And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming. Again we see that he wants to impel us even by means of fright to abide in the doctrine of Christ, for at the coming of Christ the judgment cannot be borne unless we abide in the doctrine of Christ. For this is the source of confidence, so that we may remain firm at His coming. Why, then, should we traverse difficult paths and have innumerable orders devoted to works in spite of the fact that it is written that one should abide in Christ? Satan, of course, opposes this, and nature is inclined to render satisfaction for sins and to reconcile God. What should you do if the danger of death frightens you and your conscience troubles you? Abide in Christ. Believe that nothing can be accomplished with your works, but that only Christ’s righteousness is effective. This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent, says John 6:29. Thus when Nathan had chided David and David confessed, Nathan added: The Lord has put away your sins; you shall not die, 2 Sam. 12:13. David does nothing except to abide in the doctrine of grace. He gives no thought at all to rendering satisfaction with his works. The Lord has put away your sins was the true doctrine of grace, and David believed this. Thus Adam, too, when he sinned, contributed nothing at all to his restoration but was made alive through the well-known statement that the Seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). Since he believed in this Word, he was saved and justified regardless of all works. Nature resists stoutly, and an excellent semblance of righteousness deceives us. Therefore let us learn this, that whether we are attracted by a semblance of sanctity or are frightened by death or by the sight of sin, we should know no other way of being justified than through Christ. Martin Luther Luthers Works, AE 30:262, Lectures on the First Epistle of St. John, 1 John 2:28
Posted on: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 09:28:44 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015