Rom. 12:7-16.
If anyone has prophecy, let it be like faith. If anyone has an office, let him wait for the office. If any man teach, let him wait for teaching. If any man exhort, let him wait for exhortation. If any man give, let him give plainly. If anyone governs, let him be diligent. If anyone shows mercy, let him do it with pleasure. Let not love be false. Hate what is bad, cling to what is good. Let brotherly love be cordial among one another. Let one precede the other with reverence. Be not slothful in what ye do. Be fervent in spirit. Get ready for the time. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persevere in prayer. Take care of the needs of the saints. Give gladly. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with the joyful, and weep with the weeping. Have one mind among yourselves. Do not seek high things, but hold yourselves down to the lowly.
(1) This epistle should be shorter in the front and longer in the back, for it begins with the epistle of the previous Sunday, and breaks off too soon at the end, so that it seems to have been composed by an unlearned and imprudent master, who thought only of reading in the church and not of teaching among the people. Therefore, we have to attach them to each other, as is proper, so that they will be understood all the more clearly.
2 In the next Sunday's epistle, the apostle teaches how we Christians should renew our minds by the sacrifice of our bodies, that we may keep the right simple kind of faith, and not be thought good nor better without faith, lest there be sects and diversities among Christians, but that every man be accounted worthy of the measure of the things which he hath done.
He says: "For in the same way as we in one body have many members, but all the members do not have the same business; so we are many in one body in Christ," and gives a likeness of this, saying: "For in the same way as we in one body have many members, but all the members do not have the same business, so we are many in one body in Christ. And he gives a likeness of the same, saying, "For in like manner as we have many members in one body, but all the members have not one business; so we many are one body in Christ, but one among another is another's member." (There now follows today's epistle, and should hang on it, thus:) "And have divers gifts, according to the grace that is given us. "etc. For the various gifts he draws upon the various members, which are
We are in Christ in one body. This is a clear likeness, which he also refers to many times, as 1 Cor. 12, 12. and Eph. 4, 16. For it teaches finely how all Christians should be equal and satisfied in the one common faith, and not hold the gifts, however diverse or great they are, as if one were thereby pious before God, blessed or better than the other; for such a sense, opinion and delusion is certainly error and a corruption of the faith, which alone is valid before God.
Let us look at this likeness, and we shall find it. First, all members of the body have their work in the body, so that they are members of the body. And none of them is a member because it works or because it deserves to be a member by its work; but it has previously become a member of the body by birth, before it works or could work; yes, that is why it works, because it is a member beforehand, and does not become a member by its work, done beforehand. Therefore it has its being and all its ability beforehand and in vain from the body; but afterwards the body of the member has work for its need. For the eye did not become an eye because it saw well beforehand, and thus earned that it should be placed in the body and become an eye; but it became an eye first from the body, and got its being from the body, so that it could see: therefore it cannot boast that it ever earned anything by its seeing as by its work, a hair's breadth, that it should be in the body and become an eye; but it has such honor and right purely in vain, without its works, from birth.
(4) So also every Christian cannot boast that he has come by works to be a member in Christ with other Christians in the common faith, nor can he do works to become a Christian; but because he has already become a Christian through the new birth in faith without all merit, therefore he does good works. So that it is certain: Good works do not make Christians, but Christians make good works; as the fruit does not make the tree, but the tree makes the fruit; and the face does not make the eyes, but the eyes make the face.
Face. And finally, the essence must be everywhere rather than the work, so that no work gives the essence, but the essence gives the work. If good works do not make Christians, they do not earn God's grace, do not eradicate sin, and do not earn heaven; for no one can have this except a Christian, and he has it through no works, but by being a member of Christ; this happens through faith in God's word.
(5) What then do they do who teach us that by good works they may blot out sin, obtain grace, merit heaven, and cast up their spiritual estates as the peculiar high ways to heaven? What should they do? They teach, as you see here, that if a piece of flesh speaks well, a tongue will come out of it, which is not yet a tongue; item, that if a piece of flesh gorges and drinks well, a mouth and neck will come out of it; what walks and runs well, a foot will come out of it; what hears well, an ear will come out of it; what smells well, a nose will come out of it; and what suckles its mother's breasts, a child will be born. If the apple stands on the tree, a tree will grow from it. Are not these fine tongues, throats, ears, children, and apples?
(6) Yes, what nonsensical fools and perverse people they are, you say, how impossible things and useless work and effort they undertake? Yes, what else are they worth, who turn God's truth into a lie, and make of the gifts of God a service before God, which are given for the service of the neighbor; and do not want to be in the common state of faith, but noble, special priests, and something better than other Christians? So it serves them right that they become wonder-stricken and senseless, and take upon themselves vain labor and toil over impossible things, and only defraud the world of its goods and fatten their bellies, as the 14th Psalm v. 4. 5. says of them: "Will not the wicked know? who devour my people with their food, but call not on the Lord?
They themselves fear"; that is, here and there they make consciences for themselves, because otherwise there is none; because they hold to works and not to faith.
7 To the other: Every member is satisfied and content with what it has, and does not ask whether another member is nobler. The nose is not as noble as the eye; nor do the two oppose each other in such a way that the nose is not angry if it is not the eye, but allows the eye its nobility and is pleased with it. Again, the eye does not gloat over the nose nor despise it, but is pleased with all things that other members have. Yes, as St. Paul also says, 1 Cor. 12:23, the dishonest members, of which we are ashamed, have greater honor than the honest. There we see how the hand and the eye of their Abel forget, and take care and manage to cover and adorn the dishonest members, and put their honor for that dishonor and shame as they like.
Now as the measure and honor of the members are unequal among themselves, so they are all equal in that they are members of the body, one as well as the other, and the eye may not say that it has more right to the body than the most honest member, nor may it boast that the body is more or higher than another; neither does it, but lets the body be common and equal to all the members. So also all Christians, whether strong or weak in faith, infirm or perfect, have one as much as another in Christ and his Christianity; for each one has Christ all his own, and I can boast as highly in Christ as St. Peter or the Mother of God herself. I also grant St. Peter that he is a nobler member than I, and pleases me well. Again, he does not despise me if I am a dishonest member; nevertheless, I am a member of the same body that he is, and have Christ as well as he.
(9) The saints of works are not able to do this; they must create sects and differences among Christians: the priests more than the laity, the monks more than the priests, the virgins more than the married couples, and those who pray and fast much,
more than they that work; and they that lead an austere life, more than they that live altogether. This is the devil and all misfortune, against which St. Paul teaches here. For there faith and love perish, there the simple are provoked to the works and states of faith; there all things become unequal: The clergy then want to sit on top, be honored alone and have their feet kissed, and neither honor nor respect anyone; yes, they want to pray for the poor Christians and become mediators between God and the Christians, and regard the other classes as nothing at all, just as if they alone were members of Christ and the closest, and want to make all the others members first of all by their works, and take money and goods enough for it. They are members of the devil and not of Christ.
