Luc. 12, 35-40.
Let your loins be girded, and your lights be burning: and be ye like unto men that wait for their lord, when he shall break forth from the marriage; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him quickly. Blessed are the servants whom the Lord finds watching when he comes. Verily I say unto you, He shall array Himself, and shall set them at meat, and go before them, and minister unto them. And if he come in the second watch, and in the third watch, and find it so, blessed are these servants. Know this, that if a householder knew at what hour the thief was coming, he would watch, and not suffer his house to be broken into. Therefore be ye also ready: for the Son of man shall come at that hour, when ye think not.
1. we will leave the legend of today's feast of St. Nicolai, because it contains many childish things and at times also lies; we want to say something more necessary in the Gospel, from which we may improve our lives, and increase and continue in the faith we have begun.
2 In this gospel we are again admonished that we should not be secure or asleep, but should watch for the Lord and be always ready, because we do not know what hour he will come. And set us in the likeness of a faithful servant who waits for his master with all his diligence, prepared and ready to run, girded and girded, so that he may be ready soon when the Lord calls him. Will we therefore
With these words, we should also incite others not to be lazy and negligent in doing good day and night to our neighbors who need our help and advice.
Now here in this Gospel, as in almost all the Gospels, we are also given a fine indication of what a Christian life consists in, namely, faith, hope and love. Since these are the main things and the reason for our salvation, we want to say a little about them, as much as God will give. For it is very necessary to know, and there are few of them who understand it properly.
From the faith.
(4) These three things, faith, hope, and love, are thus joined together in the form and shape that faith looks upon the divine, the divine, the divine, the divine.
1938 D- iv, st-ss. On the day of Nieolai, the holy bishop. W. xi. svss-MSs. 1939
This is the faith that is called fidem justificantem, which makes righteous, pious people, and which alone looks to the divine promise of pure grace, without any of our doing, work or merit, promised and assured to us in his word. This is what St. Paul says from the prophet Joel 3:5 in the epistle to the Romans 10:13, 14, 15: "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. But how shall they call on Him in whom they do not believe? And how shall they believe, of whom they have not heard? But how shall they hear without a preacher?" etc. From this he thus concludes, saying v. 17: "So faith comes from preaching, but preaching by the word of God." And this he also concludes to the Galatians Cap. 3, 2. that we have received the Holy Spirit, not of our works, but through the preaching of faith. That therefore all our salvation lies in faith alone, so that we may act before God. And this is what all Scripture urges; thus Habakkuk Cap. 2, 4: "The righteous shall live by faith." David speaks in the first part of Samuelis Cap. 26, 23: "The Lord will reward each one according to his righteousness and faith." And St. Paul to the Romans Cap. 3, 28. says: "So then we hold that a man is justified without the works of the law, by faith alone"; item, Christ, when he sent his disciples into the whole world to preach the gospel, should say: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned", Marc. 16, 16.
5 Now this is faith: believing in Jesus Christ, that God the Father sent down to us His only begotten Son from heaven, and made Him for us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, 1 Corinthians 1:30. 1, 30. For thus says St. Paul to the Romans Cap. 10, 9. 10. 11: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For
If a man believes with his heart, he is justified; and if he confesses with his mouth, he is saved. For the scripture saith, He that believeth on him shall not be put to shame." And before, in the fourth chapter v. 3, St. Paul introduces Abraham's example, that he alone was justified because he believed the word of God, as the Scripture says: "Abraham believed God, and this was counted to him for righteousness", Gen. 15, 6; as if it wanted to say: Abraham truly kept God in his words and promises, because of which he was considered a pious, justified man before God.
6 And this faith alone makes all men blessed, but unbelief condemns; as Christ himself says in John Cap. 3, 17. 18.: "God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not judged, but he who does not believe is already judged, because he does not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John the Baptist also testifies in vv. 35, 36: "The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." "This then is" eternal life, as Christ said to God His Father soon before His suffering, "this is eternal life, that they may believe that You alone are true God. And whom you have sent, Jesus Christ," John 17:3.
7. from these sayings it is now clear that we become pious and righteous before God through faith alone; for "God's eyes," says Jeremiah Cap. 5, 3, "only look at faith. Therefore the hypocrites and saints of works do foolishly, that they think they can become pious by their works and thereby attain a gracious God; yes, they blaspheme God, whose grace and goodness, shown to us in Christ Jesus, they despise. Whoever wants to know more about this piece, should read the booklet on Christian freedom, where he will find it treated according to length. Now we want to say about the other piece, about hope.
From hope.
