John 1:1-14.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. The same was in the beginning with God. All things are made through the same, and without the same nothing is made that is made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood. There was a man sent by God, whose name was John. He came to testify that he was the light, so that they might all believe through him. He was not the light, but that he testified of the light. This was the true light that enlightens all people who come into this world. It was in the world, and the world was made by it, and the world knew it not. He came into his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the children of God, who believe on his name. Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, a glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
(1) This is the highest gospel of all, but not, as some think, dark or difficult. For here the high article of the divinity of Christ is most clearly founded, which all Christians ought to know, and may well understand. Nothing is too high for faith. Therefore, we want to act as clearly as we can, and not hide it from the common man like the school teachers with their fictitious subtleties, or scare anyone away. There must not be much pointed and sharp trachtung, but only simple bad attention to the words.
(2) First of all, all that the apostles taught and wrote they drew from the Old Testament, for in it all things were proclaimed that were to come to pass in Christ and were to be preached, as St. Paul says in Romans 1:2: "God promised the gospel of His Son Christ through the prophets in the holy Scriptures. Therefore, all their preaching is based on the Old Testament, and there is not a word in the New Testament that does not look behind it into the Old, in which it was preached before. Thus we have seen in the epistle how the deity of Christ is proved by the apostle from the sayings of the Old Testament. For the New Testament is
no more than a revelation of the Old. The Old Testament is a testamentary letter of Christ, which he opened after his death and had it read and proclaimed everywhere through the gospel, as Revelation 5:5 refers to the Lamb of God, who alone opens the book with the seven sigils, which no one else could open, neither in heaven, nor on earth, nor under the earth.
In order that this gospel may become clearer and easier, we must go behind us to the Old Testament, to the places where this gospel is based. And this is Moses at the first chapter and beginning of his first book, there we read Cap. 1, 1. 2. 3. thus: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was desolate and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering upon the face of the waters. Then God said, Let there be light, and there was light. "etc. So henceforth Moses tells how all creatures are created like light, namely, by the speaking or word of God. As: "God said: Let there be a heaven"; "God said: Let there be sun, moon and stars" etc.
4. from the text of Moses it follows and concludes clearly that God has a word by.
which he spoke before all creatures were created; and that same Word may not and cannot be a creature, since all creatures are created by the same divine speaking, as the text of Moses clearly and powerfully compels, saying, "God said, Let there be light; and there was light." There must be the word before the light, because the light becomes through the word; thus also before all other creatures, which also become through the word, as Moses writes.
Now let us continue. If the Word was before all creatures, and all creatures were made and created by it, then it must be another being than the creature. And if it has not come into being or been created as the creature, then it must be eternal and have no beginning. For since all things began, it was already there before, and cannot be comprehended in time or creature, but hovers over time and creature; indeed, time and creature become and thereby begin. Thus it is irrefutable: what is not temporal must be eternal; and what has no beginning must not be temporal; and what is not creature must be God; for apart from God and creature there is nothing or no being. Thus we have from this text of Moses that the Word of God, which was in the beginning, and by which the creatures came to be and were spoken, must be an eternal God and not a creature.
6th Further: The word and the one who speaks it may not be one person, because it does not suffer that the speaker himself is the word. What kind of speaker would that be, who would be the word itself? He would have to be a mute, or the word would have to speak of itself without the speaker and speak itself. Now here the Scripture stands strong and clear with words expressed: God spoke; that God and His Word must be two different things. So if he had written: It was a saying, or it has been a saying; so it would not be so clear that there were two things: the word and the speaker. But now he says: God spoke, and names the speaker and his word: he forcefully forces that there are two things, and the speaker is not the word, nor is the word the speaker; but the word comes from the speaker, and has not its essence
from itself, but from the speaker. But the speaker does not come, nor does he have his being from the word, but from himself. Thus Moses concludes that here are two persons in the Godhead from eternity, before all creatures, and one has its essence from the other, and the first from no one but itself.
(7) Again, the Scripture stands firm that there is no more than one God, as Moses begins, saying: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And Deut. 6:4: "Hear, O Israel, thy God is but one God." Behold, thus the Scripture proceeds with simple, comprehensible words and teaches such a high thing so clearly that everyone can understand it, so powerfully that no one can contradict it. Who cannot understand from these words of Moses how in the Godhead there must be two persons and yet only one Godhead?
8 Again, who is so perceptive as to speak against this? He must let the word be something other than God, its speaker; and yet must confess that it was before all creatures and made the creature through it. So he must certainly let God be, too; for apart from the creature there is nothing but God. So he must also confess that there is only one God. And so the Scripture compels and concludes that these two persons are one complete God, and each one is the true, one, perfect, natural God who created all things. And that the speaker has not his being from the Word, but the Word has his being from the speaker, yet all things eternal and everlasting, apart from all creatures.
(9) Here the heretics of Ariani wanted to make a mist of this bright saying and bore a hole through the sky, because they could not get over it, and said: That this word of God would also be a God, but not natural, but created. And all things were made by the same; but it was also made before, and after that by this all the rest. Which they say without any! Which they spoke out of their own dreams without any foundation in Scripture, so that they abandoned the simple words of Scripture and followed their own thoughts.
(10) Therefore I have said, If any man will surely go and stand, let him not pay much attention to subtle and pointed words or poems, but let him abide in the plain, powerful, and clear words of Scripture, and he shall stand. We will also see how St. John preempted and countered the same heretics in such evasion and revelation.
So now we have here in Moses the right golden treasure trove, from which is taken all that is written of the divinity of Christ in the New Testament. Here you see from where St. John's gospel flows and where its foundation lies, and from this it is easy to understand. Behold, from whence flows the saying Ps. 33:6, "The heavens were made by the word of God." And Solomon, Prov. 8, 22, when he describes the wisdom of God, how it was before all things with God, with many beautiful words, took it all from this chapter of Moses, and all prophets have almost worked in this treasure trove and dug out their treasure.
12) But of the Holy Spirit there are also other sayings in the same Moses, Genesis 1:2, namely, where he says: "The Spirit of God hovered over the waters. The Spirit of God must be something else than the one who blows, and yet before all creatures. Item, when he says v. 28. 31.: "God has blessed the creatures, has looked upon them and was pleased with them." Which benedeiung and benevolent appearance indicates the Holy Spirit; therefore the Scripture ascribes life and benevolence to Him. But these sayings are not yet so well worked as those indicating the Son, therefore they do not yet shine so brightly. The ore is still half in the pit, so it is easy to believe when reason is caught so far away that it believes two people. But whoever has time and should hold the sayings of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament against this text of Moses, would find great light, joy and delight.
(13) Now we must open wide our hearts and our understanding, so that we do not regard such a word as the lowly words of a man; but as great is he who speaks, so great must we regard his word also. It is a word that he has written in himself.
speaks and remains in him, is never separated from him. Therefore, according to the thoughts of the apostle, we must think how God speaks to Himself and lets a word of Himself in Himself. But this word is not a mere wind or sound, but brings with it the whole essence of divine nature. And as it is said above in the epistle about appearance and image that the divine nature is formed in such a way that it completely follows into the image, and it becomes and is the image itself, and the clarity also leaves out the appearance in such a way that it essentially goes into the appearance; in the same way God also speaks his word of himself in such a way that his whole divinity follows the word, and naturally remains in the word and is essential.
(14) Behold, we see where the apostle gets his speech, when he calls Christ an image of divine essence and a semblance of divine glory, namely, from this text of Moses, which teaches that God speaks a word about Himself, which may be nothing else than an image that draws Him. Since every word is a sign that means something. But here, what is signified is naturally in the sign or in the word, which is not in the other sign; therefore, he rightly calls it an essential image or sign of his nature.
(15) The word of man also has something to do with this, for in it the heart of man is known. It is common to say, "I have his heart or his mind," when he has only his word, because the word is followed by the mind of the heart, and is known by the word as if it were in the word. Therefore experience has also taught the Gentiles to say: Qualis quisque est, talia loquitur: What a man is, that is what he speaks; item: Oratio est character animi: Speech is an image or reflection of the heart: if the heart is pure, it speaks pure words; if the heart is impure, it speaks impure words. And the Gospel of Matthew 12:34 agrees with this, where Christ says, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." And, "How can you speak good things when you are evil?" Also St. John the Baptist Joh. 3, 31: "He who is of the earth speaks of the earth." Item, the German proverb: Weß das Herz voll ist,
The mouth passes over it. Thus all the world confesses that no image is so like and so certain of the heart as the speech of the mouth, as if the heart were essentially in the word. The bird is recognized by its song, for it sings as its beak has grown.
(16) So it is in God, too, that His word is so like Him that the Godhead is completely in it, and he who has the word has the whole Godhead. But this likeness is also missing here. For the human word does not bring with it essentially or the nature of the heart, but only meaningfully or as a sign; just as the wooden or gold image does not bring with it the human nature that it signifies. But here in God the word brings with it not only the sign and image, but also the whole being, and is just as full of God as he whose image or word it is. If man's words were like hearts, or his heart's opinion, or his heart's opinion were like words, then it would be a full likeness - but this may not be: therefore the Word of God is above all words, ohn equal in all creatures.
(17) They have indeed sharply disputed the inner word of the heart in man, which remains within, because man is created in the image of God; but it has remained so deep and dark until now, and will remain so, that they themselves do not know how it is done. Therefore we leave it and come to the gospel, which is now clear and open in itself.
In the beginning was the Word.
