That You May Believe

This is preached that you may believe that Christ the Lord became man because of sin, as the articles of the Christian Creed declare. –Martin Luther

Christ is God

St. John proclaims that Christ is God. Practically throughout his Gospel, he emphasizes that Christ is very God, born of the Father from eternity, not created He wrote this Gospel for the purpose of proclaiming this article of faith. Thereupon he declares that this Person, God’s Son, is also true man, born of the Virgin Mary. –Martin Luther

TRANSFIGURATION

In Matthew 17: 5 the Father appeared in the clouds upon Mt. Tabor, and in Luke 3: 22, too, the Father came in his voice and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.–Martin Luther

While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

He Expounded

SATURDAY, FEBUARY 25, 2006
He Expounded

During the forty days between Christ’s resurrection and His ascension He expounded many similar texts and related many such stories to His disciples in His conversations with them (Luke 24:27). He did the same thing when He appeared on Mt. Tabor with Moses and Elijah (Matt. 17:3). Thus He also relates the figure of the serpent to Himself here. Thereby He opens the treasure chest of Moses and shows them the nugget concealed there. He shows that all the stories and illustrations of Moses point to Christ. The precious treasure of looking solely at Christ was so near and dear to Moses that he wore it, so to speak, between his skin and his flesh. Christ is also our Serpent of salvation, symbolized for us by that earlier bronze serpent. –Martin Luther

Christ In All

In this way the Lord shows us the proper method of interpreting Moses and all the prophets. He teaches us that Moses points and refers to Christ in all his stories and illustrations. His purpose is to show that Christ is the point at the center of a circle, with all eyes inside the circle focused on Him. Whoever turns his eyes on Him finds his proper place in the circle of which Christ is the center. All the stories of Holy Writ, if viewed aright, point to Christ. –Martin Luther

Christ Alone Makes Souls Pregnant

Therefore stick to the Word of God. Ignore every other word—whether it is devoid of Christ, in the name of Christ, or against Christ, or whether it is issued in any other way. No one dare sleep with the bride or make her pregnant but the Lord Christ alone. If He does not teach or preach or make souls pregnant, all is lost. –Martin Luther

His Comfort

Therefore God has been gracious to us and has given us a Comforter to counteract this spirit of terror—a Comforter, who, as God Himself, is much stronger with His comfort than the devil is with his terror. And now when the devil also comes along with God’s Law, advances against your works and your life, and shatters these so thoroughly that even your good works appear to be evil and condemned—an art in which he is a master and an excellent theologian—the Holy Spirit, on the other hand, will come and whisper consolingly to your heart: “Be of good cheer and unafraid. Go, preach, do what you have been commanded to do; and do not fear the terrors of sin, death, or the devil, even if these terrors present themselves in the name of God. God does not want to be angry with you, nor does He want to reject you; for Christ, God’s Son, died for you. He paid for your sins; and if you believe in Him, these will not be imputed to you, no matter how great they are. Because of your faith your works are pleasing to God; they are adjudged good and well done even though weakness does creep in. Why do you let your sins be falsely magnified? Christ, your Righteousness, is greater than your sins and those of the whole world; His life and His consolation are stronger and mightier than your death and hell.” –Martin Luther

Having Been Sent

John says: “He whom God has sent.” This means that God’s Word is not thought of otherwise than as having been sent. Let no one suppose that God’s Word comes to earth through human zeal. If it is God’s Word, it must be sent. It is impossible to understand and to interpret Holy Scripture of oneself or arbitrarily. It will not do to speak unless one is called; God’s Word comes only when it is sent by God. If God had not sent it, the whole world would be ignorant about redemption from sin and comfort for the conscience. If God had not sent the Word and the ministry, we would have nothing. For this reason it is imperative that we neither speak nor hear anything but the Word of God. Avoid whatever had its origin in man’s mind and zeal. The Word of God does not come unless it is sent from heaven. Anyone associating with the monks should inquire of them whether their system is also the Word of God. You will hear them allege that it stemmed from good intentions and that its purpose is to honor God. From this they conclude that it is a worship of God and that it is the Word of God. But for anyone to worship God aright and to atone for sin more is necessary than good intentions! All that flows from your heart is zeal and your own opinion. Tell me whether God sent it from heaven and whether He commanded it. “But,” they will reply, “it was all done to glorify God!” All the worse; it is twofold blasphemy that you call that the Word of God and the worship of God which you yourself have fabricated. That is the way the pope deceived the world as he hid under the name and title of the church. No Word of God comes to the world unless it is sent by Him. If it has grown from my heart, if I pattern myself after Chrysostom, Augustine, and Ambrose, then it is not the Word of God. There is an enormous difference between the Word that was sent from heaven and that which is born of my own zeal and opinion. Holy Scripture did not spring from the soil of the earth. Thus John says: “He who is of the earth speaks of the earth” (John 3:31). Therefore we must base our salvation firmly on the power of God’s Word, not on our own zeal and imagination. –Martin Luther

