John 16:3-13.
But now I go unto him that sent me: and none of you asked me, Whither goest thou? but because I spake these things unto you, your heart was filled with sorrow. But I tell you the truth, it is good for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he cometh, he shall punish the world for sin, and for righteousness, and for judgment. For sin, that they believe not on me. And for righteousness, that I should go unto the Father, and ye should not see me henceforth. For the judgment, that the prince of this world is judged. I still have much to say to you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself; but what he shall hear, that shall he speak; and what is to come, that shall he declare unto you. The same shall transfigure me: for of mine he shall take, and shall declare unto you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said, He will take it from mine and proclaim it to you.
(1) This is a good gospel, for it deals chiefly with the high and necessary article by which we are named and called Christians. Therefore, although it is heard yearly, it cannot be learned sufficiently. But if it is to remain in our hearts and bear fruit, it must be practiced often and well.
2 This gospel, like the one eight days ago, is a comforting sermon that the Lord preached over the table in the evening, shortly before he was betrayed and captured. And this is why he wanted to prepare his disciples against future troubles, so that they would not only not worry because of this miserable, ignominious death, but would also learn what good would come from such a death, and therefore receive comfort from it. Therefore, just as he comforted them for eight days today, such disgrace and sorrow should only be a small one, after which it should be transformed into eternal joy: so he also comforts them here, and teaches them the purpose of his death.
3. "I," he says, "go to him who sent me." That is, I will be crucified and strangled tomorrow. "There is no one among you who asks me where I am going," or what I am going to accomplish by this; "but because I have told you these things, your hearts have been filled with sorrow. But I tell you the truth, it is good for you that I go," and it is for your sake. "For if I go not away, the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, cometh not unto you," and the evil spirit retains his power and authority. "But if I go, I will send the Holy Spirit to you." This is the comfort the Lord wants us to learn and grasp, and for this reason not to be angry or frightened by his suffering, but to take comfort in the fact that it serves to strengthen the evil spirit and its tyranny, and that the Holy Spirit is brought to us and given to us.
But what the Holy Spirit will do, what he will bring to us and teach us,
The Lord further indicates the same, saying, "He shall punish the world for sin, for righteousness, and for judgment." This is truly too much to take in one bite, that the Holy Spirit should take not one school, one village, one city or two, but the whole world, and punish it. Now whoever wants to resist such things must truly know a strong back and a great ambush. For into the world belongs all that is born of Adam, emperors, kings, princes. None shall be exempt; the Holy Spirit shall rebuke them all together by the apostles and other preachers, saying, Ye are all sinners, your none is righteous, your none is learned nor wise; be ye at Jerusalem, at Rome, in whatsoever estate or station ye may, if ye learn not of me, ye shall not be saved; but ye are of the devil, as ye stand and as ye walk, and no godliness, holiness, nor good works shall be able to help you. This, saith Christ, shall be the ministry of the Holy Ghost, which he shall work through you poor beggars and despised people, and shall punish the whole world.
Now this punishment is no joke. For he shall punish the world for sin, for righteousness, and for judgment. If then sin is in the world, and righteousness and judgment are not in the world, what will remain or come of it? Therefore this preaching of the Holy Spirit is a severe thunderclap against the world, that it is of the devil with all its good works, and cannot enter the kingdom of God, unless the Holy Spirit helps it from sins, makes it righteous, and removes it from judgment. There are many other such sayings in Scripture. As when Paul says: "God has decreed all things under sin"; item: "We are children of wrath by nature." And Christ: "Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This actually means the preaching of the Holy Spirit, thus punishing the world because of sin.
But what is sin? Is it not stealing, murder, adultery, and the like? Yes, these are also sins; but not yet the true capital sin, since the Holy Spirit has made
world for the sake of punishment. For there are many people who are not guilty of such outward sin. But of the true capital sin, of which the Holy Spirit preaches, all the world is guilty; otherwise he could not punish all the world for it. This same sin is called not believing in Jesus Christ. Of such sin the world knows nothing, the Holy Spirit must first teach it; for the world only considers sin that which is forbidden in the other tablet of Mosiah. It knows nothing about Christ; much less does it know that it is a sin not to believe in him. And what will we say about the world for a long time? In the schools themselves, among the learned Christians, unbelief was not considered a sin, but especially not an original sin. For no one can preach that unbelief is a sin except the Holy Spirit, who also makes all the world sinners with this preaching, since otherwise the world, for the sake of outward works, can sometimes adorn itself and sell itself as pious.