What does it mean for a beginning, because Moses 1 Mos. 1, 1. says: "In the beginning God created heaven and earth"? That is the beginning, when the creatures began their being. Otherwise there was no beginning before; for God did not begin to be, but is eternal. Thus it follows that the Word is also eternal, because it did not begin in the beginning, but was already in the beginning, John says here. It did not begin, but when all things began, it was already there; and its essence did not begin, but was there when all things began.
19) How carefully the evangelist speaks, that he does not say, "In the beginning was the Word"; but, "It was there," and was not. It
has another origin of its being, because to become or to begin. To this he says, "in the beginning." If he had been made before the world, as the Arians would have it, he would not have been in the beginning, but he would have been the beginning itself. But now John stands firm and clear. "In the beginning was the Word," and he has not been the beginning. Where did St. John get such words? From Moses, as it is said, Gen. 1, 3: "God said, Let there be light." From the text follows tangibly this text: "In the beginning was the Word." For if God spoke, then there had to be a word. If he spoke in the beginning, when the creatures began, then he was already in the beginning and did not begin with the creatures.
20 Why does he not say: Before the beginning was the word? that would have been clearer than it can be seen; as St. Paul often says: before the world procurement etc. Answer: Because it is the same in the beginning and before the beginning, one follows from the other. St. John, as an evangelist, also wanted to agree with the scripture of Moses and to show its reason, which would not have happened if he had said: before the beginning; because Moses does not say anything about what is before the beginning, but describes the word in the beginning, so that he could describe the creation, which happened through the word, all the more accurately. For the same reason he also calls it a word, when he might have called it a light, life, or otherwise, as he does afterwards; for Moses writes of a word. Now, not to begin, and to be in the beginning, is as much as to be before the beginning. But if it was in the beginning and not before the beginning, then it must have begun to be before the beginning, so the beginning would have been before the beginning; that would be contrary to each other, and so much as that the beginning would not be the beginning. Therefore it is masterly said: In the beginning was the word; so that it is indicated that it did not begin, and therefore was eternal from before the beginning.
And the word was with God.
Where else would it be? It was ever nothing except God. Moses also says that, since
he writes: "God said: Let there be a light". If he should speak, then the word must ever be with him. But he clearly separates the person here, that another person is the word, than the God, where it was. This saying of John does not suffer that God alone was, because he says that something was with God, namely his word. If only one thing had been there, what could he say: "With God was the Word"? To be something with him is not to be alone or to be himself. And it is to be noted that the evangelist presses hard on the little word "with"; for he will say it again, that he ever clearly expresses the personal difference, to meet natural reason and future heretics. For since natural reason understands very well that there is only one God, and many sayings of Scripture confirm this to be true, it strives very hard against the idea that more than one person should be the same God.
(22) And hence came Sabellius, the heretic, who said that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit were one person. Again, Arius, although he admitted that the Word was with God, he did not want him to be true God. The former confesses and teaches too great simplicity in God, the latter teaches too great diversity. The former mixes the person into one another; the latter separates nature from one another. But the truth of Christian faith goes right through, teaches and confesses unmixed persons and undivided nature. The Father is another person than the Son, but he is not another God. Whether natural reason does not comprehend this, that is right; faith alone should comprehend it. Natural reason makes heresy and error; faith teaches and holds the truth, for it clings to the Scriptures, which neither deceive nor lie.
And God was the Word.
23. since there is no more than One God, it must be true that God Himself is this Word, which was in the beginning before all creatures. *) There have been some who have believed the-
*Some read and order these words thus: "And the Word was God", to explain that this Word is not only God and a distinct person, but also in the Word of God.
Those who wanted to turn this saying around and interpret it: "And the word was God" have had their own subtleties. But we do not let ourselves be driven by the text, as if John had not known how to put his words. He means this: Since there is no other God but the only one, the same God is essentially the same Word of which he speaks, and there is nothing in the divine nature that is not in the Word; that it may ever be clearly expressed how true this word "God" is, that it is not only true that the Word is God, but also that God is the Word.
(24) This saying, though it is hard against Arius, who teaches that the Word is not God, seems hard to strengthen Sabellius, for it reads as if he were mixing the persons together, and thereby revoking or reversing the former saying, when he separated the persons within, and said, "The Word was with God. But the evangelist wanted to set his words in such a way as to put down all heretics; therefore here he pushes Arius to the ground, and gives the Word the true natural divinity in that he says: "And God was the Word." As if he should say: I do not say: The Word is God; which speech would be understood as if the Godhead were only said by him, and were not essential, as you say Arius; but so I say: "And God was the Word"; which cannot be understood differently than thus: That which everyone calls God and respects, that same is this Word. Again, that here Sabellius and Reason do not mean, I hold with him. and mix the person together, and recant what I have said of it, then I say it again and say:
The same was in the beginning with God.
(25) With God, with God it was, and yet God was the Word. Behold, thus the evangelist contends on both sides that both are true: God is the Word, and the Word is with God; one nature of divine essence, and yet not one Person alone; and one Person at all.
his essence is truly one God with the Father. But we leave them now as they lie one after the other: "And God was the Word"; that this is the opinion: Sintemal no etc. (f g)
Complete and whole God, in the beginning and forever.
(26) These are the sayings in which our faith is founded, and in which we must keep ourselves. For it is ever too high for reason that there should be three persons, and that each one should be complete, and the whole one God; and that there should not be three Gods, but One God. Our schoolteachers have driven it back and forth with great subtleties, so that they would make it comprehensible. But if you don't want to fall into the net of the evil enemy, let go of their cunning, conceit and subtlety and stick to these divine words; there crawl in and stay in it, like a hare in its stone crack. If you walk out and give in to their human talk, the enemy shall lead you and finally overthrow you, so that you do not know where reason, faith, God and yourself remain.
27 Believe me, as he that hath experienced and tried these things, and speaketh not out of a pot; the scripture is not given us in vain. If reason had been right, we would not have needed the Scriptures. Let Arius and Sabellius frighten you, who, if they had remained in the Scriptures and had let reason take its course, would not have been so greatly harmed. And our school teachers would also be Christians if they had left their subtleties alone and remained in the Scriptures.
All things are made through the same.
Is this not clear enough? Who will wonder whether the obstinate will not now let themselves be persuaded of their error, how clearly and roughly the truth is told to them? If the Arians could escape this bright and clear saying and speak: All things are made by the word, but he was made before, and after that all things by him; yet here it is plainly said, "All things were made by him"; without doubt that he was not made, not even of the number of things made. For he who names all things excludes nothing; as also St. Paul, Heb. 2:8, interprets the saying Ps. 8:7, "All things thou hast cast under his feet. In this," he says, "that he hath cast all things under his feet, he hath nothing.
that he has not subjected to him." And 1 Cor. 15:27: "He hath put all things in subjection unto him, without doubt, except he that put all things in subjection unto him." So also here must be understood: All things were made through him, without doubt except him through whom all things were made, and without him there was nothing that was not made. This saying he also draws from Genesis, Genesis 1:7, where he tells all the creatures that God made, and says each time, "God spoke, and it was so"; so that he shows that they were all made by the Word. Still St. John expresses this further and explains himself, saying:
And without that nothing is made that is made.
29. nothing is made without him, much less is he himself made, without whom nothing is made; so that Arius' error may ever raise nothing, even though it has helped nothing. Let no one ever suggest that this word is God and the true Creator of all creatures, since without him nothing is made that has ever been made.
30 There is a doubt among some about this text of the order half, and the piece: "that is made", some put to the following text, in this way: "That is made, was in him the life. This is the opinion of St. Augustine. But others, and I, think that it belongs to the previous text, as I have put it, thus: "And without the same nothing is made that is made." As if he should say: Of the things that are made, none is made without him. In order that he may clearly express that all things are made by him and that he is not made, he thus clearly and firmly states that he is true God, although not from himself, but from the Father; therefore he is called made through him and made by the Father.
In him was life.
31 This saying they commonly draw into the high speculation and heavy reasoning of the twofold nature of the creature, as the Platonic philosophers are famous for; namely, that all creatures have their nature once in their own nature and manner, as they are
created, on the other hand, in the divine providence from eternity, in which he has decided to create all things in himself; and thus, as he lives, so all things in him are also alive. And that same being of the creature in God, they say, is nobler than the being in its own kind and nature; for in God lives also that which does not live in itself, as, stone, earth, water etc. And so St. Augustine says that this word is an image of all creatures, and like a treasury full of such images, which they call ideas, after which the creature is made, each according to its image. And of this John is said to have said here, "In him was life," linking the text to the previous one, thus, "What was made there was life in him," that is, everything that was ever made, before it was made, lived in him before.
32 But though I do not reject this, yet methinks it is too far sought, and a forced mind in this place. For John speaks very plainly and badly, not thinking to lead us into such pointed and subtle reflections. Nor do I know at this time whether all Scripture speaks of creatures in this way. It does say that all things are known beforehand, chosen and ready before God and live as if it had already happened; as Christ Luc. 20, 38. says of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: "God is not a God of the dead, but of the living; for they all live unto Him." But not one finds written in this way: In him all things live.
This saying also speaks of something more than the life of the creature in Him, which was before the world; but in the most simple way it means that He is the fountain and source of life, that everything that lives lives from Him and through Him and in Him, and apart from Him there is no life; as He Himself says Joh. 14, 6: "I am the way, the truth and the life"; item Joh. 11, 25: "I am the resurrection and the life". Therefore John calls Him in his epistle 1 Joh. 1, 1. "the word of life." And especially he speaks of the life that men have from him, that is, eternal life. For the sake of which life he began to write the gospel.
