Eph. 4, 1-6.
I therefore exhort you, prisoners in the Lord, to walk according to your calling, in which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, and being diligent to keep unity in the Spirit through the bond of peace. One body and one spirit, even as ye are called unto one hope of your profession. One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God and Father (our) of all, who is over you all, and through you all, and in you all.
This is also a beautiful sermon about the good works of Christians who believe and obey the teaching of the gospel, which St. Paul gave to the Ephesians before; as we heard in the next Sunday epistle that he wishes them to increase and grow in the knowledge of it. For this must always be the foundation of all doctrine and life and the high eternal treasure before God of a Christian, namely, faith in Christ, which alone is the forgiveness of sins.
and make them children of God. Now that we have it, let its fruits also be reaped, so that Christians may show and be seen that they are such people who live in honor and obedience to God, that God may be honored and praised thereby; that they themselves may have honor and eternal reward in the sight of God and man.
(2) But he makes such admonition upon the remembrance of his prison and tribulation,
He suffers for the sake of the gospel and for their good and honor (as he said before), so that they in turn also honor the gospel with their life and conduct for the sake of the gospel. And at first he gives a common rule for the whole life of Christians:
That you walk as befits your profession.
(3) This should be the main and most important thing for a Christian to do in his outward conduct in the world, that he remembers and considers himself for what he was called and set by God, that is, why he is called a Christian and thus lives according to it; and let this shine before all the world, namely, that by his life and work God and the name and word of the Lord Christ are praised; as Christ Himself Matth. 5, 16. admonishes His own: "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your heavenly Father" etc.
4 So St. Paul also wants to say herewith: You have now received God's word and grace, and so have become blessed people, who in Christ have everything you need; Remember this yourselves, and consider that you have been called to much more and higher things than other men, and also live in such a way that it may be seen that you are seeking a greater good, indeed that you have already attained to something much better than the world does, and that with your life you are giving honor to the Lord, who gave you such treasure, and give no one cause to blaspheme and reproach your treasure, or to despise his word, but rather to entice and provoke everyone, so that by your conduct and good works they may be moved to believe Christ and praise him.
For a Christian should know that he does not live on earth for himself or for his own sake, but that his life and being on earth is his own and belongs to the Lord Christ; therefore it should also be directed to his honor and glory and serve him, so that he can say with St. Paul Gal. 2:20, not only of the spiritual life of faith and the righteousness of grace, but also according to the fruits of the same in his outward conduct: "I now no longer live, but I have become a Christian.
Christ lives in me"; so that it means to have walked in Christ, as St. Paul says elsewhere, yes, to have put on Christ Himself, Rom. 13, 14, as our garment and adornment, so that He may shine in us and be recognized.
(6) But where this does not happen, sin becomes much more serious and worse. For in every sin of those who are called Christians or God's people, God is not only angered by the disobedience, but also by the disregard of the other commandment, which makes the sin much more serious, namely, that God's name is thereby blasphemed and others are angered; as St. Paul Rom. 2:24 also says: "For your sake God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles. Therefore a Christian should live in such a way that he preserves God's and Christ's honor, lest his name be profaned and he should bear the guilt of doing evil; just as the devil, together with the world, does everything he can to dishonor and blaspheme God, so that he only shows his bitter hatred for Christ and his word, and harms the church by causing trouble, both to frighten the unbelievers away from the gospel and to make the weak dislike it.
7. In order to prevent this, Christians should be all the more careful not to cause trouble with their lives, and let their God's and Lord's name and honor be dearer to them than to have him blasphemed, so that they may also leave their own honor, goods, body and life for the sake of it, because they have their highest treasure and blessedness in it; and they should think, where they consider it beautiful and valuable, that this is their own honor and glory before God and men; as God promises and says 1 Sam. 2, 30: "Whoever honors me, him I will also honor." And again, if they do not do this, they will bring upon themselves the wrath of the most high God, and their own contempt and shame; as he says there further, "Those who despise me shall again be reviled." And in the other commandment he threatens serious and terrible punishment to all who use his name uselessly, that is, who do not use it for his praise and honor etc.