(7) This then is the preaching of the Holy Ghost, that all the world, except none, are sinners, because they believe not on Christ. Now this is a strange sermon, to which the world is not accustomed; indeed, since the world knows nothing at all about believing in the man Jesus. It thinks that if it, like that Pharisee, Luc. 18, is not a murderer, not an adulterer, not an unrighteous person, then it is enough and needs nothing more. But the Holy Spirit preaches otherwise, saying, "I know that in such an outward life one is more pious than another; but there is the chief sin, in which ye all are in, that ye believe not on Christ. No one has ever seen or known such sin apart from the preaching of the Holy Spirit.
(8) Therefore conclude straightway and confidently, and say, Whatsoever is not in faith is sin, whether it be charity, or prayer, or fasting, or almsgiving; if faith in Christ Jesus be not there, then hear thou here, that it shall be punished. And there is no other way to get rid of such sin, except by believing in Christ Jesus.
This is a very powerful text, since no one can pass by. And yet the pope and his crowd do not leave him unchallenged. Where they can't go any further, they say, he speaks
de fide formata per caritatem (from the faith that received its essence through love). But keep such gloss here to this text. For no one can ever deny that Christ speaks here of sin, and interprets sin as not believing in him. Then it must follow that the form or good works are there, as they can be in the best way, if faith in Christ is not there, that man, with all such good works and virtues, is a sinner, and the Holy Spirit will punish and condemn him for a sinner.
(10) Therefore, unbelief is the true capital sin and the source from which all sin flows. For where unbelief is in the heart, that one does not believe in Christ, it follows first of all that one does not accept God's word; but either one despises it, or considers it a heresy and lie, and persecutes it as if the devil had spoken it. More evil follows from this, that one disobeys father and mother and the authorities, that no one attends to his office and profession with diligence, but lives in all fornication and naughtiness; except that some must sometimes fear or be ashamed before the people. These then are the leaves and the whole tree of unbelief; which therefore grows and blossoms from this root, because the Holy Spirit reproves the world, and is not to be resisted. For he that believeth not on Christ hath not the Holy Ghost, and therefore can have no good thought. And even though he does something that is not evil in itself, but good, he does it like a servant, out of fear alone, and not out of a right, heartfelt obedience. So that the world is a real devil's spawn, which cannot speak or do anything good, nor can it take anything into its mind. The cause, the source and fountain of all evil is unbelief.
(11) Whoever would paint the world rightly and give it its proper color could say that there is a multitude of people on earth who do not believe in Christ, and therefore blaspheme and profane His word, who in their hearts, inwardly and outwardly, with words and deeds, murder, steal, rob, and indulge in all naughtiness, and in addition abuse all the gifts and goods of God our Lord.
(12) Against such men, saith Christ here, ye apostles and all preachers ought to lay yourselves down and stand: for such punishment must remain until the last day, that they should preach always, Whatsoever is of the world, believeth not on Christ, is not of the kingdom of Christ; but is of the devil: not of gross external sin only, but of the principal sin, unbelief. And it does not help whether you become a Carthusian, now doing this, now doing that; for as long as unbelief remains, you are a damned sinner, and nothing helps you. This alone must help you to drop such unbelief and believe in Christ and take comfort in him against sin and death.
013 Now your love knows, and hath often heard, what faith is: not only this, that a man know and believe that what is preached of Christ is true; but a hearty confidence that thou also wilt accept it, that it is done for thy sake, and for thy good. For the devil also knows that Christ died, and believes it as surely as the papists; but he does not believe that Christ died for him and too well for him. Such faith, that I accept it, and you also accept it, that it has happened for us, is the gift of the Holy Spirit alone. He therefore that hath not such faith as this, that he may say: Christ died for me, that I should be delivered from eternal death and sin, he is an unchristian, and remains a sinner, though he martyre himself to death with good works.