(10) To the third: Each member does its work for the benefit of the other member and the body. For the eye sees where the hand should do and the foot should walk; the foot walks and carries the body, so that the eye is not harmed; and one member is always careful and busy for the other and not for itself; so that no finer example of love and good works can be found than in the members of our own body, in which God has written such a law of love with such living and powerful examples, which we carry daily on us and always have before our eyes: Just as a Christian man should be, directing his works not for his own benefit but for the benefit of others, and be busy and diligent there, so that there would be neither division nor sectarianism among us.
(11) But we are blinded, and neither see nor read such lovely examples in our own bodies; we go on and seek our own good works, that we may first help ourselves and be saved. This means that faith is not there and the heart does not know Christ; therefore it has no rest, it seeks to become devout and to be free from sin. But because it does not know that only the common faith does it, it begins such great strange works. Then the foolish people fall away, abandoning faith and love, thinking that this is the right way to heaven; then another begins another, and so on.
until they become vain sects, and in the end they also exalt and despise themselves among themselves, think much of themselves without all measure, and want to be the best.
12) The fourth: Each member, as St. Paul says in 1 Cor. 12:26, has compassion on the other when he is unwell or in pain, no differently than when he himself is unwell. Again, he rejoices with the other when he is well, as if he himself were well. And recently, no member lives or works for itself, and all are one another's subjects and servants, before the noblest serve the most; as if they should all say: I wish to be nothing else, it is enough for me that I am a member of the same body and have as much right and honor in it as the others all. Therefore I will not and must not work to become a member and partaker of the body, for I already have that ready, and it is enough for me: but my works are to serve the body and its members, my dear brethren and comrades, and I do not want to undertake anything special, nor do I want to cause discord and sectarianism.
(13) Behold, all true devout Christians do so, as is often said; and they that do not so do are false Christians, yea, worse and more hurtful than the heathen. For they do not cease, they make sects, and take things for their own and special, that they may blow themselves out, and think much of themselves before others, and so provoke in themselves the heathen of the simple, against whom St. Paul here and at all ends so faithfully warns us.
014 See therefore for thyself, that thou become a member in Christ, which thou canst become without works, but by faith alone. And if thou hast become one, and hast now a work according to thy measure from God, that thou mayest abide therein, and not be cut off again, nor think thyself better than others; but serve others thereby, and let their work and ministry please thee as thine own, though they be less; for faith maketh thee equal unto all, and every man equal unto thee etc. This is what St. Paul wants here in this epistle, that each one should not think too much of himself, but should be moderate.
He is only after God has distributed the measure of faith. As if he should say: Let every man count this his own work, and do it, if he have grace to do it; but let him not exalt himself above those who have not the same grace, but have another; and let him also accept their work, and let him count it as he ought to count it, that is, that he also recognize and accept a grace of God, and know that God distributes the measure of faith and such grace in many ways, not in one; Therefore, he also uses such words here and calls it all God's grace and the measure of faith, so that no one thinks of his alone as God's grace and the measure of faith, as do the special ones. It is the same God, Spirit, Lord, he says in 1 Cor. 12, 5, 11, who works both this and that, both great and small, both in you and in me, in one faith, love and hope.
(15) How noble, precious and necessary this doctrine is, is not to be said; it proves, alas, all too much the miserable misery in all Christendom, with sects of innumerable names so dissolved that nowhere appears neither body nor members, neither faith nor love. For such unity of mind in the various gifts of God cannot suffer human doctrine beside itself; therefore it is impossible that our spiritual masters' status and doctrine should exist with this unity; one must lie down.
16 You may understand the measure of faith itself to mean that it is given to one more strongly and to another less strongly, as God distributes it. But I consider that St. Paul calls it the measure of faith in the understanding, that faith brings with it, as a chief good, the other gifts, that therefore it is called the measure of faith, and not the measure of our will or merit, that we have not earned such gifts; but where there is faith, God honors the same faith with some gifts, as a gift or surrender, as much as he wills; as he says 1 Cor. 12, 11: "He divideth to every man according to his will"; Eph. 4, 16: "Every member according to his measure." For this very reason he also says: "There are various gifts, not according to our merit, but according to grace,
which is given to us; so that grace, like faith, brings with it such noble jewels and gifts, to each his measure, that works and merit are thus everywhere excluded, and we are directed by works only to our neighbor.
If anyone has divination, let it be similar to faith.
(17) Here he tells some of the gifts, that is, the works of the Christian members, and puts prophecy or divination first. Prophecy is of two kinds: one that tells of things to come, as all the prophets in the Old Testament and the apostles had; the other is interpretation of the Scriptures, as 1 Cor. 14:5. But because the gospel is the last sermon and prophecy before the last day, in which it is clearly prophesied what is to come, I do not think that St. Paul is speaking here in any other way than of prophecy, as he says in 1 Cor. 14, namely, by interpreting the Scriptures. For such prophecy is also a common, constant, useful gift for the Christians; but that prophecy is strange. He also indicates this himself by saying, "Prophecy should be similar to faith," and no doubt means the Christian faith of that time. Now no other faith nor doctrine will ever come. If the prophecy is to be even and according to this common faith, it is clear enough that he does not speak here of the prophecy of the things to come.
(18) This is his opinion: Let those who have grace to interpret the Scriptures see that they interpret them in such a way that they rhyme with faith, and do not teach anything contrary to what faith holds; just as he says in 1 Cor. 3:11, 12: "The foundation is laid, and let no one lay any other foundation; but let each one see to it how he builds on it, so that he does not build on it straw, hay, and wood; for this does not rhyme with such a foundation, but with gold, silver, and precious stones. Hereby is all doctrine and interpretation of the Scriptures utterly rejected, which lead us to our works, and under the name of faith to false Christians and works.
make holy. For that which teaches us to cast out sin, and to become blessed and devout, and to have a good conscience before God, other than by faith alone without all works, is immediately no longer similar to faith and does not rhyme with it; as there are also all monastic lives and the appearance of poltergeists, of purgatory and the like.