8 From such a promise and assurance of God, promised to us out of pure grace and mercy, without any merit on our part, arises the hope that I will certainly wait for what has been promised to me. For to hope is nothing else than to be unwavering in the divine mercy, promised to us freely and out of pure grace, namely, that I stand in it, courageous and bold, expecting the same promise, and let nothing deter me from it, be it sin, death, the devil or hell, the world or our own flesh. Just as faith alone looks to the promise of God, so hope alone looks to the pure and undeserved mercy of God, that is, to that which is promised to us freely in His word and promise; thus the 26th Psalm v. 3. says: "Your goodness is before my eyes, and I walk in Your truth."
(9) The work and fruit of faith is a cheerful conscience, a sure heart and a bold confidence in God; but hope keeps still and waits for what is promised to it by God, whatever falls, and it is especially proven in adversity. St. Paul has finely summarized this to the Romans Cap. 5, 1-5, and says: "If we have been justified by faith, then we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and boast of the hope of the glory to come, which God shall give. Not only this, but we also boast in tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings patience; patience brings experience; experience brings hope; hope does not bring shame. All this because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
(10) So hope is nothing else than relying and waiting for the thing that is not seen, because the thing that is seen must not be hoped for, as St. Paul says Rom. 8:24. And hope cannot be without faith, because this is how the epistle to the Hebrews Cap. 11:1. describes faith: "Faith
is a certain confidence of that which is to be hoped for, and is directed to that which does not appear." That it may be thus divided: Faith looks to the word, and believes it to be true; but hope looks to that which the word and promise promises, and waits for it, and is sure that it will come to pass.
(11) But there we must diligently observe the works of God, lest we fall into them with our reason, and judge them as we see them before us. For all God's works are in contradiction, so that reason does not see them otherwise than as if nothing would come of them, as if His words and promises were nothing and a lie. Therefore, care must be taken, for God gives and does all things spiritually, so that flesh and blood cannot grasp them, that He may put reason to shame, and accustom His saints to trust and look to Him alone (for they are also attracted by flesh and blood). For if they say forgiveness of sins and eternal life, and we feel nothing but sin and eternal death, we do not believe that it will happen as the divine word promises us. That is why everything goes against human experience and is based on the hope that things will get better one day; that is why hope is not seen. Sin says: You are a sinner, therefore you must die; this is seen; hope says: Trust and hope; for God has promised you that it shall get better and come to an end; and the less you feel such help, the more you should hope; for you must hope for that which you do not see.
It was said of St. Anthony that he had been at the death of many martyrs, and in this way he comforted them when they wanted to tremble and sink in death: Close your eyes, it will soon be better. So hope understands two things: first, to see that which is before our eyes, the sin and death of our infirmity, and to suffer it with patience, for it is painful; and second, to hope that which we do not see, the forgiveness of sin and the eternal life to come; for which reason the 4th Psalm says, "Thou, O Lord, hast strengthened me in hope."
13. so now you have from the first two
On the day of Nicolai, the holy bishop. W. xi. sssi-E. 1943
pieces, of faith and hope, what they are and what they do: Peace and tranquility and quietness of conscience follow faith in Christ, who has made peace with all creatures, heaven and earth, so that they must serve us and none may harm us; Which confidence makes one boast in all things, in suffering and death, knowing that it is all grace, though it may seem to be wrath and impatience; for hope carries us away, that we may know that God is doing it, and that it will soon come to an end; and this is how it is:
14 When God wants to strengthen a man's faith, He makes him lack faith, He sets Himself up as if He would not keep him faithful or true, He throws him into all misfortunes, and makes him so weary that he must almost despair; and in this He nevertheless manages to keep him quiet. Keeping still is patience, and this patience brings experience, namely: when God comes again, and lets the sun shine again and the weather is over, man opens his eyes, which before were only directed to the present misfortune, and at that time could not rise above the misfortune, but hesitated and sank down, and then sees that it has become day, marvels and says: "Praise God that I am free from misfortune! God dwells here, and I could not have imagined that it would turn out so well. Over two, over three, over eight days, over a year, over an hour, another cross comes from sin, damage to honor, property, body, or from which such affliction can come; then it rises again, then the weather goes again; and because God has graciously helped before, and knows how it is the best will of God, which nudges us with the Father's rod, that we may have cause to call and run to Him, man comforts himself, and boasts of the affliction, and says: He who helped me so often before will help me again now. The same longing in the heart, through which the heart says: Oh, if I were free! Oh, if God would come! Oh, if I would be helped! is the hope, and no one lets it become shame, God must help such a person. For "the love of God
The Holy Spirit," which He carries to us, "is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which is given to us," that is, the Holy Spirit works the longing and awakens the heart, and obtains the help, as St. Paul says to the Romans Cap. 5, 5.
