?" he will ask. I answer: See the
heavenly Physician, Christ, who heals the broken-hearted. Do not consult that
Quackdoctor, Reason. Believe in Christ and your sins will be pardoned. His
righteousness will become your righteousness, and your sins will become His
sins.
On
one occasion Jesus said to His disciples: "The Father loveth you."
Why? Not because the disciples were Pharisees, or circumcised, or particularly
attentive to the Law. Jesus said: "The Father loveth you, because ye have
loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. It pleased you to know
that the Father sent me into the world. And because you believed it the Father
loves you." On another occasion Jesus called His disciples evil and
commanded them to ask for forgiveness.
A
Christian is beloved of God and a sinner. How can these two contradictions be harmonized: I am a sinner and deserve God's wrath and
punishment, and yet the Father loves me? Christ alone can harmonize these
contradictions. He is the Mediator.
Do
you now see how faith justifies without works? Sin lingers in us, and God hates
sin. A transfusion of righteousness therefore becomes vitally necessary. This
transfusion of righteousness we obtain from Christ because we believe in Him.
This is the main point of Paul's argument
against the Jews: The children of Abraham are those who believe and not those
who are born of Abraham's flesh and blood. This point Paul drives home with all
his might because the Jews attached saving value to the genealogical fact:
"We are the seed and children of Abraham."
Let
us begin with Abraham and learn how this friend of God was justified and saved.
Not because he left his country, his relatives, his father's house; not because
he was circumcised; not because he stood ready to sacrifice his own son Isaac
in whom he had the promise of posterity. Abraham was justified because he
believed. Paul's argumentation runs like this: "Since this is the
unmistakable testimony of Holy Writ, why do you take your stand upon
circumcision and the Law? Was not Abraham, your father, of whom you make so
much, justified and saved without circumcision and the Law by faith alone ?" Paul therefore concludes: "They which are
of faith, the same are the children of Abraham."
Abraham
was the father of the faithful. In order to be a child of the believing Abraham
you must believe as he did. Otherwise you are merely the physical offspring of
the procreating Abraham, i.e., you were conceived and born in sin unto wrath
and condemnation.
Ishmael
and Isaac were both the natural children of Abraham. By rights Ishmael should
have enjoyed the prerogatives of the firstborn, if physical generation had any
special value. Nevertheless he was left out in the cold while Isaac was called.
This goes to prove that the children of faith are the real children of Abraham.
Some
find fault with Paul for applying the term "faith" in Genesis 15:6 to
Christ. They think Paul's use of the term too wide and general. They think its
meaning should be restricted to the context. They claim Abraham's faith had no
more in it than a belief in the promise of God that he should have seed.
We
reply: Faith presupposes the assurance of God's mercy. This assurance takes in
the confidence that our sins are forgiven for Christ's sake. Never will the
conscience trust in God unless it can be sure of God's mercy and promises in
Christ. Now all the promises of God lead back to the first promise concerning
Christ: "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his
heel." The faith of the fathers in the Old Testament era, and our faith in
the New Testament are one and the same faith in Christ Jesus, although times
and conditions may differ. Peter acknowledged this in the words: "Which
neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they." (Acts l5:
10, 11.) And Paul writes: ``And did all drink the
spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and
that Rock was Christ." (I Cor. 10 :4.) And Christ
Himself declared: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw
it and was glad." (John
Paul is saying: "You know from the
example of Abraham and from the plain testimony of the Scriptures that they are
the children of Abraham, who have faith in Christ, regardless of their
nationality, regardless of the Law, regardless of works, regardless of their
parentage. The promise was made unto Abraham, 'Thou shalt be a father of many
nations'; again 'And in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."'
To prevent the Jews from misinterpreting the word "nations," the
Scriptures are careful to say "many nations." The true children of
Abraham are the believers in Christ from all nations.
"Your boasting does not get you
anywhere," says Paul to the Galatians, "because the Sacred Scriptures
foresaw and foretold long before the Law was ever given, that the heathen
should be justified by the blessed 'seed' of Abraham and not by the Law. This
promise was made four hundred and thirty years before the Law was given.
Because the Law was given so many years after Abraham, it could not abolish the
promised blessing." This argument is strong because it is based on the
exact factor of time. "Why should you boast of the Law, my Galatians, when
the Law came four hundred and thirty years after the promise
?"
The
false apostles glorified the Law and despised the promise made unto Abraham,
although it antedated the Law by many years. It was after Abraham was accounted
righteous because of his faith that the Scriptures first make mention of
circumcision. "The Scriptures," says Paul, "meant to forestall
your infatuation for the righteousness of the Law by installing the
righteousness of faith before circumcision and the Law ever were
ordained."
The Jews misconstrue this passage. They
want the term "to bless" to mean "to praise." They want the
passage to read: In thee shall all the nations of the earth be praised. But
this is a perversion of the words of Holy Writ. With the words "Abraham
believed" Paul describes a spiritual Abraham, renewed by faith and
regenerated by the Holy Ghost, that he should be the spiritual father of many
nations. In that way all the Gentiles could be given to him for an inheritance.
The
Scriptures ascribe no righteousness to Abraham except through faith. The
Scriptures speak of Abraham as he stands before God, a man justified by faith.
Because of his faith God extends to him the promise: "In thee shall all
nations be blessed."
The emphasis lies on the words "with
faithful Abraham." Paul distinguishes between Abraham and Abraham. There
is a working and there is a believing Abraham. With the working Abraham we have
nothing to do. Let the Jews glory in the generating Abraham; we glory in the
believing Abraham of whom the Scriptures say that he received the blessing of
righteousness by faith, not only for himself but for all who believe as he did.
The world was promised to Abraham because he believed. The whole world is
blessed if it believes as Abraham believed.
The
blessing is the promise of the Gospel. That all nations are
to be blessed means that all nations are to hear the Gospel. All nations
are to be declared righteous before God through faith in Christ Jesus. To bless
simply means to spread abroad the knowledge of Christ's salvation. This is the
office of the New Testament Church which distributes the promised blessing by
preaching the Gospel, by administering the sacraments, by comforting the
broken-hearted, in short, by dispensing the benefits of Christ.
The
Jews exhibited a working Abraham. The Pope exhibits a working Christ, or an exemplary Christ. The Pope quotes Christ's
saying recorded in John 13 :15, "I have given you
an example, that ye should do as I have done to you." We do not deny that
Christians ought to imitate the example of Christ; but mere imitation will not
satisfy God. And bear in mind that Paul is not now discussing the example of
Christ, but the salvation of Christ.
That
Abraham submitted to circumcision at the command of God, that he was endowed
with excellent virtues, that he obeyed God in all things, was certainly
admirable of him. To follow the example of Christ, to love one's neighbor, to
do good to them that persecute you, to pray for one's enemies, patiently to
bear the ingratitude of those who return evil for good, is certainly
praiseworthy. But praiseworthy or not, such virtues do not acquit us before
God. It takes more than that to make us righteous before God. We need Christ
Himself, not His example, to save us. We need a redeeming, not an exemplary
Christ, to save us. Paul is here speaking of the redeeming Christ and the
believing Abraham, not of the model Christ or the sweating Abraham.
The
believing Abraham is not to lie buried in the grave. He is to be dusted off and
brought out before the world. He is to be praised to the sky for his faith.
Heaven and earth ought to know about him and about his faith in Christ. The
working Abraham ought to look pretty small next to the believing Abraham.
Paul's
words contain the implication of contrast. When he quotes Scripture to the
effect that all nations that share the faith of faithful Abraham are to be
blessed, Paul means to imply the contrast that all nations are accursed without
faith in Christ.
The curse of God is like a flood that
swallows everything that is not of faith. To avoid the curse we must hold on to
the promise of the blessing in Christ.
The
reader is reminded that all this has no bearing upon civil laws, customs, or
political matters. Civil laws and ordinances have their place and purpose. Let
every government enact the best possible laws. But civil righteousness will
never deliver a person from the condemnation of God's Law.
I
have good reason for calling your attention to this. People easily mistake
civil righteousness for spiritual righteousness. In civil life we must, of
course, pay attention to laws and deeds, but in the spiritual life we must not
think to be justified by laws and works, but always keep in mind the promise
and blessing of Christ, our only Savior.
According
to Paul everything that is not of faith is sin. When our opponents hear us
repeat this statement of Paul, they make it appear as if we taught that
governments should not be honored, as if we favored rebellion against the
constituted authorities, as if we condemned all laws. Our opponents do us a
great wrong, for we make a clear-cut distinction between civil and spiritual
affairs.
Governmental
laws and ordinances are blessings of God for this life only. As for everlasting
life, temporal blessings are not good enough. Unbelievers enjoy more temporal
blessings than the Christians. Civil or legal righteousness may be good enough
for this life but not for the life hereafter. Otherwise the infidels would be
nearer heaven than the Christians, for infidels often excel in civil
righteousness.
Paul goes on to prove from this quotation
out of the Book of Deuteronomy that all men who are under the Law are under the
sentence of sin, of the wrath of God, and of everlasting death. Paul produces
his proof in a roundabout way. He turns the negative statement, "Cursed is
every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of
the law to do them," into a positive statement, "As many as are of the
works of the law are under the curse." These two statements, one by Paul
and the other by Moses, appear to conflict. Paul declares, "Whosoever
shall do the works of the Law, is accursed."
Moses declares, "Whosoever shall not do the works of the Law, is accursed." How can these two contradictory
statements be reconciled? How can the one statement prove the other? No person
can hope to understand Paul unless he understands the article of justification.
These two statements are not at all inconsistent.
We
must bear in mind that to do the works of the Law does not mean only to live up
to the superficial requirements of the Law, but to obey the spirit of the Law
to perfection. But where will you find the person who can do that? Let him step
forward and we will praise him.
Our
opponents have their answer ready-made. They quote Paul's own statement in
Romans
In
their ignorance of the true purpose of the Law the
exponents of the Law abuse the Law, as Paul says, Romans 10:3, "For they,
being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own
righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of
God."
In
their folly our opponents rush into the Scriptures, pick out a sentence here
and a sentence there about the Law and imagine they know all about it. Their
work-righteousness is plain idolatry and blasphemy against God. No wonder they
abide under the curse of God.
Because
God saw that we could not fulfill the Law, He provided a way of salvation long
before the Law was ever given, a salvation that He promised to Abraham, saying,
"In thee shall all nations be blessed."
The
very first thing for us to do is to believe in Christ. First, we must receive
the Holy Spirit, who enlightens and sanctifies us so that we can begin to do
the Law, i. e., to love God and our neighbor. Now, the Holy Ghost is not
obtained by the Law, but by faith in Christ. In the last analysis, to do the
Law means to believe in Jesus Christ. The tree comes first, and then come the
fruits.
The
scholastics admit that a mere external and superficial performance of the Law
without sincerity and good will is plain hypocrisy. Judas acted like the other
disciples. What was wrong with Judas? Mark what
There
are two classes of doers of the Law, true doers and hypocritical doers. The
true doers of the Law are those who are moved by faith in Christ to do the Law.
The hypocritical doers of the Law are those who seek to obtain righteousness by
a mechanical performance of good works while their hearts are far removed from
God. They act like the foolish carpenter who starts with the roof when he
builds a house. Instead of doing the Law, these law-conscious hypocrites break
the Law. They break the very first commandment of God by denying His promise in
Christ. They do not
worship God
in faith. They worship themselves.
No
wonder Paul was able to foretell the abominations that Antichrist would bring
into the Church. That Antichrists would come, Christ Himself prophesied,
Matthew 24:5, "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and
shall deceive many." Whoever seeks righteousness by works denies God and
makes himself God. He is an Antichrist because he ascribes to his own works the
omnipotent capability of conquering sin, death, devil, hell, and the wrath of
God. An Antichrist lays claim to the honor of Christ. He is an idolater of
himself. The law-righteous person is the worst kind of infidel.
Those
who intend to obtain righteousness by their own efforts do not say in so many
words: "I am God; I am Christ." But it amounts to that. They usurp
the divinity and office of Christ. The effect is the same as if they said,
"I am Christ; I am a Savior. I save myself and others." This is the
impression the monks give out.
The
Pope is the Antichrist, because he is against Christ, because he takes
liberties with the things of God, because he lords it over the
I
cannot tell you in words how criminal it is to seek righteousness before God
without faith in Christ, by the works of the Law. It is the abomination
standing in the holy place. It deposes the Creator and deifies the creature.
The
real doers of the Law are the true believers. The Holy Spirit enables them to
love God and their neighbor. But because we have only the first-fruits of the
Spirit and not the tenth-fruits, we do not observe the Law perfectly. This
imperfection of ours, however, is not imputed to us, for Christ's sake.
Hence,
the statement of Moses, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all
things which are written in the book of the law to do them," is not
contrary to Paul. Moses requires perfect doers of the Law. But where will you
find them? Nowhere. Moses himself confessed that he
was not a perfect doer of the Law. He said to the Lord: "Pardon our
iniquity and our sin." Christ alone can make us innocent of any
transgression. How so? First, by the forgiveness of our sins
and the imputation of His righteousness. Secondly, by the gift of the
Holy Ghost, who engenders new life and activity in us.
Here we shall take the time to enter upon
the objections which our opponents raise against the doctrine of faith. There
are many passages in the Bible that deal with works and the reward of works
which our opponents cite against us in the belief that these will disprove the
doctrine of faith which we teach.
The
scholastics grant that according to the reasonable order of nature being
precedes doing. They grant that any act is faulty unless it proceeds from a
right motive. They grant that a person must be right before he can do right.
Why don't they grant that the right inclination of the heart toward
God through faith in Christ must precede
works?
In
the eleventh chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews we find a catalogue of
various works and deeds of the saints of the Bible. David, who killed a lion
and a bear, and defeated Goliath, is mentioned. In the heroic deeds of David the
scholastic can discover nothing more than outward achievement. But the deeds of
David must be evaluated according to the personality of David. When we
understand that David was a man of faith, whose heart trusted in the Lord, we
shall understand why he could do such heroic deeds. David said: "The Lord
that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear,
he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." Again: "Thou
comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to
thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of
Of
Abel it is said in the same Epistle: "By faith Abel offered unto God a
more excellent sacrifice than Cain." When the scholastics come upon the
parallel passage in Genesis 4:4 they get no further than the words: "And
the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering." "Aha!" they
cry. "See, God has respect to offerings. Works do justify." With mud
in their eyes they cannot see that the text says in Genesis that the Lord had
respect to the person of Abel first. Abel pleased the Lord because of his
faith. Because the person of Abel pleased the Lord, the offering of Abel
pleased the Lord also. The Epistle to the Hebrews expressly states: "By
faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice."
In
our dealings with God the work is worth nothing without faith, for
"without faith it is impossible to please him." (Hebrews 11:6.) The
sacrifice of Abel was better than the sacrifice of Cain, because Abel had
faith. As to Cain he had no faith or trust in God's grace, but strutted about
in his own fancied worth. When God refused to recognize Cain's worth, Cain got
angry at God and at Abel.
The
Holy Spirit speaks of faith in different ways in the Sacred Scriptures.
Sometimes He speaks of faith independently of other matters. When the
Scriptures speak of faith in the absolute or abstract, faith refers to
justification directly. But when the Scripture speaks of rewards and works it
speaks of compound or relative faith. We will furnish some examples. Galatians
5:6, "Faith which worketh by love." Leviticus 18:5,
"Which if a man do, he shall live in them." Matthew
In
the Word of God all things that are attributed to works are attributable to
faith. Faith is the divinity of works. Faith permeates all the deeds of the
believer, as Christ's divinity permeated His humanity. Abraham was accounted
righteous because faith pervaded his whole personality and his every action.
When
you read how the fathers, prophets, and kings accomplished great deeds,
remember to explain them as the Epistle to the Hebrews accounts for them:
"Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained
promises, stopped the mouths of lions." (Hebrews
Supposing
that this explanation will not satisfy the scholastics, supposing that they
should completely wrap me up in their arguments (they cannot do it), I would
rather be wrong and give all credit to Christ alone. Here is Christ. Paul,
Christ's apostle, declares that "Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the
law, being made a curse for us." (Gal.
The Apostle draws into his argument the
testimony of the Prophet Habakkuk: "The just shall live by his
faith." This passage carries much weight because it eliminates the Law and
the deeds of the Law as factors in the process of our justification.
The
scholastics misconstrue this passage by saying: "The just shall live by
faith, if it is a working faith, or a faith formed and performed by charitable
works." Their annotation is a forgery. To speak of formed or unformed faith,
a sort of double faith, is contrary to the Scriptures.
If charitable works can form and perfect faith I am forced to say eventually
that charitable deeds constitute the essential factor in the Christian
religion. Christ and His benefits would be lost to us.
VERSE 12. And the law is not of faith.
In
direct opposition to the scholastics Paul declares: "The law is not of
faith." What is this charity the scholastics talk so much about? Does not
the Law command charity? The fact is the Law commands nothing but charity, as
we may gather from the following Scripture passages: "Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
might" (Deut. 6:5.) "Strewing mercy unto thousands
of them that love me, and keep my commandments." (Exodus 20:6.)
"On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matt.
Paul undertakes to explain the difference
between the righteousness of the Law and the righteousness of faith. The
righteousness of the Law is the fulfillment of the Law according to the
passage: "The man that doeth them shall live in them." The
righteousness of faith is to believe the Gospel according to the passage:
"The just shall live by faith." The Law is a statement of debit, the
Gospel a statement of credit. By this distinction Paul explains why charity
which is the commandment of the Law cannot justify, because the Law contributes
nothing to our justification.
Indeed,
works do follow after faith, but faith is not therefore a meritorious work.
Faith is a gift. The character and limitations of the Law must be rigidly
maintained.
When
we believe in Christ we live by faith. When we believe in the Law we may be
active enough but we have no life. The function of the Law is not to give life;
the function of the Law is to kill. True, the Law says: "The man that
doeth them shall live in them." But where is the
person who can do "them," i.e., love God with all his heart, soul,
and mind, and his neighbor as himself?
Paul
has nothing against those who are justified by faith and therefore are true
doers of the Law. He opposes those who think they can fulfill the Law when in
reality they can only sin against the Law by trying to obtain righteousness by
the Law. The Law demands that we fear, love, and worship God with a true faith.
The law-workers fail to do this. Instead, they invent new modes of worship and
new kinds of works which God never commanded. They provoke His anger according
to the passage: "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines
the commandments of men." (Matthew 15:9.) Hence, the law-righteous workers
are downright rebels against God, and idolaters who constantly sin against the
first commandment. In short, they are no good at-all though outwardly they seem
to be extremely solicitous of the honor of God.