He Who Is Sent By God

Here we may feel prompted to ask: Although this text declares that he who is sent by God utters the Word of God, it often happens that many preach nothing but lies. How is this to be explained? In view of the many devils’ heads who do not speak the Word of God, our text must be mistaken. Take Judas, for instance. He was called directly by Christ, and yet he betrayed Him. In the Old Testament we find many similar false prophets. Caiaphas and Annas were also called directly, as it were, by God, since the priesthood was instituted by Him. They were not merely false teachers, but they even crucified Christ. At present the bishops and popes are occupying the seats of the apostles, but their acts run counter to those of the apostles. This would suggest the query whether it is true that he whom God sends utters the Word of God simply because he whom God sends has an office entrusted to him by God. Does John, with these words, wish to persuade and force me to hear and believe all that the pope or someone else who is sent says or claims? Then Christ Himself and the apostles would have been obliged to heed Caiaphas’ words. And Isaiah and Jeremiah would have been bound to admit that the chief priests taught correctly because they were sent.
To begin with, we must know that those who are sent speak the Word of God provided that they adhere to their office and administer it as they received it. In that event, they surely speak the Word of God. Christ said of the Pharisees: They “sit on Moses’ seat” (Matt. 23:2). Those who occupy the seat of Moses are sent, and you must listen to them if they preach what Moses taught. But if their preaching is at variance with Moses, if they digress from Moses and violate the command given them and do not comply with it, then you should not follow them. A king’s ambassador or emissary discharges his duty when he abides by his master’s order and instruction. If he fails in this, the king has him beheaded. Thus it may well be that a person is called into an office and occupies this office, but still is a scoundrel. A king demands that his order be executed and that one neither add to it nor subtract from it. We see that when a person is called, he is invested with an office. If such a person preaches in conformity with the duties of his office, that is, if he preaches the Word of God, on which the office rests, all is well; if not, then the words apply to him: “Beware of false prophets!” (Matt. 7:15). If he is faithful to his office and preaches the message of his office, then all is proper. Previously John had also said that man can do nothing unless it is given him from above (John 3:27). –Martin Luther

Two Ways Of Sending

There are two ways of sending. First, God sent His messengers, the prophets and apostles, like Moses and St. Paul, directly and without the help of an intermediary. These men were called by God’s word of mouth and without human agency. Such sending was done only when God wished to inaugurate something new, as was the case when He sent Moses and the prophets. This exalted method came to an end in the New Testament with the apostles, who were the last to be called directly by God.
The other way of sending is indeed also one by God, but it is done through the instrumentality of man. It has been employed ever since God established the ministry with its preaching and its exercise of the Office of the Keys. This ministry will endure and is not to be replaced by any other. But the incumbents of this ministry do not remain; they die. This necessitates an ever-new supply of preachers, which calls for the employment of certain means. The ministry, that is, the Word of God, Baptism, and Holy Communion, came directly from Christ; but later Christ departed from this earth. Now a new way of sending was instituted, which works through man but is not of man. We were sent according to this method; according to it, we elect and send others, and we install them in their ministry to preach and to administer the Sacraments. This type of sending is also of God and commanded by God. Even though God resorts to our aid and to human agency, it is He Himself who sends laborers into His vineyard.
Therefore everyone must realize that he has to be sent. That is, he must know that he has been called; he dare not venture to sneak into the office furtively and without authorization. It must be done in the open. The sending is done through man, for example, when a city, a prince, or a congregation calls someone into office. But at the same time this person is sent by God. –Martin Luther

St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153)