In this way God hides life under death, heaven under hell, wisdom under foolishness, and grace under sin. Thus Abraham had to say that it was God's good pleasure that he should command him to sacrifice his only son, Gen. 22. Thus David also says, since he had to experience how good God meant him, since he had to give way before his son Absalom, 2 Sam. 15.It is good for me that you have humbled me," Psalm 119:71. But this wisdom, goodness, sweetness and perfection of God's will is not known through reason or the wisdom of men, for these flee from it, but only through faith, which kills reason. This is from hope. Now follows of love.
From love.
The third part, which belongs to a Christian life, is love, which soon flows from faith and hope, and is so closely related to them that it can never remain from faith, if faith is otherwise righteous; and as little as fire is without heat and smoke, so little is faith without love. For if I know by faith how dear God is to me, that for my good and salvation he sent down from heaven his only Son, made him man and let him die for my sin, so that I, who should have been eternally condemned, might be helped and given everything with this Son of his, so that I may boast of him and all that is his, and insist on and defy sin, death, the devil, hell and all misfortune: It is not possible; I must love him again and be pleasing to him, keep his commandments, and do everything he wants with pleasure and love. Then man must gain a kindly sweet heart toward God; which
The heart cannot remain alone, it must flow out and show itself freely again in all gratitude and love.
17 Because God does not need our works, nor has He commanded us to do anything for Him, but only to praise and thank Him, the same man goes and gives himself completely to his neighbor, serves him, helps and saves him freely for nothing, as he knows that such grace has been bestowed upon him in vain out of pure mercy, without all merit; indeed, since he was in sin, was God's enemy, and never thought of God. He cannot refrain from it when he sees his neighbor err or be stuck in sins; he points him to the right way, he leads him to where he has found comfort and help, preaches the gospel to him, and makes him also free of sins. Then, seeing him naked, he clothes him; hungry, he feeds him; thirsty, he waters him, and so on. And summa summarum, as he would that it should be done to him, so does he to his neighbor; what he knows only that he may serve him, that he does willingly and gladly, even before he requires or desires it of him; and looks upon nothing in this, but that it thus pleases God. For Christ himself says that loving one's neighbor is a commandment equal to the greatest commandment, namely, the love of God, Matth. 22, 38. 39.; for whatever I do to my neighbor, that I do to God and to his Christ himself, as he will say at the last judgment: "Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it to me," Matth. 25, 40.
(18) Therefore, no one should think or take it into his mind that he has a righteous faith and loves God, if he does not show love toward his neighbor; as John says in his first epistle, Cap. 4, 19, 20, 21: "Let us love God, for he first loved us. If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar. For whoever does not love his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he does not see? And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also." And before Cap. 3, 16-18, he says: "By this we have known love, that he laid down his life for us.
and we also should lay down our lives for the brethren. But if any man have goods of this world, and see his brother brought to nought, and shut up his heart against him, how doth the love of God abide with him? My children, let us not love in word, nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth." Yes, he says soon before v. 14, 15: "He that loveth not his brother abideth in death: he that hateth his brother is a slayer of death."
(19) So that Christians, who are pious and righteous by faith, should pay attention to nothing but the love of their neighbor, so that St. Paul says that love is the fulfillment of God's commandments, as when he says to the Romans Cap. 13:8-10: "Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For that which is said, Thou shalt not commit adultery; Thou shalt not kill; Thou shalt not steal; Thou shalt not bear false witness; Thou shalt not lust after any thing; and if there be any other commandment more, it is written in this word, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love does no harm to one's neighbor. So then love is the fulfillment of the law." Therefore the Lord Christ commanded his disciples and all of us nothing so high and dear as that they should love one another. For this is the only sign by which Christians are known, that they love one another and show kindness to one another, as he says in John 13:34, 35: "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
20 Now this is the rule of love, that it should see to it, that what I would have of another, that I should do also to others. As I like to see myself comforted when I am desolate, so I should do to another. When I am hungry, I want to be fed; when I am thirsty, I want to be watered; and so on with all my afflictions, so I should do to others. Therefore, when the Lord told his disciples and the people in Matthew 7:12, through a long
After describing a Christian life in his first sermon, he finally concludes with this saying: "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them: that is the law and the prophets. So, he said, this is the summa summarum of a whole Christian life, when you know how you have a gracious, kind God through Christ, who will forgive your sin and never remember it, and are now a child of eternal blessedness, a Lord over heaven and earth with Christ: then you have nothing more to do, but to approach and serve your neighbor, help him, advise him, and do what you can do. But in this I will give thee a rule, that thou shalt not gaze about, and long inquire what thou oughtest to do; saying, What thou wouldest have others do unto thee, that thou shalt do unto others; and what thou wouldest have done unto thee, that thou shalt do unto others,
21 And righteous love, which flows from faith, certainly does this: it does not look at itself, but only at others, and means everything from the heart; as St. Paul finely describes its nature and quality when he says 1 Cor. 13:4-8. Thus he says: "Love is long-suffering and kind, love is not jealous, love is not mischievous, it is not puffed up, it does not sneer, it does not seek its own, it is not provoked, it does not think evil, it does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth, it bears all things, it believes all things, it hopes all things, it endures all things, love never perishes." Therefore he says to the Romans Cap. 12, 10: "Be kind to one another with brotherly love." This does not call for bad love, but for love from the heart, so that our hearts bear witness that other people's harm is as painful to us as if it were our own, and that their piety is as good for us as if it were our own; just as parents are disposed toward their children, taking great joy in their happiness, but greatly lamenting their misfortune.