We who are justified by faith as the saints of old, may be
under the Law, but we are not under the curse of the Law because sin is not
imputed to us for Christ's sake. If the Law cannot be fulfilled by the
believers, if sin continues to cling to them despite their love for God, what
can you expect of people who are not yet justified by faith, who are still
enemies of God and His Word, like the unbelieving law-workers? It goes to show
how impossible it is for those who have not been justified by faith to fulfill
the Law.
Jerome and his present-day followers rack
their miserable brains over this comforting passage in an effort to save Christ
from the fancied insult of being called a curse. They say: "This quotation
from Moses does not apply to Christ. Paul is taking liberties with Moses by
generalizing the statements in Deuteronomy
Paul
does not say that Christ was made a curse for Himself. The accent is on the two
words "for us." Christ is personally innocent. Personally, He did not
deserve to be hanged for any crime of His own doing. But because Christ took
the place of others who were sinners, He was hanged like any other
transgressor. The Law of Moses leaves no loopholes. It says that a transgressor
should be hanged. Who are the other sinners? We are. The sentence of death and
everlasting damnation had long been pronounced over us. But Christ took all our
sins and died for them on the Cross. "He was numbered with the
transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made
intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:12.)
All
the prophets of old said that Christ should be the greatest transgressor,
murderer, adulterer, thief, blasphemer that ever was
or ever could be on earth. When He took the sins of the whole world upon
Himself, Christ was no longer an innocent person. He was a sinner burdened with
the sins of a Paul who was a blasphemer; burdened with the sins of a Peter who
denied Christ; burdened with the sins of a David who committed adultery and
murder, and gave the heathen occasion to laugh at the Lord. In short, Christ was
charged with the sins of all men, that He should pay
for them with His own blood. The curse struck Him. The Law found Him among
sinners. He was not only in the company of sinners. He had gone so far as to
invest Himself with the flesh and blood of sinners. So the Law judged and
hanged Him for a sinner.
In
separating Christ from us sinners and holding Him up as a holy exemplar,
errorists rob us of our best comfort. They misrepresent Him as a threatening
tyrant who is ready to slaughter us at the slightest provocation.
I
am told that it is preposterous and wicked to call the Son of God a cursed
sinner. I answer: If you deny that He is a condemned sinner, you are forced to
deny that Christ died. It is not less preposterous to say, the Son of God died,
than to say, the Son of God was a sinner.
John
the Baptist called Him "the lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world." Being the unspotted Lamb of God, Christ was personally innocent.
But because He took the sins of the world His sinlessness was defiled with the
sinfulness of the world. Whatever sins I, you, all of us have committed or
shall commit, they are Christ's sins as if He had committed them Himself. Our
sins have to be Christ's sins or we shall perish forever.
Isaiah
declares of Christ: "The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us
all." We have no right to minimize the force of this declaration. God does
not amuse Himself with words. What a relief for a Christian to know that Christ
is covered all over with my sins, your sins, and the sins of the whole world.
The
papists invented their own doctrine of faith. They say charity creates and
adorns their faith. By stripping Christ of our sins, by making Him sinless,
they cast our sins back at us, and make Christ absolutely worthless to us. What
sort of charity is this? If that is a sample of their vaunted charity we want
none of it.
Our merciful Father in heaven saw how the Law oppressed us and how
impossible it was for us to get out from under the curse of the Law. He
therefore sent His only Son into the world and said to Him: "You are now
Peter, the liar; Paul, the persecutor; David, the adulterer; Adam, the
disobedient; the thief on the cross. You, My Son, must pay the world's
iniquity." The Law growls: "All right. If Your Son is taking the sin
of the world, I see no sins anywhere else but in Him. He shall die on the
Cross." And the Law kills Christ. But we go free.
The
argument of the Apostle against the righteousness of the Law is impregnable. If
Christ bears our sins, we do not bear them. But if Christ is innocent of our
sins and does not bear them, we must bear them, and we shall die in our sins.
"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Let
us see how Christ was able to gain the victory over our enemies. The sins of
the whole world, past, present, and future, fastened themselves
upon Christ and condemned Him. But because Christ is God He had an everlasting
and unconquerable righteousness. These two, the sin of the world and the
righteousness of God, met in a death struggle. Furiously the sin of the world
assailed the righteousness of God. Righteousness is immortal and invincible. On
the other hand, sin is a mighty tyrant who subdues all men. This tyrant pounces
on Christ. But Christ's righteousness is unconquerable. The result is
inevitable. Sin is defeated and righteousness triumphs and reigns forever.
In
the same manner was death defeated. Death is emperor of the world. He strikes
down kings, princes, all men. He has an idea to destroy all life. But Christ
has immortal life, and life immortal gained the victory over death. Through
Christ death has lost her sting. Christ is the Death of death.
The
curse of God waged a similar battle with the eternal mercy of God in Christ.
The curse meant to condemn God's mercy. But it could not do it because the
mercy of God is everlasting. The curse had to give way. If the mercy of God in
Christ had lost out, God Himself would have lost out, which, of course, is
impossible.
"Christ,"
says Paul, "spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them
openly, triumphing over them in it." (Col.
You
may now perceive why it is imperative to believe and confess the divinity of Christ.
To overcome the sin of a whole world, and death, and the wrath of God was no
work for any creature. The power of sin and death could be broken only by a
greater power. God alone could abolish sin, destroy death, and take away the
curse of the Law. God alone could bring righteousness, life, and mercy to
light. In attributing these achievements to Christ the Scriptures pronounce
Christ to be God forever. The article of justification is indeed fundamental.
If we remain sound in this one article, we remain sound in all the other
articles of the Christian faith. When we teach justification by faith in Christ
we confess at the same time that Christ is God.
I
cannot get over the blindness of the Pope's theologians. To imagine that the
mighty forces of sin, death, and the curse can be vanquished by the
righteousness of man's paltry works, by fasting, pilgrimages, masses, vows, and
such gewgaws. These blind leaders of the blind turn the poor people over to the
mercy of sin, death, and the devil. What chance has a defenseless human
creature against these powers of darkness? They train sinners who are ten times
worse than any thief, whore, murderer. The divine
power of God alone can destroy sin and death, and create righteousness and
life.
When
we hear that Christ was made a curse for us, let us believe it with joy and
assurance. By faith Christ changes places with us. He gets our sins, we get His
holiness.
By
faith alone can we become righteous, for faith invests us with the sinlessness
of Christ. The more fully we believe this, the fuller
will be our joy. If you believe that sin, death, and the curse are void, why,
they are null, zero. Whenever sin and death make you nervous write it down as
an illusion of the devil. There is no sin now, no curse, no death, no devil because Christ has done away with them. This fact
is sure. There is nothing wrong with the fact. The defect lies in our lack of
faith.
In
the Apostolic Creed we confess: "I believe in the
holy Christian Church." That means, I believe
that there is no sin, no curse, no evil in the
Holy
Writ does not say that Christ was under the curse. It says directly that Christ
was made a curse. In II Corinthians
To
finish with this verse: All evils would have overwhelmed us, as they shall
overwhelm the unbelievers forever, if Christ had not become the
great
transgressor and guilty bearer of all our sins. The sins of the world got Him
down for a moment. They came around Him like water. Of
Christ, the Old Testament Prophet
complained: "Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me
off." (Psalm 88, 16.) By Christ's salvation we
have been delivered from the terrors of God to a life of eternal felicity.
Paul always keeps this text before him:
"In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." The
blessing promised unto Abraham could come upon the Gentiles only by Christ, the
seed of Abraham. To become a blessing unto all nations Christ had to be made a
curse to take away the curse from the nations of the earth. The merit that we
plead, and the work that we proffer is Christ who was made
a curse for us.
Let
us become expert in the art of transferring our sins, our death, and every evil
from ourselves to Christ; and Christ's righteousness and
blessing from
Christ to ourselves.
"The promise of the Spirit" is
Hebrew for "the promised Spirit." The Spirit spells freedom from the
Law, sin, death, the curse, hell, and the judgment of God. No merits are
mentioned in connection with this promise of the Spirit and all the blessings
that go with Him. This Spirit of many blessings is received by faith alone.
Faith alone builds on the promises of God, as Paul says in this verse.
Long
ago the prophets visualized the happy changes Christ would effect in all
things. Despite the fact that the Jews had the Law of God they never ceased to
look longingly for Christ. After Moses no prophet or king added a single law to
the Book. Any changes or additions were deferred to the time of Christ's
coming. Moses told the people: "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a
Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye
shall hearken." (Deut.
God's
people of old felt that the Law of Moses could not be improved upon until the
Messiah would bring better things than the Law, i.e., grace and remission of
sins.
After the preceding, well-taken argument,
Paul offers another based on the similarity between a man's testament and God's
testament. A man's testament seems too weak a premise for the Apostle to argue
from in confirmation of so important a matter as justification. We ought to
prove earthly things by heavenly things, and not heavenly things by earthly
things. But where the earthly thing is an ordinance of God we may use it to
prove divine matters. In Matthew
To come to Paul's argument. Civil law, which is God's
ordinance, prohibits tampering with any testament of man. Any person's last
will and testament must be respected. Paul asks: "Why is it that man's
last will is scrupulously respected and not God's testament? You would not
think of breaking faith with a man's testament. Why do you not keep faith with
God's testament?"
The
Apostle says that he is speaking after the manner of men. He means to say:
"I will give you an illustration from the customs of men. If a man's last
will is respected. and it is, how much more ought the
testament of God be honored: 'In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed.' When Christ died, this testament was sealed by His
blood. After His death the testament was opened, it was published to the
nations. No man ought to alter God's testament as the false apostles do who
substitute the Law and traditions of men for the testament of God."
As the false prophets tampered with God's testament in the days of
Paul, so many do in our day. They will observe human laws punctiliously,
but the laws of God they transgress without the flicker of an eyelid. But the
time will come when they will find out that it is no joke to pervert the
testament of God.
The word testament is another name for the
promise that God made unto Abraham concerning Christ. A testament is not a law,
but an inheritance. Heirs do not look for laws and assessments when they open a
last will; they look for grants and favors. The testament which God made out to
Abraham did not contain laws. It contained promises of great spiritual
blessings.
The
promises were made in view of Christ, in one seed, not in many seeds. The Jews
will not accept this interpretation. They insist that the
singular
"seed" is put for the plural "seeds." We prefer the
interpretation of Paul, who makes a fine case for Christ and for us out of the
singular "seed," and is after all inspired to do so by the Holy
Ghost.
The Jews assert that God was not satisfied
with His promises, but after four hundred and thirty years He gave the Law.
"God," they say, "must have mistrusted His own promises, and
considered them inadequate for salvation. Therefore He added to His promises
something better, the Law. The Law," they say, "canceled the promises."
Paul
answers: "The Law was given four hundred and thirty years after the
promise was made to Abraham. The Law could not cancel the promise because the
promise was the testament of God, confirmed by God in Christ many years before
the Law. What God has once promised He does not take back.
Every promise of God is a ratified promise."
Why
was the Law added to the promise? Not to serve as a medium by which the promise
might be obtained. The Law was added for these reasons: That there might be in
the world a special people, rigidly controlled by the Law, a people out of
which Christ should be born in due time; and that men burdened by many laws
might sigh and long for Him, their Redeemer, the seed of Abraham. Even the
ceremonies prescribed by the Law foreshadowed Christ. Therefore the Law was
never meant to cancel the promise of God. The Law was meant to confirm the
promise until the time should come when God would open His testament in the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
God
did well in giving the promise so many years before the Law, that it may never
be said that righteousness is granted through the Law and not through the
promise. If God had meant for us to be justified by the Law, He would have
given the Law four hundred and thirty years before the promise, at least He
would have given the Law at the same time He gave the promise. But He never
breathed a word about the Law until four hundred years after. The promise is
therefore better than the Law. The Law does not cancel the promise, but faith
in the promised Christ cancels the Law.
The
Apostle is careful to mention the exact number of four hundred and thirty
years. The wide divergence in the time between the promise and the Law helps to
clinch Paul's argument that righteousness is not obtained by the Law.
Let
me illustrate. A man of great wealth adopts a strange lad for his son.
Remember, he does not owe the lad anything. In due time he
appoints the lad heir to his entire fortune. Several years later the old
man asks the lad to do something for him. And the young lad does it. Can the lad
then go around and say that he deserved the inheritance by his obedience to the
old man's request ? How can anybody say that
righteousness is obtained by obedience to the Law when the Law was given four
hundred and thirty years after God's promise of the blessing?
One
thing is certain, Abraham was never justified by the Law, for the simple reason
that the Law was not in his day. If the Law was non-existent how could Abraham
obtain righteousness by the Law? Abraham had nothing else to go by but the promise.
This promise he believed and that was counted unto him for righteousness. If
the father obtained righteousness through faith, the children get it the same
way.
We
use the argument of time also. We say our sins were taken away by the death of
Christ fifteen hundred years ago, long before there were any religious orders,
canons, or rules of penance, merits, etc. What did people do about their sins
before these new inventions were hatched up?
Paul
finds his arguments for the righteousness of faith everywhere. Even the element
of time serves to build his case against the false apostles. Let us fortify our
conscience with similar arguments. They help us in the trials of our faith.
They turn our attention from the Law to the promises, from sin to righteousness;
from death to life.
It
is not for nothing that Paul bears down on this argument. He foresaw this
confusion of the promise and the Law creeping into the Church.
Accustom yourself to separate Law and
Gospel even in regard to time. When the Law comes to pay your
conscience a visit, say: "Mister Law, you come too soon. The four
hundred and thirty years aren't up yet. When they are up, you come again. Won't
you ?"
In Romans
So
much is certain, before the Law ever existed, God gave
Abraham the inheritance or blessing by the promise. In other words, God granted
unto Abraham remission of sins, righteousness, salvation, and everlasting life.
And not only to Abraham but to all believers, because God said: "In thy
seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." The blessing was
given unconditionally. The Law had no chance to butt in because Moses was not
yet born. "How then can you say that righteousness is obtained by the
Law?"
The question naturally arises: If the Law
was not given for righteousness or salvation, why was it given? Why did God
give the Law in the first place if it cannot justify a person?
The
Jews believed if they kept the Law they would be saved. When they heard that
the Gospel proclaimed a Christ who had come into the world to save sinners and
not the righteous; when they heard that sinners were to enter the kingdom of
heaven before the righteous, the Jews were very much put out. They murmured:
"These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto
us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day." (Matthew
Today
we hear the same complaints. "What was the use of our having lived in a
cloister, twenty, thirty, forty years; what was the sense of having vowed
chastity, poverty, obedience; what good are all the masses and canonical hours
that we read; what profit is there in fasting, praying, etc., if any man or
woman, any beggar or scour woman is to be made equal to us, or even be
considered more acceptable unto God than we?"
Reason
takes offense at the statement of Paul: "The law was added because of
transgressions." People say that Paul abrogated the Law, that he is a
radical, that he blasphemed God when he said that.
People say: "We might as well live like wild people if the Law does not
count. Let us abound in sin that grace may abound. Let us do evil that good may
come of it."
What
are we to do? Such scoffing distresses us, but we cannot stop it. Christ
Himself was accused of being a blasphemer and rebel. Paul and all the other
apostles were told the same things. Let the scoffers slander us, let them spare
us not. But we must not on their account keep silent. We must speak frankly in
order that afflicted consciences may find surcease. Neither are we to pay any
attention to the foolish and ungodly people for abusing our doctrine. They are
the kind that would scoff, Law or no Law. Our first
consideration must be the comfort of troubled consciences,
that they may not perish with the multitudes.
When
he saw that some were offended at his doctrine, while others found in it
encouragement to live after the flesh, Paul comforted himself with the thought
that it was his duty to preach the Gospel to the elect of God, and that for
their sake he must endure all things. Like Paul we also do all these things for
the sake of God's elect. As for the scoffers and skeptics, I am so disgusted
with them that in all my life I would not open my mouth for them once. I wish
that they were back there where they belong under the iron heel of the Pope.
People
foolish but wise in their conceits jump to the conclusion: If the Law does not
justify, it is good for nothing. How about that? Because money does not
justify, would you say that money is good for nothing? Because the eyes do not
justify, would you have them taken out? Because the Law does not justify it
does not follow that the Law is without value. We must find and define the
proper purpose of the Law. We do not offhand condemn the Law because we say it
does not justify.
We
say with Paul that the Law is good if it is used properly. Within its proper
sphere the Law is an excellent thing. But if we ascribe to the Law functions
for which it was never intended, we pervert not only the Law but also the
Gospel.
It
is the universal impression that righteousness is obtained through the deeds of
the Law. This impression is instinctive and therefore doubly dangerous. Gross
sins and vices may be recognized or else repressed by the threat of punishment.
But this sin, this opinion of man's own righteousness refuses to be classified
as sin. It wants to be esteemed as high-class religion. Hence, it constitutes
the mighty influence of the devil over the entire world. In order to point out
the true office of the Law, and thus to stamp out that false impression of the
righteousness of the Law, Paul answers the question: "Wherefore then
serveth the Law?" with the words:
All things differ. Let everything serve its
unique purpose. Let the sun shine by day, the moon and the stars by night. Let
the sea furnish fish, the earth grain, the woods trees, etc. Let the Law also
serve its unique purpose. It must not step out of character and take the place
of anything else. What is the function of the Law? "Transgression,"
answers the Apostle.
The Law has a twofold purpose. One purpose
is civil. God has ordained civil laws to punish crime. Every law is given to
restrain sin. Does it not then make men righteous? No. In refraining from
murder, adultery, theft, or other sins, I do so under compulsion because I fear
the jail, the noose, the electric chair. These restrain me as iron bars
restrain a lion and a bear. Otherwise they would tear everything to pieces.
Such forceful restraint cannot be regarded as righteousness, rather as an
indication of unrighteousness. As a wild beast is tied
to keep it from running amuck, so the Law bridles mad and furious man to keep
him from running wild. The need for restraint shows plainly enough that those
who need the Law are not righteous, but wicked men who are fit to be tied. No,
the Law does not justify.
The
first purpose of the Law, accordingly, is to restrain the wicked. The devil
gets people into all kinds of scrapes. Therefore God instituted governments,
parents, laws, restrictions, and civil ordinances. At least they help to tie
the devil's hands so that he does not rage up and down the earth. This civil
restraint by the Law is intended by God for the preservation of all things,
particularly for the good of the Gospel that it should not be hindered too much
by the tumult of the wicked. But Paul is not now treating of this civil use and
function of the Law.