(14) This is the first part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, that all things are sin, and that we, with all our good works and holy lives, must be judged and condemned as sinners if we do not believe in Christ. Therefore only fresh caps and plates, all orders, and what one has undertaken to acquire forgiveness of sins through them, are trampled underfoot. For I do not suffer one another to say: Christ died for me, and: I will wear a cap, do this and that work, that I may become pious and go to heaven. But whosoever will not receive such punishment, and accept the Lord Christ, testifieth that he believeth not,
and be a sinner like all others who are not of faith in Jesus Christ.
The other piece is that the Holy Spirit should also punish the world for righteousness. This is also a hard word. The world has sin; it has not godliness or righteousness, nor does it know how it should or could become godly. What then is this righteousness? Seeing that the world has judgment and justice, the heathen have given very fine ways and teachings of a civil, honorable life; and it is impossible that it should be unjust to hang thieves, to kill murderers etc. Is not all this right and good?
16 Christ answers here: Call this life what you will, only that you do not call it righteousness, for it is not. For I do not preach the righteousness of lawyers, but the righteousness which I preach is called, I go to the Father, and henceforth ye see me not. This is not German enough, and is less understandable than the next, that I should be a sinner because I do not believe in Christ; for there we think: There are still natural powers in man that he can make a devotion for himself, prepare himself for grace and ask for it. This still makes today that the papists can not be directed to this sermon. So it is also said here, ridiculously and quite un-German, what righteousness is, that you are a devout Christian when Christ goes to the Father and you do not see him. This is a very powerful, beautiful text.
017 For what shall men boast or say of good works? There stands the word of the Lord Christ, saying, By this ye are not justified, that ye do this, or that, neither do your works; but this only, that I go to the Father. Such a walk is true, eternal righteousness. The world knows nothing of it, for not one letter is found of it in all the other books. It is found in books: If a man keeps the Ten Commandments and does nothing contrary to custom, law and order, he is a pious, righteous, honorable man. But Christ does not say a word here about what you should or should not do, but about what you should or should not do.
but only from his work, which he does, that he goes to the Father and we do not see him. This shall be our righteousness, and nothing else.
18 Therefore, if we want to become truly devout, we must not begin with our works. It will not do for thee to become a monk, so much as to leave, watch, and pray. But it will do, if you want to get rid of sin and become a Christian, that you know that Christ has gone to his Father, and comfort yourself of such a walk from your heart, and nothing else. Yes, you say, I thought I had to fast, pray and do good works! You should do good works, for God has already commanded and enjoined you to do them in the law. But this does not make you pious or righteous before God. Cause: This happens only because Christ goes to the Father. This way alone, and no other, is how we are redeemed from sins and justified.
19 Now the name of the Lord Christ is nothing else, but that he suffered and died on the cross, and by death departed from this world, and went to the Father, that is, ascended into heaven, where he sitteth at the right hand of God, and reigneth. But we do not see these things, but believe. This is the treasure by which we become righteous. So that "righteousness" is not my work, power, or ability, but of the Lord Christ, that he goes to the Father. This is what is said in German: No one is justified, saved, or freed from sins, except by the fact that Jesus Christ suffered, died, and rose again from death. This passage makes one righteous, and nothing else.
(20) But how does it rhyme with this doctrine that the papists say that he who would be saved must do it himself by his works? That would be right: A Christian should live a Christian life and do good works; but that one should be justified by good works is false and untruthful. For it says here that only the going of our Lord Christ to the Father shall do and establish it. This is the right and true righteousness, which the world knows nothing about, and only the Holy Spirit teaches.
21. for the papists have not accepted the saying
Christ: "If you want to enter eternal life, keep the commandments of God", has a far different opinion, and clearly shows that the papists do not know what it means to keep the commandments of God, otherwise they would not drag such a saying here. Therefore this opinion stands firm and certain, that we can have no other righteousness, nor eternal life, but this, that Jesus Christ has gone from this world to the Father. I will abide in this, say I, and the devil shall not take it from me, nor overthrow me. He may terrify me and make me conscience-stricken; for I know very well that my ways are too weak for him. But there is another way, which is not mine, but Christ's, in the highest obedience to his heavenly Father; whom the devil will never be able to make unrighteous or a sinner, if he makes me a sinner at once; therefore I will also accept and comfort him.