19 But notice that St. Paul here does not pay much attention to the prophecy that speaks of future things, as they were in these last times of Lichtenberger, Abbot Joachim [and also almost all of Apocalypsis]. For such prophecies, although they are pleasing to the imagination, that they indicate how kings, princes, and other states of the world will fare, are nevertheless unnecessary prophecies in the New Testament, for they neither teach nor improve the Christian faith. Therefore it is almost one of the least gifts of God, and sometimes comes from the devil. But to interpret the Scriptures is the noblest, highest and greatest gift of prophecy; for even all the prophets of the Old Testament are called prophets, because they prophesied about Christ, as Peter says in Acts 3:18 and 1 Peter 3:18. 3, 18 and 1 Petr. 1, 10; that they led the people in their time in the faith by interpretation and understanding of the divine word; much more than that they sometimes proclaimed something from kings and worldly rulers, which they also practiced themselves and often failed to do. But this they practiced daily, and did not fail; for faith was not wanting, to which their prophesying was like.
020 Now this is a mighty word, that here he makes faith the master, judge, and rule of all doctrine and prophecy, and that all should be subject to it, judging and abiding by it. Therefore see what St. Paul makes for doctors in the holy Scriptures, namely all who have faith and no one else; they are to judge and pass judgment on all doctrine, and their judgment is to apply equally to the pope, concilia and all the world. For faith is and shall be
a lord and god above all teachers. From this you see how the spiritual state acts, which does not leave such judgment to faith, but has taken it to itself, and has given it only to the power, the multitude and the worldly height; but you know that the pope, the council and all the world are subject with their doctrine even to the least Christians, even if it is a child of seven years, who has faith, and they are to accept the same judgment about their doctrine and laws; as Christ also says Matth. 18:10: "Take heed that ye despise not the least of them which believe on me"; item John 6:45: "They are all taught of God." Now it is not fitting to despise him whom God himself teaches, but everyone should hear him.
If anyone has an office, let him wait for it.
21 This is the other gift, to have ministry. This ministry was among the Christians, to serve the poor widows and orphans and to distribute the temporal goods among them, as St. Stephen and his companions were, Acts 6, 5. 6, 5, as the stewards and provosts in the monasteries should be now; item, those who waited on the apostles, prophets, preachers, and teachers, and served them and were at their hand, as the women were who followed Christ and served him from their possessions; item, as Onesimus, Titus, Timothy, and other disciples of St. Paul. They had to provide the temporal food, so that the apostles and preachers might be free to devote themselves to preaching, teaching and praying.
22 But now we see that spiritual rulers are princes and kings, and not only do they not wait for preaching or praying, but they also do not distribute the temporal goods for the poor, widows or orphans, but kill them for their own glory, so that they neither prophesy nor serve, and yet sit in the same place and have the name, so that they might oppose the right preachers and servants, persecute and destroy Christianity, and devour the goods of the same for their reward.
If anyone teaches, let him wait for teaching. If anyone admonishes, let him wait for admonition.
23) Of these two gifts, it is said in the epistle at Christmas Eve Mass, Titus 2: Teaching is to instruct those who do not yet know the faith and the Christian life; but exhorting is to provoke, stir up, urge, punish and implore those who now know and understand, by constant perseverance; as he says in 2 Timothy 4:2: "Stop, punish, rebuke, implore, so that Christians will not become lazy, sluggish and idle, because they now know what to do, as it is commonly done. But for these teachers and exhorters, prophecy is a supply; for he who interprets the Scriptures gives and gives into the hand what is to be taught and exhorted; that prophecy may be the fountain and source of all teaching and exhortation.
If anyone gives, he gives foolishly.
(24) This giving is said of the common goods, which were given together, as into a common treasury, under the hand of the servants and officers, of whom it is said above that they give of it to the teachers, diviners, poor, widows, and orphans; as it was also commanded in the Old Testament, that over all the annual tithes which were given to the Levites, they should set apart a special tithe every three years for the poor, widows, and orphans etc. Now such giving in the New Testament is not ordained by name, nor is it written in law; for it is a time of grace, when everyone is exhorted to do it voluntarily, as Paul says in Galatians 6:6: "He that is instructed in the word ministereth all manner of good to him that instructeth him"; item v. 10: "Let us do good to every man, but most of all to the fellow believers."
25. But this giving should be simple, that is, free of charge, in honor of God alone, not seeking favor, honor or pleasure in it, and not putting one before the other, giving much or even to the one whom you favor, and giving nothing to the other, because you have no grace; as hitherto the benefices and fiefs are divided according to friendship, favor, money, honor and pleasure, and as also almost all fiefs are endowed for the sake of purgatory and hell; but freely, freely shalt thou give, nothing esteemed, nor sought, nor desired, for
that it pleases God and these people need. Behold, this simplicity is famous from St. Paul in many places; for stiffens also strangely. Although giving is abundant, but all is lost, because it is not given in simplicity, as there are all the monasteries, and all that is endowed. And just as it is not given in simplicity, God does not allow it to be used in a Christian way. It is given unchristianly, it must be used unchristianly, as Micah says Cap. 1, 7: "It is gathered by fornication, with fornication it must perish again." But he means spiritual fornication, that is, unbelief, which does nothing simple.
If someone governs, let him be careful.
(26) This governing or presiding is also to be understood of all the common offices of Christianity, not of the worldly rulers, as there are heads of households and princes; but of those who preside over Christianity, as he says 1 Tim. 3:5: "He that knoweth not how to preside over his own house, how shall he preside over the church of God?" Now these are the ones who are to see over all offices: that the teachers wait for their office and are not tardy; that the ministers distribute the goods rightly, and are also not lax in punishing sinners and putting them under ban; and so henceforth see to it that all offices go rightly. This should be the office of the bishops; therefore they are also called bishops, that is, overseers and antistites (as St. Paul calls them here), that is, overseers and governors.
27; To these it is especially due that they be careful, not for themselves (which Christ forbids Matt. 6:25), but for others, that it be a care of love and not of selfishness. For since it behooves such a one to look after everything, and to manage and drive everything, and everything is up to him, as it is up to the carter to make the horse and cart go: he must not be tardy, sleepy, nor lax, but brave and careful, although all the others would be tardy and not careful; for where he wants to be lax and tardy, none of the other offices will not be fresh at all, and will proceed as if the carter were asleep on the wagon, and lets horse and wagon go as they should.
There is no good to be expected or hoped for, especially in such dangerous roads and paths as Christianity has to travel among the devils, who would like to overthrow and kill them every moment.
28 How does St. Paul thus reverse the order, that he does not put ruling first and foremost, but lets prophecy come first; then serving, teaching, exhorting, giving; and puts ruling last of all among the common offices, that is, in the sixth place. The Spirit has undoubtedly done it for the sake of the future abomination, so that the devil would establish a loud tyranny and worldly power in Christendom; As it is now, that ruling is supreme, and all that is in Christendom must be guided by tyranny and its will, and all prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, and giving must perish before this tyranny is broken off, that it may be guided by prophecy, teaching, and other offices.