The
second purpose of the Law is spiritual and divine. Paul describes this
spiritual purpose of the Law in the words, "Because of
transgressions," i.e., to reveal to a person his sin, blindness, misery,
his ignorance, hatred, and contempt of God, his death, hell, and condemnation.
This
is the principal purpose of the Law and its most valuable contribution. As long
as a person is not a murderer, adulterer, thief, he would swear that he is
righteous. How is God going to humble such a person except by the Law? The Law
is the hammer of death, the thunder of hell, and the lightning of God's wrath
to bring down the proud and shameless hypocrites. When the Law was instituted
on
This
monster of self-righteousness, this stiff-necked beast, needs a big axe. And
that is what the Law is, a big axe. Accordingly, the proper use and function of
the Law is to threaten until the conscience is scared stiff.
The
awful spectacle at
The
Law is meant to produce the same effect today which it produced at
We
want it understood that we do not reject the Law as our opponents claim. On the
contrary, we uphold the Law. We say the Law is good if it is used for the
purposes for which it was designed, to check civil transgression, and to
magnify spiritual transgressions. The Law is also a light like the Gospel. But
instead of revealing the grace of God, righteousness, and life, the Law brings
sin, death, and the wrath of God to light. This is the business of the Law, and
here the business of the Law ends, and should go no further.
The
business of the Gospel, on the other hand, is to quicken, to comfort, to raise
the fallen. The Gospel carries the news that God for Christ's sake is merciful
to the most unworthy sinners, if they will only believe that Christ by His
death has delivered them from sin and everlasting death unto grace, forgiveness,
and everlasting life. By keeping in mind the difference between the Law and the
Gospel we let each perform its special task. Of this difference between the Law
and the Gospel nothing can be discovered in the writings of the monks or
scholastics, nor for that matter in the writings of the ancient fathers.
Augustine understood the difference somewhat. Jerome and others knew nothing of
it. The silence in the Church concerning the difference between the Law and the
Gospel has resulted in untold harm. Unless a sharp distinction is maintained
between the purpose and function of the Law and the Gospel, the Christian
doctrine cannot be kept free from error.
In other words, that
transgressions might be recognized as such and thus increased. When sin,
death, and the wrath of God are revealed to a person by the Law, he grows
impatient, complains against God, and rebels. Before that he was a very holy
man; he worshipped and praised God; he bowed his knees before God and gave
thanks, like the Pharisee. But now that sin and death are revealed to him by
the Law he wishes there were no God. The Law inspires hatred of God. Thus sin
is not only revealed by the Law; sin is actually increased and magnified by the
Law.
The
Law is a mirror to show a person what he is like, a sinner who is guilty of
death, and worthy of everlasting punishment. What is this bruising and beating
by the hand of the Law to accomplish? This, that we
may find the way to grace. The Law is an usher to lead the way to grace. God is
the God of the humble, the miserable, the afflicted.
It is His nature to exalt the humble, to comfort the sorrowing, to heal the
broken-hearted, to justify the sinners, and to save the condemned. The fatuous
idea that a person can be holy by himself denies God the pleasure of saving
sinners. God must therefore first take the sledge-hammer of the Law in His
fists and smash the beast of self-righteousness and its brood of
self-confidence, self-wisdom, self-righteousness, and self-help. When the
conscience has been thoroughly frightened by the Law it welcomes the Gospel of
grace with its message of a Savior who came into the world, not to break the
bruised reed, nor to quench the smoking flax, but to preach glad tidings to the
poor, to heal the broken-hearted, and to grant forgiveness of sins to all the
captives.
Man's
folly, however, is so prodigious that instead of embracing the message of grace
with its guarantee of the forgiveness of sin for Christ's sake, man finds
himself more laws to satisfy his conscience. "If I live," says he,
"I will mend my life. I will do this, I will do that." Man, if you
don't do the very opposite, if you don't send Moses with the Law back to
When
the Law drives you to the point of despair, let it drive you a little farther,
let it drive you straight into the arms of Jesus who says: "Come unto me,
all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
The Law is not to have its say
indefinitely. We must know how long the Law is to put in its licks. If it
hammers away too long, no person would and could be saved. The Law has a
boundary beyond which it must not go. How long ought the Law to hold sway?
"Till the seed should come to whom the promise was made."
That
may be taken literally to mean until the time of the Gospel. "From the
days of John the Baptist," says Jesus, "until now the kingdom of
heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the
prophets and the law prophesied until John." (Matthew
Spiritually,
it means that the Law is not to operate on a person after he has been humbled
and frightened by the exposure of his sins and the wrath of God. We must then
say to the Law: "Mister Law, lay off him. He has had enough. You scared
him good and proper." Now it is the Gospel's turn. Now let Christ with His
gracious lips talk to him of better things, grace, peace, forgiveness of sins,
and eternal life.
The Apostle digresses a little from his
immediate theme. Something occurred to him and he throws it in by the way. It
occurred to him that the Law differs from the Gospel in another respect, in
respect to authorship. The Law was delivered by the angels, but the Gospel by
the Lord Himself. Hence, the Gospel is superior to the Law, as the word of a
lord is superior to the word of his servant.
The
Law was handed down by a being even inferior to the angels, by a middleman
named Moses. Paul wants us to understand that Christ is the mediator of a
better testament than mediator Moses of the Law. Moses led the people out of
their tents to meet God. But they ran away. That is how good a mediator Moses
was.
Paul
says: "How can the Law justify when that whole sanctified people of
The
flight of the children of
If
all the world had stood at the mountain, all the world would have hated the Law
and fled from it as the children of
All
this goes to show how little the scholastics know about the Law. They do not
consider its spiritual effect and purpose, which is not to justify or to pacify
afflicted consciences, but to increase sin, to terrify the conscience, and to
produce wrath. In their ignorance the papists spout about man's good will and
right judgment, and man's capacity to perform the Law of God. Ask the people of
Here the Apostle briefly compares the two
mediators: Moses and Christ. "A mediator," says Paul,
"is not a mediator of one." He is necessarily a mediator of two: The
offender and the offended. Moses was such a mediator between the Law and the
people who were offended at the Law. They were offended at the Law because they
did not understand its purpose. That was the veil which Moses put over his
face. The people were also offended at the Law because they could not look at
the bare face of Moses. It shone with the glory of God. When Moses addressed
the people he had to cover his face with that veil of his. They could not
listen to their mediator Moses without another mediator, the veil. The Law had
to change its face and voice. In other words, the Law had to be made tolerable
to the people.
Thus
covered, the Law no longer spoke to the people in its undisguised majesty. It
became more tolerable to the conscience. This explains why men fail to
understand the Law properly, with the result that they become secure and
presumptuous hypocrites. One of two things has to be done: Either the Law must
be covered with a veil and then it loses its full effectiveness, or it must be
unveiled and then the full blast of its force kills. Man cannot stand the Law
without a veil over it. Hence, we are forced either to look beyond the Law to
Christ, or we go through life as shameless hypocrites and secure sinners.
Paul
says: "A mediator is not a mediator of one." Moses could not be a
mediator of God only, for God needs no mediator. Again, Moses could not be a
mediator of the people only. He was a mediator between God and the people. It
is the office of a mediator to conciliate the party that is offended and to
placate the party that is the offender. However, Moses' mediation consisted
only in changing the tone of the Law to make it more tolerable to the people.
Moses was merely a mediator of the veil. He could not supply the ability to
perform the Law.
What
do you suppose would have happened if the Law had been given without a mediator
and the people had been denied the services of a go-between? The people would
have perished, or in case they had escaped they would have required the
services of another mediator to preserve them alive and to keep the Law in
force. Moses came along and he was made the mediator. He covered his face with
a veil. But that is as much as he could do. He could not deliver men's
consciences from the terror of the Law. The sinner needs a better mediator.
That
better mediator is Jesus Christ. He does not change the voice of the Law, nor
does He hide the Law with a veil. He takes the full blast of the wrath of the
Law and fulfills its demands most meticulously.
Of
this better Mediator Paul says: "A mediator is not a mediator of
one." We are the offending party; God is the party offended. The offense
is of such a nature that God cannot pardon it. Neither can we render
adequatesatisfaction for our offenses. There is discord between God and us.
Could not God revoke His Law? No. How about running away from God? It cannot be
done. It took Christ to come between us and God and to reconcile God to us. How
did Christ do it? "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was
against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to
his cross." (Col.
This
one word, "mediator," is proof enough that the Law cannot justify.
Otherwise we should not need a mediator.
In
Christian theology the Law does not justify. In fact it has the contrary
effect. The Law alarms us, it magnifies our sins until
we begin to hate the Law and its divine Author. Would you call this being
justified by the Law?
Can
you imagine a more arrant outrage than to hate God and to abhor His Law? What
an excellent Law it is. Listen: "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the
The
Law can do nothing for us except to arouse the conscience. Before the Law comes
to me I feel no sin. But when the Law comes, sin, death, and hell are revealed
to me. You would not call this being made righteous. You would call it being
condemned to death and hell-fire.
God does not offend anybody, therefore He
needs no mediator. But we offend God, therefore we need a mediator. And we need
a better mediator than Moses. We need Christ.
Before he digressed Paul stated that the
Law does not justify. Shall we then discard the Law? No, no. It supplies a
certain need. It supplies men with a needed realization of their sinfulness.
Now arises another question: If the Law does no more
than to reveal sin, does it not oppose the promises of God? The Jews believed
that by the restraint and discipline of the Law the promises of God would be
hastened, in fact earned by them.
Paul
answers: "Not so. On the contrary, if we pay too much attention to the Law
the promises of God will be slowed up. How can God fulfill His promises to a
people that hates the Law?"
God never said to Abraham: "In thee
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because thou hast kept the
Law." When Abraham was still uncircumcised and without the Law or any law,
indeed, when he was still an idol worshiper, God said to him: "Get thee
out of thy country, etc.; I am thy shield, etc.; In
thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." These are
unconditional promises which God freely made to Abraham without respect to
works.
This
is aimed especially at the Jews who think that the promises of God are impeded
by their sins. Paul says: "The Lord is not slack concerning His promises
because of our sins, or hastens His promises because of any merit on our
part." God's promises are not influenced by our attitudes. They rest in
His goodness and mercy.
Just
because the Law increases sin, it does not therefore obstruct the promises of
God. The Law confirms the promises, in that it prepares a person to look for
the fulfillment of the promises of God in Christ.
The
proverb has it that Hunger is the best cook. The Law makes afflicted
consciences hungry for Christ. Christ tastes good to them. Hungry hearts
appreciate Christ. Thirsty souls are what Christ wants. He invites them:
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest." Christ's benefits are so precious that He will
dispense them only to those who need them and really desire them.
The Law cannot give life. It kills. The Law
does not justify a person before God; it increases sin. The Law does not secure
righteousness; it hinders righteousness. The Apostle declares emphatically that
the Law of itself cannot save.
Despite
the intelligibility of Paul's statement, our enemies fail to grasp it.
Otherwise they would not emphasize free will, natural strength, the works of
supererogation, etc. To escape the charge of forgery they always have their
convenient annotation handy, that Paul is referring only to the ceremonial and
not to the moral law. But Paul includes all laws. He expressly says: "If
there had been a law given."
There
is no law by which righteousness may be obtained, not a single one. Why not?
Where? First in the
promises concerning Christ in Genesis
Next,
Holy Writ "concludes" all under sin in this passage from Paul:
"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse."
Again, in the passage which the Apostle quotes from Deuteronomy 27:26,
"Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them." This passage clearly submits all men
to the curse, not only those who sin openly against the Law, but also those who
sincerely endeavor to perform the Law, inclusive of monks, friars, hermits,
etc.
The
conclusion is inevitable: Faith alone justified without works. If the Law
itself cannot justify, much less can imperfect performance of the Law or the
works of the Law, justify.
The Apostle stated before
that "the Scripture hath concluded all under sin." Forever? No, only until the promise should be fulfilled. The
promise, you will recall, is the inheritance itself or the blessing promised to
Abraham, deliverance from the Law, sin, death, and the devil, and the free gift
of grace, righteousness, salvation, and eternal life. This promise, says Paul,
is not obtained by any merit, by any law, or by any work. This promise is
given. To whom? To those who believe. In whom? In Jesus Christ.
The Apostle proceeds to explain the service
which the Law is to render. Previously Paul had said that the Law was given to
reveal the wrath and death of God upon all sinners. Although the Law kills, God
brings good out of evil. He uses the Law to bring life. God saw that the
universal illusion of self-righteousness could not be put down in any other way
but by the Law. The Law dispels all self-illusions. It puts the fear of God in
a man. Without this fear there can be no thirst for God's mercy. God
accordingly uses the Law for a hammer to break up the illusion of self-righteousness, that we should despair of our own strength
and efforts at self-justification.
The
Law is a prison to those who have not as yet obtained grace. No prisoner enjoys
the confinement. He hates it. If he could he would smash the prison and find
his freedom at all cost. As long as he stays in prison he refrains from evil
deeds. Not because he wants to, but because he has to. The bars and the chains
restrain him. He does not regret the crime that put him in jail. On the
contrary, he is mighty sore that he cannot rob and kill as before. If he could
escape he would go right back to robbing and killing.
The
Law enforces good behavior, at least outwardly. We obey the Law because if we
don't we will be punished. Our obedience is inspired by fear. We obey under
duress and we do it resentfully. Now what kind of righteousness is this when we
refrain from evil out of fear of punishment? Hence, the righteousness of the
Law is at bottom nothing but love of sin and hatred of righteousness.
All
the same, the Law accomplishes this much, that it will outwardly at least and
to a certain extent repress vice and crime.
But
the Law is also a spiritual prison, a veritable hell. When the Law begins to
threaten a person with death and the eternal wrath of God, a man just cannot
find any comfort at all. He cannot shake off at will the nightmare of terror
which the Law stirs up in his conscience. Of this terror of the Law the Psalms
furnish many glimpses.
The
Law is a civil and a spiritual prison. And such it should be. For that the Law
is intended. Only the confinement in the prison of the Law must not be unduly
prolonged. It must come to an end. The freedom of faith must succeed the
imprisonment of the Law.
Happy
the person who knows how to utilize the Law so that it serves the purposes of grace
and of faith. Unbelievers are ignorant of this happy knowledge. When Cain was
first shut up in the prison of the Law he felt no pang at the fratricide he had
committed. He thought he could pass it off as an incident with a shrug of the
shoulder. "Am I my brother's keeper?" he answered God flippantly. But
when he heard the ominous words, "What hast thou done? the
voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground," Cain began
to feel his imprisonment. Did he know how to get out of prison? No. He failed
to call the Gospel to his aid. He said: "My punishment is greater than I
can bear." He could only think of the prison. He forgot that he was
brought face to face with his crime so that he should hurry to God for mercy
and for pardon. Cain remained in the prison of the Law and despaired.
As
a stone prison proves a physical handicap, so the spiritual prison of the Law
proves a chamber of torture. But this it should only
be until faith be revealed. The silly conscience must be educated to this. Talk
to your conscience. Say: "Sister, you are now in jail all right. But you
don't have to stay there forever. It is written that we are 'shut up unto faith
which should afterwards be revealed.' Christ will lead you to freedom. Do not
despair like Cain, Saul, or Judas. They might have gone free if they had called
Christ to their aid. Just take it easy, Sister Conscience. It's good for you to
be locked up for a while. It will teach you to appreciate Christ."
How
anybody can say that he by nature loves the Law is beyond me. The Law is a
prison to be feared and hated. Any unconverted person who says he loves the Law
is a liar. He does not know what he is talking about. We love the Law about as
well as a murderer loves his gloomy cell, his straight-jacket, and the iron
bars in front of him. How then can the Law justify us?
We know that Paul has reference to the time
of Christ's coming. It was then that faith and the object of faith were fully
revealed. But we may apply the historical fact to our inner life. When Christ
came He abolished the Law and brought liberty and life to light. This He
continues to do in the hearts of the believers. The Christian has a body in
whose members, as Paul says, sin dwells and wars. I take sin to mean not only
the deed but root, tree, fruit, and all. A Christian may perhaps not fall into
the gross sins of murder, adultery, theft, but he is not free from impatience,
complaints, hatreds, and blasphemy of God. As carnal lust is strong in a young
man, in a man of full age the desire for glory, and in an old man covetousness,
so impatience, doubt, and hatred of God often prevail in the hearts of sincere
Christians. Examples of these sins may be garnered from the Psalms, Job,
Jeremiah, and all the Sacred Scriptures.
Accordingly
each Christian continues to experience in his heart times of the Law and times
of the Gospel. The times of the Law are discernible by heaviness of heart, by a
lively sense of sin, and a feeling of despair brought on by the Law. These
periods of the Law will come again and again as long as we live. To mention my own case. There are many times when I find
fault with God and am impatient with Him. The wrath and the judgment of God
displease me, my wrath and impatience displease Him.
Then is the season of the Law, when "the flesh lusteth against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh."
The
time of grace returns when the heart is enlivened by the promise of God's
mercy. It soliloquizes: "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Can you see nothing
but law, sin, death, and hell? Is there no grace, no forgiveness, no joy,
peace, life, heaven, no Christ and God? Trouble me no more, my soul. Hope in
God who has not spared His own dear Son but has given Him into death for thy
sins." When the Law carries things too far, say: "Mister Law, you are
not the whole show. There are other and better things than you. They tell me to
trust in the Lord."
There
is a time for the Law and a time for grace. Let us study to be good
timekeepers. It is not easy. Law and grace may be miles apart in essence, but
in the heart, they are pretty close together. In the heart fear and trust, sin
and grace, Law and Gospel cross paths continually.
Whether
reason hears that justification before God is obtained by grace alone, it draws
the inference that the Law is without value. The doctrine of the Law must
therefore be studied carefully lest we either reject the Law altogether, or are
tempted to attribute to the Law a capacity to save.
There
are three ways in which the Law may be abused. First, by the self-righteous
hypocrites who fancy that they can be justified by the Law.
Secondly, by those who claim that Christian liberty exempts a Christian from the
observance of the Law. "These," says Peter,
"use their liberty for a cloak of maliciousness," and bring the name
and the Gospel of Christ into ill repute. Thirdly, the Law is abused by those
who do not understand that the Law is meant to drive us to Christ. When the Law
is properly used its value cannot be too highly appraised. It will take me to
Christ every time.