(22) For this must be in every way, that this work may be done with faith. There is no lack of this course and work of Christ. Christ has accomplished it, and henceforth it is only up to us to accept it with faith and take comfort in it. If you believe, you have it; but if you do not believe, you have nothing. For with eyes it cannot be seen, as it is clearly stated here, "I go to the Father, and henceforth ye see me not." So that our righteousness may be taken purely and entirely apart from us, and placed solely on Christ and His work or His course, so that we may know for certain where we are to remain at last. For if it should depend on our works and satisfaction, on our confession and repentance (as has been preached in the papacy, and still is), our hearts could never be satisfied. For when would we know that we had repented and confessed enough, and had done enough for sin? Therefore our dear Lord Christ has taken it away from us completely and placed it on Himself, that we should base ourselves on the fact that our righteousness is called and is His walk, His death, His satisfaction. For then we can no longer doubt that the person is too high and too great, namely the Son of God, and carries out the work that the Father has done.
himself arranged for us to be saved from sins and death, as John therefore calls him a little lamb of God.
23 Thus your love sees how powerfully it is cut off in this text, that righteousness is not our doing and not our doing; but that Christ goes to the Father. If then thou hast such righteousness by faith, do good works also, and be diligent, as best thou canst, to obey God. But before you set your heart on Christ through right faith and confidence, you will not be able to do good works. Cause, the heart is still evil and unclean, there is no forgiveness of sins, because there is no faith.
(24) So the righteousness of Christians is a special piety that no heart can conceive; one must hear and learn from the Holy Spirit; and even if one hears it, one will not be able to comprehend it; it must be believed, as the Lord says here, "I go to the Father, and you do not see me away. That is, you must believe, otherwise you will not be able to grasp it. This is the righteousness of Christians, which only the Holy Spirit teaches. Philosophers, worldly authorities, lawyers, father and mother can preach about the righteousness of the world. But a Christian has a special art, because the world does not know about it, namely, that apart from faith everything is sin, and that true, eternal righteousness stands only on the fact that Christ goes to the Father, and we no longer see him.
The third part is that the Holy Spirit will also punish the world for judgment. But what kind of judgment this is, the Lord finely indicates when he says, "For the prince of this world is judged. Just as the Holy Spirit punishes the world for sin, because it does not believe in Christ, and for lack of righteousness, because it does not know, and does not take comfort in the fact that Christ has gone to the Father, so He also punishes it for judgment, because it does not know about it, and because it is afraid, when it should not be afraid if it heard Him and accepted His word. For it is a miserable plague to have sin and no righteousness, and to know no comfort against sin, death, and other calamities.
26 Therefore Christ says that this also should be the ministry of the Holy Spirit, that he should preach judgment and proclaim it everywhere through the gospel: The prince of this world is judged, and therefore can do no harm to those who believe in Christ and take comfort in his going to the Father. He may well try them, now here, now there, but he will not be able to do anything. For he is indeed a prince of the world, but now judged, he who has lost his palace and his armor, and has been bound by Christ with the chains of darkness, as Peter calls it. Therefore Christians must not be afraid of him, nor of his whole kingdom of the world. For when the prince is judged, the world, which is his kingdom, must surely also have lost all power.
