1. what a Christian is.
2. the Christian service.
3. the holiness of Christians.
4. very difficult is to believe forgiveness of sins.
5. miraculous dispute of Christ and his members with the devil and his scales.
6. the Christians' business in the world.
7. the best dying.
8. which die the happiest.
9. when we do it best.
(10) As it was with Christ, so it is with his Christians.
11. Christians do not see their blessedness.
12. a Christian is lifted.
(13) Righteous Christians must be plagued by the devil and the world.
1. what a Christian is.
(Cordatus No. 1716.)
For a Christian, the essential [forma] of life is believing the Gospel, the purpose [finis] is the forgiveness of sins, the active is the Holy Spirit, the accidental [accidens] is to be afraid in the world.
2. the Christian service.
The Christian worship is not the outward, hypocritical larva that the monks and the spiritless lead and pretend to lead, as they mortify their bodies, wear them down, and wear them out with an austere life of fasting, vigils, and singing,
that they wear hard or woolen shirts, and cut themselves with rods 2c. God knows nothing of the service of God, nor does He desire or require it of us; but this is the right service of Christians: when His word is taught diligently, purely and unadulterated. There the hearts are properly instructed and taught, so that they know what and how they should believe, and are also taught how they should love God and their neighbor.
Faith is the right worship that is most pleasing to God; however, it does not come from our will, strength, and effort, but from the Holy Spirit alone, who works it in the heart through the oral word when
and where he wants, if one listens diligently to the preaching of the divine word. "Therefore Christ also praises the faith of the Cananaean woman. He does not say that she is a bitch, but says, "It is not good to take the children's bread and give it to the dogs." And what follows shows that Christ was not serious when he spoke to her. Matth. 15, 26. 28.
3. the holiness of Christians.
(Cordatus No. 1209-1212.)
Great is the narrow-mindedness of people, because of which they cannot receive the grace given to them by God. This is where blindness comes from, although we know that we have the Word, that we have been baptized. Although we have faith, we cannot be sure that we are holy. Likewise, that we rather allow ourselves to be called Christians, which is a much loftier thing than saints. We have been able to call clothes and dead things holy, but we do not dare to call Christians holy. We look at the condition and we believe that no one is holy if he does not perform miracles. This unbelief is strengthened by the pope, who declared only the dead to be saints. Zwingli also distances us from the [right] opinion of holiness, since he calls a righteous man and righteousness pious and godliness; hence it comes that we immediately look to good works.
But we want to remain with righteousness, which is of the kind that is imputed to us, 2) and is not a condition, namely, that God considers us pious and righteous. We cannot consider ourselves so, because we judge according to our feelings. We do not judge according to faith, that is our weakness.
Christians always do good because they are
1) It should be noted that in Luther's time the expressions "pious" and "godliness" were used of a walk in so-called good works. That is why we have translated xius mostly as "godly".
2) The words in justitia praedieainenti relationis 6t uou ouuUtatis would literally mean: "in the righteousness of the category of relation and not oer constitution", i.e. in the righteousness, dre is referred to us, but not inheres in us. (Wrampelmeyer.)
They get up again when they have sinned, and with bruised hearts they praise God for the repentance and ask that He henceforth make them stronger and protect them from such a fall. From those who sin, the Holy Spirit certainly departs, but immediately they pray [Ps. 51:14], "Comfort me again with thy help, and the joyful Spirit reveal me." After Peter has denied, he weeps, Magdalene sheds tears 2c.
The Christians whom Christ loses through sin, he seeks again and calls them back; we are only to believe. For faith is a very great thing, but it is learned only through practice, patience, challenge and perseverance [practica].
4. very difficult is to believe forgiveness of sins.
Many boast that they have learned the doctrine of the forgiveness of sins, and can do it very well: and I, poor wretched man, can take so little comfort in the suffering and resurrection of Christ, and the forgiveness of sins. But this I can do, that I eat our Lord God's bread, and drink his wine and beer: but that I could accept the most necessary treasure, the forgiveness of sins, out of pure grace, that will not follow.
5. miraculous dispute of Christ and his members with the devil and his scales.
(Contained in Cap. 7, § 86.)
6. the Christians' business in the world.
Christians have and should have to do and create with two things, namely with God's word and works. They should deal with this.
7. the best dying.
(Contained in Cap. 48, § 49.)
8. which die the happiest.
(Contained in Cap. 48, § 2.)
9. when we do it best.
Nevermore and before do we do and make it better and more holy, because if we do not know.
what and how much we do. So also, never more wisely, than when we think we have directed and made it foolishly. For strength becomes stronger in weakness. Ideo est passio optima actio, suffering is the best action and doing. We never do worse than when we know what and how much we are doing; for it is impossible that we should not at times please ourselves. In such a work and drudgery of fame and ambition we spoil the work, do not honor and praise God as purely as we should; according to the saying: "Strength becomes stronger in weakness", 2 Cor. 12, 10, as can be seen in the examples of Jonah, Elijah and all high and excellent saints.
(10) As it was with Christ, so it is with his Christians.
If Christ could not raise it in the world, but had to suffer it from His own; how shall we, as the yeasts, come to this, that, if the bishops were lifted up' and put to death, we should reign in the world!
The Christians and the godly have greater goods than the wicked. For even though the wicked flourish in the world and are held in great esteem, they do not have God.
11. Christians do not see their blessedness.
There is a great mountain that hinders us from seeing our blessedness; for if we rightly knew and understood the greatness and dignity of our baptism, we would be blessed even to feel it.
A Christian is courageous.
Just as the Holy Spirit is courageous and despises death and all danger, so also righteous Christians, in whom the Holy Spirit is, are joyful and courageous. For a Christian defies and says: If God will not have me alive, I will die; if he will not have me rich, I will be poor. But the devil's spirit grieves and makes heavy-hearted; therefore he must speak differently to the serpents and Pharisees, the hypocrites; as he says in Genesis, "He will make himself known, and kill you." (Isa. 31, 2.)
Righteous Christians must be plagued by the devil and the world.
Philip said: D. M. Luther has a good conscience, therefore he lets one thing go to his heart. Christ exercised and exercised all his ancestors well; for what belongs to Christ must feel the bite of the serpent in the heel. Thus the mother of the Lord Christ was undoubtedly a poor maiden, which is why she was entrusted to a carpenter and given in marriage, who was also poor. When her husband died, she and her son were still alone.
Therefore we should only be happy and content in poverty and affliction, and remember that we have a rich Lord who cannot leave us comfortless and helpless; and thus have peace and a good conscience. Let it be as God wills, so they have peace in their hearts with God, which the wicked do not have, as Isaiah says Cap. 48, 22, but are a raging sea. So Eck did not have peace in his heart, as also all miser, usurer 2c.