In Heb. 13:7 we are admonished to look at the faith of the saints, not only at their works. Do this in the instance of St. Bernard, who does not assume that he will be saved by his chastity but by his faith in the Son of God. The pope, however, insists that we should look at the external life of the saints: what they ate, what they drank, and how they were dressed. Their faith he ignores entirely. And the vulgar ass calls such conduct a holy order! We older people know well what blind and deceptive things were preached, for the world was full of these. Today the young people know nothing about them. –Martin Luther

St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153)

When monks and nuns hear that their cowls are worthless, they are afire with rage, and the whole Rhine is ablaze. And if you tell the pope today that cowl, holy life, or conduct count for nothing, he replies: “Nonsense!” They will let Christ be called the Savior of the world, but at the same time they refuse to have their own efforts condemned. When this is done, they begin to rave and rage. They remain in their darkness and shout: “The fathers, the councils, holy orders, rules!” Whenever monks were saved, however, they were constrained to crawl to the cross of Christ again. This is what St. Bernard did. I regard him as the most pious of all the monks and prefer him to all the others, even to St. Dominic. He is the only one worthy of the name “Father Bernard” and of being studied diligently. He is dressed in a cowl. But what does he do when matters become serious? He does not try to satisfy the judgment of God with his cowl; instead, he takes hold of Christ. –Martin Luther

O HAUPT, VOLL BLUT UND WUNDEN

»Sie…flochten eine Krone aus Dornenzweigen und drückten sie ihm auf den Kopf.« Matthäus 27,28-29

O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden,Voll Schmerz und voller Hohn,O Haupt, zum Spott gebundenMit einer Dornenkron’,O Haupt, sonst schön gezieretMit höchster Ehr’ und Zier,Jetzt aber höchst schimpfieret;Gegrüßet sei’st du mir!
Du edles Angesichte,Davor sonst schrickt und scheutDas große Weltgewichte,Wie bist du so bespeit!Wie bist du so erbleichet!Wer hat dein Augenlicht,Dem sonst kein Licht nicht gleichet,So schändlich zugericht’t?
Die Farbe deiner Wangen,Der roten Lippen PrachtIst hin und ganz vergangen;Des blaßen Todes MachtHat alles hingenommen,Hat alles hingerafft,Und daher bist du kommenVon deines Leibes Kraft.
Nun, was du, Herr, erduldet,Ist alles meine Last;Ich hab’ es selbst verschuldet,Was du getragen hast.Schau her, hier steh’ ich Armer,Der Zorn verdienet hat;Gib mir, o mein Erbarmer,Den Anblick deiner Gnad’!
Erkenne mich, mein Hüter,Mein Hirte, nimm mich an!Von dir, Quell’ aller Güter,Ist mir viel Gut’s getan.Dein Mund hat mich gelabetMit Mich und süßer Kost;Dein Geist hat mich begabetMit mancher Himmelslust.
Ich will hier bei dir stehen,Verachte mich doch nicht!Von dir will ich nicht gehen,Wenn dir dein Herze bricht;Wenn dein haupt wird erblaßenIm letzten Todesstoß,Alsdann will ich dich faßenIn meinem Arm und Schoß.
Es dient zu meinen FreudenUnd kommt mir herzlich wohl,Wenn ich in deinem Leiden,Mein Heil, mich finden soll.Ach, möcht’ ich, o mein Leben,An deinem Kreuze hierMein Leben von mir geben,Wie wohl geschähe mir!
Ich danke dir von Herzen,O Jesu, liebster Freund,Für deines Todes Schmerzen,Da du’s so gut gemeint.Ach gib, daß ich mich halteZu dir und deiner Treu’Und, wenn ich nun erkalte,In dir mein Ende sei!
Wann ich einmal soll scheiden,So scheide nicht von mir,Wenn ich den Tod soll leiden,So tritt du dann herfür;Wenn mir am allerbängstenWird um das Herze sein,So reiß mich aus den ÄngstenKraft deiner Angst und Pein!
Erscheine mir zum Schilde,Zum Trost in meinem Tod,Und laß mich sehn dein BildeIn deiner Kreuzesnot!Da will ich nacht dir blicken,Da will ich glaubensvollDich fest an mein Herz drücken.Wer so stirbt, der stirbt wohl.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153)