The whole text proves this. For of what life he speaks, he himself explains and says: "The life was a light of men"; in this he shows without doubt how he speaks of the life and light, which Christ gives to men through himself. Therefore he also introduces John the Baptist as a witness of such light. Now it is ever evident how John the Baptist preached about Christ, not according to the high speculation they speak of, but plainly and badly, how Christ is a light and life to all men for salvation.
35 Therefore it is to be known that John wrote his gospel, as the histories say, from the cause that the heretic Cerinthus stood up in his time and taught that Christ had not been before his mother Mary; thus he made a true man or creature out of him. To counteract the same heretic, he elevates his gospel so high and carries it through in such a way that he preaches Christ's divinity almost in all letters, which none of the other evangelists does. He also introduces Christ with great diligence, John 2:4, standing so strangely against his mother and speaking harshly to her as if she were not his mother. "Woman, what have I to do with you?" he said to her. Wasn't that a strangely harsh word from a son to his mother? So also at the cross Joh. 19, 26: "Woman, behold, this is your son." All this was done so that he might prove Christ out and out to be a true God against Cerinthus, and yet he uses the words in such a way that he not only meets Cerinthus, but also Arius, Sabellius and all heretics.
36 We also read that the same Saint John once saw Cerinthus in the bath, and said to his disciples, Let us quickly flee out, lest we perish with man. And when he had come out, the bathhouse had fallen in and destroyed the enemy of the truth. Therefore he sharpened and directed all his words against the error of Cerinthus, saying, Christ was not alone before his mother; yea, he was in the beginning the Word, of whom Moses wrote in the first beginning, and made all things by him, and he with God, and God was the Word, and was in the beginning with God.
been; strikes the Cerinthus with vain thunderclaps.
(37) Let us therefore consider that the opinion of the evangelist in this saying is simple bad sense: He that knoweth not Christ, nor believeth a true God, as I have hitherto described him, that he was the Word in the beginning with God, and made all things by him; but would think him only a creature which began in time, and after his mother became first of all, as Cerinthus teacheth: he is eternally lost, and may not have life; for there is no life but this Word and Son of God; in him alone is life. The man Christ, if he were alone and without God, would be of no use, as he himself says Joh. 6, 55. 63: "The flesh is of no use. But my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink." Why is flesh no good, and yet my flesh is the one true food? Because I am not empty flesh, nor a mere man, but the Son of God. So my flesh is food, not because it is flesh, but because it is my flesh; that is, whoever believes that I, who am a man, have flesh and blood, as another man, am also the Son of God and God, feeds on me and lives. But whoever believes me to be only a man, the flesh is of no use to him, for it is not my flesh or God's flesh. So he also says John 8:24: "If you do not believe that I am He, you must die in your sins"; item v. 36: "If the Son sets you free, you will be set free." This is also what this saying means: "In Him was life"; the Word of God in the beginning and God Himself must be our life, food, light and blessedness. Therefore it is not to be ascribed to the humanity of Christ that it makes us alive; but in the Word is the life which dwells in the flesh and through the flesh makes us alive.
(38) Behold, this mind is simple and prudent; as St. Paul is wont to call the doctrine of the Gospel, 1 Tim. 4:8, doctrinam pietatis, a doctrine that makes men rich in grace. But the other mind, which also the Gentiles have, that all creatures in
Living in God makes subtle talkers, but is also dark and difficult; but teaches nothing of grace, nor does it make people rich in grace, which is why the Scriptures speak of him as a presumptuous man. As Christ's words are interpreted, when he says: "I am the life": so this should also be interpreted, nothing at all about the life of creatures in God, philosophically; but again, how God lives in us and makes us partakers of his life, so that we live through him, from him, and in him. For this cannot be denied, that through him also the natural life exists, which also the unbelievers have from him; as Paul says Apost. 17, 28.: "We live in him, and float in him, and exist in him, and are of his kind."
(39) Yea, the natural life is a portion of eternal life, and a beginning, but it taketh away its end by death; because it knoweth not, and honoureth not him from whom it came; the same sin cutteth it off, that it must die for ever. Again, they that believe and know him of whom they live die no more; but the natural life is stretched forth into eternal life, that it never tastes death, as he saith Joh. 8:52, "He that keepeth my word shall never taste death;" and Joh. 11:25, "He that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." These and the like are well understood when Christ is rightly recognized as having slain death and restored life.
(40) Now the fact that the evangelist says, "In him was life," and not, "In him is life," as if he were speaking of things past, is not to be applied to the time before the world or the beginning; for he does not say here, "In the beginning was life in him," as he says of the word, "This was in the beginning with God," but is to be applied to the time of Christ's life or ministry on earth, when the word of God was manifested toward men and among men. For the evangelist intends to write about Christ and his life, in which he arranged everything that is necessary for us to live. And is just spoken in this way, as he says of the Baptist St. John: "There was a man sent by
God"; item: "He was not the light" etc.; item, as he then speaks of the Word: "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt in us"; item: "He came into the world"; item: "He came to his own, and they received him not", and the like. In this way Christ also says of John the Baptist, John 5:35: "He was a burning and shining light."
41 So also here: "In him was life"; as he also says Joh. 9, 5. himself: "I am the light of the world, as long as I am in the world", that only the words of the evangelist are simple understood by the past walk of Christ. For, as I said in the first place, this gospel is not so hard as one thinks; they have made it hard with their high, deep and mighty searching. He has written it to all Christians, as simple as they are, and has made his word completely understandable; for whoever would leave Christ's life and walk behind and seek him now in his own way, as he sits in heaven, would miss it once again. He must seek him as he was and walked on earth, there he will find life, there he has come to life, light and blessedness for us, there everything has happened that we should believe about him, so that it is actually said: "In him was life"; not that he is not our life now, but that he does not do now what he did then.
But that this is the opinion may be taken from the fact that he says St. John the Baptist came to give testimony of this light and life, so that they all believed in him through his testimony. Now it is obvious enough that John did not come to bear witness of Christ alone, and was a forerunner of Christ, and yet said nothing at all about the life of the creature in God according to that opinion; but said and preached everything about the walk of Christ on earth, in which he became the life and light of men. Follow on:
And life was the light of the people.
43. just as they have drawn life from the way of the evangelical opinion: so
They have also done the same to the light, and have written sharply and highly, how the word of God is a light according to the Godhead, which naturally shines and has always shone in the reason of men, also of the Gentiles. Therefore, they have affirmed and founded the light of reason in this Scripture.
(44) These are all still human, Platonic and philosophical thoughts, which lead us out of Christ into ourselves; but the evangelist wants to lead us out of ourselves into Christ; for he does not want to act the divine, almighty, eternal Word of God, nor to speak of him, but as in the flesh and blood that has gone into the earth. He does not want to scatter us among the creatures that were created by him, so that we should run after him, seek and speculate, as the Platonists do; but he wants to gather us into Christ from these same far-flung, volatile thoughts. As if he should say: Why do you run and search so far? Behold, in Christ the man is all things, he made all things, in him is life, he is the word by which all things were made; abide in him, and thou shalt find all things; he is the life and light of all men. Whoever wants to point him out to you elsewhere is deceiving you, because he gave himself in this flesh and blood, wants to be found and searched for in it. Follow the testimony of John the Baptist, who also shows you no other life nor light, but this man, who is God himself. Therefore, this light must be understood as the true light of grace in Christ, and not the natural light, which sinners, Jews, pagans and devils, the worst enemies of light, also have.
But let no one say to me here that I hold anything other than St. Augustine, who understood this text from such natural light. I do not reject the same understanding, I know almost well that the light of all reason is kindled by the divine light. And as I said of natural life that it is a part and beginning of true life, where it comes to right knowledge; so also, the light of reason is also a part and beginning of true light, where it recognizes and honors the one from whom it is kindled. Now it does not do the same of itself, but-
The light that remains in itself and is perverted, perverts all things with itself; therefore it will be extinguished and perish. For the light of grace does not destroy the natural light. The fact that three and two make five is quite clear in the light of nature, and that good is to be done. And that evil is to be avoided is also bright, and the light of grace does not extinguish it. But the natural light may not reach so far as to tell what good and evil things are. And it happened to him as it did to the one who was to go to Rome, and he went behind him; for he himself knew that one should take the right road who wanted to go to Rome, but he did not know what that right road was. In the same way, natural light does not take the right road to God; it does not know it, nor does it know it, even though it knows enough that one should take the right road. Therefore reason always takes evil for good, and would never take it for good if it did not know with clear sight that only good could be accepted.
But such reason is untimely in this place of the Gospel, since only the light of grace is preached; and St. Augustine was a man, his reason does not force one to follow him, since here the text clearly gives that the evangelist speaks of the light that John the Baptist testified to, which is ever the light of grace, Christ himself.
(47) And since there is space, let us better indicate the same false natural light that causes all misery and unhappiness. It is with the natural light as with all other members and powers of man. Who doubts that man was created by the eternal Word of God, in all his powers, like all other things, and is God's creature? But still there is no good in him, that is, as Moses says in Genesis 6:5, all his thoughts and senses with all their powers are shown only for evil.
48 Therefore, as truly the flesh is a creature of God, so it is not inclined to chastity, but to unchastity; as truly the heart is a creature of God, so it is not inclined to humility, to the love of one's neighbor, but to arrogance and its own.
The natural light, although it is essentially so bright that it knows that only good is to be done, is nevertheless so wrong that it never quite knows what is good; but what it likes, that it calls good, and then falls on it, concludes freely that its chosen good is to be done; so it goes away, and always follows evil for good.