29. but we are to know that nothing is higher than the word of God, which is the office above all offices; therefore the office of government is his servant, who is to stir it up and awaken it, as a servant awakens his master in his sleep, or else admonishes him of his office; that it may stand that Christ saith Luc. 22:26, "He that will be greatest among you shall be your servant; and the first shall be last." Again, the teachers and diviners are to be obedient to the ruler and follow him, and also let themselves be brought down, so that all Christian works and ministry may be another's servant; so that what St. Paul teaches in this epistle may also remain. Paul teaches that no one thins himself out as the best, and exalts himself above others, and thinks more highly of himself than is to be thought of; but let one office and gift be more noble than the others, but yet let each serve and be subject to the others with it; so that the office of government is the least, and yet all the others are subject to it, and in turn serves all the others with its care and attention. Again, divination is the highest, and yet follows the governor etc.
If anyone prays mercy, let him do it with pleasure.
(30) The preceding six pieces pertain to the common government of Christendom, which is now called the ecclesiastical state. Now he continues, and counts pieces that concern everyone in Christendom. But the six parts mentioned are not to be fully separated from one another, so that each must have its own person; for he who prophesies is also able to teach, to exhort, to serve and to govern, and so on: But that each one may see to what he is called, to one or to two, that he may wait for the same, that he may not thereby exalt himself above others, as if he were the best, and make special sects out of common gifts of God, but remain in common equal faith, and let the gifts of one serve and be subject to the other.
(31) Mercy is all kinds of good deeds done toward one's neighbor besides the common tax, which is mentioned above; for the apostle speaks here in Hebrew, in which language hesed, that is, mercy, is actually called beneficium in Latin, eleemosyna in Greek, Wohlthat in German, and now in custom it is called alms; as Christ also uses the same in the whole Gospel, Matth. 6, 2: "When you do your alms", that is, your charity; and Matth. 12, 7: "I am pleased with mercy, and not with sacrifice"; and Luc. 10, 37: "He who did mercy on him", and the like, since mercy always means as much as charity. And Matth. 5, 7: "Blessed are the merciful."
32 Therefore St. Paul wants to say: He who has grace to do good to others, let him do it with joy and gladness; as he says 2 Cor. 9, 7."God loves a cheerful giver," and lays himself out in the same place, saying, "Not out of sadness or need, that is, so that he will not tremble, shake, and be slow and slow to give, seeking here cause and there cause, that he may not give, or so give that one may not be glad of him, and so sour it, before he is talked out of it; but should be willing and ready; as Solomon also says Prov. 3:28, "Say not unto thy friend, Go, and come again; tomorrow will I give thee, if now thou canst give it well." Qui cito
dat, to dat. Rursus: Tarda gratia non est
gratia. He who gives soon is slow to give; but slow beneficence is no beneficence. Therefore the word hilaris does not mean cheerful, but he who does it gladly, merrily, willingly and with love, that not much asking nor hurrying and stimulating is allowed.
Love is not wrong.
(33) How indeed can the apostle describe the badness and the rightness of every thing? The badness of prophecy is when it does not rhyme with faith; and this is the common accident and fare of all prophecy. The common accident of service is that one is tardy in it, and always another work seems better. The common accident of teaching and exhorting is that one does other things than teach and exhort, but rather fools around with human gossip. The accident of giving is that it is seldom done out of simplicity. The rulers generally look for safe and lazy days, so that they do not have to worry and toil. Charity is seldom done with desire and a willing heart. So also pure love is a strange thing on earth. It is not that love is impure in itself, but that it pretends to be love and there is nothing behind it; as St. John also says in 1 John 3:18: "Brothers, let us not love with the tongue alone, but with action and truth."
Now those who in their conscience feel their hatred, and yet pretend to be lovely, and such gross hypocrisy, are far from this saying. St. Paul means the free spirits who go about as true Christians and know well what to say about Christ; but are careless in their works, do not see how they do not take care of their neighbor at all, do not help the needy, do not punish the wicked, let everything go as it goes, and bear no fruit of their faith, but the true word of God chokes with them, like the seed among thorns, as Christ says. But what true love is, is sufficiently said elsewhere.
Hate the bad.
35 This is a great piece of love and strange; for the hypocrisy and false love
This is a great blindness, so that we keep silent, look through our fingers, and even laugh and be pleased when our neighbor does evil, and do not want to anger or offend him by hating his evil, punishing him, and doing away with him, especially when it costs life or limb, as when one should touch the vices of great men. This is certainly a colored love. For St. Paul does not speak of hatred in the heart alone, but that it should be demonstrated outwardly by words and deeds. But true love pays no attention to how good a friend is, how useful his favor is, how honest his company is, how horrible the enemy is: it hates what is bad in him, and punishes it, or flees from it, be it father, mother, brother, sister, or whoever it may be. Evil nature also loves itself, and does not hate what is evil in it, but covers it up and adorns it: what is anger must be called seriousness; what is avarice must be called prudence; what is wickedness must be called prudence.
Hang on to the good.
The other part of righteous love is that it adheres to the good, even if the worst enemy does it and is most repugnant to itself. For it makes no distinction between persons, nor does it fear whether it will suffer. But false love may well leave its friend's good for the sake of favor, honor, or benefit, if persecution or danger rises above it; not to mention that it should cling to the good of its enemy, and hold and stand by it; but if it is repugnant to it, it will not do so, however good it may be. Summa, the saying: The world is false and full of unfaithfulness, item: Good words and nothing behind them, indicates that nature has nothing but false, colored love, and that there is no right, pure love without the Spirit of God. The verse Ps. 15, 4. has finely summarized these two pieces: "He does not respect evil, but the godly he honors greatly", that is: He clings to the good, even if they were enemies, and hates the bad, even if they were friends. See with these two pieces among the people, how they hold themselves against one another with lending, buying, giving, punishing, teaching,
Suffering, stretchers etc., you will probably see how it is vain color and glitter.
Be kind to one another with brotherly love.
This is the proof of love in the highest part, that Christians should have a special love for one another, above the common love for other people; for the word "kind" means the love that fathers and mothers have for children and brothers among themselves; as if to say, "You Christians should not only love one another, but each should be warm, motherly, fatherly and brotherly toward the other; as St. Paul boasts that he was among those in Thessalonica, 1 Thessalonians 2:2. Paul boasts that he was among those in Thessalonica, 1 Thess. 2, 7. As Isaiah also proclaimed of the apostles in the last chapter, v. 13, saying, "As a mother is kind to her son in her womb, so I will comfort you. So also saith St. Peter 1 Ep. 3:8, "Be ye kind one to another, cordially." Now, what such kind brotherly love does, suffer, and bear to one another, learn from a mother in the flesh toward her child; so Christ also did to us, and still does, that he bears us imperfect, imperfect, frail, sinful people, so that it seems as if we were not Christians; but his love makes us Christians, regardless of our infirmities.