For approximately fifteen years I tormented myself miserably with Masses, although I heard the name of the Lord Jesus Christ mentioned daily, listened to sermons on His Passion, and read and sang the words of this text. In spite of this I thought that if I made a mistake in any part of the Mass or omitted any of it, I would be lost. It is strange and terrifying to think that people were so stupid, so possessed of the devil and so misled by him. Many, however, discarded cowl and other tomfoolery in the hour of death and would have none of it. St. Bernard was one of those. He hung his cowl on the wall and prayed: “God’s Son had a twofold claim to heaven: in the first place, as the Son of God, by inheritance, He was born to the kingdom of heaven; in the second place, He has also gained heaven. And since this was entirely unnecessary for Him, He transferred this right to me, which I must appropriate by faith.” O St. Bernard that was a timely return! Many others who were converted to Christ and whom God preserved as His elect died this way. –Martin Luther

St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153)

He was an exemplary monk; he observed the rules of his order scrupulously, and he fasted so assiduously that his breath stank and no one could abide his presence. But on the threshold of death he exclaimed: “Oh, I have lived damnably! But heavenly Father, Thou hast given me Thy Son, who has a twofold claim to heaven: first, from eternity, by reason of the fact that He is Thy Son; secondly, He earned heaven as the Son of man with His suffering, death, and resurrection. And thus He has also given and bestowed heaven on me.” Thereby St. Bernard dropped out of the monastic role, forsook cowl and tonsure and rules, and turned to Christ; for he knew that Christ conquered death, not for Himself but for us men that all who believe in the Son should not perish but have eternal life. And so St. Bernard was saved. –Martin Luther

Aristotle says…

Aristotle (384 B.C.- 322 B.C.)

Aristotle contemplating a bust of Homer

Aristotle says something worthwhile when he declares that the goal of man is happiness, which consists in a virtuous life. But in view of the weakness of our nature who can reach this goal? Even those who are the most fortunate encounter discomforts of various kinds, which both misfortune and the ill will and meanness of men bring on. For such happiness peace of mind is necessary. But who can always preserve this amid the great changes of fortune? It is vain, therefore, to point out this goal which no one reaches. –Martin Luther

The Heretic Arius

St. Nicholas Strikes Arius


Around a.d. 320 Arius, a presbyter in the church at Alexandria, denied that Christ as Son of God was co-equal and co-eternal with God, the Father.




When the devil wants to make us pious, he emphasizes the importance of our life at the expense of faith; or when he has something special in mind and wants to make you clever and smart, he appeals to your reason in opposition to doctrine, just as he did in the case of the heretic Arius and to others. –Martin Luther

Psalm 142

PICTURE
David fleeing from Absalom

Psalm 142, David flees on foot from Absalom, who with two companions, are on horseback, wielding swords...

Psalm 142

I cry to the Lord with my voice,
with my voice I make supplication to the Lord.
I pour out my complaint before him,
I lay my trouble before him,
When my spirit is filled with fear,
thou comest to my aid.
(That is, thou hast concern about what happens to me and what should happen to me).
In the path where I walk
they have placed a snare for me.
(The devil does that by means of evil thoughts, which fill man with uncertainty as to his fate and hinder him in his being and doing. However, we must commit this to God, who knows well what our course will be.)
I look to the right and watch,
there is no one who wants to know me.
(That is, the soul imagines that it does not belong in the
company of the blessed. Here where the blessed are, no one knows the soul. Now it would flee in an attempt to rid itself of this grief, but, as seen in the following, this is impossible.)
I cannot escape.
(That is, there can be neither escape nor flight, and I must remain here in my fear.)
And no man is concerned about my soul.
(That is what the soul thinks, and that is also what it feels; but for all of that, the soul must not yield and give way to such thoughts and feelings.)
I cry to thee, dear Lord
(since nothing else wants to comfort or is able to help)
and I say, “Thou art my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.
(That is, everything tells me that I must die and perish. But I fight against that and say, “No, I want to live, for this I look to thee in faith.”)
Give heed to my lament,
for I am being greatly tormented.
Save me from my persecutors,
for they are too powerful for me.
Lead my soul out of prison
(That is, out of the distress and terror which hold me captive.)
that I may give thanks to thy name.
The righteous will gather around me
(to offer thanks with me and for me as a lost sheep [Luke 15:6])
For thou dealest bountifully with me.
(That is, rendereth me comfort in my need and help against evil.) Amen.
Sixth, it is necessary that one never doubt the promise of the truthful and faithful God. He promised to hear us, yes, he commanded us to pray, for the very reason that we might know and firmly believe that our petition will be heard. Thus Christ says in Matthew 21 [: 22] and in Mark 11 [: 24], “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you shall receive it, and you surely will.” Also in Luke 11 [: 9–13], “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. What son is there among you, who would ask his father for bread, and he would offer him a stone instead? etc. If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
Such a person must also know Christ aright and know that only by him alone are all our sins paid and God’s grace given to us, lest he presume to deal directly with God and without this mediator.
But if the inner assaults should become more severe after this medicine, he should do nothing else but abide by the above advice. For this grave temptation is a good omen that this will soon end and that the devil is very nearly vanquished. He is merely making his strongest attempt now. Pharaoh, too, never persecuted the children of Israel as severely as he did toward the end. One can also see this in a physical illness. Just before the medicine begins to help and heal the person, it makes him extremely sick. Therefore this person should be hopeful and of good cheer. –Martin Luther