This simile of the schoolmaster is
striking. Schoolmasters are indispensable. But show me a pupil who loves his
schoolmaster. How little love is lost upon them the Jews showed by their
attitude toward Moses. They would have been glad to stone Moses to death. (Ex.
17:4.) You cannot expect anything else. How can a pupil love a teacher who
frustrates his desires? And if the pupil disobeys, the schoolmaster whips him,
and the pupil has to like it and even kiss the rod with which he was beaten. Do
you think the schoolboy feels good about it? As soon as the teacher turns his back,
the pupil breaks the rod and throws it into the fire. And if he were stronger
than the teacher he would not take the beatings, but beat up the teacher. All
the same, teachers are indispensable, otherwise the
children would grow up without discipline, instruction, and training.
But
how long are the scolding and the whippings of the schoolmaster to continue?
Only for a time, until the boy has been trained to be a worthy heir of his father.
No father wants his son to be whipped all the time. The discipline is to last
until the boy has been trained to be his father's worthy successor.
The
Law is such a schoolmaster. Not for always, but until we have been brought to
Christ. The Law is not just another schoolmaster. The Law is a specialist to
bring us to Christ. What would you think of a schoolmaster who could only
torment and beat a child? Yet of such schoolmasters there were plenty in former
times, regular bruisers. The Law is not that kind of a schoolmaster. It is not
to torment us always. With its lashings it is only too anxious to drive us to
Christ. The Law is like the good schoolmaster who trains his children to find
pleasure in doing things they formerly detested.
The Law is not to teach us another Law.
When a person feels the full force of the Law he is likely to think: I have
transgressed all the commandments of God; I am guilty of eternal death. If God
will spare me I will change and live right from now on. This natural but
entirely wrong reaction to the Law has bred the many ceremonies and works
devised to earn grace and remission of sins.
The
Law means to enlarge my sins, to make me small, so that I may be justified by
faith in Christ. Faith is neither law nor word; but confidence in Christ
"who is the end of the law." How so is Christ the end of the Law? Not
in this way that He replaced the old Law with new laws. Nor is Christ the end
of the Law in a way that makes Him a hard judge who has to be bribed by works
as the papists teach. Christ is the end or finish of the Law to all who believe
in Him. The Law can no longer accuse or condemn them.
But
what does the Law accomplish for those who have been justified by Christ? Paul
answers this question next.
The Apostle declares that we are free from
the Law. Christ fulfilled the Law for us. We may live in joy and safety under
Christ. The trouble is, our flesh will not let us believe in Christ with all
our heart. The fault lies not with Christ, but with us. Sin clings to us as
long as we live and spoils our happiness in Christ. Hence, we are only partly
free from the Law. "With the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with
the flesh the law of sin." (Romans
As
far as the conscience is concerned it may cheerfully ignore the Law. But
because sin continues to dwell in the flesh, the Law waits around to molest our
conscience. More and more, however, Christ increases our faith and in the
measure in which our faith is increased, sin, Law, and flesh subside.
If
anybody objects to the Gospel and the sacraments on the ground that Christ has
taken away our sins once and for always, you will know what to answer. You will
answer: Indeed, Christ has taken away my sins. But my flesh, the world, and the
devil interfere with my faith. The little light of faith in my heart does not
shine all over me at once. It is a gradual diffusion. In the meanwhile I
console myself with the thought that eventually my flesh will be made perfect
in the resurrection.
Paul as a true apostle of faith always has
the word "faith" on the tip of his tongue. By faith, says he, we are
the children of God. The Law cannot beget children of God. It cannot regenerate
us. It can only remind us of the old birth by which we were born into the
kingdom of the devil. The best the Law can do for us is to prepare us for a new
birth through faith in Christ Jesus. Faith in Christ regenerates us into the
children of God.
To "put on Christ" may be
understood in two ways, according to the Law and according to the Gospel.
According to the Law as in Romans
To
put on Christ according to the Gospel means to clothe oneself with the
righteousness, wisdom, power, life, and Spirit of Christ. By nature we are clad
in the garb of Adam. This garb Paul likes to call "the old man."
Before we can become the children of God this old man must be put off, as Paul
says, Ephesians
The list might be
extended indefinitely: There is neither preacher nor hearer, neither
teacher nor scholar, neither master nor servant, etc. In the matter of
salvation, rank, learning, righteousness, influence count for nothing.
With
this statement Paul deals a death blow to the Law. When a person has put on
Christ nothing else matters. Whether a person is a Jew, a punctilious and
circumcised observer of the Law of Moses, or whether a person is a noble and
wise Greek does not matter. Circumstances, personal worth, character,
achievements have no bearing upon justification. Before God they count for
nothing. What counts is that we put on Christ.
Whether
a servant performs his duties well; whether those who are in authority govern
wisely; whether a man marries, provides for his family, and is an honest
citizen; whether a woman is chaste, obedient to her husband, and a good mother:
all these advantages do not qualify a person for salvation. These virtues are
commendable, of course; but they do not count points for justification. All the
best laws, ceremonies, religions, and deeds of the world cannot take away sin
guilt, cannot dispatch death, cannot purchase life.
There
is much disparity among men in the world, but there is no such disparity before
God. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
(Romans
There is much imparity among men in the
world. And it is a good thing. If the woman would change places with the man,
if the son would change places with the father, the servant with the master,
nothing but confusion would result. In Christ, however, all are equal. We all
have one and the same Gospel, "one faith, one baptism, one God and Father
of all," one Christ and Savior of all. The Christ of Peter, Paul, and all
the saints is our Christ. Paul can always be depended on to add the conditional
clause, "In Christ Jesus." If we lose sight of Christ, we lose out.
"If ye be Christ's" means, if you
believe in Christ. If you believe in Christ, then are you the children of
Abraham indeed. Through our faith in Christ Abraham gains paternity over us and
over the nations of the earth according to the promise: "In thy seed shall
all the nations of the earth be blessed." Through faith we belong to Christ
and Christ to us.
THE Apostle had apparently finished his
discourse on justification when this illustration of the youthful heir occurred
to him. He throws it in for good measure. He knows that plain people are sooner
impressed by an apt illustration than by learned discussion.
"I
want to give you another illustration from everyday life," he writes to
the Galatians. "As long as an heir is under age he is treated very much
like a servant. He is not permitted to order his own affairs. He is kept under
constant surveillance. Such discipline is good for him,
otherwise he would waste his inheritance in no time. This discipline, however,
is not to last forever. It is to last only until 'the time appointed of the
father.' "
As children of the Law we were treated like
servants and prisoners. We were oppressed and condemned by the Law. But the
tyranny of the Law is not to last forever. It is to last only until "the
time appointed of the father," until Christ came and redeemed us.
By the elements of the world the Apostle
does not understand the physical elements, as some have thought. In calling the
Law "the elements of the world" Paul means
to say that the Law is something material, mundane, earthly. It may restrain
evil, but it does not deliver from sin. The Law does not justify; it does not
bring a person to heaven. I do not obtain eternal life because I do not kill, commit adultery, steal, etc. Such mere outward decency
does not constitute Christianity. The heathen observe the same restraints to
avoid punishment or to secure the advantages of a good reputation. In the last
analysis such restraint is simple hypocrisy. When the Law exercises its higher
function it accuses and condemns the conscience. All these effects of the Law
cannot be called divine or heavenly. These effects are elements of the world.
In
calling the Law the elements of the world Paul refers to the whole Law,
principally to the ceremonial law which dealt with external matters, as meat,
drink, dress, places, times, feasts, cleansings, sacrifices, etc. These are
mundane matters which cannot save the sinner. Ceremonial laws are like the
statutes of governments dealing with purely civil matters, as commerce,
inheritance, etc. As for the pope's church laws forbidding marriage and meats,
Paul calls them elsewhere the doctrines of devils. You would not call such laws
elements of heaven.
The
Law of Moses deals with mundane matters. It holds the mirror to the evil which
is in the world. By revealing the evil that is in us it creates a longing in
the heart for the better things of God. The Law forces us into the arms of
Christ, "who is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that
believeth." (Romans 1:4.) Christ relieves the conscience of the Law. In so
far as the Law impels us to Christ it renders excellent service.
I
do not mean to give the impression that the Law should be despised. Neither
does Paul intend to leave that impression. The Law ought to be honored. But
when it is a matter of justification before God, Paul had to speak
disparagingly of the Law, because the Law has nothing to do with justification.
If it thrusts its nose into the business of justification we must talk harshly
to the Law to keep it in its place. The conscience ought not to be on speaking
terms with the Law. The conscience ought to know only Christ. To say this is
easy, but in times of trial, when the conscience writhes in the presence of
God, it is not so easy to do. As such times we are to believe in Christ as if
there were no Law or sin anywhere, but only Christ. We ought to say to the Law:
"Mister Law, I do not get you. You stutter so much. I don't think that you
have anything to say to me."
When
it is not a question of salvation or justification with us, we are to think
highly of the Law and call it "holy, just, and good." (Romans 7:12)
The Law is of no comfort to a stricken conscience. Therefore it should not be
allowed to rule in our conscience, particularly in view of the fact that Christ
paid so great a price to deliver the conscience from the tyranny of the Law.
Let us understand that the Law and Christ are impossible bedfellows. The Law
must leave the bed of the conscience, which is so narrow that it cannot hold two,
as Isaiah says, chapter 28, verse 20.
Only
Paul among the apostles calls the Law "the elements of the world, weak and
beggarly elements, the strength of sin, the letter that killeth," etc. The
other apostles do not speak so slightingly of the Law. Those who want to be
first-class scholars in the
"The fullness of the time" means when
the time of the Law was fulfilled and Christ was revealed. Note how Paul
explains Christ. "Christ," says he, "is
the Son of God and the son of a woman. He submitted Himself under the Law to
redeem us who were under the Law." In these words the Apostle explains the
person and office of Christ. His person is divine and human. "God sent
forth His Son, made of a woman." Christ therefore is true God and true
man. Christ's office the Apostle describes in the words: "Made under the
law, to redeem them that were under the law."
Paul
calls the Virgin Mary a woman. This has been frequently deplored even by some
of the ancient fathers who felt that Paul should have written
"virgin" instead of woman. But Paul is now treating of faith and
Christian righteousness, of the person and office of Christ, not of the
virginity of Mary. The inestimable mercy of God is sufficiently set forth by
the fact that His Son was born of a woman. The more general term
"woman" indicates that Christ was born a true man. Paul does not say
that Christ was born of man and woman, but only of woman. That he has a virgin
in mind is obvious.
This
passage furthermore declares that Christ's purpose in coming was the abolition
of the Law, not with the intention of laying down new laws, but "to redeem
them that were under the law." Christ himself declared: "I judge no
man." (John
How
did Christ manage to redeem us? "He was made under the law." When
Christ came He found us all in prison. What did He do about it? Although He was
the Lord of the Law, He voluntarily placed Himself under the Law and permitted
it to exercise dominion over Him, indeed to accuse and to condemn Him. When the
Law takes us into judgment it has a perfect right to do so. "For
we are by nature the children of wrath, even as others." (Eph.
2:3.) Christ, however, "did no sin, neither was guile found in his
mouth." (I Pet.
It
is truly amazing that the Law had the effrontery to turn upon its divine
Author, and that without a show of right. For its insolence the Law in turn was
arraigned before the judgment seat of God and condemned. Christ might have
overcome the Law by an exercise of His omnipotent authority over the Law.
Instead, He humbled Himself under the Law for and together with them that were
under the Law. He gave the Law license to accuse and condemn Him. His present
mastery over the Law was obtained by virtue of His Sonship and His
substitutionary victory.
Thus
Christ banished the Law from the conscience. It dare no longer banish us from
God. For that matter, -- the Law continues to reveal sin. It still raises its
voice in condemnation. But the conscience finds quick relief in the words of
the Apostle: "Christ has redeemed us from the law." The conscience
can now hold its head high and say to the Law: "You are not so holy
yourself. You crucified the Son of God. That was an awful thing for you to do.
You have lost your influence forever."
The
words, "Christ was made under the law," are worth all the attention
we can bestow on them. They declare that the Son of God did not only fulfill
one or two easy requirements of the Law, but that He endured all the tortures of
the Law. The Law brought all its fright to bear upon Christ until He
experienced anguish and terror such as nobody else ever experienced. His bloody sweat. His need of angelic comfort, His tremulous
prayer in the garden, His lamentation on the Cross, "My God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me?" bear eloquent witness to the sting of the Law. He
suffered "to redeem them that were under the law."
The
Roman conception of Christ as a mere lawgiver more stringent than Moses, is quite contrary to Paul's teaching. Christ,
according to Paul, was not an agent of the Law but a patient of the Law. He was
not a law-giver, but a law-taker.
True
enough, Christ also taught and expounded the Law. But it was incidental. It was
a sideline with Him. He did not come into the world for the purpose of teaching
the Law, as little as it was the purpose of His coming to perform miracles.
Teaching the Law and performing miracles did not constitute His unique mission
to the world. The prophets also taught the Law and performed miracles. In fact,
according to the promise of Christ, the apostles performed greater miracles
than Christ Himself. (John
If
we think of Christ as Paul here depicts Him, we shall never go wrong. We shall
never be in danger of misconstruing the meaning of the Law. We shall understand
that the Law does not justify. We shall understand why a Christian observes
laws: For the peace of the world, out of gratitude to God, and for a good
example that others may be attracted to the Gospel.
Paul still has for his text Genesis
What
ever induced God to adopt us for His children and heirs? What claim can men who are subservient to sin, subject to the
curse of the Law, and worthy of everlasting death, have on God and eternal
life? That God adopted us is due to the merit of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
who humbled Himself under the Law and redeemed us law-ridden sinners.
In the early Church the Holy Spirit was
sent forth in visible form. He descended upon Christ in the form of a dove (Matt.
Next,
the Holy Ghost is sent forth into the hearts of the believers, as here stated,
"God sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts." This sending is
accomplished by the preaching of the Gospel through which the Holy Spirit
inspires us with fervor and light, with new judgment, new desires, and new
motives. This happy innovation is not a derivative of reason or personal
development, but solely the gift and operation of the Holy Ghost.
This
renewal by the Holy Spirit may not be conspicuous to the world, but it is
patent to us by our better judgment, our improved speech, and our unashamed
confession of Christ. Formerly we did not confess Christ to be our only merit,
as we do now in the light of the Gospel. Why, then, should we feel bad if the
world looks upon us as ravagers of religion and insurgents against constituted
authority? We confess Christ and our conscience approves of it.
Then,
too, we live in the fear of God. If we sin, we sin not on purpose, but
unwittingly, and we are sorry for it. Sin sticks in our flesh, and the flesh
gets us into sin even after we have been imbued by the Holy Ghost. Outwardly
there is no great difference between a Christian and any honest man. The
activities of a Christian are not sensational. He performs his duty according
to his vocation. He takes good care of his family, and is kind and helpful to
others. Such homely, everyday performances are not much admired. But the
setting-up exercises of the monks draw great applause. Holy works, you know.
Only the acts of a Christian are truly good and acceptable to God, because they
are done in faith, with a cheerful heart, out of gratitude to Christ.
We
ought to have no misgivings about whether the Holy Ghost dwells in us. We are "the
temple of the Holy Ghost." (I Cor.
The
Roman theologians teach that no man can know for a certainty whether he stands
in the favor of God or not. This teaching forms one of the chief articles of
their faith. With this teaching they tormented men's consciences,
excommunicated Christ from the Church, and limited the operations of the Holy
Ghost.
This
inner assurance of the grace of God is accompanied by outward indications such
as gladly to hear, preach, praise, and to confess Christ, to do one's duty in
the station in which God has placed us, to aid the needy, and to comfort the
sorrowing. These are the affidavits of the Holy Spirit testifying to our
favorable standing with God.
If
we could be fully persuaded that we are in the good grace of God, that our sins
are forgiven, that we have the Spirit of Christ, that we are the beloved
children of God, we would be ever so happy and grateful to God. But because we
often feel fear and doubt we cannot come to that happy certainty.
Train
your conscience to believe that God approves of you. Fight it out with doubt.
Gain assurance through the Word of God. Say: "I am all right with God. I
have the Holy Ghost. Christ, in whom I do believe, makes me worthy. I gladly
hear, read, sing, and write of Him. I would like nothing better than that
Christ's Gospel be known throughout the world and that many, many be brought to
faith in Him."
Paul might have written, "God sent
forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, calling Abba, Father."
Instead, he wrote, "Crying, Abba, Father." In the eighth chapter of
the Epistle to the Romans the Apostle describes this crying of the Spirit as
"groanings which cannot be uttered." He writes in the 26th verse:
"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we
should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us
with groanings which cannot be uttered."
The
fact that the Spirit of Christ in our hearts cries unto God and makes
intercession for us with groanings should reassure us greatly. However, there
are many factors that prevent such full reassurance on our part. We are born in
sin. To doubt the good will of God is an inborn suspicion of God with all of
us. Besides, the devil, our adversary, goeth about seeking to devour us by
roaring: "God is angry at you and is going to destroy you forever."
ln all these difficulties we have only one support, the Gospel of Christ. To
hold on to it, that is the trick. Christ cannot be perceived with the senses.
We cannot see Him. The heart does not feel His helpful presence. Especially in
times of trials a Christian feels the power of sin, the infirmity of his flesh,
the goading darts of the devil, the agues of death, the scowl and judgment of
God. All these things cry out against us. The Law scolds us, sin screams at us,
death thunders at us, the devil roars at us. In the midst of the clamor the
Spirit of Christ cries in our hearts: "Abba, Father." And this little
cry of the Spirit transcends the hullabaloo of the Law, sin, death, and the
devil, and finds a hearing with God.
The
Spirit cries in us because of our weakness. Because of our infirmity the Holy
Ghost is sent forth into our hearts to pray for us according to the will of God
and to assure us of the grace of God.
Let
the Law, sin, and the devil cry out against us until their outcry fills heaven
and earth. The Spirit of God outcries them all. Our
feeble groans, "Abba, Father," will be heard of God sooner than the
combined racket of hell, sin, and the Law.