(49) Let us also prove this with examples. Reason knows well that one should be pious and serve God; it can talk a great deal about this, and thinks it can master all the world. Well, it is true and well said: but when it comes to the meeting, and it is to show how and in what one should become pious or serve God, it can do nothing at all, it is blind as a bat, and starts up and says: One should fast, pray, sing, and do the works of the law; and so she continues to fool with the works until she gets so deep that she thinks one serves God by building churches, ringing bells, burning incense, bouncing, singing, wearing caps, carrying plates, burning candles, and the innumerable foolish works that all the world is now full of; in such great blind error she goes along and yet always remains the bright light: One should be pious and serve God.
50 When the light of grace comes, Christ, who also teaches that one should be pious and serve God, does not extinguish this same natural light, but opposes this way and measure that reason has taught to become pious and serve God, saying: To become pious is not to do works, but to believe in God first without all works and then to do works, and without faith no work is good.
(51) Then the controversy arises, reason rages against grace and cries out against the light of grace, blaming it for forbidding good works and not wanting to suffer its way and measure of becoming pious to be rejected, rages on and on that one should be pious and serve God, and thus the light of grace must be its fool, yes, be error and heresy, must be persecuted and chased away. Behold, this is the virtue of the natural light, that it only rages against the true light, and praises
Always be pious, always be pious, always cry out: Good works! But she does not want and does not like to be taught what piety and good works are, but what she thinks and pretends is good and right.
(52) Behold, thou hast lately found the cause and reason of all idolatry, heresy, glorification, and error, whereof all the prophets cry and are slain, and whereof all the scriptures are against. It is all to do with the stubborn, obstinate conceit and opinion of natural reason, which relies on it and puffs itself up that it knows one should be pious and serve God; about this it no longer wants to hear or suffer a master, thinks it now knows enough, wants to find out for itself what and how one should be pious and serve God. Divine truth cannot and should not suffer this from her, for it is the greatest error and contrary to God's honor.
(53) Behold, it is clear, I think, that John is not speaking here of the false light, nor of the bright natural light, which judges rightly that one should be pious; for the same is already there, and Christ did not come to bring it, but to blind and subdue the false obstinate conceit, and to put in its place the light of his grace, faith. And this is also given by his words to himself, when he says: "Life was a light of men." If it is a light of men, it must be another light than that which is in man, since man by nature already has the natural light in him; and he who enlightens a man enlightens the natural light in man, and brings another light upon the light that is in man. He does not say that it is the light of unreasonable animals, but of men who are reasonable animals; for there is not a man in whom the natural light of reason is not, from which alone he is called a man and is worthy of a man. For where he would have understood this light from the natural light of reason, he should have said: Life was a light of darkness; as Moses writes in Genesis 1:2 that there was darkness on the waters; therefore
This light must be understood, which is revealed to the world in Christ on earth.
54 Now see the order of the words: He puts life first, then light; he does not say that the light was the life of men, but again: "The life was the light of men," because in Christ there is reason and truth, and not, as in men, only appearance. For just as St. Lucas says of Christ's outward character, Luc. 24, 19: "He was a man mighty in works and words"; item Apost. 1, 1: "Jesus began to do and to teach," that works precede teaching; otherwise it is a gilding, where words are without works; and as he says of John 5, 35, that he burns and shines; for to shine and not to burn beforehand is deceptive: so also here, that Christ should be known as a true and unsearchable light, he says beforehand that everything in him was life, and that the same life was then a light of men.
It follows that man has no light except Christ, the Son of God in mankind. And whoever believes that Christ is true God and that life is in him, is enlightened by this light, yes, even alive. The light sustains him so that he remains where Christ remains. For as the Godhead is an eternal life, so the same life is also an eternal light; and as the same life may not die, so the same light may not go out; so faith in such light must not perish.
(56) It is also to be noted that he gives life to Christ as the eternal Word and not as man, since he says: "In him," hear: the Word, "was life. For even though he died as a man, yet he always remained alive; for life did not and cannot die. Therefore death is also in the same life stifled and overcome so completely that also mankind must so soon become life again. And this same life is a light of men; for he that knoweth and believeth such a life in Christ passeth through death, and dieth no more, as it is said above. For such a light of life sustains him that death does not touch him; although the body must die and decay, yet the soul feels the-
The soul does not believe in the same death, because it is in this light and through the light fully comprehended in the life of Christ. But he that believeth not these things abideth in darkness and death: and though his body abideth in him, as it shall abide in the last day for ever, yet the soul tasteth and feeleth death, and so dieth for ever.
From this we see what harm Cerinthus wanted and all those who believe and teach that Christ is only a man and not true God. For mankind would be of no use if the Godhead were not in it; but again, God will not and may not be found, for through and in this mankind he has, as Isaiah Cap. 11, 12. says, raised up a certain sign and thereby gathered to himself all his children from the world.
Behold, therefore, if thou believest that in Christ there is such a life, which abideth even in death, and hath overcome death, the light shineth unto thee aright, and remaineth unto thee even in thy death a light and a life. So it must follow that such a life and light may not be a creature; for no creature can overcome death either in itself or in another. Behold, this understanding of light, how like it is, and how better to salvation, and how far from it are those who make it a natural light of reason; for this improves no one, and only leads far from Christ into the creature and into false reason. We must go into Christ, and not look into the lights that come from him, but into his light, from which the lights come: we must not follow the flow of the fountain from the well, but seek to the well alone. Follows:
And the light shines into the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it.
(59) This saying they have drawn upon the high thoughts, and thus understood that reason has a natural light, as is said above, and that the same is kindled by God, and yet it does not know, comprehend, nor feel the light by which it is kindled; therefore it is in darkness, and
does not see the light, of which it has all its light and sight.
60 O that this mind were rooted out of my heart; how it is so deeply ingrained in me! Not that it is false or wrong, but that it is uneven and untimely in this place of the gospel, and does not allow the blessed words of comfort to remain simple and clear to me in their right understanding. Why do they speak of reason alone in this way, that it is lit by divine light? Why do they not say the same of natural life? For natural life is made alive by divine life, just as rational light is illuminated by divine light. So they should also say: Life gives life to the dead and the dead do not understand it; as they say: Light shines to dark reason and reason does not understand it. Item, I would also like to say: The eternal will makes will to the unwilling and the unwilling does not understand it. And so henceforth of all other natural gifts and powers. How does reason alone and its light come into such speculation? The Platonists were the first to bring St. Augustine into this opinion about this text with their useless, incomprehensible chatter, even though it shines so beautifully that they are called the divine philosophers; then Augustine dragged us all into it with him.
61. What more can their talk give, but so much that reason is enlightened by God, who is an incomprehensible light? So then also life is given by God, who is incomprehensible life; and all our power is strengthened by God, who is incomprehensible power. And as close as He is to the light of reason with His incomprehensible light, as close He is to life with His incomprehensible life and to the powers with His incomprehensible power, as St. Paul says Apost. 17, 28: "In him we are, we float, and we live." And as Jeremiah Cap. 23, 23. 24.: "Heaven and earth do I fill, how then should I be a God who is far off and not near?" So we have heard in the epistle above that he carries all things by the word of his power, Hebr. 1, 3. Therefore he is not alone.
The light of reason is near and shines in it, but to all creatures, and flows, pours, and shines, and works in it, and fills all things^ Therefore it is not to be believed that St. John is speaking of these things here; he only takes men before him, and speaks what light they have in Christ apart from nature and above nature.
62 This is also a blind and clumsy speech, when they already say of the natural light that the darknesses do not understand the light. What else could they say, for reason is illuminated and set on fire by the divine light, and yet remains dark and receives no light? Where does its natural light come from? There need not be darkness if the light is kindled, although there is darkness because of the infirmity of the light of grace. But they do not speak of the light of grace; so they must not speak of the same darkness. Therefore it strives against each other that a light should illuminate the darkness, and the darkness should not comprehend it or remain dark; just as it strives against each other that a life should be given to the dead, and the dead should not comprehend nor perceive the life, and remain dead.
(63) But if it be said that he that giveth light and life is not comprehended, I hear, what angel comprehendeth him? What saint understands him who gives him grace? He remains hidden and incomprehensible, but this does not mean, as the evangelist says here, that the light is not comprehended by the darkness; but as the words read, this is the opinion: The light shines into the darkness, but the darknesses remain dark and are not enlightened by it, let themselves be shone and yet do not see; just as the sun shines on the blind and yet they are not aware of it. Behold, what words must I spill to lift up this strange mind?
(64) Therefore, let us remain in the simple understanding which the words freely give. All who are enlightened with natural reason understand the light and are enlightened, each according to his measure. But this light of grace, which is given to men above the natural light, shines into the darkness, that is, under the
blind and merciless people of the world; but they do not accept it, yes, they persecute it. To this opinion he says John 3:19: "This condemns the world, that a light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light." Behold, thus Christ, before he was preached by John the Baptist, was among the people of the earth; but no man esteemed him. He was ever the life and light of men. He lived and shone, but there was darkness, and these darknesses did not perceive him. It was vain world-blind dark people. If they had known who he was, they would have given him his glory, as St. Paul says 1 Cor. 2, 8: "If they had known the wisdom of God, they would not have crucified the King of Glory."
(65) Likewise Christ, before his birth, has always been a life and light from the beginning and to the end, shining always in all creatures, in the Scriptures, through his holy men, prophets and preachers, with works and words, never ceasing to shine; but all is darkness where he shines, and the darknesses do not comprehend him.
So St. John might well have directed these words to his Cerinthus, that he might see the bright scripture and truth that shone upon him; yet his great darkness did not comprehend it. It is always the case, even now, that even if you show the blind teachers the Scriptures so that they can grasp them, they still do not understand them, and it remains true that the light shines into the darkness, and the darkness does not understand it.