(8) Let each man search out his own life and see how diligent he is.
in this piece, to prevent the Gospel from being disturbed, and to direct his work and deeds according to the serious commandment of God, in honor and praise of God's name and the Gospel. Yes, everyone will find enough great and grave sin here, which he may well lament and amend, so that he does not incur God's wrath upon himself; especially because now, without that, in these last evil times, the Gospel is being pressed everywhere with so many great and many aversions. Man was created to be God's image, and God's image to be known through him; therefore, the whole life and conduct of man should shine like a mirror, and there should be no higher or greater concern for a Christian than to live in such a way that God's name is not disgraced.
(9) This is the first part of St. Paul's exhortation about the whole life of Christians, after which he mentions some special good works that all Christians in general should practice: humility, gentleness, patience, unity of the spirit (2c). Of which the other epistles, especially St. Peter's, speak one by one; as of humility (of which the Gospel also reports today) on the 3rd Sunday after Trinity; of patience and gentleness on the 2nd Sunday after Easter and on the 5th after Trinity.
(10) Hereby all Christians in all classes are given good works enough, that they must not seek others or better; for St. Paul does not want to impose special works on them apart from or above the common classes, as the false saints teach and do. Paul does not want to impose on them special works apart from or above the common classes, such as the false saints teach and do, such as people are called to run from people in deserts, to raise up their own monasticism and self-chosen works, which they praise as much higher and better than those of other common Christians, and even to make them despised and regarded as dangerous classes; As up to now the papacy unashamedly called such worldly classes, and those who lived in them had to think that they could hardly go to heaven if they did not also become spiritual (so they only held the monks and the clergy), or even made themselves partakers of their works and bought their merit from them. But St. Paul and the
The whole of Scripture teaches only such good works as are laid down by God in the Ten Commandments for everyone in general, and which are to be practiced in the common life and in the public sphere; which do not make a great show and splendor in the eyes of the world, like the hypocrisy of their self-chosen worship, and yet are truly delicious, good and useful works both before God and men; For what can be more pleasing to God and better for people than to live in your profession in such a way that God is honored by it, and with your example you also bring others to love God's word and praise His name. Item, what more useful virtues are there in the whole life of man than humility, gentleness, patience and being of one mind? etc.
(11) Where can one do this better than in the ranks that God has ordained to live among the people? Yes, the self-chosen special life and monastic holiness is of no use at all for this. For who is better off that you go to a monastery, make yourself special and do not want to live like the others? Who is helped by your cap, sour vision, hard camp? Who thereby comes to the knowledge of God, or to the consolation of conscience, or who thereby is stimulated to love his neighbor? Yes, how can you serve your neighbor in this, and show love, humility, patience, meekness, if you do not want to live among people, and keep your self-chosen rule or order so strictly that you would rather let your neighbor suffer hardship than go against it?
(12) It is to be wondered at that the world lies in such great blindness that it considers both God's Word and His order and status, in which it must live daily, to be nothing at all. If one preaches to it about faith in God's word, it considers it heresy; if one says about works and conditions, instituted by God Himself, it again considers it nothing at all, but knows how to do it much better. That a common Christian in the house, a servant and maid at her service lives Christianly: o, that is, she says, a vain worldly thing! You must attack yourself differently, crawl into a corner, put on a cap, go to the saints, then you can help yourself and others to heaven.
mel help. If you ask why, or where God said it, there is basically no other reason than this: Our Lord God knows nothing about it and does not understand what good works are; how then could He teach? He himself must go to school with these highly enlightened saints and learn from them.