(22) And here we learn how far we are from the law that says, "Love thy neighbor as thyself," that is, that we should be so very much incorporated into them that we should be entirely their own, body, soul, goods, and chattels.
Honor. It is a great thing to love; much greater still, to love brotherly; the greatest of all is to love as a father loves a child; and this love is called a fervent love, which proceeds from the whole heart.
(23) These are the three most noble things that a Christian life has in itself: Faith, hope and love; the first two look to God and belong up, the third looks to the neighbor and belongs down. But our papists and saints of works have it the other way around, have gone up with the works and want to act with them before God; but with faith they have stayed down with the people. Praise be to God that we now know this.
From the holy cross.
(24) But there is one more thing that belongs to the Christian life, namely, the holy cross, which is very painful to the flesh and blood and also frightens some people. And a Christian must not look for it or long for it: only lift himself up and be a Christian. For immediately, when you become a Christian, you charge the devil, the world and your own flesh against you; these are three terrible tyrants, with which you must fight, because flesh and blood are there, that is, because you live here on this earth. For the devil cannot bear that you should depart from his kingdom; therefore he uses all cunning to make you depart from Christ's kingdom; he stirs up against you the world, your own flesh, and what he can and knows how to do against it, he spares no effort.
(25) And this is how it is done. If you recognize God's grace in your heart, it is impossible for you to keep it to yourself; you must go out and confess it before the world. Confession is followed by the cross; for it is against confession that the world, the wisest and holiest in the world, first sets itself, because by confessing how God's goodness and grace alone do everything, I destroy their wisdom and holiness and push them to the ground; they cannot stand that, so they rage and rage against it, choke and judge freely, and as they can, they persecute those who confess such divine grace.
Grace. Therefore David says Ps. 116, 10: "I believe, therefore I speak; but I am greatly humbled"; as if he wanted to speak: Because I know God's goodness and grace in me, I cannot refrain from speaking of it; I must speak of it; but over such speaking I have been greatly stricken.
26 First of all, we have an example of our Lord Christ, who had to answer for this confession. Item, before him all pious patriarchs and prophets had to suffer over it. Then we see this in the holy apostles and martyrs, who all had to die for the sake of this confession. And Christ told his disciples and us Christians all these things beforehand, how it would go for us, and comforts us, so that we will not despair when it comes to this. For thus he saith in Matthew, Cap. 10:16-18: "Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and without guile as doves. But beware for man. For they shall deliver you up before their council houses, and shall scourge you in their synagogues; and they shall bring you before princes and kings for my sake." And half after this he says v. 22: "Ye must be hated of all men for my name's sake." And about a little one he speaks vv. 24-26: "The disciple is not above the master, nor the servant above the lord; it is enough for the disciple to be like his master, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they so call his household? Therefore fear not for them." The Lord repeats this in the last supper. When he now departed from his disciples
he said to them, "If the world hates you, know that it hated me before you. If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember my word which I said unto you: The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my word, they will also keep yours," John 15:18-20. And with many other words, now and then in the evangelists, Christ preached this to his disciples beforehand, so that it would go over this matter with them.
Therefore all Christians may be sure that they will have to suffer much, be persecuted, driven out and finally killed for the sake of the confession of the gospel. St. Paul also says this in 2 Tim. 3, 12: "All who want to live godly in Christ must suffer persecution. Whoever is not ashamed of the color of the holy cross belongs to the kingdom of Christ and will remain blessed to the end; but whoever is ashamed of it and looks more to the friendship, favor and demands of the world than to God's good pleasure will not stand still even if the slightest challenge and persecution comes along.
I have written more about these things elsewhere and dealt with them more extensively; whoever wishes to do so may read it. Let us now leave it at that, and call upon God for His grace, that we may grasp such things, increase in faith and love, and not shy away from the holy cross.