67 And it is noticeable that the evangelist says here: "The light shines", phaenei, that is, it is apparent or present before the eyes in the darkness. But he who has no more of it remains dark; just as the sun shines on the blind, but he sees nothing the more because of it: so is the nature of this light, that it shines in darkness, but darkness becomes nothing the more light from it. But in the faithful it not only shines, but it makes them shine and see, and lives in them, so that it may well be said that life is a light of men. Again, the light without life is a semblance of the
Darknesses; therefore no shining helps with the unbelievers; however brightly one shows them the truth and holds it up to them, they still remain dark.
(68) Let us therefore understand all these sayings of the evangelist as a common attribute and title of Christ, so that by them, as in a preface and introduction to his gospel, he would have indicated in general what is to be written about Christ in the whole gospel, namely, that he is true God and man, who created all things, and that he has been given to men for a life and light, although few receive him among all to whom he is revealed; for this and no more is contained in the gospel. And St. Paul Rom. 1 also makes such a preface and entrance to his epistle. Now follows the right beginning of the gospel.
A man was sent by God, whose name was John.
(69) St. Marcus and Lucas also begin their gospels with St. John the Baptist, and also begin there, as Christ Himself says Matth. 11, 12: "From the days of John comes the kingdom of heaven. And Apost. 1, 22. St. Peter says that Christ began from the baptism of John, in which he was also ordained and called to be a teacher; as St. John the Baptist shows, when he said John 1, 32: "I have seen the Holy Spirit come upon Christ like a dove, and have heard the voice of the Father: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," Matth. 3, 17. There Christ was made a doctor, there he also began, and there the gospel first began through Christ Himself. For no one was to begin the high, blessed, comforting word without Christ alone. For this reason John had to come first and prepare the people for such preaching, so that they would receive the light and life.
70 For as we have heard, Christ, though he is everywhere a light shining in the darkness, and is not comprehended: yet among the Jews he was present in his humanity specially and bodily through mankind, and appeared, and was not known; wherefore also there alone is his predecessor.
John, and preached by him, that he might be known and accepted. Therefore this text follows finely and evenly the previous one, that after Christ, the shining light, is not recognized, John would come first, open the eyes of men, and show the present shining light, which would then be received, heard, and recognized through himself without John's showing.
(71) Now, I think, we are through the heaviest and highest part of the gospel, for what is now said is easy, and the other evangelists say the same of John and Christ. Although, as I have said, even this piece is not in itself difficult; it has been made difficult by the natural and human glosses. It must be difficult, if one leads a word from one's own mind to a foreign one. Who would know and not think miraculous things about what a man is called if he hears that a man is something else than all the world thinks? So happened here also the bad clear words of the evangelist.
(72) But he has his own way in that he always refers John the Baptist's testimony to the deity of Christ for the sake of Cerinthus, which the other evangelists do not do, but only to Christ, without expressing his deity. But here he says: John came to testify to the light, and to proclaim Christ as the life, light and God; as we will hear.
(73) What was said of John the Baptist in Advent is also to be understood here: that just as he came before Christ and pointed the people to him, so the oral word of the Gospel should only preach and point to Christ; for it alone is ordained by God for this purpose, just as John was sent by God. Thus we have heard that John is a voice in the wilderness, who with his ministry means the oral preaching of the Gospel. When the darknesses could not understand this light from themselves, even though it was present, John had to reveal and show it to them; therefore no natural reason can understand it from itself, even though it is present in all the world.
is present: the oral word of the Gospel must reveal and show it.
(74) Now we see that through the gospel this same light is not brought from afar, neither may we run after it from afar; but it is nearest to us, and shines also in our hearts, and may not be more than is shown and preached. And he that heareth it preached, and believeth, findeth it in his heart: for faith may not be but in the heart, neither may this light be but in faith. Therefore I say, it is near and in us; but it is not understood by ourselves, it must be preached and believed. This is also what St. Paul means in Rom. 10, 6. 7. 8. when he says from Genesis 5 Mos. 30, 11-14: "You must not pass over the sea, nor go up to heaven, nor to hell afterward. The word is near you in your heart, and in your mouth." Behold, this light shineth in darkness, and is not known, until John and the gospel come, and reveal the same: then shall man be enlightened, and understand it, and shall not change time, place, person, or age, but the heart only.
75 Further, just as John did not come from himself, but was sent by God, so the gospel or preaching of this light may not come from himself or from man's reason, but God must send it. Therefore the evangelist puts down all the teachings of men, because what men teach never shows Christ, this light, even hinders it. But what Christ shows is certainly sent by God and not invented by men. That is why the evangelist expresses the name and says: "His name was called John". But John in Hebrew means grace or favor, to mean that such preaching and message is sent out of no merit of ours, but out of pure grace and favor of God, brings also vain grace and favor of God. This is also what St. Paul says in Romans 10:15: "How can they preach if they have not been sent?"
76 And from all this we see that the evangelist thus acts Christ, that he may be known as God. For if he is the light that
is present in all places and shines into the darkness, so that it needs no more than to be revealed through the word and to be known through the faith of the hearts: then it must certainly be God. For no creature can shine so close to all places and hearts. Yet again, it is God, that he nevertheless is man and is preached in and by the same man. Follow:
The same came to a testimony, that he might bear witness of this light, that every man might believe through him.
(77) Now this is clear from what has been said, how the gospel only proclaims this light, Christ to men, and makes the darknesses understand it, not by reason or feeling, but by faith. For he saith, "That every man through him might believe"; item, "He came for a witness, and should bear witness." Now the nature of testimony is that it speaks of things which are not seen, known, or felt, but must be believed by the witness who testifies to them. So the gospel also does not demand reasonable resolution and chance, but a super-reasonable faith; otherwise this light may not be recognized.
78. thus it is sufficiently said above, how reason with its light fights and rages against this light, let alone that it should comprehend it and fall to it; for it is certain, that says, the darkness comprehendeth not this light: therefore reason with its light must be caught and blinded; as he says in Isaias Cap. 60, 19: "I will cover thy sun," that is, thy reason, "with a cloud," that is, with the gospel or word of God, or John's testimony, which demands faith and makes fools of reason. Item: "Thy sun shall no more shine unto thee, neither shall the light of thy moon be in thee any more: but thy God shall be unto thee an everlasting light." For therefore this light is testified by the word, that reason should step from thyself and follow the testimony. Thus it comprehends the light in the same faith, and its darkness is enlightened; for where it would like to be from itself
If we were to understand this light or if it were to fall to him, there would be no need for John and his testimony.
79 Thus the gospel is directed only to be a testimony for the sake of the obstinate, blind, stiff-necked reason, to ward it off, and to lead it from its own light and conceit into faith, through which it grasps this living and eternal light.
He was not the light, but that he might bear witness to this light.
Dear, why does he say this and repeat again the words that John was only a witness of this light? O a necessary repetition! First, to prove that this light was not a man, but God Himself; for as I said, the evangelist wanted to indicate Christ's divinity in all words. If John, the great saint, is not the light, but only a witness of it: then this light must be far more than all that is holy, whether he be angel or man. For if holiness should make such a light, it would have made John one too. But now it is over holiness; therefore it must also be over the angels, who are also not over holiness.
(81) Secondly, to resist the sacrilegious preachers of men, who testify not to Christ the light, but to themselves. For this is really true: all who preach the doctrine of men make a man a light and lead people away from this light to themselves, and put themselves in the place of this true light; as the pope and his do; therefore he is also the antichrist, that is, an antichrist and against this true light.
The gospel does not want to suffer any other doctrine besides itself; it only wants to be Christ's witness and lead people to this light, Christ. Therefore, O Lord God, these words: "He was not the light," would be worthy to be written in large letters and to be diligently remembered against the people who present themselves and want to give the people doctrine and laws from their own head, and pretend to enlighten them, and lead them into the abyss of hell with them; for they do not teach the faith and may not teach it, which no one but the messenger from God,
John, the holy gospel teaches. Oh, there would be much to say about that.
83 Recently, whoever does not preach the gospel to you, reject him freely and do not listen to him. But he that preacheth the gospel teacheth thee to believe Christ, and to trust in the eternal light, and to build upon none of thy works. Therefore, whatever is said to you apart from the gospel, beware of it; do not trust in it, and do not consider it a light that enlightens and improves your soul, but consider it as an external thing, as food and drink for your body's needs, which you may need according to your will, or to please another, and not as for your salvation; for nothing will be useful or necessary to you but this light.
O of the abominable nature of the doctrines of men, which now reign and have driven away this light so completely! They all want to be this light themselves and not witnesses of the light, teach themselves and their thing, keep silent from this light, or teach it so that they also teach themselves beside it. This is even worse than silence, because there are Samaritans who serve half God and half idols, 2 Kings 17:33.
It was a true light that enlightens every man who comes into this world.
John, not yet a saint, is the light; but it is a true light, which John and all evangelical preachers testify to. Now enough has been said this time about the light, what it is, how it sustains us eternally in life and death through faith, so that no darkness can ever harm us. But it is strange that he says: "It enlightens all men who come into this world. If it is said of the natural light, it is contrary to this that he says, "It is the true light. Thus he said above, v. 5: "The darkness comprehendeth not," and all words are directed to the light of grace. Then follows, "He came into the world, and the world knew Him not, neither did His own receive Him." But whom the true light enlightens, he is enlightened with grace and recognizes him.