13. But it all comes from the afflictive inherent plague and evil called original sin, which is such blindness and wickedness that it does not want to see or respect God's word, will and work, and instead casts out other things according to our own pagan thoughts; has such a thick skin over both her eyes, ears and heart that she cannot see the light of how the common life of Christians, male and female, inferior and superior, is adorned and decorated with God's word; nor will she allow herself to be persuaded to do these works, of which God Himself testifies that they are heartily pleasing to Him in those who believe and are in Christ. Summa, experience in all the world shows and testifies that it is a great special grace and that few people are so blessed that they do the right good works, and the great multitude of those who want to be holy strive in vain with other vain works that they consider great, and thus make themselves quite unfit, as St. Paul Titus 1:16 says, for right good works. This is a pity, which such erroneous human delusion of self-chosen works and holiness brings with it.
14 Secondly, it also follows that the beautiful, lovely virtues that St. Paul teaches and praises here, humility, gentleness, patience, unity of spirit, are hindered and destroyed, and on the other hand the antagonism of the hostile vices is strengthened by the devil. For where one falls outside of God's word and on the works of men of one's own choosing, there must first of all follow all kinds of arrogance and obstinacy, so that one throws out this and the other that, and each one wants to have the glory that his is the best, and then the other wants to make something better.
There are many such teachers and works, as there have been among so many innumerable sects in the priesthood, and as there always are among all sects. None of these virtues, humility, gentleness, patience, love, etc., can take place; but the antagonism must follow, because the hearts and minds are not one: that one proudly despises the other, and where one does not let his thing be right and good, begins to be angry, to envy, to hate; can have neither friendship nor patience with anyone, who does not make and do it, as it is just for him etc.
15 On the other hand, Christian life, of faith and its fruits, is ordered according to God's word, so that it all serves to preserve love and unity and promotes all virtues. For it does not destroy the order, which God created and established, of the common estates and their works among men, the authorities, father, mother, sons, daughters, masters, wives, servants, maids; but confirms them all as good estates and works; calls each one in his Christian life and all in general to love, humility, patience etc. so that no one despises the other, but each one gives his honor to the other, and knows that even in a lesser state he can be as blessed and good before God as he is. Item, that each one have patience with the other's weakness, and know that others also have to bear his infirmity etc. And in sum, that each one show love and friendship to the other, which he would have done to himself.
16. To this end, a Christian is greatly helped and encouraged by the fact that he knows that in Christ he has God's grace, forgiveness of sin and eternal life, not because of his merit or special life and works, but because in his nature and status, however lowly he may be in the eyes of the world, he is as much God's child, blessed and partaker of all Christ's goods (if he believes), as he is the greatest and most noble saint; Therefore, he must not look for other works that he is not commanded to do, nor grant to others, whether they are in a greater state or have more gifts from God and can do greater works; but he must keep to his measure, and serve God in his profession, and
that he also needs him in his position as an instrument. Again, whoever serves according to God's calling in a higher state, gifts and work, this unity of mind should also teach and instruct him to remain in humility, not to despise others, but to know that he is not better before God and more valid because he has greater gifts, but that he is all the more obliged to serve others with them, and that God can do more and greater things even through those who have lesser gifts; Thus he can also show patience, gentleness and love toward his neighbors who are weak and infirm, considering that they are also members of Christ together with him and share in the same grace and blessedness.
(17) See, this is why the apostles St. Paul and St. Peter so diligently practice this virtue, which is called "being of one mind," because it is also the most necessary and beautiful virtue among Christians, which keeps and binds Christianity together and does not allow it to become divided and separated, as has been said before. That is why St. Paul exhorts us to be diligent in this and, as he says, to be careful to keep it. But he calls it "unity of the Spirit" to show that he is speaking of the unity of right doctrine and faith, otherwise it cannot be called one or the same Spirit, since there is no Holy Spirit without knowledge and faith in the gospel of Christ; therefore one must strive above all things to keep the right doctrine of Scripture pure and one.