One precedes the other with reverence.
(38) This involves the love and kindness of Christ toward us, that we should hold one another up and glorify one another for the sake of Christ who is in us. And suffer not that I should despise any man for his infirmities; but think that my Lord dwelleth in the weak vessel, and honoureth him with his presence. If then Christ esteems him worthy, to whom he is gracious and cordially favorable, that he has as much in Christ as I have, then I must bow down before him and honor him, as my Lord's living temple and throne. Why do you care how small the chair is where the Lord sits? Is it not too small for him to sit on and honor him, why will you servant not honor him?
Do not be sluggish in your undertaking.
(39) To undertake is to do all sorts of things, or business, to do and to do, which is godly; therefore St. Paul would have us to be valiant, stedfast, and busy. Not as they that begin one thing to day, another to morrow, are easily wearied and weary of any thing, but as they that begin a good thing quickly and with great earnestness, whether it be disciplining the body, praying, reading, fasting, giving, serving, or what it be; But when they have done it two or three times, they grow weary and do not carry it out; for the first rut has subsided, as a rash subsides when it is atoned for; so they become vain, unstable, unfit people:
Be fervent in spirit.
(40) The forwardness and soft courage is also eager to begin much, and wants to do it all at once; but in the beginning it becomes dull and soft, and even lets go of itself, keeps silent where it feels opposition, disfavor and persecution; therefore it is a carnal fervor in divine things, which does not last. But spiritual fervor increases the more it creates and drives; for the spirit's nature is that it does not grow weary, yes, by standing idle it grows weary and tired, by working it grows strong. But most of all he becomes fervent through persecution and resistance: therefore what he starts, that goes on and comes through, even if all the gates of hell would stand against it.
Send yourselves into time.
41 Some books have: "Serve the Lord", because in Greek kero and kyrio are almost the same, and one means "time", the other "Lord". Nor do I know yet which is the best; it may well say, "Serve the time," that is, "send you into the time"; so it is not bad, "Serve the Lord." Every man take what he pleases. Serve the Lord means this much: whatever you do, do not let it seem to you otherwise than as if you were doing it to the Lord Himself, and thus serving Him; and do not seek your own glory in it, nor indulge in it for the sake of men's fear or favor, as if you were serving the Lord.
Nehemiah 2:20, when they were building the temple, said, "We are servants of God from heaven. With this they answered those who wanted to hinder them, as if to say, "Let us not serve ourselves with this, nor do we honor ourselves, but God from heaven. But I remain with this: "Send yourselves into the time." This is so much to say: "Be guided by the time, and use it well, that you do every thing in its season; as Solomon says Ecclesiastes 3:3, 4: "There is a season for building, and a season for breaking up; there is a season for weeping, and a season for laughing." Henceforth, every thing has its season; that is, be free and not bound by any time, that you may do as and what comes to you, as the first Psalm says, v. 3: "He will give his fruit in his season."
This is a noble, fine doctrine against the saints of works, who bind themselves to time in such a way that time must conform to them and fit itself into their being. They have their appointed hours, so to pray, so to eat, so to drink, so to do and so to live. If thou shouldest come to such a one in thy greatest need, that he should help thee, behold, thou wouldst perish before he would leave his things and help thee. Behold, he does not send himself into the time, that is, he does not do as the time suggests, as he should; but lets the time go by, in which he might have done a work of love, and so the time must direct itself after him. But this never happens; for nothing comes to them that would be good to do, because they let everything pass by and remain attached to their things. For they laugh when they should weep, and again, and are sad when they should be happy, praise when they should reproach, and so on: all their things are untimely, and it happens to them that they miss all time by this very fact, that they have all their things so certainly bound up with time. So does the world.
Be joyful in hope.
43. this would be a piece to send in time; for the wicked are glad when they have good things, and honor, and chamber.
have enough, but grieve when the weather turns. Therefore their joy is an untimely joy, and their sorrow an untimely sorrow; rejoicing when it is sorrowful time, and sorrowing when it is joyful time. But Christians are skillful in that they have no joy in temporal sufficiency and comfort, but only in God; therefore they rejoice most when it is most grievous according to the flesh. For God is so much the closer to them with His future goods, as much as the temporal ones continue to turn away from them. So St. Paul also counts the joy under the fruits of the spirit, because the flesh does not bear such joy; and Rom. 14, 17 is called "joy in the Holy Spirit".
Patient in tribulation.
44 The gospel gives Christians evil days and the cross everywhere. Therefore it equips us with divine weapons, that is, it does not teach us how to get rid of calamity and have peace, but how to remain under it and overcome it; that it will not be averted by our doing and resisting, but that it will work itself weary and tired on us, and drive us until it can no longer do so, and will cease from itself and fall away powerless; like the waves on the water at the edge, and drive back from themselves and disappear. It is not a matter of giving way, but of persevering; this is also what is said in Advent.
Stop at prayer.
(45) What prayer is, is sufficiently said in the third epistle of Advent, that St. Paul does not call it much babbling out of the prayer-books, or babbling in the church. You will never pray anything good out of a book: you may well read from it, and instruct yourself how and what you should ask, and set yourself on fire; but the prayer must go freely from the heart, without all made and prescribed words, and must itself make words after which the heart burns. He especially says that we should persevere in prayer, that is, not cease or become lazy, if it does not come as soon as we ask; for the very best thing in prayer is faith, which is based on God's
He is not a man who relies on the promise that he will be heard as he has spoken. Faith, however, does not receive what it believes as soon as it has received it; rather, it is drawn back and stands as if it wanted to turn back, and yet it comes. Of such a halting, Christ makes a fine likeness of Luc. 18, 1. ff. of the evil judge and the lust of the friend. He teaches to have faith in prayer everywhere, Matth. 21, 22: "Whatever you ask, believe that you will receive it" etc.; Matth. 7, 9: "Who is there among us that offers a stone to his son? etc.
Take care of the holy need.
46 This is well done. We desire and seek daily for the saints to take care of our needs; hence there is so much pen and altar and service of saints in all the world: St. Paul teaches that we should take care of the saints in their needs. But it has happened to us, since we despise the living saints who may be ours, that we go and seek the dead saints, and seek our need from them. Thus St. Paul refers to the saints on earth, that is, the Christians, and calls them "saints" in honor of the word and grace of God, through which they are holy without any works in faith.