COMFORT WHEN FACING GRAVE TEMPTATIONS

First, such a person must by no means rely on himself, nor must he be guided by his own feelings. Rather, he must lay hold of the words offered to him in God’s name, cling to them, place his trust in them, and direct all the thoughts and feelings of his heart to them.
Second, he must not imagine that he is the only one assailed about his salvation, but he must be aware (as St. Peter declares) that there are many more people in the world passing through the same trials [I Pet. 5:9]. How often does David lament and cry out in the Psalms, “O God, I am driven far from thy sight” [31:22], and, “I became like those who go into hell” [28:1]. These trials are not rare among the godly. They hurt, to be sure, but that is also in order, etc.
Third, he should by no means insist on deliverance from these trials without yielding to the divine will. He should address God cheerfully and firmly and say, “If I am to drink this cup, dear Father, may your will, not mine, be done” [Luke 22:42].
Fourth, there is no stronger medicine for this than to begin with words such as David used when he said in Psalm 18 [: 3], “I will call upon the Lord and praise him, and so shall I be saved from all that assails me.” For the evil spirit of gloom cannot be driven away by sadness and lamentation and anxiety, but by praising God, which makes the heart glad.
Fifth, he must thank God diligently for deeming him worthy of such a visitation, of which many thousands of people remain deprived. It would be neither good nor useful for man to know what great blessings lie hidden under such trials. Some have wanted to fathom this and have thereby done themselves much harm. Therefore, we should willingly endure the hand of God in this and in all suffering. Do not be worried; indeed, such a trial is the very best sign of God’s grace and love for man. At such a time it is well to pray, read, or sing Psalm 142, which is especially helpful at this point. –Martin Luther

Prayer, meditation, Anfechtung.

…tentatio, Anfechtung. This is the touchstone which teaches you not only to know and understand, but also to experience how right, how true,
how sweet,
how lovely,
how mighty,
how comforting God’s Word is, wisdom beyond all wisdom.
Thus you see how David, in the Psalm mentioned, complains so often about all kinds of enemies, arrogant princes or tyrants, false spirits and factions, whom he must tolerate because he meditates, that is, because he is occupied with God’s Word (as has been said) in all manner of ways. For as soon as God’s Word takes root and grows in you, the devil will harry you, and will make a real doctor of you, and by his assaults will teach you to seek and love God’s Word. I myself (if you will permit me, mere mouse-dirt, to be mingled with pepper) am deeply indebted to my papists that through the devil’s raging they have beaten, oppressed, and distressed me so much. That is to say, they have made a fairly good theologian of me, which I would not have become otherwise. And I heartily grant them what they have won in return for making this of me, honor, victory, and triumph, for that’s the way they wanted it. –Martin Luther