18. For it is also the greatest and most harmful annoyance of the churches to cause discord and division of doctrine; which also the devil drives to the utmost, and comes commonly from some arrogant, obstinate and ambitious heads, who want to be something special, fight for their honor and glory; They cannot hold it equal with anyone, think it would be their shame if they should not be praised as more learned and greater in spirit (which they do not have at all) than others; they do not grant anyone the honor, although they see that he has greater gifts; item, out of envy, anger, hatred or revengefulness against others, they seek to make rivals and to hang people on themselves. For this reason he first
exhorts to the necessary works of love, that they practice humility, patience etc. against each other, and one can tolerate the other etc.
19. It is clear and evident enough from experience what harm and ruin the church suffers from the trouble of doctrinal division and discord; for in addition to the fact that many people are deceived, and the multitudes fall in with a rush when they hear something new from the hopeful, meager spirits, pretended with great pretense and excellent words; it also follows that many of the weak and otherwise good-hearted people fall into doubt, not knowing with which they should abide; From which it further follows that the doctrine is despised and blasphemed by many, who seek cause to contradict it; item, that many become quite nefarious and epicurious, and regard all religion and what is said of God's word as nothing at all; item, even those who are called Christians, become embittered in such quarrels against one another, biting and devouring themselves with hatred, envy and other vices, whereupon both love grows cold and faith dies out.
(20) Such disruption in the church, and all the ruin of souls that results from it, is caused by such obstinate, red-blooded heads, who do not stick to the united doctrine nor keep the unity of the spirit, but seek and do something new for the sake of their own conceit, honor or revenge; and thus bring upon themselves much more terrible and unbearable condemnation than others. Therefore, Christians should be careful here not to give cause for division or discord, and with all diligence and care (as St. Paul admonishes here) keep on helping unity. For it is not so easy to maintain it; even among Christians there are many and various causes that easily move them to dislike, anger and hatred; so the devil also seeks causes, stirs up and blows up where he can; Therefore they must take care that they do not give way to such irritation as the devil or their own flesh drives in them; but fight against it, and do and suffer everything they should, whether it concerns honor, goods, body or life, so that they, as much as is in them, do not let the unity of doctrine, faith and spirit be separated.
One Body and One Spirit, just as you were called to one hope of your profession. One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God, One Father etc.
21. This is the cause that should move Christians to hold fast to the unity of the Spirit, because they are all members of one body and partakers of all spiritual goods; for they all have at the same time one treasure, namely, one God and Father in heaven, one Lord and Savior, one word, baptism and faith, and summa, one blessedness; because such goods are common to them all, in which each has as much as the other, and none can attain anything better: what cause then can he have to make separation, or to seek any other thing?
(22) And hereby St. Paul shows and teaches what the true Christian church is, and how it is to be known? Namely, that there is no more than one church or God's people on earth, who have one faith, baptism, one confession of God the Father and Christ, etc. and who hold and remain in harmony with one another. Everyone who wants to be saved and come to God must be found in it and be incorporated into it, and no one will be saved apart from it.
(23) Therefore, this unity of the church is not called and is not the same as having outward regiment, law or statute, and church customs; and
as the pope pretends with his group, and wants to exclude all from the church who do not want to be obedient to him in this: but where this unity of the one faith, baptism etc. is. Hence it is called one, holy, catholic, or Christian church, that there is one pure and clean doctrine of the gospel and outward confession of it in all places of the world and at all times, regardless of what other inequality and difference of outward bodily life, or outward orders, customs, and ceremonies are.
(24) Again, those who do not keep this unity of doctrine and faith in Christ, but cause division and trouble besides, as St. Paul says in Romans 16:17, by their human doctrine and their own chosen work, wherefore they contend, and command all Christians to keep it as necessary: they are not the true church of Christ, nor of the members thereof, but abominators and destroyers; as we have often proved elsewhere. This certain doctrine and consolation we have against the Pabstry, which reproaches and condemns us because we have departed from them, and have reproached ourselves as apostates from the church; when they themselves are the true apostates from the church, persecuting the truth and tearing asunder the unity of the Spirit (under the name and title of the church and of Christ): wherefore every man is guilty by God's commandment to contradict them, yea, to shun and flee them.