We
do not think of our groanings as a crying. It is so faint we do not know we are
groaning. "But he," says Paul, "that searcheth the hearts
knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit." (Romans
In
the fourteenth chapter of Exodus the Lord addresses Moses at the
Some
have claimed that the saints are without infirmities. But Paul says: "The
Spirit helpeth our infirmities, and maketh intercession for us with groanings
which cannot be uttered." We need the help of the Holy Spirit because we
are weak and infirm. And the Holy Spirit never disappoints us. Confronted by
the armies of Pharaoh, retreat cut off by the waters of the
The
Spirit intercedes for us not in many words or long prayers, but with groanings,
with little sounds like "Abba." Small as this word is, it says ever
so much. It says: "My Father, I am in great trouble and you seem so far
away. But I know I am your child, because you are my Father for Christ's sake.
I am loved by you because of the Beloved." This one little word
"Abba" surpasses the eloquence of a Demosthenes and a Cicero.
I
have spent much time on this verse in order to combat the cruel teaching of the
Roman church, that a person ought to be kept in a
state of uncertainty concerning his status with God. The monasteries recruit
the youth on the plea that their "holy" orders will assuredly recruit
them for heaven. But once inside the monastery the recruits are told to doubt
the promises of God.
In
support of their error the papists quote the saying of Solomon: "The
righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man
knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them." (Eccles. 9:1.)
They take this hatred to mean the wrath of God to come. Others take it to mean
God's present anger. None of them seem to understand this passage from Solomon.
On every page the Scriptures urge us to believe that God is merciful, loving,
and patient; that He is faithful and true, and that He keeps His promises. All
the promises of God were fulfilled in the gift of His only-begotten Son, that
"whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life." The Gospel is reassurance for sinners. Yet this one saying from
Solomon, misinterpreted at that, is made to count for more than all the many
promises of all the Scriptures.
If
our opponents are so uncertain about their status with God, and even go so far
as to say that the conscience ought to be kept in a state of doubt, why is it
that they persecute us as vile heretics? When it comes to persecuting us they
do not seem to be in doubt and uncertainty one minute.
Let
us not fail to thank God for delivering us from the doctrine of doubt. The
Gospel commands us to look away from our own good works to the promises of God
in Christ, the Mediator. The pope commands us to look away from the promises of
God in Christ to our own merit. No wonder they are the eternal prey of doubt
and despair. We depend upon God for salvation. No wonder that our doctrine is
certified, because it does not rest in our own strength, our own conscience,
our own feelings, our own person, our own works. It is built on a better
foundation. It is built on the promises and truth of God.
Besides,
the passage from Solomon does not treat of the hatred and love of God towards
men. It merely rebukes the ingratitude of men. The more deserving a person is,
the less he is appreciated. Often those who should be his best friends, are his worst enemies. Those who least deserve the
praise of the world, get most. David was a holy man and a good king.
Nevertheless he was chased from his own country. The prophets, Christ, the
apostles, were slain. Solomon in this passage does not speak of the love and
hatred of God, but of love and hatred among men. As though Solomon wanted to say: "There are many good and wise men whom God uses
for the advancement of mankind. Seldom, if ever, are their efforts crowned with
gratitude. They are usually repaid with hatred and ingratitude."
We
are being treated that way. We thought we would find favor with men for
bringing them the Gospel of peace, life, and eternal salvation. Instead of
favor, we found fury. At first, yes, many were delighted with our doctrine and
received it gladly. We counted them as our friends and brethren, and were happy
to think that they would help us in sowing the seed of the Gospel. But they
revealed themselves as false brethren and deadly enemies of the Gospel. If you
experience the ingratitude of men, don't let it get you down. Say with Christ:
"They hated me without cause." And, "For my love they are my
adversaries; but I give myself unto prayer." (Ps. 109:4.)
Let
us never doubt the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, but make up our minds that God
is pleased with us, that He looks after us, and that we have the Holy Spirit
who prays for us.
This sentence clinches Paul's argument. He
says: "With the Holy Spirit in our hearts crying, 'Abba, Father,' there
can be no doubt that God has adopted us for His children and that our
subjection to the Law has come to an end." We are now the free children of
God. We may now say to the Law: "Mister Law, you have lost your throne to
Christ. I am free now and a son of God. You cannot curse me any more." Do
not permit the Law to lie in your conscience. Your conscience belongs to
Christ. Let Christ be in it and not the Law.
As
the children of God we are the heirs of His eternal heaven. What a wonderful
gift heaven is, man's heart cannot conceive, much less describe. Until we enter
upon our heavenly inheritance we are only to have our little faith to go by. To
man's reason our faith looks rather forlorn. But because our faith rests on the
promises of the infinite God, His promises are also infinite, so much so that
nothing can accuse or condemn us.
A son is an heir, not by virtue of high
accomplishments, but by virtue of his birth. He is a mere recipient. His birth
makes him an heir, not his labors. In exactly the same way we obtain the
eternal gifts of righteousness, resurrection, and everlasting life. We obtain
them not as agents, but as beneficiaries. We are the children and heirs of God
through faith in Christ. We have Christ to thank for everything.
We
are not the heirs of some rich and mighty man, but heirs of God, the almighty
Creator of all things. If a person could fully appreciate what it means to be a
son and heir of God, he would rate the might and wealth of nations
small change in comparison with his heavenly inheritance. What is the world to
him who has heaven? No wonder Paul greatly desired to depart and to be with
Christ. Nothing would be more welcome to us than early death, knowing that it
would spell the end of all our miseries and the beginning of all our happiness.
Yes, if a person could perfectly believe this he would not long remain alive.
The anticipation of his joy would kill him.
But
the law of the members strives against the law of the mind, and makes perfect
joy and faith impossible. We need the continued help and comfort of the Holy
Spirit. We need His prayers. Paul himself cried out: "O wretched man that
I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death
?" The body of this death spoiled the joy of his spirit. He did not
always entertain the sweet and glad expectation of his heavenly inheritance. He
often felt miserable.
This
goes to show how hard it is to believe. Faith is feeble, because the flesh wars
against the spirit. If we could have perfect faith, our loathing for this life
in the world would be complete. We would not be so careful about this life. We
would not be so attached to the world and the things of the world. We would not
feel so good when we have them; we would not feel so bad when we lose them. We
would be far more humble and patient and kind. But our faith is weak, because
our spirit is weak. In this life we can have only the first-fruits of the
Spirit, as Paul says.
The Apostle always has Christ on the tip of
his tongue. He foresaw that nothing would be less known in the world some day
than the Gospel of Christ. Therefore he talks of Christ continually. As often
as he speaks of righteousness, grace, the promise, the adoption, and the
inheritance of heaven, he adds the words, "In Christ," or
"Through Christ," to show that these blessings are not to be had by
the Law, or the deeds of the Law, much less by our own exertions, or by the
observance of human traditions, but only by and through and in Christ.
This concludes Paul's discourse on
justification. From now to the end of the Epistle the Apostle writes mostly of
Christian conduct. But before he follows up his doctrinal discourse with
practical precepts he once more reproves the Galatians. He is deeply displeased
with them for relinquishing their divine doctrine. He tells them: "You
have taken on teachers who intend to recommit you to the Law. By my doctrine I
called you out of the darkness of ignorance into the wonderful light of the
knowledge of God. I led you out of bondage into the freedom of the sons of God,
not by the prescription of laws, but by the gift of heavenly and eternal
blessings through Christ Jesus. How could you so soon forsake the light and
return to darkness? How could you so quickly stray from grace into the Law,
from freedom into bondage?"
The
example of the Galatians, of Anabaptists, and other sectarians in our day bears
testimony to the ease with which faith may be lost. We take great pains in
setting forth the doctrine of faith by preaching and by writing. We are careful
to apply the Gospel and the Law in their proper turn. Yet we make little
headway because the devil seduces people into misbelief by taking Christ out of
their sight and focusing their eyes upon the Law.
But
why does Paul accuse the Galatians of reverting to the weak and beggarly
elements of the Law when they never had the Law? Why does he not say to them:
"At one time you Galatians did not know God. You
then served idols that were no gods. But now that you have come to know the
true God, why do you go back to the worship of idols?" Paul seems to
identify their defection from the Gospel to the Law with their former idolatry.
Indeed he does. Whoever gives up the article of justification does not know the
true God. It is one and the same thing whether a person reverts to the Law or
to the worship of idols. When the article of justification is lost, nothing
remains except error, hypocrisy, godlessness, and idolatry.
God
will and can be known in no other way than in and through Christ according to
the statement of John
Those
who do not know God in Christ arrive at this erroneous conclusion: "I will
serve God in such and such a way. I will join this or that order. I will be
active in this or that charitable endeavor. God will sanction my good
intentions and reward me with everlasting life. For is He not a merciful and
generous Father who gives good things even to the unworthy and ungrateful? How
much more will He grant unto me everlasting life as a due payment in return for
my many good deeds and merits." This is the
religion of reason. This is the natural religion of the world. "The
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. (I Cor.
Is
it therefore not extreme folly for
God
never promised to save anybody for his religious observance of ceremonies and
ordinances. Those who rely upon such things do serve a god, but it is their own
invention of a god, and not the true God. The true God has this to say: No
religion pleases Me whereby the Father is not
glorified through His Son Jesus. All who give their faith to this Son of Mine, to them I am God and Father. I accept, justify, and
save them. All others abide under My curse because
they worship creatures instead of Me. Without the doctrine of justification
there can be only ignorance of God. Those who refuse to be justified by Christ
are idolaters. They remain under the Law, sin, death, and the power of the
devil. Everything they do is wrong.
Nowadays
there are many such idolaters who want to be counted among the true confessors
of the Gospel. They may even teach that men are delivered from their sins by
the death of Christ. But because they attach more importance to charity than to
faith in Christ they dishonor Him and pervert His Word. They do not serve the
true God, but an idol of their own invention. The true God has never yet smiled
upon a person for his charity or virtues, but only for the sake of Christ's
merits.
The
objection is frequently raised that the Bible commands that we should love God
with all our heart. True enough. But because God commands it, it does not
follow that we do it. If we could love God with all our heart we should
undoubtedly be justified by our obedience, for it is written, "Which if a
man do, he shall live in them." (Lev. 18:5.) But now comes the Gospel and
says: "Because you do not do these things, you cannot live in them."
The words, "Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God," require perfect
obedience, perfect fear, perfect trust, and perfect love. But where are the
people who can render perfection? Hence, this commandment, instead of
justifying men, only accuses and condemns them. "Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to every one that believeth" (Romans 10:1.)
How
may these two contradictory statements of the Apostle, "Ye knew not God," and "Ye worshipped God," be reconciled?
I answer: By nature all men know that there is a God, "because that which
may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath showed it unto them. For
the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly
seen." (Romans
If
all men know God how can Paul say that the Galatians did not know God prior to
the hearing of the Gospel? I answer: There is a twofold knowledge of God,
general and particular. All men have the general and instinctive recognition
that there is a God who created heaven and earth, who is just and holy, and who
punishes the wicked. How God feels about us, what His intentions are, what He
will do for us, or how He will save us, that men
cannot know instinctively. It must be revealed to them. I may know a person by
sight, and still not know him, because I do not know how he feels about me. Men
know instinctively that there is a God. But what His will is toward them, they
do not know. It is written: "There is none that understandeth God."
(Romans
What
Paul means by saying to the Galatians, "When ye knew not God," is
simply this: "There was a time when you did not know the will of God in
Christ, but you worshipped gods of your own invention, thinking that you had to
perform this or that labor."
Whether
you understand the "elements of the world" to mean the Law of Moses,
or the religions of the heathen nations, it makes no difference. Those who
lapse from the Gospel to the Law are no better off than those who lapse from
grace into idolatry. Without Christ all religion is idolatry. Without Christ
men will entertain false ideas about God, call their ideas what you like, the
laws of Moses, the ordinances of the Pope, the Koran of the Mohammedans, or
what have you.
"Is it not amazing," cries Paul,
"that you Galatians who knew God intimately by the hearing of the Gospel,
should all of a sudden revert from the true knowledge of His will in which I
thought you were confirmed, to the weak and beggarly elements of the Law which
can only enslave you again?"
The Apostle turns the foregoing sentence around.
He fears the Galatians have lost God altogether. "Alas," he cries,
"have you come to this, that you no longer know God? What else am I to
think? Nevertheless, God knows you." Our knowledge of God is rather
passive than active. God knows us better than we know God. "Ye are known
of God" means that God brings His Gospel to our attention, and endows us
with faith and the Holy Spirit. Even in these words the Apostle denies the
possibility of our knowing God by the performance of the Law. "No man
knoweth who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal
him." (Luke
The
Apostle frankly expresses his surprise to the Galatians that they who had known
God intimately through the Gospel, should so easily be persuaded by the false
apostles to return to the weak and beggarly elements of the Law. I would not be
surprised to see my church perverted by some fanatic through one or two
sermons. We are no better than the apostles who had to witness the subversion
of the churches which they had planted with their own hands. Nevertheless,
Christ will reign to the end of the world, and that miraculously, as He did
during the Dark Ages.
Paul
seems to think rather ill of the Law. He calls it the elements of the world,
the weak and beggarly elements of the world. Was it not irreverent for him to
speak that way about the holy Law of God? The Law ought to prepare the way of
Christ into the hearts of men. That is the true purpose and function of the
Law. But if the Law presumes to usurp the place and function of the Gospel, it
is no longer the holy Law of God, but a pseudo-Gospel.
If
you care to amplify this matter you may add the observation that the Law is a
weak and beggarly element because it makes people weak and beggarly. The Law
has no power and affluence to make men strong and rich before God. To seek to
be justified by the Law amounts to the same thing as if a person who is already
weak and feeble should try to find strength in weakness, or as if a person with
the dropsy should seek a cure by exposing himself to the pestilence, or as if a
leper should go to a leper, and a beggar to a beggar to find health and wealth.
Those
who seek to be justified by the Law grow weaker and more destitute right along.
They are weak and bankrupt to begin with. They are by nature the children of
wrath. Yet for salvation they grasp at the straw of the Law. The Law can only
aggravate their weakness and poverty. The Law makes them ten times weaker and
poorer than they were before.
I
and many others have experienced the truth of this. I have known monks who zealously labored to please God for salvation, but
the more they labored the more impatient, miserable, uncertain, and fearful
they became. What else can you expect? You cannot grow strong through weakness
and rich through poverty. People who prefer the Law to the Gospel are like
Aesop's dog who let go of the meat to snatch at the
shadow of the water. There is no satisfaction in the Law. What satisfaction can
there be in collecting laws with which to torment oneself and others? One law
breeds ten more until their number is legion.
Who
would have thought it possible that the Galatians, taught as they were by that
efficient apostle and teacher, Paul, could so quickly be led astray by the
false apostles? To fall away from the Gospel is an easy matter because few
people appreciate what an excellent treasure the knowledge of Christ really is.
People are not sufficiently exercised in their faith by afflictions. They do
not wrestle against sin. They live in security without conflict. Because they
have never been tried in the furnace of affliction they are not properly
equipped with the armor of God and know not how to use the sword of the Spirit.
As long as they are being shepherded by faithful pastors, all is well. But when
their faithful shepherds are gone and wolves disguised as sheep break into the
fold, back they go to the weak and beggarly elements of the Law.
Whoever
goes back to the Law loses the knowledge of the truth, fails in the recognition
of his sinfulness, does not know God, nor the devil, nor
himself, and does not understand the meaning and purpose of the Law. Without
the knowledge of Christ a man will always argue that the Law is necessary for
salvation, that it will strengthen the weak and enrich the poor. Wherever this
opinion holds sway the promises of God are denied, Christ is demoted, hypocrisy
and idolatry are established.
The Apostle pointedly asks the Galatians
whether they desire to be in bondage again to the Law. The Law is weak and poor, the sinner is weak and poor Ñ two feeble beggars
trying to help each other. They cannot do it. They only wear each other out.
But
through
Christ a weak and poor sinner is revived and enriched
unto eternal life.
The Apostle Paul knew what the false
apostles were teaching the Galatians: The observance of days, and months, and
times, and years. The Jews had been obliged to keep holy the Sabbath Day, the
new moons, the feast of the passover, the feast of
tabernacles, and other feasts. The false apostles constrained the Galatians to
observe these Jewish feasts under threat of damnation. Paul hastens to tell the
Galatians that they were exchanging their Christian liberty for the weak and
beggarly elements of the world.
It grieves the Apostle to think that he
might have preached the Gospel to the Galatians in vain. But this statement
expresses more than grief. Behind his apparent disappointment at their failure
lurks the sharp reprimand that they had forsaken Christ and that they were
proving themselves to be obstinate unbelievers. But he does not openly condemn
them for fear that oversharp criticism might alienate them altogether. He
therefore changes the tone of his voice and speaks kindly to them.
Up to this point Paul has been occupied
with the doctrinal aspect of the apostasy of the Galatians. He did not conceal
his disappointment at their lack of stability. He had rebuked them. He had
called them fools, crucifiers of Christ, etc. Now that the more important part
of his Epistle has been finished, he realizes that he has handled the Galatians
too roughly. Anxious lest he should do more harm than good, he is careful to
let them see that his criticism proceeds from affection and a true apostolic
concern for their welfare. He is eager to mitigate his sharp words with gentle
sentiments in order to win them again.
Like
Paul, all pastors and ministers ought to have much sympathy for their poor
straying sheep, and instruct them in the spirit of meekness. They cannot be
straightened out in any other way. Oversharp criticism provokes anger and
despair, but no repentance. And here let us note, by the way, that true
doctrine always produces concord. When men embrace errors, the tie of Christian
love is broken.
At
the beginning of the Reformation we were honored as the true ministers of
Christ. Suddenly certain false brethren began to hate us. We had given them no
offense, no occasion to hate us. They knew then as they know now that ours is
the singular desire to publish the Gospel of Christ everywhere. What changed
their attitude toward us? False doctrine. Seduced into
error by the false apostles, the Galatians refused to acknowledge
Paul
knew that the false apostles would misconstrue his censure of the Galatians to
their own advantage and say: "So this is your Paul whom you praise so
much. What sweet names he is calling you in his letter. When he was with you he
acted like a father, but now he acts like a dictator." Paul knew what to
expect of the false apostles and therefore he is worried. He does not know what
to say. It is hard for a man to defend his cause at a distance, especially when
he has reason to think that he personally has fallen into disfavor.
In beseeching the Galatians to be as he is,
Paul expresses the hope that they might hold the same affection for him that he
holds for them. "Perhaps I have been a little hard with you. Forgive it.
Do not judge my heart according to my words."
We
request the same consideration for ourselves. Our way of writing is incisive
and straightforward. But there is no bitterness in our heart. We seek the honor
of Christ and the welfare of men. We do not hate the Pope as to wish him ill.