For it would be a great shame and blasphemy against God if a Christian were to deny that he is holy, for in doing so he would be confessing that Christ's blood, God's Word, Spirit and grace, and God Himself are not holy, even though God has directed and placed everything on him to be holy. That is why St. Paul freely calls himself a saint, Col. 1, 26: "To me, the least of all saints, this mystery is commanded" etc. And 1 Tim. 5, 10. he wants to have such widows who have washed the feet of the saints. So also the 86th Psalm v. 2. says: "Keep me, for I am holy"; and St. Peter 1 Ep. 1, 16. draws from Moses and says: "Be holy," says God, "for I am holy." That therefore this little word "holy" is used in Scripture only of the living. But we have had other books to read than the Scriptures, therefore we have fallen into blasphemous humility through our deceivers, that we only sanctify the dead.
It is the highest presumption that any of us should call ourselves saints; yet every one wants to be called a Christian, which is higher than saint, since Christ is the Most Holy, and a Christian is called after Christ, that is, after the Most Holy. The shameful abomination called the Exaltation of the Saints helped to bring about such misery. The pope has helped to make people think that only those are holy who are dead or elevated and have earned this by works. But how often the devil will be exalted for a saint, and we will consider those as saints who belong to hell!
(48) Now that St. Paul mentions these necessities of the saints, he does so that he may the more provoke and kindle us to do good to Christians, because we are inclined to serve the saints, and esteem great what we put on the saints, as is true. But he shows us the real saints, namely, those who are in need, that is, they seem to be nothing less than saints, but poor, abandoned, hungry, naked, imprisoned, dead people, who need everyone's help and cannot help themselves, and who are also considered wretched and wicked before the world, as being worthy of all misfortune; therefore there are many other saints than we seek with our gazing toward heaven and call upon them to help us. Christ will also bring forth such saints on the last day and say: "Inasmuch as you did it to the least of these, you did it to me," Matth. 25, 40. Then the great servants of saints will stand up in shame and be frightened by these saints, whom they do not want to see in life, as they were guilty of; and the saints will not help them, whom they were [not*] guilty of serving and yet have made idols out of them.
Strive to be happy to stay in the hostel
(49) Here he begins to recount some of the needs of the saints, and teaches how to take care of them, namely, that it should not be done with words alone, but with the
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That is, to give them shelter where they need it. This includes all other bodily needs, such as feeding the hungry, watering the thirsty, clothing the naked. For at the time the gospel began, the apostles and their disciples did not sit in castles, monasteries and convents, torturing people with letters and commandments, as the bishops do now; but went about the countries as pilgrims, having neither house nor yard, neither room nor place, neither kitchen nor cellar: Therefore there was need here to shelter the saints and to serve them, everywhere enough that the gospel might be preached, or what other need there was in their suffering and torture.
Bless those who persecute you.
50 Because he has just remembered the need of the saints, he also introduces that one should be Christian also against the persecutors, from whom the need of the saints comes in great part. And notice that this is not a counsel, but a commandment and fruit of the Spirit, that one should love one's enemies and do good to them and reproach them; so that you do not think that it is only advisable for the perfect to bless their persecutors, as we have been taught until now; for Christ, Matt. 5:44, also teaches all Christians to do this as necessary. But the "blessing" or benediction is to wish the persecutors all good in body and soul. So when the enemy attacks your honor, you should say: God honor you and protect you from all harm; when he attacks your property, you should say: God grant you happiness and blessedness; and so on.
Bless and do not curse.
(51) This is spoken in general to all, whether they be persecutors or not, saying, Not only bless those who persecute you, but let your whole life be so conducted that no one curses, but blesses everyone; that you wish no one harm, but everyone good. And this because we are children of blessing and, as St. Peter says 1 Ep. 3, 9, called to blessing, that we may bless the
Blessing, with which all the world is blessed through Christ: Genesis 22:18: "In your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. For it does not rhyme that a Christian should curse even the worst enemy and evildoer, since he is commanded to speak the gospel in his mouth. The dove did not bring poison, Gen. 8:11, nor a thorny branch in its mouth to Noah in the ark, but an olive branch. Now the gospel is nothing else but a sweet, blessed, peaceful, wholesome word, which brings blessing and grace to everyone in all the world; therefore there may be no curse beside it, but blessing. Therefore a Christian mouth must be a blessing mouth, not a cursing mouth; but if it is a cursing mouth, it is not a Christian mouth.
(52) But here there is a difference between cursing and scolding or punishing; for scolding and punishing is much different from cursing and scolding. "Cursing" is actually wishing something bad to come upon someone. But "to rebuke" or "to punish" is to be angry about and against the evil that has already happened and is already there, so that it may be done away with. Finally, cursing and scolding are opposed to each other: cursing desires that evil and misfortune come; scolding desires that evil and misfortune go away. Therefore we read how Christ also curses and punishes, and calls the Jews viper-bred, children of devils, hypocrites, blind fools, liars etc. But he does not curse that such evil should exist, but would that they were rid of it. St. Paul also does this and calls the sorcerer the child of the devil and full of all mischievousness. Item: "The spirit punishes the world for sin" 2c, Joh. 16, 8.
(53) But there is a strong objection that the saints in Scripture often not only rebuke and punish, but also curse. For Jacob, the archfather, curses Reuben, Simeon and Levi, his sons, Gen. 49, 7. So Mosi's law is a large part of cursing, especially Deut. 28, 15, and commands the curses to be done publicly on Mount Ebal, Deut. 27, 13. How many curses are in the Psalter? especially Ps. 109. Item, how David curses Joab, his commander.
man, 2 Sam. 3, 29. How bitterly St. Peter curses Simon, Acts 8, 20: "Your money be damned with you." St. Paul curses the deceivers of the Galatians, Gql. 5, 12: "Oh that they were cut off"; and 1 Cor.
16:22: "He that loveth not Jesus the Lord is accursed to death. Item, Christ Matth. 21, 19. curses the innocent fig tree. Item, 2 Kings 2:24, Elisha curses the boys of Bethel. What do we want to say about this?
54. Answer: Here you must separate love and faith. Love should not curse, but always bless; faith has power and should curse. For faith makes God's children and stands in God's stead; but love makes servants of men and stands in servants' stead. Therefore there must be spirit here; if not, no one can rightly understand nor need or follow such an example of cursing. And so it happens here that cursing happens against cursing: God's cursing against the devil's cursing. For where the devil, through his own, interferes with, corrupts or hinders God's word, the blessing of God, which comes through the word, is increased, and vain cursing is brought about before God. Then it is time for faith to break forth, to curse, and to desire that such cursing and hindrance perish, so that there may be room for the blessing of God.
