About the saying Rom. 5, 10.
Rom. 5, 10.
For if we have been reconciled to God through the death of His Son while we were still enemies, much more shall we be saved through His life, if we have now been reconciled.
This saying is controversial, for the child has done enough for the original sin inherited from Adam, as well as for the sin that the saints do daily, and that they complain to God. For God thus praises His love for us, that it is greater than the love of man. This may perhaps cause a man to die for a pious friend, or for his wife; as is found of the heathen who died for their country. But there one never has
nen found who would have died there for his enemy. Nature cannot do that. But God has shown such love towards us. The world says the contradiction: Let no one spare his enemy etc. But God let His Son die not for His friends, but for His worst enemies.
2 If then he died for us while we were yet sinners, his life must henceforth be more precious to us than before his death.
Death, and his life rather than his death is a blessing to us. For whoever accuses his sin to God, God will cover it for Christ's sake and will never remember it. Therefore beware of these words of divine grace, that Christ should not have done enough for our daily sin.
(3) One cannot understand a thing so much as to set it in opposition to another, night to day, light to darkness. So Paul cannot praise grace more highly than by the contrast of sin, how death followed and how the law ruled; item, how two Adam are, one a man, one a God and man. These are equal to each other in propagatione; dissimilitudo in modo propagationis: they have both inherited something on the people, but unequal in manner.
(4) We became sinners without our fault and merit, from Adam, who inherited death and all misfortune upon us. Secondly, just as we became sinners through no fault of our own, so Christ, the true Adam, saved us from sins through no fault of our own. But this is not the same, that the judgment of one sin is upon all men; but grace is of one man upon many men. This grace can erase much more sin than the Adam in us can inherit sin. So God's hand to help has no aim. One should only fetch much from him. He who does this honors God, but he who does not desire it from Him profanes God to the highest degree. So, if we are in much misfortune and anguish, we have cause to cry out to God much and to recognize him rightly. For he is only one God, who alone will forgive much, and remember our misery, and communicate his grace to us; who only could trust such God. These are the two pillars of Christianity, preaching repentance and forgiveness of sin in Christ. God can suffer weakness; God cannot suffer malice, willfulness, and willful sinning. The Gospel preaches only to the weak, whom the weak flesh hastens to overtake before they realize it. Let the donkey go, he will not leave his pen; cling to God. You belong rightly to the gospel: if you
If you long for the redemption of the sinful flesh, God will be gracious to you. If the gospel is preached in this way, we will have cause enough to repent, for we will not do as we would like. Therefore, let us only cry out to God.
5 So the two Adam are equal, they both inherited sin and grace on us, without our guilt and merit. But here they are unequal, that one inherits sin, the other grace upon us. Sin came into the world and ruled; death came into the world and ruled; so also the law. All men have sinned; for they all must die; even the young children who have not really sinned, like Adam, must also die before they have wrought anything. So death reigned, and devoured all the world, and none escaped it. Lex subintravit, ut faceret cognitionem peccati (The law is besides coming in, that it produces knowledge of sin). But before the law came, sin was not known. Just as when one gives a law that one should not walk by night without light. Before I was free and walked by night without a lantern; now, according to the law, I have a conscience and take a lantern by night. So God's law is nothing but opening my evil conscience; there it also ruled. Therefore all destruction, death and damnation follow, until the Savior Jesus comes. We feed and clothe Adam, and he is after us body and soul, and threatens us with death. So every man is a sinner who must die and bear an evil conscience because of the law.
6 Christ is also our Adam and inherits something upon us; that is grace. Where grace is, there is life; where life is, there is also a happy conscience; and this Christ inherits upon us without our merit. Col. 2. Paul interprets it. The devil became powerful in the world with these things, sin, death and law. Luc. 11, 21: Cum fortis armatus etc.. (When a strong man is armed etc.) No one could take away his strength without Christ alone. Therefore the devil puts on a banner that reads thus: I am a lord and
God of the world, and all men are mine. Christ tears away his banner. The devil is angry, runs after Jesus. Christ says: "What evil these people have done, recover in me. The devil does it faithfully, and incites the whole world, holy people, authorities, Pilatum, Caipham, Herodem and Hannam to the JEsum, that he should die, as Caiphas rightly says: He should die for the people; because he brings him to death. He openeth his jaws, and will devour him: but he devoureth death upon him. For Christ pierceth his belly, and taketh away his power. Hell bindeth him with pains: but they could not hold him, Acts 2, 24. pst 16, 10. God snatches him out. The devil brings him to the most shameful death of the cross, and takes away all his honor, life and deeds. Where is poor Jesus to go now? The devil says, "Yea, seek, I have now won;" but before the devil turns, Christ begins to live, and takes on another nature, and inherits grace upon us, so that people go into their conscience, and beat their breast, and say, "Truly, this is the Son of God.
7 Thus he gives us the three pieces as an inheritance, quite contrary to the first Adam,
Grace, life, good conscience. It has been a poor conscience; it must not come before God until it is completely clean. But the longer one wants to wait, the more evil the conscience is, and only comes further from God. And that is what the devil does. This is what happened to the wretched conscience: It saw a king sitting in the golden hall, who called to it, and it sat down on an ass, and was not allowed to ride on the ass to the king. The king said: Come. When she came into the middle of the golden hall, the donkey became unclean. Then she stood up and wanted to defend the donkey, wipe it and make it beautiful. Then the king said, "Let the donkey go, he will do what he is supposed to do; I have business with you, but go to me fresh. So we also have an unclean ass; but this is our comfort, Rom. 8:1: "There is therefore nothing condemnable in them that are in Christ JEsu." He does not say, They will be without sin; but, They will have sin enough; but because they cry out about it, God will credit it to them and cover it up. Therefore, we should not fall away from God when we are already weak. The donkey is no different: I thought he should trust God in all his needs, be mild and patient; then the longer he is, the more stingy and unbelieving he becomes.