We do not desire the death of our false brethren. We desire that they may turn
from their evil ways to Christ and be saved with us. A teacher chastises the
pupil to reform him. The rod hurts, but correction is necessary. A father
punishes his son because he loves his son. If he did not love the lad he would
not punish him but let him have his own way in everything until he comes to
harm. Paul beseeches the Galatians to look upon his correction as a sign that
he really cared for them. "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be
joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit
of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Heb.
Although
Paul seeks to soften the effect of his reproachful words, he does not take them
back. When a physician administers a bitter potion to a patient, he does it to
cure the patient. The fact that the medicine is bitter is no fault of the
physician. The malady calls for a bitter medicine. Paul wants the Galatians to
judge his words according to the situation that made them necessary.
Would you call it beseeching the Galatians
to call them "bewitched," "disobedient," "crucifiers
of Christ"? The Apostle calls it an earnest beseeching. And so it is. When
a father corrects his son it means as if he were saying, "My son, I
beseech you, be a good boy."
"I am not angry with you," says
Paul. "Why should I be angry with you, since you have done me no injury at
all?"
To
this the Galatians reply: "Why, then, do you say that we are perverted,
that we have forsaken the true doctrine, that we are foolish, bewitched, etc.,
if you are not angry? We must have offended you somehow."
Paul
answers: "You Galatians have not injured me. You have injured yourselves.
I chide you not because I wish you ill. I have no reason to wish you ill. God
is my witness, you have done me no wrong. On the
contrary, you have been very good to me. The reason I write to you is because I
love you."
The
bitter potion must be sweetened with honey and sugar to make it palatable. When
parents have punished their children they give them
apples, pears, and other good things to show them that they mean well.
"You Galatians were very good to me.
When I began to preach the Gospel to you in the infirmity of my flesh and in
great temptation you were not at all offended. On the contrary, you were so
loving, so kind, so friendly towards me, you received
me like an angel, like Jesus Himself."
Indeed,
the Galatians are to be commended for receiving the Gospel from a man as
unimposing and afflicted all around as Paul was. Wherever he preached the
Gospel, Jews and Gentiles raved against him. All the influential and religious
people of his day denounced him. But the Galatians did not mind it. That was
greatly to their honor. And Paul does not neglect to praise them for it. This
praise Paul bestows on none of the other churches to which he wrote.
When
Paul speaks of the infirmity of his flesh he does not mean some physical defect
or carnal lust, but the sufferings and afflictions which he endured in his
body. What these infirmities were he himself explains in II Corinthians 12:9,
10: "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in
infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for
Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." And in the eleventh
chapter of the same Epistle the Apostle writes: "In labors more abundant,
in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews
five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods,
once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck," etc. (II Cor.
Now,
the afflictions of the believers always offend people. Paul knew it and
therefore has high praise for the Galatians because they over looked his
afflictions and received him like an angel. Christ forewarned the faithful
against the offense of the Cross, saying: "Blessed is he, whosoever shall
not be offended in me." (Matt. 11:6.) Surely it is no easy thing to
confess Him Lord of all and Savior of the world who was a reproach of men, and
despised of the people, and the laughing stock of the world. (Ps. 22:7.) I say,
to value this poor Christ, so spitefully scorned, spit upon, scourged, and
crucified, more than the riches of the richest, the strength of the strongest,
the wisdom of the wisest, is something. It is worth being called blessed.
Paul
not only had outward afflictions but also inner, spiritual afflictions. He
refers to these in lI Corinthians 7:6, "Without were fightings, within
were fears." In his letter to the Philippians Paul
makes mention of the restoration of Epaphroditus as a special act of mercy on
the part of God, "lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow."
Considering
the many afflictions of Paul, we are not surprised to hear him loudly praising
the Galatians for not being offended at him as others were. The world thinks us
mad because we go about to comfort, to help, to save others while we ourselves
are in distress. People tell us: "Physician, heal thyself."
(Luke
The
Apostle tells the Galatians that he will keep their kindness in perpetual remembrance.
Indirectly, he also reminds them how much they had loved him before the
invasion of the false apostles, and gives them a hint that they should return
to their first love for him.
"How much happier you used to be. And how you Galatians used to tell me that you were blessed.
And how much did I not praise and commend you formerly." Paul reminds them
of former and better times in an effort to mitigate his sharp reproaches, lest
the false apostles should slander him and misconstrue his letter to his
disadvantage and to their own advantage. Such snakes in the grass are equal to
anything. They will pervert words spoken from a sincere heart and twist them to
mean just the opposite of what they were intended to convey. They are like
spiders that suck venom out of sweet and fragrant flowers. The poison is not in
the flowers, but it is the nature of the spider to turn what is good and
wholesome into poison.
The Apostle continues his praise of the
Galatians. "You did not only treat me very courteously. If it had been
necessary you would have plucked out your eyes and sacrificed your lives for
me." And in very fact the Galatians sacrificed their lives for Paul. By
receiving and maintaining Paul they called upon their own heads the hatred and
malice of all the Jews and Gentiles.
Nowadays
the name of Luther carries the same stigma. Whoever praises Luther is a worse
sinner than an idolater, perjurer, or thief.
Paul's reason for praising the Galatians is
to avoid giving them the impression as if he were their enemy because he had
reprimanded them.
A
true friend will admonish his erring brother, and if the erring brother has any
sense at all he will thank his friend. In the world truth produces hatred.
Whoever speaks the truth is counted an enemy. But among friends it is not so,
much less among Christians. The Apostle wants his Galatians to know that just
because he had told them the truth they are not to think that he dislikes them.
"I told you the truth because I love you."
Paul takes the false apostles to task for
their flattery. Satan's satellites softsoap the people.
Paul calls it "by good words and fair speeches to deceive the hearts of
the simple." (Romans
They
tell me that by my stubbornness in this doctrine of the Sacrament I am
destroying the harmony of the church. They say it would be better if we would
make some slight concession rather than cause such commotion and controversy in
the Church regarding an article which is not even one of the fundamental
doctrines. My reply is, cursed be any love or harmony which demands for its
preservation that we place the Word of God in jeopardy!
"Do you Galatians know why the false
apostles are so zealous about you? They expect you to reciprocate. And that
would leave me out. If their zeal were right they would not mind your loving
me. But they hate my doctrine and want to stamp it out. In order to bring this
to pass they go about to alienate your hearts from me and to make me obnoxious
to you." In this way Paul brings the false apostles into suspicion. He
questions their motives. He maintains that their zeal is mere pretense to
deceive the Galatians. Our Savior Christ also warned us, saying: "Beware
of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing." (Matt.
Paul
was considerably disturbed by the commissions and changes that followed in the
wake of his preaching. He was accused of being "a
pestilent fellow, a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the
world." (Acts 24:5.) In
All
troubles, calamities, famines, wars were laid to the charge of the Gospel of
the apostles. However, the apostles were not deterred by such calumnies from
preaching the Gospel. They knew that they "ought to obey God rather than
men," and that it was better for the world to be upset than to be ignorant
of Christ.
Do
you think for a moment that these reactions did not worry the apostles? They
were not made of iron. They foresaw the revolutionary character of the Gospel.
They also foresaw the dissensions that would creep into the Church. It was bad
news for Paul when he heard that the Corinthians were
denying the resurrection of the dead, that the churches he had planted were
experiencing all kinds of difficulties, and that the Gospel was being
supplanted by false doctrines.
But
Paul also knew that the Gospel was not to blame. He did not resign his office
because he knew that the Gospel he preached was the power of God unto salvation
to every one that believes.
The
same criticism which was leveled at the apostles is leveled at us. The doctrine
of the Gospel, we are told, is the cause of all the present unrest in the
world. There is no wrong that is not laid to our charge. But
why? We do not spread wicked lies. We preach the glad tidings of Christ. Our
opponents will bear us out when we say that we never fail to urge respect for
the constituted authorities, because that is the will of God. All of these
vilifications cannot discourage us. We know that there is nothing the devil
hates worse than the Gospel. It is one of his little tricks to blame the Gospel
for every evil in the world. Formerly, when the traditions of the fathers were
taught in the Church, the devil was not excited as he is now. It goes to show
that our doctrine is of God, else "behemoth would lie under shady trees, in
the covert of the reed, and fens." The fact that he is again walking about
as a roaring lion to stir up riots and disorders is a sure sign that he has
begun to feel the effect of our preaching.
"When
I was present with you, you loved me, although I preached the Gospel to you in
the infirmity of my flesh. The fact that I am now absent from you ought not to
change your attitude towards me. Although I am absent in the flesh, I am with
you in spirit and in my doctrine which you
ought to
retain by all means because through it you received the Holy Spirit."
With every single word the Apostle seeks to
regain the confidence of the Galatians. He now calls them lovingly his little
children. He adds the simile: "Of whom I travail in birth again." As parents
reproduce their physical characteristics in their children, so the apostles
reproduced their faith in the hearts of the hearers, until Christ was formed in
them. A person has the form of Christ when he believes in Christ to the
exclusion of everything else. This faith in Christ is engendered by the Gospel
as the Apostle declares in I Corinthians
At
the same time Paul indicts the false apostles. He says: "I have begotten
you Galatians through the Gospel, giving you the form of Christ. But these
false apostles are giving you a new form, the form of Moses." Note the
Apostle does not say, "Of whom I travail in birth again until I be formed in you," but "until Christ be formed in
you." The false apostles had torn the form of Christ out of the hearts of
the Galatians and substituted their own form. Paul endeavors to reform them, or
rather reform Christ in them.
A common saying has it that a letter is a
dead messenger. Something is lacking in all writing. You can never be sure how
the written page will affect the reader, because his mood, his circumstances,
his affections are so changeable. It is different with the spoken word. If it
is harsh and ill-timed it can always be remodeled. No wonder the Apostle expresses
the wish that he could speak to the Galatians in person. He could change his
voice according to their attitude. If he saw that they were repentant he could
soften the tone of his voice. If he saw that they were stubborn he could speak
to them more earnestly. This way he did not know how to deal with them by
letter. If his Epistle is too severe it will do more damage than good. If it is
too gentle, it will not correct conditions. But if he could be with them in
person he could change his voice as the occasion demanded.
"I do not know how to take you. I do
not know how to approach you by letter." In order to make sure that he
leaves no stone unturned in his effort to recall them to the Gospel of Christ,
he chides, entreats, praises, and blames the Galatians, trying every way to hit
the right note and tone of voice.
Here Paul would have closed his Epistle
because he did not know what else to say. He wishes he could see the Galatians
in person and straighten out their difficulties. But he is not sure whether the
Galatians have fully understood the difference between the Gospel and the Law.
To make sure, he introduces another illustration. He knows people like
illustrations and stories. He knows that Christ Himself made ample use of
parables.
Paul
is an expert at allegories. They are dangerous things. Unless a person has a
thorough knowledge of Christian doctrine he had better leave allegories alone.
The
allegory which Paul is about to bring is taken from the Book of Genesis which
he calls the Law. True, that book contains no mention of the Law. Paul simply
follows the custom of the Jews who included the first book of Moses in the
collective term, "Law." Jesus even included the Psalms.
This is Paul's allegory. Abraham had two
sons: Ishmael by Hagar, and Isaac by Sarah. They were both the true sons of
Abraham, with this difference, that Ishmael was born after the flesh, i. e.,
without the commandment and promise of God, while Isaac was born according to
the promise.
With
the permission of Sarah, Abraham took Hagar, Sarah's bondwoman, to wife. Sarah
knew that God had promised to make her husband Abraham the father of a nation,
and she hoped that she would be the mother of this promised nation. But with
the passage of the years her hope died out. In order that the promise of God
should not be annulled by her barrenness this holy woman resigned her right and
honor to her maid. This was no easy thing for her to do. She abased herself.
She thought: "God is no liar. What He has promised He will perform. But
perhaps God does not want me to be the mother of Abraham's posterity. Perhaps
He prefers Hagar for the honor."
Ishmael
was thus born without a special word or promise of God, at the mere request of
Sarah. God did not command Abraham to take Hagar, nor did God promise to bless
the coalition. It is evident that lshmael was the son of Abraham after the
flesh, and not after the promise.
In
the ninth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans St. Paul advances the same
argument which he amplifies into an allegory in writing to the Galatians. There
he argues that all the children of Abraham are not the children of God. For Abraham had two kinds of children, children born of the
promise, like Isaac, and other children born without the promise, as Ishmael.
With this argument Paul squelched the proud Jews who gloried that they were the
children of God because they were the seed and the children of Abraham. Paul
makes it clear enough that it takes more than an Abrahamic pedigree to be a
child of God. To be a child of God requires faith in Christ.
Allegories are not very convincing, but
like pictures they visualize a matter. If Paul had not brought in advance
indisputable arguments for the righteousness of faith over against the
righteousness of works this allegory would do little good. Having first
fortified his case with invincible arguments, he can afford to inject this
allegory to add impressiveness and beauty to his presentation.
In this allegory Abraham represents God.
Abraham had two sons, born respectively of Hagar and Sarah. The two women
represent the two Testaments. The Old Testament is
The
Jews regarded the conditional promises of the Law as if they were
unconditional. When the prophets foretold the destruction of
A little while ago Paul called
I
would have been tempted to call
To
show that the Law has been quite abolished, the earthly
The earthly
Do
not mistake this one word "above" to refer to the triumphant Church
in heaven, but to the militant Church on earth. In Philippians
Paul
quotes the allegorical prophecy of lsaiah to the effect that the mother of many
children must die desolately, while the barren woman shall have an abundance of
children. (Isaiah 54:1.) He applies this prophecy to Hagar and Sarah, to the
Law and the Gospel. The Law as the husband of the fruitful woman procreates
many children. For men of all ages have had the idea that they are right when
they follow after the Law and outwardly perform its requirements.
Although
the Law has many children, they are not free. They are slaves. As servants they
cannot have a share in the inheritance, but are driven from the house as
Ishmael was cast out of the house of Abraham. In fact the servants of the Law
are even now barred from the kingdom of light and liberty, for "he that
believeth not, is condemned already." (John
On
the other hand, Sarah, the free Church, seems barren.
The Gospel of the Cross which the Church proclaims does not have the appeal
that the Law has for men, and therefore it does not find many adherents. The
Church does not look prosperous. Unbelievers have always predicted the death of
the Church. The Jews were quite certain that the Church would not long endure.
They said to Paul: "As concerning this sect, we know
that everywhere it is spoken against." (Acts 28:22.)
No matter how barren and forsaken, how weak and desolate the Church may seem,
she alone is really fruitful before God. By the Gospel she procreates an
infinite number of children that are free heirs of everlasting life.
The
Law, "the old husband," is really dead. But not all people know it,
or want to know it. They labor and bear the burden and the heat of the day, and
bring forth many children, children that are bastards like themselves, children
born to be put out of the house like Ishmael to perish forever. Accursed be
that doctrine, life, and religion which endeavors to obtain righteousness
before God by the Law and its creeds.
The
scholastics think that the judicial and ceremonial laws of Moses were abolished
by the coming of Christ, but not the moral law. They are blind. When Paul
declares that we are delivered from the curse of the Law he means the whole
Law, particularly the moral law which more than the other laws accuses, curses,
and condemns the conscience. The Ten Commandments have no right to condemn that
conscience in which Jesus dwells, for Jesus has taken from the Ten Commandments
the right and power to curse us.
Not
as if the conscience is now insensitive to the terrors of the Law, but the Law
cannot drive the conscience to despair. "There is now no condemnation to
them which are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1.) "If the Son shall make
you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John
You
will complain: "But I am not doing anything." That is right. You
cannot do a thing to be delivered from the tyranny of the Law. But listen to
the glad tidings which the Holy Ghost brings to you in the words of the
prophet: "Rejoice, thou barren." As Christ is greater than the Law,
so much more excellent is the righteousness of Christ than the righteousness of
the Law.
In
one more respect the Law has been abolished. The civil laws of Moses do not
concern us, and should not be put back in force. That does not mean that we are
exempt from obedience to the civil laws under which we live. On the contrary,
the Gospel commands Christians to obey government "not only for wrath, but
also for conscience sake." (Romans 13:5.)
Neither do the ordinances of Moses or those of the Pope
concern us. But because life cannot go on without some ordinances, the Gospel
permits regulations to be made in the Church in regard to special days, times,
places, etc., in order that the people may know upon what day, at what hour,
and in what place to assemble for the Word of God. Such directions are
desirable that "all things be done decently and in order." (I Cor.
Paul,
however, refers particularly to the abolition of the moral law. If faith alone
in Christ justifies, then the whole Law is abolished without exception. And
this the Apostle proves by the testimony of Isaiah, who bids the barren to
rejoice because she will have many children, whereas she that has a husband and
many children will be forsaken.
Isaiah
calls the Church barren because her children are born without effort by the
Word of faith through the Spirit of God. It is a matter of birth, not of
exertion. The believer too works, but not in an effort to become a son and an
heir of God. He is that before he goes to work. He is born a son and an heir.
He works for the glory of God and the welfare of his fellowmen.
The Jews claimed to be the children of God
because they were the children of Abraham. Jesus answered them, John
We
are not like these Jews, the children of the bondwoman, the Law, who were cast
out of the house by Jesus. We are children of the promise like Isaac, born of
grace and faith unto an everlasting inheritance.
This is a cheering thought. We who are born
of the Gospel, and live in Christ, and rejoice in our inheritance, have Ishmael
for our enemy. The children of the Law will always persecute the children of
the Gospel. This is our daily experience. Our opponents tell us that everything
was at peace before the Gospel was revived by us. Since then the whole world
has been upset. People blame us and the Gospel for everything, for the
disobedience of subjects to their rulers, for wars, plagues, and famines, for
revolutions, and every other evil that can be imagined. No wonder our opponents
think they are doing God a favor by hating and persecuting us. Ishmael will
persecute Isaac.
We
invite our opponents to tell us what good things attended the preaching of the
Gospel by the apostles. Did not the destruction of
Our
opponents blame our doctrine for the present turmoil. But ours is a doctrine of
grace and peace. It does not stir up trouble. Trouble starts when the people,
the nations and their rulers of the earth rage and take counsel together
against the Lord, and against His anointed. (Psalm 2.)
But all their counsels shall be brought to naught. "He that sitteth in the
heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision." (Psalm 2:4.)
Let them cry out against us as much as they like. We know that they are the
cause of all their own troubles.