86 Again, that it is not said of the light of grace, it penetrates that he says: It enlightens all men who come into this world. This is ever almost clearly said of all men who are born. St. Augustine says that it is to be understood that no man is enlightened except by this light, in this way, as one is accustomed to say of a teacher in a city, if there is no teacher left in it: This teacher teaches them all in the city, that is, there is no teacher in the city, because he alone, he alone has all the pupils. This does not mean that he teaches all the people in the city, but that there is only one teacher in the city, and no one is taught by another. So the evangelist also wants John to be neither the light, nor a man, nor a creature; but only one light, which enlightens everyone, and not a man comes on earth, who may be enlightened by someone else.
(87) And I do not reject this understanding, for Paul also speaks in this way in Romans 5:18: "As by one man's sin came condemnation upon all men; so by one man's righteousness came justification upon all men," yet not all men are justified by Christ; but still he alone is the man by whom all justification comes. So also here: if not all men are enlightened, yet this is the light from which alone all enlightenment comes. And the evangelist used this way of speaking freely, not hesitating whether some would take offense at his naming all men; he thought he was well advised against such offense, since before and after he declares himself, "The darkness has not comprehended him, and the world has not known him, and his own have not received him. Such sayings would be strong enough that no one would say that he wanted all men to be enlightened, but that he alone is the light that enlightens everyone, and without him no one would be enlightened.
(88) But if it were said of the natural light of reason, it would be a small thing to say; for he alone does not have all the
He not only enlightens the people who come into the world, but also those who go out of the world, and the devils; for in the dead, devils and damned, the same rational light remains, yes, it only becomes brighter, that they are more tormented by it. But when he names the people who come into this world, he indicates that he is speaking of this light of faith, which only shines and helps in this life; for after death no one is enlightened by it. It must happen here in faith through the man Christ, but from his divinity. After this life we will not see through mankind and in faith, but publicly in himself the mere Godhead.
Thus the evangelist sets his words, that he does not reject the man Christ and yet proclaims his divinity. Therefore it was necessary for him to name all men, so that he preached only one light above all, and warned us that we should not receive human lights or other lights in this life. Let no man shine unto another, but let this light shine unto them all alone; and let the preachers be but forerunners and witnesses of this light unto men, that they all may believe on this light. Therefore, when he had said, "It enlightens all men," he saw that it was too broad, and added, "Those who come into this world," so that he made a light of Christ in this world. For in that world the light will cease and be changed into eternal clarity. As also St. Paul 1 Cor. 15, 24. says that Christ will then hand over the kingdom to the Father; but now he reigns through his humanity. Now, as he will hand over the kingdom, so he will also hand over the light. Not that they will be two lights, or that we will see something different than now; but that we will see the same light, the same God, whom we now see in faith, in a different way; now we see him hidden in faith, then we will see him unhidden. Just as when I see a golden image through a painted glass, or otherwise hidden, and then uncovered. Thus St. Paul says 1 Cor. 13, 12: "We see now through a mirror and concealment. But then we shall see him as he is."
90 Behold, of what light the evangelist speaketh, that Christ is the light of men by his humanity, that is, in faith, by which his Godhead shineth as through a mirror, or colored glass, or as the sun through a cloud of light; that ever the light may be measured to the Godhead, not to mankind, yet not despising mankind, as being the cloud and veil of that light.
This has been said clearly enough, and he who has faith understands all this well, that it is so about this light. But he who does not believe does not understand it, there is nothing to it, he should not understand it, and it would be better for him not to know or study anything in the Bible; for he deceives himself and everyone with his erroneous light, thinking that it is the light of the Scriptures, which cannot be understood without the right faith. For this light shines into the darkness, but is not understood by them.
92) This saying also suggests that the evangelist wants the gospel and the faith to be preached in all the world, and that this light has risen before all the people of this world, as the sun rises over all people; just as St. Paul says Col. 1, 23."The gospel is preached in every creature under heaven," and he himself said Marc. 16, 15: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature"; as also Psalm 19, 7. says of him: "His going forth is from the going forth of the suns even unto the going down, and there is none that hideth himself from his heat." How this is to be understood is stated above in the epistle of the Christmas Mass.
So this would be an easy, simple mind, that this light enlightens all men who come into this world, so that the Jews or anyone would not refrain from setting up their own light in any place. And this understanding follows well from the previous text. For before the light is witnessed by John and the gospel, it shines into the darkness and is not understood; but after it is proclaimed and witnessed publicly, it shines, as far as the world is, upon all men, though not all receive it, as follows.
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not recognize Him.
94 All this was said of Christ the man, and especially after his baptism, when he began to shine according to the testimony of John. He was ever in the midst of the world. But which place in the world knew this? Who took care of him? He was not accepted by those who knew him personally, as follows:
He came into his own, and his own did not receive him.
95 This is also said of the coming of his preaching and not of his birth. For his "coming" means his preaching and shining. As the baptist Matth. 3, 11. Luc. 3, 16. Marc. 1, 7. Joh. 1, 27. says: "There will come one after me that I am not worthy to untie his shoe laces." And of the "coming" also St. John is called his forerunner, as Gabriel Luc. 1, 17. says to Zachariae his father: "He will go before him, and prepare his way for him." For as said above, the Gospels speak of Christ after his baptism, when he began to be the light, and to do the things for which he came. So now he says, He came to his own people in the midst of the world, and they received him not. If this had not been said of his coming by his preaching and shining, he would not have punished them in this way, because they did not receive him.
Who could know that he would be, if he had not been revealed? Therefore it is their fault that they did not receive him, even though he came and was revealed through John and himself. Therefore also John says, Joh. 1, 31: "That he might be revealed in Israel, therefore am I come to baptize with water." And he himself Joh. 5, 43: "I have come in my Father's name, and ye have not received me. Another will come in his own name, and you will receive him"; this is also clearly said about the future of preaching and revelation.
97 He calls the Jews his own people, because they were chosen out of all the world.
to his people, and he was promised to them to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David. For we Gentiles are not promised anything by Christ; therefore we are strangers and are not called his own, but now by pure grace we are exempt and have also become his people. Although we, alas, still daily let him come through his gospel and despise him. Therefore we must also suffer another to come in his place, the pope, and be accepted by us, that we must serve the evil enemy, because we do not want to serve our God.
But it must not be forgotten here that the evangelist indicates Christ's divinity twice. First, when he says, "The world was made by him." Secondly, when he says, "He is come unto his own." For having a people of one's own belongs to a true GOtt. The Jewish people were ever God's own people, as Scripture says many times; if they are Christ's own people, He must surely be the God to whom Scripture attributes the people.
99. But what a shame and disgrace it is that the world does not recognize its Creator and the Jewish people does not receive its God, the evangelist leaves it to everyone's concern. How could one reproach the world more highly than that it does not recognize its Creator? What evil virtue and names follow from this one piece? What good can there be, since there is vain ignorance, darkness and blindness? What evil should there not be, since God's knowledge is not? O woe, what a horrible and terrifying thing is the world! Whoever would know it and think about this piece rightly, he should be so much more in hell. He could not be happy in this life, since such an evil title is written by.
But as many as received him, to them he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name.
Now we see what kind of light he has been talking about so far. It is ever Christ, the comforting grace light, and not the natural light or reason. For John is an evangelist, not a Platonist. All those who received the natural light or reason, ever receive him according to the
How else could they receive it? Just as they receive the natural life from the divine life. But still, this same light and life does not give them power to become God's children. Yes, they remain enemies of this light, do not know it and do not receive it. Therefore, nothing of the natural light must be spoken of in this gospel, but everything only of Christ, so that he may be known as the true God.
101 Now the gospel is well known, for it says of faith in Christ's name that it makes children of God. These are excellent words, and they are a mighty argument against the workmasters and teachers of the law. Good works never make a person different. Therefore, even if the works saints change and improve their works as they think, they still remain in the person as before, and their works become only a cover of shame and hypocrisy.
(102) But faith transforms the person, and makes a child of the enemy, so secretly that even the outward works, state, and conduct remain, if they are not evil works by nature; as is often said. Therefore faith brings with it the whole inheritance and chief good of righteousness and salvation, that none may be sought by works, as the false trafficers deceive us. For if a thing is God's child, it also has God's inheritance beforehand from the same adoption. If faith gives such filiation, it is clear that good works are to be done freely, in honor of God alone, as of those who already have the blessedness and inheritance of God through faith; as stated above in the other epistle.
Who are not born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
103 There he talks about explaining to himself what faith does, and how everything that is apart from faith is of no use. Here, he violently puts down nature, light, reason, and everything that is not faith, let alone that it should be praised. Childship is much too high and too noble that it should come from nature or be demanded.
(104) He tells of four kinds of filiation: one, of blood; the other, of the will of the flesh; the third, of the will of a man; the fourth, of God. The first filiation, from the blood, is easily understood to be the natural filiation; so that it meets the Jews, who boast of Abraham's and the patriarchs' blood, and throw on the sayings of Scripture, in which God promised Abraham's seed the blessing and inheritance of blessedness. Therefore, they alone want to be the right people and children of God. But here he says: There must be more than the blood, otherwise there is no childship of God. For even Abraham and the patriarchs themselves did not possess the inheritance for the sake of blood, but for the sake of faith, as the apostle Paul teaches in Heb. 11:8. And if the natural blood relationship were enough for this adoption, then Judas the betrayer, Caiphas, Annas, and all the wicked Jews who were condemned in the wilderness a long time ago, would all be entitled to this inheritance. For they were all of the blood of the patriarchs. Therefore it is not called those who are born of the blood, but of God.