Anfechtung

Moreover, I want to point out to you a correct way of studying theology, for I have had practice in that. If you keep to it, you will become so learned that you yourself could (if it were necessary) write books just as good as those of the fathers and councils, even as I (in God) dare to presume and boast, without arrogance and lying, that in the matter of writing books I do not stand much behind some of the fathers. Of my life I can by no means make the same boast. This is the way taught by holy King David (and doubtlessly used also by all the patriarchs and prophets) in the one hundred nineteenth Psalm. There you will find three rules, amply presented throughout the whole Psalm. They are Oratio, Meditatio, Tentatio. Prayer, and meditation, Anfechtung. –Martin Luther

Genesis 5

Therefore it is stated about the individual patriarchs: “So many years he completed and died,” that is, he bore the punishment of sin, or he was a sinner. But about Enoch Moses does not make this statement, not because he was not a sinner but because even for sinners there is left the hope of eternal life through the blessed Seed. And so also the patriarchs who died in the faith of this Seed clung to the hope of eternal life. –Martin Luther

St. Ambrose

St. Ambrose has rightly said that the dialecticians have to give way where the apostolic fishermen are to be trusted. –Martin Luther

THIS YOUNG POLITICIAN BECAME THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE TO BECOME BISHOP OF MILAN WHEN THE ARIAN BISHOP OF MILAN DIED. AMBROSE HAD GREAT PRESENCE AND WAS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL MEN OF THE FOURTH CENTURY. HIS GREAT SPEAKING ABILITY, TACT AND DECISIVENESS BROUGHT THE EMPEROR TO REPENT FOR CRIMES COMMITTED.

Allegorical passages

Allegorical passages must not be used in polemics. We need plain utterances which clearly set forth the articles of faith. –Martin Luther








Wartburg Castle

All Directed Toward Christ

“For He whom God has sent utters the Word of God.” The Law of Moses was given, and the prophets were sent; but it was all directed toward Christ. All this was to cease with His advent. Therefore they said: “He will come, and when He comes, all this will end.” Whoever proclaims today that He is still to come denies that He who was born of Mary is the Messiah. All the prophets declared that the Messiah would come one day. But the Jews quote these declarations as still pertaining to the future, although they have been fulfilled long ago. The prophets did not lie; they spoke the truth. He was born in Bethlehem and dwelt in Nazareth. When I hear this, then it is time that I believe it; to close my ears to this message means to lose Him. –Martin Luther

Adam

Adam, who was created in innocence and righteousness.

…this knowledge in Adam was an outstanding gift of God, so it also pleased God exceedingly and delighted Him. Therefore He commands him to make use of this knowledge by giving names to all the animals.


Thus Adam was created alone; later on the animals were brought to him, and Adam was put to a test whether he could find or see a partner in that group; finally Eve was created. And because these definite words, “From every tree you will eat,” struck Adam’s ears, this proves that they were all spoken in time at intervals, unless you wish to turn senseless allegories after the manner of Origen. For the subject under discussion here is not God, in whose sight all past and future events are present ones, but Adam, who was in time and lived in time, and with whom there was a difference between the future and the past, just as with any creature.

That Adam was created on the sixth day, that the animals were brought to him, that he heard the Lord giving him a command regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that the Lord sent a sleep upon him—all these facts clearly refer to time and physical life. Therefore it is necessary to understand these days as actual days, contrary to the opinion of the holy fathers. Whenever we see that the opinions of the fathers are not in agreement with Scripture, we respectfully bear with them and acknowledge them as our forefathers; but we do not on their account give up the authority of Scripture. Aristotle’s statement in the first book of his Ethics is well put and true: “Better it is to defend the truth than to be too much devoted to those who are our friends and relatives.”( In his Nicomachean Ethics, I, ch. 6, Aristotle says: “While both are dear, piety requires us to honor truth above our friends.”) And this is, above all, the proper attitude for a philosopher. For although both; truth and friends, are dear to us, preference must be given to truth. (The statement of Aristotle quoted had become a proverb in the form: “Plato is dear to me, but dearer still is truth.”) –Martin Luther

“Where are you?”

The words “Where are you?” are words of the Law. God directs them to the conscience. Although all things are plain and known before God (Heb. 4:13), He is speaking according to our way of thinking; for He sees us considering how we may withdraw from His sight. Therefore when He says: “Where are you?” it is the same as if He were saying: “Do you think I do not see you?” He wants to show Adam that though he had hidden, he was not hidden from God, and that when he avoided God, he did not escape God. It happens naturally in the case of every sin that we stupidly try to escape God’s wrath and yet cannot escape it. It is the utmost stupidity for us to imagine that our cure lies in flight from God rather than in our return to God, and yet our sinful nature cannot return to God. In what frame of mind, therefore, shall we suppose Adam to have been when he heard this voice? He had stupidly hoped to be able to hide; and, behold, he stands before God’s judgment seat and is now called in for his punishment.