55. as if someone now curses that God will eradicate and destroy the pontifical, priestly, monastic and nunnery with foundations and monasteries, let all the world say, amen, because God's word and blessing is cursed, condemned and prevented in all the world by such devilish specters; for in such one cannot practice love.so poisonous, evil, devilish thing it is; the more one serves them, gives way and is at their will, the more hardened they become, and both rage and rage against God's word, spirit, faith, love; therefore Christ also calls it Matth. 12, 31. a sin against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven; and St. John says 1 Ep. John says 1 Ep. 5, 16, that it is a sin to death, for which one should not ask; because it is lost, they do not want to suffer love nor service, without which they remain in their abomination, help, strengthen, honor and elevate. What else to do with them
They blaspheme and condemn, saying that it is not love or faithfulness from God that is done to them, but bitter hatred and envy from the devil, and that it is not the word of God, but lies, heresy and error of the devil.
(56) In sum, this cursing is a work of the Holy Spirit that serves God alone, and is a work commanded in the first commandment, apart from and above love. For where God is called to show no good work or love to anyone, one is never obliged to love; for his will is to take precedence over all the good works and love that I could do for my neighbor; and if I could make all the world blessed in one day, and it were not God's will, I should not do it. So I shall neither bless nor do good, nor show any love to anyone, if God wills it and says so. That the measure of love toward one's neighbor may be the word of God; just as the first commandment is the measure of all the other commandments, so that against the commandments of the other table I may kill, rob, take away wives and children, disobey father and mother, where it is God's honor and will, according to the first commandment; as the people of Israel did to their enemies, the Gentiles. So also the spirit can and sometimes does works that are considered to be against all God's commandments. But they are only against the commandments of the other table, which point us to our neighbor, and according to the first three commandments in the first table, which point us to God. Therefore, first become a Peter, Paul, Jacob, David and Elisha, so you may also curse in the name of God with great merit before God.
Rejoice with the joyful, and weep with those who weep.
57 These two things may also be connected with what he says above, v. 13: "Take care of the needs of the saints"; which he has deleted so far, and also taught to keep the persecutors right, from whom such needs and needs come several times. But I think he is speaking here in general, how we should make ourselves even with everyone, and send ourselves into their cause, since it is well or bad for them, whether they have no
We have need of this, that we, as common servants of all the world, accept everything that concerns everyone, so that we may entice and provoke them all to the gospel; as he also says more about such acceptance.
(58) Now if any man be merry, let us not look upon him sore, as the hypocrites do, who, desiring to be something more solid, with their unseasonable earnestness, present themselves only wise and holy, and make fools and sinners of all that are merry, and look not upon them sore; but let their joy please us, if it be not contrary to God. So that a father is happy if his wife is healthy, pious and pleasant, and if a child is born, item, if his child is pious and sensible; and so on, if it is good for him in soul, body, goods and honor, and for his own, as for ourselves. For these are God's gifts, which He gives, says St. Paul Acts 14, 17, that he fills the hearts of the children of men with joy. Even though many of these gifts and joys are badly needed, they are not the less God's gifts, which are not to be condemned with sour looks, as if one did not want or should not have them. Again, we should weep with him when he is in trouble, as if we ourselves were in trouble; as we read that David wept and mourned over Saul and Jonathan and Abner, 2 Sam. 2, 17, 3, 33; item, as Paul Phil. 2, 27 takes care of the sick Epaphroditus as his own etc.
Have the same courage and sense among yourselves.
(59) Earlier, in v. 10, he spoke of having one mind in spiritual gifts before God, that each one should please the other's office and gift and be good. Here he speaks of outward and worldly conduct in the sight of men, in which each one should also be pleased with the other's position, conduct, office and work, and let no one think himself better than the other; because a cobbler's servant has the same Christ as a prince and king, a woman as well as a man; so that even here, in such outward and diverse ways and differences of men, the one faith and spirit is nevertheless the same.
60. but this doctrine has long since perished, princes, lords, nobles, empires.
and mighty men are reflected in themselves, and have the sense that they alone are people on earth; and among themselves also one wants to be higher, nobler, more honest than the other, and there is such a variety of sense and conceit among them that the clouds in the sky are hardly so varied and strange; do not keep one sense and conceit in this variety of outward difference, nor let the other state or being think itself so good and so well liked as theirs; mine is the best alone here, everything else stinks. Accordingly, the coarse peasants also come in with boots on: a baker wants to be better than a balbirer, a shoemaker nobler than a bather. But if one is not born in wedlock, he is not fit for the trade, even if he were holy; here one must bring birth certificates, and the nature is also so divided that many a conceit and own mind are as masters and servants. How should these be of one mind in spiritual offices and goods, who are so unequally minded over such base, poor, temporal beings? It is true that there must be such different ranks, creeds and crafts on earth; but it is heathenish, unchristian and worldly that people cling to them with conceit, and that one Christian thinks himself better than another for the sake of such filth, and does not see how he is equal to everyone inwardly before God.
(61) Yes, it is not only unchristian, but it is effeminate and childish. The women may well let themselves think that one is better than the other, if one can stick the spindle needle (pin) a bit too far, or put on the hood a bit too far than another, and probably for even lesser things; and no one thinks that she is a woman (that I say no more) as well as another. Children do the same thing: each one likes his buttercream best, and his little bird is the most beautiful; if not, then he cries until he has the most beautiful one. It is just such a thing as that of wives and children, and of the world, since this one is the most powerful, this one the most Christian, this one the most noble, this one otherwise, that one so born and so earned: this one highly learned, that one respectable; and for the sake of such
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For the sake of differences, hatred, murder, and all miseries may arise: so hard is their mind attached, every one to his own; nor are they Christians, with such divided, unequal, and various minds.
Do not pay attention to what is high, but make yourselves even with what is low.
022 Then he transfigured himself, and rebuked all manner of conceit. For as I have said: Every man's way pleases him, therefore the land is full of fools. But when a man sees that another is superior, he has no peace; he would gladly be like him. Therefore, against this teaching of St. Paul, he holds both: against the lowly or his own kind he pleases himself best of all, and his own is the most exquisite; but against his unequal he cannot consider himself the best; therefore he strives for it, and respects only what is such a high, exquisite thing. All this is done by the unequal mind and spirit in the heart, which is not satisfied with the common Christ and is attached to such outward differences. Not so, but does not respect what is high in the sight of the world. As if he should say: There must be such a difference on earth, one being high and another low. Not all things can be gold, nor all things straw; but yet all things should be equal among these unequal things; even as God acts equally in them, and gives his word and his Spirit both to the lowly and to the high. Paul does not use the word "respects" in vain. To have high things is necessary and harmless; but to esteem them, to turn one's heart to them, to boast of them, and to think well of them against those who have them not, is heathenish.