The other two generations or filiations, from the will of the flesh and from the will of the man, are not yet sufficiently clear to me. But I can see that the evangelist wants to reject everything that nature is and can do, and only exalt the birth from God. Therefore, it is without danger how we discuss and divide these two pieces into nature apart from grace. It is all the same. Some understand by filiation from the will of the flesh, which does not come from the lineage of blood, but according to the law of Moses. The same commanded that a deceased man's wife should marry his closest friend and beget children in the deceased's name and inheritance, so that the bloodline of his friend would remain. And this also includes the step-blood, which all comes from the will of the flesh and not from the proper bloodline.
(106) But here he calls flesh man, as he that liveth in the flesh, as the scripture is wont; that the opinion may be, Not as man-
The only thing that is not born of the bloodline is having children, because it is still all fleshly and human and happens out of the free will of a human being. But what is born of the blood, that happens without free will, but naturally, the man wants or does not want.
The third, from the will of a man, they take the foreign childship, which is called adoptionem, as a man chooses and takes a foreign child for his own child. Now if you were Abraham's, David's right child, stepchild, or adopted child, or alien, it does not help you, you must be born of God. Christ's own friends did not believe, as John Cap. 7, 5 says.
108. But if any man will, he shall interpret the genealogy, that out of the blood all are understood who are of the blood, whether of the tribe or of the blood; out of the will of the flesh all friendship apart from the blood, as there are the elect, as it is said; but out of the will of the man are the spiritual children, as there are the disciples against their teachers: That the evangelist should lay aside all that is able of blood, flesh, nature, reason, art, doctrine, law, and free will, with all their powers; that no man by his doctrine, works, art, and free will, should presume to help any man, or cause any man to be helped on earth unto the kingdom of God; but should seek all things rejected, after the divine birth. Thus it seems to me that in Scripture a man is commonly called a ruler who governs, guides and teaches others. For these are the ones who are most to be rejected and called rebellious, since no clan is more stubborn and self-reliant, so that it always resists and persecutes grace. In this, each one holds what he wants so far away that he only knows that everything is of no use that is apart from the birth of God. For if something had been useful, the evangelist (since he searches so carefully) would undoubtedly have placed it next to the birth of God and would not have praised it alone.
The divine birth is nothing else than faith. How does this work? It is said above, how the light of grace disputes and blinds the natural light of reason.
When then the gospel comes and testifies to the light of grace, that man must not do or live according to his own conceit, but his natural light must be rejected, killed and taken away; if a man accepts and follows such a testimony, gives up his light and conceit, wants to be a fool, and to be led, taught and enlightened: behold, he is changed in his main part, that is, in his natural light. Then his old light goes out and a new light comes in, faith; he follows it through death and life, hangs only on the testimony of John or the Gospel, and should leave everything he has and is able. Behold, he is now born of God through the gospel, in which he abides, and leaves his light and conceit, as Paul says in 1 Cor. 4:15: "I have born you in Christ through the gospel"; and Jac. 1:18: "He has born us of a gracious will, through the word of truth, that we might be a beginning of His creature." Therefore St. Peter calls us "newborn children of God," 1 Petr. 2, 2. Item, therefore the gospel is called God's uterus, that He conceives, bears and gives birth to us in it, as a woman conceives, bears and gives birth to her child in her uterus. Isa. 46:3: "Hear me, O remnant of the poor, whom I bear in my womb."
(110) But this birth is shown rightly when temptation and death come: then one feels who is born new or old; then reason, the old light, struggles and writhes, and does not like to leave what it thinks and wants, may not consider and commit itself to the gospel, and let its light go. But those who are born again, or are born again there, go and follow, let go light, life, goods, honor, and what they have, trusting and clinging to the testimony of John. Therefore they also come to the eternal inheritance, as the right children.
Behold, when the light, the reason, the old conceit, is dead, dark, and changed into a new light, then also the whole life and all the powers of man must follow it and be changed. For where reason goes, the will follows; where the will goes, love and desire follow. And must therefore
the whole man must crawl into the gospel and become new there, take off the old skin; as the snake does when its skin gets old, it looks for a narrow hole in the rock, there it crawls through, and takes off its skin itself and leaves it outside the hole. So man must also enter into the gospel and God's word, and confidently follow his promise that he will not lie; so he takes off his old skin, leaves outside his light, his conceit, his will, his love, his lust, his speech, his work, and thus becomes a completely different, new man, who looks at all things differently than before, judges differently, judges differently, thinks differently, wants differently, speaks differently, loves differently, lusts differently, works and drives differently than before. According to this, he can recognize all states and works of all men, whether they drive rightly or wrongly, as St. Paul says 1 Cor. 2, 15: "A spiritual man judges everything, and he is judged by no one."
Then he sees so clearly what great fools all are who want to become pious with works. He would not give a penny for all the priests, monks, popes, bishops, plates, caps, incense, lamps, candle-burning, singing, organs, praying, with all their outward appearance; for he sees how all this is idolatry and foolish glitter. Just as the Jews worshipped their Baal, Astharoth, and the calf in the desert, which they considered a precious thing by their old light of obstinate and self-conceited reason.
From this it is clear that no blood, no friendship, no commandment, no doctrine, no reason, no free will, no good work, no good life, no Carthusian order, no spiritual status, even if it were angelic, is useful or helpful, indeed, it is only a hindrance to this sonship of God. For if reason is not first repented of and falls into this nature, it falls upon it, hardens and blinds itself in it, so that it can never or even hardly be helped out; and thinking that its nature and state are right and good, it rages and rages against all who despise and reject such its nature. So she must remain the old man, God's and his grace, Christ's and his grace.
The enemy of his light, John, cut off the head of his witness, that is, the Gospel, and erect his own human doctrine for it. How then the game is now going on and raging with full splendor and power in the Pope's and the clergy's beings, who all know nothing of this divine birth, slur and leave with their teachings and commandments of some works, so that they want to attain grace and yet remain in the old skin.
But it will remain, that is said here: Not of blood, not of the will of flesh or man, but of God is this birth. We must despair of our will, works and life, as those who are poisoned by the false, stubborn, selfish light of reason, and above all hear the voice and testimony of the Baptist, believe him and follow him: then the light, Christ, will enlighten us, make us new, and give us power to become children of God. For this is why he came and became man, as follows:
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, a glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Here by the flesh is to be understood all mankind, body and soul, according to the scriptural custom, which calls man flesh; as above, when he says, "Not of the will of the flesh"; and in faith we say: I believe the resurrection of the flesh, that is, of all men; item Christ Matth. 24, 22.: "If the days were not shortened, no flesh would be saved," that is, no man; and Ps. 78, 39.: "He thought they were flesh, and like a wind that goeth, and cometh not again"; item Joh. 17, 2.: "Thou hast given thy Son power over all flesh, that he might give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him."
I say this so diligently because this saying suffered much offense from heretics at the time when learned, great bishops were. Some, such as Photinus and Apollinaris, taught that Christ was a man without a soul and that the Godhead was in him instead of the soul. Manichaeus, on the other hand, taught that Christ did not have natural, true flesh, but that he was a man without a soul.
If he had not passed through Mary, his mother, he would have been an illusion, that he had not taken her blood and flesh; as the sun shines through a glass, and does not take with it the nature of the glass. Therefore the evangelist used an understandable word, that he became flesh, that is, a man like another man, having flesh and blood, body and soul.
(117) Thus the Scriptures have been tried and proved in time, one by one, until the time of the Antichrist, who suppresses them not one by one but all together. For it is proclaimed that in the time of the Antichrist all heresies should gather into one basic soup and devour the world. This may not have happened, since the whole Scripture has been laid down by the pope and his own law has been established. Therefore the bishops are no longer heretics, nor can they become heretics, for they have no part of the book in which to become heretics, that is, the Gospels. And have brought all heresy to themselves in one heap.
In times past, however wicked the heretics were, they nevertheless remained in the Scriptures and left some parts whole; but now, what is left, since this birth of God and the faith are no longer recognized nor preached, but vain men's laws and works are practiced? What does it matter whether Christ is God or not God, is true flesh or a sham, has a soul or no soul, came before or after his mother, and all the errors and heresies that have ever been, if we have no more of him than all the same heretics? neither do we need him, and it is just as much as if he had become man in vain, and all things were written of him in vain; because we have found out how we may come to God's grace by our works.
Therefore there is now no difference between our bishops and all the heretics who have ever been, except that we call Christ with our mouths and feathers for a cover and a pretense, but underneath we express ourselves so completely, and use and use him as little as if he were the one all the heretics have been fooling with; as St. Peter 2 Ep. 2:1 proclaimed, saying, "False teachers will come among you, denying the Lord, who is the Lord of all things.
they have bought, deny, and blaspheme the way of truth."
120 What is the use, then, if Christ is not as the heretics have preached him, if he is nothing more to us than he is? What is the use of condemning such heresies with our mouths and confessing Christ rightly, if our hearts do not think any differently of him than they do? I do not see what they may indicate that Christ is necessary, if I may obtain God's grace through my works. It is not necessary that he be God and become man. In short, all that is written about him is not necessary, if only God were preached, as the Jews believe, and I then obtained his grace with my works. What more would I have? What more could I have?
So Christ and the Scriptures are no need at all, if the teachings of the pope and the university stand. Therefore I have said that the pope, the bishop, and the high schools are not good enough to be heretics; but they meet all other heretics, and are the root of all heresies, errors, and idolatries that have been from the beginning, in that they completely suppress Christ and the Word of God, and only keep the name of it for appearance; which no idolater, no heretic, no Jew has ever done, nor the Turk so much as does the same. And though the Gentiles before the birth of Christ may have been without Christ and the Scriptures, yet they did not act contrary to the Scriptures and Christ as these do. Therefore they were without equal better than the Papists.