God indeed knows that Adam sinned and that he is guilty of death. However, He questions him so that by his own witness he himself may prove himself guilty of having committed sin; for he is fleeing from God, something which in itself is a sin, just as it is a good deed to take one’s refuge in God. Although Adam hopes to be able to cover his sin with a lie, he brings this witness against himself when he says that the reason for his flight was the voice of the Lord and his own nakedness. –Martin Luther

Abel

The pious son Abel sacrificed a fatted lamb; yet he was not saved because of the sacrifice but because of his faith in the promised Christ. It was the promise that did it, the promise that the woman’s Seed would crush the serpents head (Gen. 3:15). Abel believed in this promise, and on the basis of his faith in the future Seed he was graciously accepted by God. Cain, however, came swaggering along with his sacrifice, a sacrifice of good quality, which his field had yielded and which had been God’s gift and present to him. But what was missing? He did not look to the future Seed of the woman; he was an unbeliever and assumed that since he was the first-born and the only prince in the human race, he would prove acceptable to God for the sake of his own person. Therefore he did not look to, and hope for, the woman’s Seed which was to crush the serpents head. Abel, on the other hand, gave ear to the message of the woman’s Seed; he believed it, and as proof of his faith he offered his sacrifice. Cain, however, thought: “Oh, even if I sacrifice but three kernels of wheat and my brother places a hundred lambs on the altar, I am still everything, while Abel is nothing.” But our God has a different system of accounting, and according to it, the one who is nothing must be everything; for he believes in the future Seed, Christ. And Cain, who presumed to be everything, is nothing; for his faith does not rely on the future Seed of the woman. It is Abel who is purified, not Cain.
About this a horrible quarrel ensued, so that in the end he who wanted to be everything slew Abel. This has always been the course of history. Just read the records, and see how all the patriarchs and fathers sacrificed and how the fire consumed their offerings. Then the ungodly Jews remarked: “God regards the gift and the sacrifice!” Now Cain had offered nothing but chaff. However, God is not interested in oxen, sheep, and sacrifices; as is evident from Ps. 50:8–9 and from Is. 1:11. God says: “Who commanded you to sacrifice?”
The trouble is, as we see from the books of all the prophets, that the ungodly assume they are purified because of their generous sacrifices; but God is of a different mind. Because of the assumption of the ungodly all the prophets were tortured and slain, and all the great kings dethroned. But whoever bore in mind during his sacrifice that the true Lamb, Christ, was to be slaughtered for the sins of the world, was saved by and in that faith in the advent of Christ. And whoever failed to do so was not saved. Even if such a person were willing to sacrifice a thousand oxen, it would be regarded by God as little as a fly. In the case of the godly, however, what availed was their reliance on the future Seed for their salvation. Thus from Adam and Abel down to our day there is but one way to salvation, for the promise of Christ and the Christian faith began with the promise that the woman’s Seed should crush the serpent’s head. This promise endured until He Himself appeared. And now faith no longer applies to the future Christ but to the present Christ, the Christ who has come. And what was formerly observed in the Law has validity no longer, whether it be Law or circumcision. Christ Himself is present now, and everything pointed to Him.

It is true indeed that there have always been others who practiced different methods of purifying; but the doctrine has never varied since the beginning of the world, and it will remain as it is until the end of the world. To be sure, it was worded differently. From the beginning of the world until the days of John the Baptist the people were told: “Believe in the Seed that is to come!” From then on it is: “The Messiah has come.” Thus there has always been but one Christ—the Christ of the past, the present, and the future. The Apocalypse refers to Him as the One “who is and who was and who is to come” (Rev. 1:8).