As
long as we preach Christ and confess Him to be our Savior, we must be content
to be called vicious trouble makers. "These that have turned the world
upside down are come hither also; and these all do contrary to the decrees of
Caesar," so said the Jews of Paul and Silas. (Acts 17:6,
7.) Of Paul they said: "We have found this man a pestilent fellow,
and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a
ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes." The Gentiles uttered similar
complaints: "These men do exceedingly trouble our city."
This
man Luther is also accused of being a pestilent fellow who troubles the papacy
and the
Christ
foresaw the reaction of the world to the Gospel. He said: "I am come to
send fire on the earth, and what will I, if it be already kindled?" (Luke
Do
not take the statement of our opponents seriously, that no good can come of the
preaching of the Gospel. What do they know? They would not recognize the fruits
of the Gospel if they saw them.
At
any rate, our opponents cannot accuse us of adultery, murder, theft, and such
crimes. The worst they can say about us is that we have the Gospel. What is
wrong with the Gospel? We teach that Christ, the Son of God, has redeemed us
from sin and everlasting death. This is not our doctrine. It belongs to Christ.
If there is anything wrong with it, it is not our fault. If they want to
condemn Christ for being our Savior and Redeemer, that is their lookout. We are
mere onlookers, watching to see who will win the victory, Christ or His
opponents.
On
one occasion Jesus remarked: "If ye were of the world, the world would
love his own, but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of
the world, therefore the world hateth you." (John
Christ
takes all the blame. He says: "You have not incurred the hatred and
persecutions of the world. I have. But be of good cheer; I have overcome the
world."
Sarah's demand that the bondwoman and her
son be cast out of the house was undoubtedly a blow to Abraham. He felt sorry
for his son Ishmael. The Scripture explicitly states Abraham's grief in the
words: "And the thing was very grievous in
Abraham's sight, because of his son." (Gen.
The
Holy Ghost contemptuously calls the admirers of the Law the children of the
bondwoman. "If you do not know your mother, I will tell you what kind of a
woman she is. She is a slave. And you are slaves. You are slaves of the Law and
therefore slaves of sin, death, and everlasting damnation. You are not fit to
be heirs. You are put out of the house."
This
is the sentence which God pronounces upon the Ishmaelites, the papists, and all
others who trust in their own merits, and persecute the
This
sentence affects not only those popes, cardinals
bishops, and monks who were notoriously wicked and made their bellies their
Gods. It strikes, also, those who lived in all sincerity to please God and to
merit the forgiveness of their sins through a life of self-denial. Even these
will be cast out, because they are children of the bondwoman.
Our
opponents do not defend their own moral delinquency. The better ones deplore
and abhor it. But they defend and uphold their doctrine of works which is of
the devil. Our quarrel is not with those who live in manifest sins. Our quarrel
is with those among them who think they live like angels, claiming that they do
not only perform the Ten Commandments of God, but also the sayings of Christ,
and many good works that God does not expect of them. We quarrel with them
because they refuse to have Jesus' merit count alone for righteousness.
St.
Bernard was one of the best of the medieval saints. He lived a chaste and holy
life. But when it came to dying he did not trust in his chaste life for
salvation. He prayed: "I have lived a wicked life. But Thou, Lord Jesus,
hast a heaven to give unto me. First, because Thou art the
Son of God. Secondly, because Thou hast purchased
heaven for me by Thy suffering and death. Thou givest heaven to me, not
because I earned it, but because Thou hast earned it for me." If any of
the Romanists are saved it is because they forget their good deeds and merits
and feel like Paul: "Not having mine own righteousness which is of the
law, but that which is through the faith of Christ." (Phil. 3:9.)
With this sentence the Apostle Paul
concludes his allegory of the barren Church. This sentence forms a clear
rejection of the righteousness of the Law and a confirmation of the doctrine of
justification. In the next chapter Paul lays special stress upon the freedom
which the children of the free woman enjoy. He treats of Christian liberty, the
knowledge of which is very necessary. The liberty which Christ purchased for us
is a bulwark to us in our battle against spiritual tyranny. Therefore we must
carefully study this doctrine of Christian liberty, not only for the
confirmation of the doctrine of justification, but also for the comfort and
encouragement of those who are weak in faith.
IN
this chapter the Apostle Paul presents the doctrine of Christian liberty in a
final effort to persuade the Galatians to give up the nefarious doctrine of the
false apostles. To accomplish his purpose he adduces threats and promises,
trying in every way possible to keep them in the liberty which Christ purchased
for them.
"Be steadfast, not careless. Lie not
down and sleep, but stand up. Be watchful. Hold fast the liberty wherewith
Christ hath made you free." Those who loll cannot keep this liberty. Satan
hates the light of the Gospel. When it begins to shine a little he fights against
it with might and main.
What
liberty does Paul mean? Not civil liberty (for which we have the government to
thank), but the liberty which Christ has procured for us.
At
one time the emperor was compelled to grant to the bishop of
of men, but do as
they please. This carnal liberty the people want in our day. We are not now
speaking of this liberty. Neither are we speaking of
civil liberty.
Paul
is speaking of a far better liberty, the liberty "wherewith Christ hath
made us free," not from material bonds, not from the Babylonian captivity,
not from the tyranny of the Turks, but from the eternal wrath of God.
Where
is this liberty? In the conscience. Our conscience is
free and quiet because it no longer has to fear the wrath of God. This is real
liberty, compared with which every other kind of liberty is not worth
mentioning. Who can adequately express the boon that comes to a person when he
has the heart-assurance that God will nevermore be angry with him, but will
forever be merciful to him for Christ's sake? This is indeed a marvelous
liberty, to have the sovereign God for our Friend and Father who will defend,
maintain, and save us in this life and in the life to come.
As
an outgrowth of this liberty, we are at the same time free from the Law, sin,
death, the power of the devil, hell, etc. Since the wrath of God has been
assuaged by Christ no Law, sin, or death may now accuse and condemn us. These
foes of ours will continue to frighten us, but not too much. The worth of our
Christian liberty cannot be exaggerated.
Our
conscience must he trained to fall back on the freedom purchased for us by
Christ. Though the fears of the Law, the terrors of sin, the horror of death
assail us occasionally, we know that these feelings shall not endure, because
the prophet quotes God as saying: "In a little wrath I hid my face from
thee for a moment: but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on
thee." (Isa. 54:8.)
We
shall appreciate this liberty all the more when we bear in mind that it was
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who purchased it with His own blood. Hence,
Christ's liberty is given us not by the Law, or for our own righteousness, but
freely for Christ's sake. In the eighth chapter of the Gospel of St. John,
Jesus declares: "If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
He only stands between us and the evils which trouble and afflict us and which
He has overcome for us.
Reason
cannot properly evaluate this gift. Who can fully appreciate the blessing of
the forgiveness of sins and of everlasting life? Our opponents claim that they
also possess this liberty. But they do not. When they are put
to the test all their self-confidence slips from them. What else can they
expect when they trust in works and not in the Word of God?
Our
liberty is founded on Christ Himself, who sits at the right hand of God and
intercedes for us. Therefore our liberty is sure and valid as long as we
believe in Christ. As long as we cling to Him with a steadfast faith we possess
His priceless gifts. But if we are careless and indifferent we shall lose them.
It is not without good reason that Paul urges us to watch and to stand fast. He
knew that the devil delights in taking this liberty away from us.
Because reason prefers the righteousness of
the Law to the righteousness of faith, Paul calls the Law a yoke, a yoke of
bondage. Peter also calls it a yoke. "Why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon
the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to
bear?" (Acts
In
this passage Paul again disparages the pernicious notion that the Law is able
to make men righteous before God, a notion deeply rooted in man's reason. All
mankind is so wrapped up in this idea that it is hard to drag it out of people.
Paul compares those who seek to be justified by the Law to oxen that are
hitched to the yoke. Like oxen that toil in the yoke all day, and in the
evening are turned out to graze along the dusty road, and at last are marked
for slaughter when they no longer can draw the burden, so those who seek to be
justified by the Law are "entangled with the yoke of bondage," and
when they have grown old and broken-down in the service of the Law they have
earned for their perpetual reward God's wrath and everlasting torment.
We
are not now treating of an unimportant matter. It is a matter that involves
everlasting liberty or everlasting slavery. For as a liberation from God's
wrath through the kind office of Christ is not a passing boon, but a permanent
blessing, so also the yoke of the Law is not a temporary but an everlasting
affliction.
Rightly
are the doors of the Law called devil's martyrs. They
take more pains to earn hell than the martyrs of Christ to obtain heaven.
Theirs is a double misfortune. First they torture themselves on earth with self-
inflicted penances and finally when they die they gain the reward of eternal
damnation.
Paul is incensed at the thought of the tyranny
of the Law. His antagonism to the Law is a personal matter with him.
"Behold, I, Paul," he says, "I who have received the Gospel not
from men, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ: I who have been commissioned
from above to preach the Gospel to you: I Paul say to you, If
you submit to circumcision Christ will profit you nothing." Paul
emphatically declares that for the Galatians to be circumcised would mean for
them to lose the benefits of Christ's suffering and death. This passage may
well serve as a criterion for all the religions. To teach that besides faith in
Christ other devices like works, or the observance of rules, traditions, or
ceremonies are necessary for the attainment of righteousness and everlasting
life, is to make Christ and His salvation of no benefit to anybody.
This
passage is an indictment of the whole papacy. All priests, monks, and nuns ---
and I am now speaking of the best of them --- who repose their hope for
salvation in their own works, and not in Christ, whom they imagine to he an
angry judge, hear this sentence pronounced against them that Christ shall
profit them nothing. If one can earn the forgiveness of sins and everlasting
life through one's own efforts to what purpose was Christ born? What was the
purpose of His suffering and death, His resurrection, His victory over sin,
death, and the devil, if men may overcome these evils by their own endeavor?
Tongue cannot express, nor heart conceive what a
terrible thing it is to make Christ worthless.
The
person who is not moved by these considerations to
leave the Law and the confidence in his own righteousness for the liberty in
Christ, has a heart that is harder than stone and iron.
Paul
does not condemn circumcision in itself. Circumcision is not injurious to the
person who does not ascribe any particular importance to it. Neither are works
injurious provided a person does not attach any saving value to them. The
Apostle does not say that works are objectionable, but to build one's hopes for
righteousness on works is disastrous, for that makes Christ good for nothing.
Let
us bear this in mind when the devil accuses our conscience. When
that dragon accuses us of having done no good at all, but only evil, say to
him: "You trouble me with the remembrance of my past sins; you remind me
that I have done no good. But this does not bother me, because if I were
to trust in my own good deeds, or despair because I have done no good deeds,
Christ would profit me neither way. I am not going to make him unprofitable to
me. This I would do, if I should presume to purchase for myself the favor of
God and everlasting life by my good deeds, or if I should despair of my
salvation because of my sins."
The first fault with circumcision is that
it makes Christ unprofitable. The second fault is that it obligates those who
are circumcised to observe the whole Law. Paul is so very much in earnest about
this matter that he confirms it with an oath. "I testify," he says,
"I swear by the living God."
Paul's
statement may be explained negatively to mean: "I testify to every man who
is being circumcised that he cannot perform the Law in any point. In the very
act of circumcision he is not being circumcised, and in the very act of
fulfilling the Law he fulfills it not." This seems to be the simple
meaning of Paul's statement. Later on in the sixth chapter he explicitly
states, "They themselves which are circumcised keep not the law. The fact
that you are circumcised does not mean you are righteous and free from the Law.
The truth is that by circumcision you have become debtors and servants of the
Law. The more you endeavor to perform the Law, the more you will become tangled
up in the yoke of the Law."
The
truth of this I have experienced in myself and in others. I have seen many work themselves down to the bones in their hungry
effort to obtain peace of conscience. But the harder they tried the more they
worried. Especially in the presence of death they were so uneasy that I have
seen murderers die with better grace and courage.
This
holds true also in regard to the church regulations. When I was a monk I tried
ever so hard to live up to the strict rules of my order. I used to make a list
of my sins, and I was always on the way to confession, and whatever penances
were enjoined upon me I performed religiously. In spite of it all, my
conscience was always in a fever of doubt. The more I sought to help my poor
stricken conscience the worse it got. The more I paid attention to the
regulations the more I transgressed them.
Hence
those that seek to be justified by the Law are much further away from the
righteousness of life than the publicans, sinners, and harlots. They know
better than to trust in their own works. They know that they cannot ever hope
to obtain forgiveness by their sins.
Paul's
statement in this verse may be taken to mean that those who submit to
circumcision are thereby submitting to the whole Law. To obey Moses in one
point requires obedience to him in all points. It does no good to say that only
circumcision is necessary, and not the rest of Moses' laws. The same reasons
that obligate a person to accept circumcision also obligate a person to accept
the whole Law. Thus to acknowledge the Law is tantamount to declaring that
Christ is not yet come. And if Christ is not yet come, then all the Jewish
ceremonies and laws concerning meats, places, and times are still in force, and
Christ must be awaited as one who is still to come. The whole Scripture,
however, testifies that Christ has come, that by His death He has abolished the
Law, and that He has fulfilled all things which the prophets have foretold
about Him.
Some
would like to subjugate us to certain parts of the Mosaic Law. But this is not
to be permitted under any circumstances. If we permit Moses to rule over us in
one thing, we must obey him in all things.
Paul in this verse discloses that he is not
speaking so much of circumcision as the trust which men repose in the outward
act. We can hear him say: "I do not condemn the Law in itself; what I
condemn is that men seek to be justified by the Law, as if Christ were still to
come, or as if He alone were unable to justify sinners. It is this that I
condemn, because it makes Christ of no effect. It makes you void of Christ so
that Christ is not in you, nor can you be partakers of the knowledge, the
spirit, the fellowship, the liberty, the life, or the achievements of Christ.
You are completely separated from Him, so much so that He has nothing to do
with you any more, or for that matter you with Him." Can anything worse be
said against the Law? If you think Christ and the Law can dwell together in
your heart, you may be sure that Christ dwells not in your heart. For if Christ
is in your heart He neither condemns you, nor does He ever bid you to trust in
your own good works. If you know Christ at all, you know that good works do not
serve unto righteousness, nor evil works unto condemnation. I do not want to
withhold from good works their due praise, nor do I wish to encourage evil
works. But when it comes to justification, I say, we must concentrate upon
Christ alone, or else we make Him non-effective .You must choose between Christ
and the righteousness of the Law. If you choose Christ you are righteous before
God. If you stick to the Law, Christ is of no use to you.
That means you are no longer in the kingdom
or condition of grace. When a person on board ship falls into the sea and is
drowned it makes no difference from which end or side of the ship he falls into
the water. Those who fall from grace perish no matter how they go about it. Those
who seek to be justified by the Law are fallen from grace and are in grave
danger of eternal death. If this holds true in the case of those who seek to be
justified by the moral Law, what will become of those, I should like to know,
who endeavor to be justified by their own regulations and vows? They will fall
to the very bottom of hell. "Oh, no," they say, "we will fly
straight into heaven. If you live according to the rules of Saint Francis,
Saint Dominick, Saint Benedict, you will obtain the peace and mercy of God. If
you perform the vows of chastity, obedience, etc., you will be rewarded with
everlasting life." Let these playthings of the devil go to the place where
they came from and listen to what Paul has to say in this verse in accordance
with Christ's own teaching: "He that believeth in the Son of God, hath
everlasting life; but he that believeth not in the Son shall not see life, but
the wrath of God abideth in him."
The
words, "Ye are fallen from grace," must not be taken lightly. They
are important. To fall from grace means to lose the atonement, the forgiveness
of sins, the righteousness, liberty, and life which Jesus has merited for us by
His death and resurrection. To lose the grace of God means to gain the wrath
and judgment of God, death, the bondage of the devil, and everlasting
condemnation.
Paul concludes the whole matter with the
above statement. "You want to be justified by the Law, by circumcision,
and by works. We cannot see it. To be justified by such means would make Christ
of no value to us. We would be obliged to perform the whole law. We rather
through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness." The Apostle is not
satisfied to say "justified by faith." He adds hope to faith.
Holy
Writ speaks of hope in two ways: as the object of the emotion, and hope as the
emotion itself. In the first chapter of the Epistle to the Colossians we have
an instance of its first use: "For the hope which is laid up for you in
heaven," i.e., the thing hoped for. In the sense of emotion we quote the
passage from the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans: "For we are
saved by hope." As Paul uses the term "hope" here in writing to
the Galatians, we may take it in either of its two meanings. We may understand
Paul to say, "We wait in spirit, through faith, for the righteousness that
we hope for, which in due time will be revealed to us." Or we may
understand Paul to say: "We wait in Spirit, by faith for righteousness
with great hope and desire." True, we are righteous, but our righteousness
is not yet revealed; as long as we live here sin stays with us, not to forget
the law in our members striving against the law of our mind. When sin rages in
our body and we through the Spirit wrestle against it,
then we have cause for hope. We are not yet perfectly righteous. Perfect
righteousness is still to be attained. Hence we hope for it.
This
is sweet comfort for us. And we are to make use of it in comforting the
afflicted. We are to say to them: "Brother, you would like to feel God's
favor as you feel your sin. But you are asking too much. Your righteousness
rests on something much better than feelings. Wait and hope until it will be
revealed to you in the Lord's own time. Don't go by your feelings, but go by
the doctrine of faith, which pledges Christ to you." The question occurs
to us, What difference is there between faith and
hope? We find it difficult to see any difference. Faith and hope are so closely
linked that they cannot be separated. Still there is a difference between them.
First,
hope and faith differ in regard to their sources. Faith originates in the
understanding, while hope rises in the will.
Secondly,
they differ in regard to their functions. Faith says what is to be done. Faith
teaches, describes, directs. Hope exhorts the mind to be strong and courageous.
Thirdly,
they differ in regard to their objectives. Faith concentrates on the truth.
Hope looks to the goodness of God.
Fourthly,
they differ in sequence. Faith is the beginning of life before tribulation. (Hebrews 11.) Hope comes later and is born of tribulation. (Romans 5.)
Fifthly,
they differ in regard to their effects. Faith is a judge. It judges errors.
Hope is a soldier. It fights against tribulations, the Cross, despondency,
despair, and waits for better things to come in the midst of evil.
Without
hope faith cannot endure. On the other hand, hope without faith is blind
rashness and arrogance because it lacks knowledge. Before anything else a
Christian must have the insight of faith, so that the intellect may know its
directions in the day of trouble and the heart may hope for better things. By
faith we begin, by hope we continue.