Therefore let us be wise in this most evil, antichristian time, and hold fast to the gospel, which teacheth not how our reason is a light, as men may teach us, but setteth Christ before us, as that we cannot do without, saying, The Word, by whom all things were made, is the life, and the same life is a light of men. Believe, of course, that it is true that he is the light of men, that without him there would be darkness in man, that he would not know what to do and how to do it, let alone that he would obtain God's grace by his works, as the great high schools do.
len with their idol, the pope, teach and seduce all the world.
And that he might be a light to men, that is, that he might be known, he came and showed himself among them bodily and personally, and became man. The light was placed in the lantern, and the lost penny did not run after the lantern with its works and light and search for it, but the lantern searched for the penny and found it with its light, swept the whole house of this world with a broom and searched in every corner, searching, sweeping and finding until the last day.
124. But it is a high article that the Word alone became flesh, and not the Father, although they are both one full, one, true God. But faith understands it all, and it is right that reason should not understand it, for it was done and written that it should not understand it, but should become completely blind and dark. It must become a fool and step out of its old, false light into a new light.
"But this article does not go against the light of reason, which says that one should serve God, believe and be pious; that remains with this article. But if it should meet and say who is the same God, it jumps back and says: This is not God, and wants to call the God it thinks. Therefore, when she hears that this word is God and that the Father is also the same God, she shakes her head, does not want to go up, does not think that she is right or true, stays on her conceit, thinks that she knows better what and who God is than anyone can tell her.
Behold, so the Jews remain in their arrogance, doubting nothing that God is to be believed and honored; but who the same God is, they keep to themselves to discuss, there they want to be masters, there God Himself must lie to them and be wrong. See, this is what reason does in all of God's works and words; it always cries out that God's work and word are to be honored, but that it is in its favor and judgment which God's work and word is to be. She wants to judge God's word in all His works and words and wants to be undirected by Him. It is up to her to decide what is or is not God.
See if God is not justly hostile to such immense iniquity in Scripture, if He does not justly prefer public sinners and sinners' wives to such saints? What could be more annoying than such abominable presumption? I say this so that we may rightly recognize the tender fruit, who she is, to whom so much is given and ascribed by the pope and high schools, that without Christ, by herself, she may obtain God's grace with her works; she who is God's greatest enemy and would gladly destroy him, so that she would be only God alone and right: she shall obtain God's grace. I mean, these are darknesses!
(128) Behold, reason must make idols, and cannot do otherwise; for it knows how to speak of God's glory, but it always goes and does the same glory to that which it thinks to be God. This is certainly not God, but her own arrogance and error; as this is lamented manifold in the prophets. Nor does it help that someone would say, as the Jews say, "Yes, I mean the God who created heaven and earth, so I cannot fail to meet Him. He answers himself through Isaiah Cap. 48, 1: "You swear by the name of God, and remember the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness"; and Jer. 5, 2: "And though they say by the living God, yet they swear falsely."
How does this work? Thus it happens that whoever does not receive God in a piece, especially in the one he has presented, it is of no help to him afterwards that he wants to receive Him in the pieces he chooses himself. If Abraham had wanted to say that it was not God's work, nor God's work, when he was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac, and had followed his reason and said that he did not want to sacrifice his son, but that he wanted to serve God, who created heaven and earth, what good would it have done him? He would have lied, for he would have rejected the God who created heaven and earth, and would have invented another God under the name of the God who created heaven and earth, and would have despised the true God who gave him the commandment.
(130) Behold, all who say that they believe in the true God who created the heavens and the earth are lying, and yet they do not accept His work and His word, but place their own conceit above God and His word. If they truly believed in a God who created heaven and earth, they would also know that the same God would also be a creator over their conceit, and should make, break and judge the same as he wished. But since they do not let him be a creator over themselves and their conceit in such a small piece, it cannot be true that they believe him creator of the whole creature.
Thus you say: Yes, how if I were deceived and it were not God? Answer: Be still, dear man: such a heart that does not stand on its conceit, God does not allow to be deceived; for it is not possible that He should not come and dwell in such a heart, as the Mother of God says Luc. 1, 53: "He fills the hungry"; and Ps. 107, 9: "He fills the single souls." But if a man is deceived, it is certain that he has stood on his own conceit, secretly or publicly. Therefore, a single heart always stands in fear in things that are uncertain whether they are of God. But the thin ones fall suddenly on it, let it be enough that it glistens and seems good to them. Again, what is certain from God, the single quickly accept, but the thin pursue the same.
Now there is no certain sign that something is from God, unless it is against and above their conceit. Thus, the scribes think that there is nothing certain that is not from God, unless it is contrary to their conceit; for they are God-makers and God-masters: that which is right for their conceit, that shall be God's and God's. So all those who stand on their own must be deceived, and all those who stand idle and empty of themselves, that is, those who keep the right Sabbath, must be made right. And where the same arrogance comes to lead God's word to its iniquity, and thus falls with its light into the Scriptures, there is no more counsel nor help. For there he thinks that God's word is with him, there he has to keep over; that is the last case and right.
Lucifer's misfortune, since Solomon says of Prov. 24, 16.: "The righteous falls seven times, and rises again; but the unrighteous fall into all misfortune."
That is enough for now; let us return to the Gospel. He says: "The Word that was made flesh dwelt among us, that is, He walked among men on earth as another man; though He is God, yet He became a citizen of Nazareth and Capernaum, and also lived as another man, as St. Paul says in Phil. 2:7, 8. Paul Phil. 2, 6. 7. 8. says: "He manifested his divine form, and became like other men, and was found in all his deeds like a man; he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death."
Therefore, this "becoming like" and his "dwelling place" should not be understood according to his human nature. For according to the same he became like men by his birth from Mary, there he came into human nature and became like men according to nature; but it is to be understood according to his outward nature and walk, that he ate, drank, slept, watched, worked, rested, lived in house and city, walked and stood, dressed and robed, and led all human walk and behavior, so that no one could have recognized him as God, unless he was proclaimed through John and the gospel.
He further says: "And we have seen his glory," that is, his divinity in his miraculous signs and teachings. We also heard the word "glory" in the epistle above, where he says of Christ: "He is a semblance of his glory," and calls the Godhead thus. But if I were to speak in proper German, I would say that the same glory that is called cabod in Hebrew, doxa in Greek, gloria in Latin, is called glory in German. For thus we say of a lord and a great man: He has made it glorious and has come to it with great glory, when it has come to him abundantly, deliciously and yet valiantly. So that glory does not mean only a great shout or great honor, but also the things of which such fame is praised; as there are, delicious, great, and great things.
Houses, vessels, clothing, food, servants, and the like, as Christ said of Solomon, Matt. 6:28, 29: "See how the lilies grow. I tell you that Solomon in all his glory," that is, in all his glory, "was not so clothed as one of these." There he calls ever the glory certainly the glory. As also Esth. 1, 3. 4.: "King Ahasuerus made a great feast, that he might shew the riches of the glory of his kingdom." So we would like to translate the above in the epistle thus: "He is a semblance of his glory." So we say in German: This is a glorious thing, a glorious being, gloriosa res, a glorious deed. This is also what the evangelist wants here: "We have seen his glory", his glorious being and deed, which was not a bad common glory, but "a glory as of the only begotten Son of the Father".
Here he expresses who the word is, of which he and Moses have spoken so far, namely the only Son of God, who has all the glory that the Father has; therefore he calls him the only one, "the only begotten", so that he sets him apart above all the children of God who are not natural children, like this only one. And thus his true deity is indicated; for if he were not God, he could not, before the others, be called "the only begotten Son"; which is to say: He and no one else is the Son of God. Which may not be said of the holy angels and men, for none of them is the Son of God alone, but are all brethren and creatures created equal; chosen children by grace, not born by nature.
Now this seeing must not be drawn from the bodily vision alone; for the Jews also saw his glory, and yet did not consider it glory as of the only begotten Son of God; but that the faithful have seen it, and have believed with the heart. The unbelievers, whose eyes look upon the worldly glory, have not regarded this divine glory. Neither do they suffer one another. He who wants to be glorious before the world must be shameful before God. Again, he who is shameful before the world for God's sake is glorious before God.
Full of grace and truth.
The Scriptures commonly place these two words together. "Grace" means that everything he is and does is pleasing in the sight of God. "Truth" means that all that he is and does is good and right in itself, and thus that there is nothing in him that is not pleasing and righteous. Again, in men there is vain unkindness and falsehood, so that everything they do is displeasing in the sight of God. It is also basically false and only vain glittering, as Ps. 116, 11: "All men are liars"; item Ps. 39, 6: "As nothing are all men."
139 Now this is said against the presumptuous Papists and Pelagians, who, apart from Christ, in whom alone is grace and truth, find anything that is good and true. And as it was said above, it is true that some things are true and pleasant, as the natural
Light, which says: Three and two are five, God is to be honored, etc.: but that same light never comes to its work; but as soon as reason is to meet and bring such light into custom and practice, it turns the hindmost first, and calls that good, which is evil, and that evil, which is good, is called that God's honor, which is God's dishonor, and again. Therefore, man is only a liar and vain, that he cannot use even such natural light, because it is only contrary to God, as much has been said about it above.
140) From this gospel it is not necessary to look for the armor; it is all armor and principal things, which establish the article of faith, that Christ is true God and man; and that without grace nature, free will, and works are nothing, but lies, sin, error, and heresy, against the Papists and Pelagians.