27 The unbelievers do not know this. Therefore, even if they sometimes come to the word and begin to believe, as soon as the world sees it sourly and wants to be angry, they are afraid and fall away again, as Christ says in the parable of the seed on the rock. But the Christians hold fast. Because there the punishment of the Holy Spirit always rings in their hearts and ears: Why will you fear? Why will you be afraid? Do you not know that the prince of this world is judged? He is no longer a lord, no longer a prince. Thou hast another stronger Lord, Christ, who hath overcome and bound him. Therefore let the prince and god of this world look sour, bare his teeth, snarl, threaten, and stand unruly, for he can do no more than a bad dog on a chain: he may bark, run now and then, tear at the chain; but he cannot bite you, because he is bound and you keep out of his way. So is the devil against every Christian also. Therefore, it is all a matter of not being secure, but keeping the fear of God and prayer, so that the chained dog may not harm us. But whoever wants to be safe and walk safely without any worries, such a chain dog could frighten him least of all, if he did not come so close to him that he could bite him; as one can see from the evil dogs that they listen and do not let themselves be heard all the way.
(28) Such comfort is especially necessary for those who have the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the world and punish the world for sin and righteousness. For the world will not and cannot suffer any punishment less than to be called sinners, and to cry out for such people as have no righteousness. Therefore, where such punishment goes publicly (as it should go), the world begins to rage and rage as if it were nonsensical. But the Holy Spirit is there and preaches to us about this judgment; otherwise the preachers would become fearful and be frightened. For this reason the Holy Spirit is called Paracletus, that is, a comforter and helper, who makes hearts joyful and courageous in temptation and all kinds of trouble and distress, because they hear and believe that the prince of this world has been judged.
(29) This is the preaching of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, what good he is to do on earth, and of what he is to preach and teach the people especially. And it is certainly true that whoever does not consider such preaching and teaching to be the noblest and highest treasure on earth, so that he would rather leave life and limb behind than receive such treasure, is not a Christian. Cause: Body and life, and what we have, are all temporal and transitory. But this is an eternal treasure, which brings us eternal life. As Paul says, "The gospel is the power of God, which makes blessed everyone who believes in it." For this reason we should rejoice with all our hearts in the salvation Christ says here, and thank God, our gracious Father in heaven, day and night for it, and pray that He will keep us in this knowledge and let it increase from day to day, the longer the more, so that we may be freed from sins and become partakers of eternal righteousness, and may take great comfort in this judgment, that the prince of this world has been judged.
(30) Now the Lord says again in response to such preaching, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. But when that one, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you in all truth."
31: But how the papists have used such a text
you know that they defend all their changes and innovations with this saying and say: The Holy Spirit has brought about such changes and innovations and Christ has prophesied about it here. But it rhymes exceedingly badly.
32 Therefore this is the right understanding, as if Christ wanted to say: You hear what kind of ministry the Holy Spirit is to lead and what he is to do among you. Of such things I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye understand them not till ye know them. For beyond what I have now said, the Holy Spirit will also do this, that he will guide you in the truth and guard you from false and vexatious teaching. For where there is no such guidance of the Holy Spirit, it very soon happens that one falls short of the truth or departs from the word; as we see how wickedly an error is spun.
Arius had one or two sayings to which he adhered, and did not see so many other excellent, bright testimonies of Christ. For this reason the Anabaptists instruct rebaptism, so that the Lord says: "Go, teach, and baptize all nations. Since the teaching of the aged is to precede baptism, they conclude that infants are not to be baptized: Children should not be baptized before they can be taught. The same thing happened with the sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
The Holy Spirit has left the clear words of Christ lying around, and in the meantime he has gone along with some dark and uncertain sayings of the fathers and the old teachers. Therefore, it very soon happens that one falls into error, where the Holy Spirit does not hold and guide us.
(34) After this, saith he, the Holy Ghost also shall prophesy, and shall declare unto you things to come. For these things are also of his works; as we have many examples in the stories of the apostles. Thirdly, he says, he will transfigure me, that is, make your hearts full of the knowledge of God, so that you will dare and suffer everything for my sake, and have all your joy and comfort in me. Such and other things will be the work of the Holy Spirit. But even if I tell you about it for a long time, you will not understand it until you experience it. Therefore I will leave it at this, that you may not be dismayed, but rejoice at my departure, because then I will send you the Holy Spirit, who will carry out this ministry of punishment in the world, so that you may be freed from sin and be justified, and have eternal comfort.
35 This is the teaching of today's Gospel. May God the Father, through Christ, send His Holy Spirit into our hearts and graciously establish and complete this work in all of us, amen.