This
passage contains excellent doctrine and much comfort. It declares that we are
justified not by works, sacrifices, or ceremonies, but by Christ alone. The
world may judge certain things to be ever so good; without Christ they are all
wrong. Circumcision and the law and good works are carnal.
"We," says Paul, "are above such things. We possess Christ by
faith and in the midst of our afflictions we hopefully wait for the
consummation of our righteousness."
You
may say, "The trouble is I don't feel as if I am righteous." You must
not feel, but believe. Unless you believe that you are righteous, you do Christ
a great wrong, for He has cleansed you by the washing of regeneration, He died
for you so that through Him you may obtain righteousness and everlasting life.
Faith must of course be sincere. It must be
a faith that performs good works through love. If faith lacks love it is not
true faith. Thus the Apostle bars the way of hypocrites to the
This is plain speaking. Paul asserts that
he teaches the same truth now which he has always taught, and that the
Galatians ran well as long as they obeyed the truth. But now, misled by the
false apostles, they no longer run. He compares the Christian life to a race.
When everything runs along smoothly the Hebrews spoke of it as a race. "Ye
did run well," means that everything went along smoothly and happily with
the Galatians. They lived a Christian life and were on the right way to
everlasting life. The words, "Ye did run well," are encouraging
indeed. Often our lives seem to creep rather than to run. But if we abide in
the true doctrine and walk in the spirit, we have nothing to worry about. God
judges our lives differently. What may seem to us a life slow in Christian
development may seem to God a life of rapid progression in grace.
The Galatians were hindered in the
Christian life when they turned from faith and grace to the Law. Covertly the
Apostle blames the false apostles for impeding the Christian progress of the Galatians.
The false apostles persuaded the Galatians to believe that they were in error
and that they had made little or no progress under the influence of Paul. Under
the baneful influence of the false apostles the Galatians thought they were
well off and advancing rapidly in Christian knowledge and living.
Paul explains how those who had been
deceived by false teachers may be restored to spiritual health. The false
apostles were amiable fellows. Apparently they surpassed Paul in learning and
godliness. The Galatians were easily deceived by outward appearances. They
supposed they were being taught by Christ Himself. Paul proved to them that
their new doctrine was not of Christ, but of the devil. In this way he
succeeded in regaining many. We also are able to win back many from the errors
into which they were seduced by showing that their beliefs are imaginary,
wicked, and contrary to the Word of God.
The
devil is a cunning persuader. He knows how to enlarge the smallest sin into a
mountain until we think we have committed the worst crime ever committed on
earth. Such stricken consciences must be comforted and set straight as Paul
corrected the Galatians by showing them that their opinion is not of Christ
because it runs counter to the Gospel, which describes Christ as a meek and
merciful Savior.
Satan
will circumvent the Gospel and explain Christ in this his own diabolical way:
"Indeed Christ is meek, gentle, and merciful, but only to those who are
holy and righteous. If you are a sinner you stand no chance. Did not Christ say
that unbelievers are already damned? And did not Christ perform many good
deeds, and suffer many evils patiently, bidding us to follow His example? You
do not mean to say that your life is in accord with Christ's precepts or
example? You are a sinner. You are no good at all."
Satan
is to be answered in this way: The Scriptures present Christ in a twofold
aspect. First, as a gift. "He of God is made unto
us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption." (I Cor.
To
those that are cast down on account of their sins Christ must be introduced as
a Savior and Gift, and not as an example. But to sinners who live in a false
assurance, Christ must be introduced as an example. The hard sayings of
Scripture and the awful judgments of God upon sin must be impressed upon them.
Defy Satan in times of despair. Say: "O cursed Satan,
you choose a nice time to talk to me about doing and working when you know very
well that I am in trouble over my sins. I will not listen to you. I will listen
to Christ, who says that He came into the world to save sinners. This is the
true Christ and there is none other. I can find plenty of examples for a holy
life in Abraham, Isaiah, John the Baptist, Paul, and other saints. But they
cannot forgive my sins. They cannot save me. They cannot procure for me
everlasting life. Therefore I will not have you for my teacher, O Satan."
Paul's concern for them meant nothing to some
of the Galatians. Many had disowned him as their teacher and gone over to the
false apostles. No doubt the false apostles took every occasion to defame Paul
as a stubborn and contemptuous fellow who thought nothing of disrupting the
unity of the churches for no other reason than his selfish pride and jealousy.
Others
of the Galatians perhaps saw no harm in deviating a
trifle from the doctrine of justification and faith. When they noticed that
Paul made so much ado about a matter that seemed of no particular importance to
them they raised their eyebrows and thought within themselves: "What if we
did deviate a little from the doctrine of Paul? What if we are a little to
blame? He ought to overlook the whole matter, and not make such an issue out of
it, lest the unity of the churches be disturbed." To this Paul replies:
"A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump."
Our
opponents record the same complaints about us. They put us down as contentious,
ill-tempered faultfinders. But these are the crafty passes of the devil, with
which he seeks to overthrow our faith. We answer with Paul: "A little
leaven leaveneth the whole lump."
Small
faults grow into big faults. To tolerate a trifling error inevitably leads to
crass heresy. The doctrine of the Bible is not ours to take or to allow
liberties with. We have no right to change even a tittle of it. When it comes
to life we are ready to do, to suffer, to forgive anything our opponents demand
as long as faith and doctrine remain pure and uncorrupt. The Apostle James says,
"For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is
guilty of all." This passage supports us over against our critics who
claim that we disregard all charity to the great injury of the churches. We
protest we desire nothing more than peace with all men. If they would only
permit us to keep our doctrine of faith! The pure doctrine takes precedence
before charity, apostles, or an angel from heaven.
Let
others praise charity and concord to the skies; we magnify the authority of the
Word and faith. Charity may be neglected at times without peril, but not the
Word and faith. Charity suffers all things, it gives in. Faith suffers nothing;
it never yields. Charity is often deceived but is never put out because it lies
nothing to lose; it continues to do well even to the ungrateful. When it comes
to faith and salvation in the midst of lies and errors that parade as truth and
deceive many, charity has no voice or vote. Let us not be influenced by the
popular cry for charity and unity. If we do not love God and His Word what
difference does it make if we love anything at all?
Paul,
therefore, admonishes both teachers and hearers not to esteem lightly the
doctrine of faith as if it were a toy with which to amuse oneself
in idle hours.
"I have taught, admonished, and
reproved you enough. I hope the best for you."
The
question occurs to us whether Paul did well to trust the Galatians. Does not
Holy Writ forbid us to trust in men? Faith trusts in God and is never wrong.
Charity trusts in men and is often wrong. This charitable trust in man is
necessary to life. Without it life would be impossible in the world. What kind
of life would ours be if nobody could trust anybody else? True Christians are
more ready to believe in men than the children of this world. Such charitable
confidence is the fruit of the Spirit. Paul had such trust in the Galatians
although they had forsaken his doctrine. He trusts them "through the
Lord," insofar as they were in Christ and Christ in them. Once they had
forsaken Christ altogether, the Apostle will trust the Galatians no longer.
"Not minded otherwise than I have
taught you. In other words, I have confidence that you will accept no doctrine
that is contrary to the one you have learned from me."
Paul assumes the role of a judge and
condemns the false apostles as troublers of the Galatians. He wants to frighten
the Galatians with his severe judgments of the false apostles into avoiding
false doctrine like a contagious disease. We can hear him say to the Galatians:
"Why do you give these pestilent fellows a hearing in the first place?
They only trouble you. The doctrine they bring causes your conscience only
trouble."
The
clause, "whosoever he be," seems to indicate
that the false apostles in outward appearance at least were very good and
devout men. It may be that among them was some outstanding disciple of the
apostles, a man of fame and authority. The Apostle must have been faced by this
very situation, otherwise his vehemence would have
been uncalled for. No doubt many of the Galatians were taken back with the
vehemency of the Apostle. They perhaps thought: why should he be so stubborn in
such small matters? Why is he so quick to pronounce damnation upon his brethren
in the ministry?
I
cannot say it often enough, that we must carefully differentiate between
doctrine and life. Doctrine is a piece of heaven, life
is a piece of earth. Life is sin, error, uncleanness, misery, and charity must
forbear, believe, hope, and suffer all things. Forgiveness of sins must be
continuous so that sin and error may not be defended and sustained. But with
doctrine there must be no error, no need of pardon. There can be no comparison
between doctrine and life. The least little point of doctrine is of greater
importance than heaven and earth. Therefore we cannot allow the least jot of
doctrine to be corrupted. We may overlook the offenses and errors of life, for
we daily sin much. Even the saints sin, as they themselves confess in the
Lord's Prayer and in the Creed. But our doctrine, God be praised, is pure,
because all the articles of our faith are grounded on the Holy Scriptures.
In his great desire to recall the
Galatians, Paul draws himself into the argument. He says: "Because I
refuse to recognize circumcision as a factor in our salvation, I have brought
upon myself the hatred and persecution of my whole nation. If I were to
acknowledge circumcision the Jews would cease to persecute me; in fact they
would love and praise me. But because I preach the Gospel of Christ and the
righteousness of faith I must suffer persecution. The false apostles know how
to avoid the Cross and the deadly hatred of the Jewish nation. They preach
circumcision and thus retain the favor of the Jews. If they had their way they
would ignore all differences in doctrine and preserve unity at all cost. But
their unionistic dreams cannot be realized without loss to the pure doctrine of
the Cross. It would be too bad if the offense of the Cross were to cease."
To the Corinthians he expressed the same conviction: "Christ sent me . . .
to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should
be made of none effect." (I Cor.
Here
someone may be tempted to call the Christians crazy. Deliberately to court
danger by preaching and confessing the truth, and thus to bring upon ourselves
the hatred and enmity of the whole world, is this not madness? But Paul does
not mind the enmity of the world. It made him all the bolder to confess Christ.
The enmity of the world in his estimation augurs well for the success and
growth of the Church, which fares best in times of persecution. When the
offense of the Cross ceases, when the rage of the enemies of the Cross abates,
when everything is quiet, it is a sign that the devil is the door-keeper of the
Church and that the pure doctrine of God's Word has been lost.
Saint
Bernard observed that the Church is in best shape when Satan assaults it on
every side by trickery and violence; and in worst shape when it is at peace. In
support of his statement he quotes the passage from the song of Hezekiah:
"Behold, for peace I had great bitterness." Paul looks with suspicion
upon any doctrine that does not provoke antagonism.
Persecution
always follows on the heels of the Word of God as the Psalmist experienced.
"I believe, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted." (Ps.
116:10.) The Christians are accused and slandered without mercy. Murderers and
thieves receive better treatment than Christians. The world regards true
Christians as the worst offenders, for whom no punishment can be too severe.
The world hates the Christians with amazing brutality, and without compunction
commits them to the most shameful death, congratulating itself that it has
rendered God and the cause of peace a distinct service by ridding the world of
the undesired presence of these Christians. We are not to let such treatment
cause us to falter in our adherence to Christ. As long as we experience such
persecutions we know all is well with the Gospel.
Jesus
held out the same comfort to His disciples in the fifth chapter of St. Matthew.
"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall
say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding
glad; for great is your reward in heaven." The Church must not come short
of this joy. I would not want to be at peace with the pope, the bishops, the
princes, and the sectarians, unless they consent to our doctrine. Unity with
them would be an unmistakable sign that we have lost the true doctrine.
Briefly, as long as the Church proclaims the doctrine she must suffer
persecution, because the Gospel declares the mercy and glory of God. This in
turn stirs up the devil, because the Gospel shows him up for what he is, the
devil, and not God. Therefore as long as the Gospel holds sway persecution
plays the accompaniment, or else there is something the matter with the devil.
When he is hit you will know it by the havoc he raises everywhere.
So
do not be surprised or offended when hell breaks loose. Look upon it as a happy
indication that all is well with the Gospel of the Cross. God forbid that the
offense of the Cross should ever be removed. This would be the case if we were
to preach what the prince of this world and his followers would be only too
glad to hear, the righteousness of works. You would never know the devil could
be so gentle, the world so sweet, the Pope so gracious, and the princes so
charming. But because we seek the advantage and honor of Christ, they persecute
us all around.
It hardly seems befitting an apostle, not
only to denounce the false apostles as troublers of the Church, and to consign
them to the devil, but also to wish that they were utterly cut off Ñ what else
would you call it but plain cursing? Paul, I suppose, is alluding to the rite
of circumcision. As if he were saying to the
Galatians: "The false apostles compel you to cut off the foreskin of your
flesh. Well, I wish they themselves were utterly cut off by the roots."
We
had better answer at once the question, whether it is right for Christians to
curse. Certainly not always, nor for every little cause.
But when things have come to such a pass that God and
His Word are openly blasphemed, then we must say: "Blessed be God and His
Word, and cursed be everything that is contrary to God and His Word, even
though it should be an apostle, or an angel from heaven."
This
goes to show again how much importance Paul attached to the least points of
Christian doctrine, that he dared to curse the false
apostles, evidently men of great popularity and influence. What right, then,
have we to make little of doctrine? No matter how nonessential a point of
doctrine may seem, if slighted it may prove the gradual disintegration of the
truths of our salvation.
Let
us do everything to advance the glory and authority of God's Word. Every tittle
of it is greater than heaven and earth. Christian charity and unity have
nothing to do with the Word of God. We are bold to curse and condemn all men
who in the least point corrupt the Word of God, "for a little leaven
leaveneth the whole lump."
Paul
does right to curse these troublers of the Galatians, wishing that they were
cut off and rooted out of the
THE DOCTRINE OF GOOD WORKS
Now come all kinds of admonitions and
precepts. It was the custom of the apostles that after they had taught faith
and instructed the conscience they followed it up with admonitions unto good
works, that the believers might manifest the duties of love toward each other.
In order to avoid the appearance as if Christianity militated against good
works or opposed civil government, the Apostle also urges us to give ourselves
unto good works, to lead an honest life, and to keep faith and love with one
another. This will give the lie to the accusations of the world that we
Christians are the enemies of decency and of public peace. The fact is we
Christians know better what constitutes a truly good work than all the
philosophers and legislators of the world because we link believing with doing.
In other words: "You have gained
liberty through Christ, i.e., You are above all laws
as far as conscience is concerned. You are saved. Christ is your liberty and
life. Therefore law, sin, and death may not hurt you or drive you to despair.
This is the constitution of your priceless liberty. Now take care that you do
not use your wonderful liberty for an occasion of the flesh."
Satan
likes to turn this liberty which Christ has gotten for us into licentiousness.
Already the Apostle Jude complained in his day: "There are certain men
crept in unawares . . . turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness."
(Jude 4.) The flesh reasons: "If we are without the law, we may as well
indulge ourselves. Why do good, why give alms, why
suffer evil when there is no law to force us to do so?"
This
attitude is common enough. People talk about Christian liberty and then go and
cater to the desires of covetousness, pleasure, pride, envy, and other vices.
Nobody wants to fulfill his duties. Nobody wants to help out a brother in
distress. This sort of thing makes me so impatient at times that I wish the
swine who trampled precious pearls under foot were
back once again under the tyranny of the Pope. You cannot wake up the people of
Even
we creatures of the world do not perform our duties as zealously in the light
of the Gospel as we did before in the darkness of ignorance, because the surer
we are of the liberty purchased for us by Christ, the more we neglect the Word,
prayer, well-doing, and suffering. If Satan were not continually molesting us
with trials, with the persecution of our enemies, and the ingratitude of our
brethren, we would become so careless and indifferent to all good works that in
time we would lose our faith in Christ, resign the ministry of the Word, and
look for an easier life. Many of our ministers are beginning to do that very
thing. They complain about the ministry, they maintain they cannot live on
their salaries, they whimper about the miserable treatment they receive at the
hand of those whom they delivered from the servitude of the law by the
preaching of the Gospel. These ministers desert our poor and maligned Christ,
involve themselves in the affairs of the world, seek
advantages for themselves and not for Christ. With what results they shall
presently find out.
Since
the devil lies in ambush for those in particular who hate the world, and seeks
to deprive us of our liberty of the spirit or to brutalize it into the liberty
of the flesh, we plead with our brethren after the manner of Paul, that they
may never use this liberty of the spirit purchased for us by Christ as an
excuse for carnal living, or as Peter expresses it, I Peter
In
order that Christians may not abuse their liberty the Apostle encumbers them
with the rule of mutual love that they should serve each other in love. Let
everybody perform the duties of his station and vocation diligently and help
his neighbor to the limit of his capacity.
Christians
are glad to hear and obey this teaching of love. When others hear about this
Christian liberty of ours they at once infer, "If I am free, I may do what
I like. If salvation is not a matter of doing why should we do anything for the
poor?" In this crude manner they turn the liberty of the spirit into
wantonness and licentiousness. We want them to know, however, that if they use
their lives and possessions after their own pleasure, if they do not help the poor,
if they cheat their fellow-men in business and snatch and scrape by hook and by
crook everything they can lay their hands on, we want to tell them that they
are not free, no matter how much they think they are, but they are the dirty
slaves of the devil, and are seven times worse than they ever were as the
slaves of the Pope.
As
for us, we are obliged to preach the Gospel which offers to all men liberty
from the Law, sin, death, and God's wrath. We have no right to conceal or
revoke this liberty proclaimed by the Gospel. And so
we cannot do anything with the swine who dive headlong into the filth of
licentiousness. We do what we can, we diligently
admonish them to love and to help their fellow-men. If our admonitions bear no
fruit, we leave them to God, who will in His own good time take care of these
disrespecters of His goodness. In the meanwhile we comfort ourselves with the
thought that our labors are not lost upon the true believers. They appreciate
this spiritual liberty and stand ready to serve others in love and, though
their number is small, the satisfaction they give us far outweighs the
discouragement which we receive at the hands of the large number of those who
misuse this liberty.
Paul
cannot possibly be misunderstood for he says:
"Brethren, ye have been called unto liberty." In order that nobody
might mistake the liberty of which he speaks for the liberty of the flesh, the
Apostle adds the explanatory note, "only use not
liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." Paul
now explains at the hand of the Ten Commandments what it means to serve one
another in love.
This text was converted
to ASCII format for Project Wittenberg by Laura J. Hoelter and is in the public
domain. You may freely distribute, copy or print this
text. Please direct any comments or suggestions to: Rev. Robert E. Smith of the
Walther Library at Concordia Theological Seminary.
E-mail: cosmithb@ash.palni.edu
Surface Mail: 6600 N.
Phone: (219) 452-2123
Fax: (219) 452-2126
Web-redaktør:
Cand.theol. Finn B.
Andersen