But make yourselves even with the lowly.
That is, do not despise what is lowly in status and nature. Do not say they should elevate the lowly or do away with it; for God also needs them, indeed, the world cannot do without such lowly statuses. Where would the rich and powerful be if there were no poor and lowly? As the feet carry the body, so the lowly carry all the high classes. Therefore, as the body holds itself against the feet, so shall the lowly hold themselves.
To hold high things against the lowly, not respecting nor esteeming the high things which they have, but directing themselves according to the same, and taking pleasure in the things which the lowly are and have; for this leveling with the lowly is also spiritually spoken of conceit in the heart. So Christ also did. All that was high in him he did not cast away nor deny, but did not esteem it, nor boast against us; but made himself lowly to us, not despising us, and serving us with his high character.
Don't think of yourselves as smart.
Here one has stopped reading in this epistle in the church, therefore we want to run over it recently completely. This own prudence is the stiff mind in worldly things, which does not let itself be told, wants to know everything better than anyone can say; it should be right and well done, what it has in mind, and gives way to no one. But a Christian should be so flexible in such matters, and gladly give way, let everyone be right, because it does not concern God's word and faith, but temporal good, honor and friends.
Do not repay evil with evil.
65) In v. 14, where he teaches that one should not curse, he says of those who cannot avenge themselves nor do evil again, for they have nothing more without cursing and wishing misfortune on those who are too powerful for them. Here he speaks of equal people among themselves, since one can pay evil to another with evil and prove one evil deed to another, whether by doing or by not doing it; but most of all by not doing it. But a Christian should do good to the one who does evil to him and not desist, as God lets His sun shine on the righteous and the unrighteous, Matth. 5, 45.
Diligent you of respectability against everyone.
66. as he says to the Thessalonians, 1 Thess. 5, 22: "Avoid all evil appearances"; and Phil. 4, 8: "What is true, honest, righteous, chaste, lovely, what is good, is about virtue, is about praise,
think about it" etc. All this is said of outward conduct, that a Christian should not think to do what he pleases, regardless of whether it pleases anyone or no one; for he should do this only in matters of faith, but in outward conduct he should keep himself in such a way that nothing criminal is found in him, but pleases everyone; as he says 1 Cor. 10, 32. 33.: "Be pleasing to everyone, and without offense to both Jews and Greeks": and Peter 1. Ep. 2, 12.: "Have a good walk among the Gentiles" etc.
If it is possible, as much as is in you, be at peace with all men.
67 This is what is said about outward peace, with all men, both Christian and Gentile, pious and wicked, high and low; that is, they should not give cause for strife, but rather suffer all that is done, so that peace may remain on our side. Therefore one must not repay evil with evil, nor strike again; for he who strikes again makes strife: therefore he adds, "as much as is in you," that is: Ye shall never hurt any man, lest strife come on your part, but on the other; ye shall be peaceable to every man, though all men make you strife. For that peace may remain everywhere is in no one's power; as one says, "I can no longer have peace, because my neighbor wants it; but it is in our power to keep everyone content, both enemy and friend, and to suffer strife from everyone. Yes, where am I then? Listen:
Do not avenge yourselves, my beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written: Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.
68) There you see how he points out the peace to the suffering of the other discord, because he forbids retaliation and revenge; and not only comforts that he should be smelled, but also deters that we do not take hold of God in his office, who alone wants to avenge and repay; yes, at the same time he deplores the great misfortune of the enemies by indicating how they run into God's wrath, so that he forces us to overcome our enemies.
to have mercy on them, that we must give room to wrath and let them fall into God's hands. This vengeance and wrath of God is executed in many ways, for example by authorities, for example by devils, for example by sickness, famine, pestilence, fire, water, war, enmity, shame and all misfortune that is and may be on earth; for all creatures are God's rods and weapons when He wants to punish; as He says Weish. 5, 18: "He will arm the creatures to take vengeance on the enemies."
(69) Therefore St. Paul says, "Leave room for wrath"; but I have added "God's," that the text may become the clearer, and be understood of God's wrath, not of man's, as if St. Paul meant the wrath of the enemy to be left room for. Although this is true, he does not speak here of such wrath, but freely of all calamity and plague, all of which is called God's wrath. He has also omitted "God's" for this reason, so that one would not think that he is speaking only of God's wrath on the last day and where God Himself punishes without means: he wants to have spoken of all wrath, be it temporal or eternal, so that God punishes. And the way of speaking in the Old Testament is like Phinehas Jos. 22, 18: "That the wrath may come upon us today or tomorrow"; so also Moses in several places, 4 Mos. 11, 1. 10. 33: "The wrath has come upon the congregation" etc. This is why I say that where the authorities punish those who carry the sword or damage the enemies, that all this is called God's vengeance, and that this saying of Moses, Deut. 32, 35: "Vengeance is mine", is not meant to be God's punishment alone, without any means.
Now if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him drink; if you do this, you will gather coals of fire on his head.
70 This is what I said about having mercy on the enemy because he falls into God's vengeance, that it is Christian not to harm him but only to do him good. But St. Paul cites the saying of Solomon, Prov. 25, 21. 22. For to gather fiery coals upon the head is, in my mind, the opinion that the enemy will be showered with good deeds, that in the end he will be inflamed and heated, angry with himself, and will become all the stronger toward us. For "coals" signify benevolence; therefore also the coals in the censer signify the benevolence of God, which one should report in prayer, so that the prayer will smoke strongly and penetrate upward. Some point the coals to God's law and judgments; as Ps. 18:9: "Coals are kindled by Him," that the enemy through benevolence may be more deeply indebted and more burdened with God's judgment and His law. But I consider that such a thing is not to be wished by a Christian on his enemy; though it is not an unskillful thing to do, and rhymes with the word, "Give place to wrath," that is, do her good, wrath and coals will find him well.
Do not let evil overcome you, but overcome evil with good.
St. Paul concludes with this saying, and it seems to me that he himself interprets the fiery coals according to the first understanding, that the enemy's evil is to be overcome with good. Overcoming is nothing else, for wherever you become evil, and repay evil to him who does evil to you, he has overcome you, so that you become evil with him; but if you overcome him with good, he also becomes good and godly like you. This is a spiritual overcoming, because the heart, courage and soul are overcome, even the devil, who drives and causes evil.