I am saying this that we may understand the doctrine of purifying and of Baptism correctly. John relates it all to Christ. He says: “I was sent to be His forerunner.” And if anyone should interpose: “But were people who died before the advent of Christ also saved?” then we reply: “Of course, they believed that John purified by his Baptism; for by means of it he joined you to Christ.” Thus one is saved according to the way in which Christ instructed Nicodemus (John 3:5). And when Christ Himself appeared and was present, St. John’s Baptism had to cease, just as circumcision also had to come to an end then. Henceforth it is wrong to say: “He will come.” Now we say: “You dare wait for no other. I do not believe in anyone who is still to come, but in Him who was and still is” For we have no other Seed of the woman than the One who lived in John the Baptist’s day, who in ages past was to come and did come at the time of John, who has now appeared and will remain in eternity. Whoever does not believe this, but looks to another, as Jews and Turks do, will be eternally damned. Everyone is intent upon devising his own method of purifying. Cain looks surly because he wants to force God to recognize his deeds.

When nuns and Turks fall into sin, Christ and His purification count for nothing; then a particular kind of purification must be introduced. Therefore the pope is no different from the Turk, if indeed he is not even worse.

There may be, we concede, different ways of baptizing, of purifying, and of sacrificing; still there must remain only this one sacrifice: Christ. Abel’s method was to sacrifice a lamb, to which he related his faith in the coming Christ. If Cain had also done this, then there would have been no difference between his offering and that of Abel. Abraham had a different offering. He sacrificed his son, which was radically different from the offering of Abel; but still this offering of Abraham was also directed to the one Seed of the woman. Moses constructed the tabernacle or ark of the covenant. He trained a people which had its own realm; he also led them through the Red Sea. But the idea of the woman’s Seed was present in all these various and novel methods. Thus since the world’s inception there has been but one purification, since all believed in one God and in His Son, Jesus Christ. Then each one performed good works according to his station in life, whether he was a husband or a scholar. A nun should have done the same thing and said: “I will wear the same veil and crown that other women wear.” But this she did not do. She should have thought: “I will make purification by Christ my crown.” But who would have understood this at that time? The wrath of God cast Mohammed and the pope upon the world to deflect us from the one purification of Christ and lead us into manifold kinds of purification. In the end we became such stupid fools that we even purchased the good works of the monks for money. –Martin Luther

In theology there is a new “doing”

Thus the same epistle says of Abel that by faith he offered up a better sacrifice to God than Cain did (Heb. 11:4). If the sophists come upon this passage as it is written in Genesis (where it is simply described that both Cain and Abel offered up their gifts, and that the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering [Gen. 4:3–4]), they immediately take hold of the words “they offered gifts” and “the Lord had regard for Abel’s offering.” And they exclaim: “Here you can hear and see that God had regard for offerings; therefore works do justify!” Thus these filthy swine think that righteousness is something moral, since they look only at the mask of the work and not at the heart of the one who is doing the work. And yet in philosophy itself they are obliged to look, not upon the bare work but upon the good will of the one who does the work. But here they simply cling to the words “they offered gifts” and “the Lord had regard for offerings”; they do not see that the text in Genesis explicitly states that the Lord had regard first for Abel because his person was pleasing on account of faith, and only then for his offerings. In theology, therefore, we speak of works, sacrifices, offerings, and gifts that are faithful, that is, that are offered and performed in faith, as the Epistle to the Hebrews explains. “By faith,” it says (Heb. 11:4), “Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice”; “by faith Enoch was taken up” (Heb. 11:5); “by faith Abraham obeyed” (Heb. 11:8). Here, then, you have a rule about how one should reply plainly to the arguments raised by our opponents about works, namely, “This or that man did this work in faith.” And thus you nullify all their arguments. From this it is evident that in theology the work does not amount to anything without faith, but that faith must precede before you can do works. For “without faith it is impossible to please God, but whoever would draw near to God must believe” (Heb. 11:6). Therefore the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews says that the sacrifice of Abel was better because he believed. But because Cain was an ungodly man and a hypocrite, he performed a work that was moral, or rather one that was reasonable, by which he sought to please God. Therefore the work of Cain was hypocritical and faithless; in it there was no faith in grace but only a presumption about his own righteousness. And so the “doing,” the gift, and the offering of Abel are faithful; but those of Cain are faithless. Thus our opponents are forced to concede that in all the works of the saints the faith on account of which the works are pleasing is presupposed. In theology, therefore, there is a new “doing,” one that is different from moral “doing. –Martin Luther