2. The effect of hereditary corruption on the mind and will of man.
The natural man, that is, man as he is by nature after the Fall, still has some understanding in natural things, that is, in things pertaining to earthly life,1597) but he is utterly incapable of knowing the truth in things pertaining to the attainment of the grace of God and salvation. The gospel, which is his only salvation after the fall,1598) in his natural condition he regards as folly, and can only regard as folly, 1 Cor. 2:14: μωρία γάρ αντφ έοτιν, καί ον δνναται γνωναι. The law, on the other hand, which nevertheless consigns him to the wrath of God and to damnation,1599) he holds to be the natural-minded way of salvation. Hence the Scripture exhibits to all natural-minded men, in regard to their intelligence, the testimony Eph. 4:18: έσκοτισμένοι xfj διανοία; Eph. 5:8: σκότος; Is. 9:1: "The people so walking in darkness"; Is. 60:2: "darkness covers the earth"; Gal. 3:3: άνόψοί έστε. This lack of intelligence cannot be lifted even by any human training and culture, as the Scriptures also testify very clearly that the σοφία ϑεοϋ, that is, the Gospel of Christ crucified for the sins of the world, is not recognized even by the aristocrats of mankind.1600) As for the will of the natural man toward the Law of God, Scripture establishes the facts, a. that it is indeed directed against God's law, b. that it also cannot but be directed against God's law, non potest non peccare; Rom. 8:7: τὸ φρόνημα της σαρκός εχϑρα εις ϑεόν' τφ γάρ νόμω τον ϑεον ονχ νποτάσσεται, ονδε γάρ δνναται. Even if the natural man wills what is outwardly good, e.g.. e.g., feed the hungry, clothe the naked, etc., he cannot want this out of love for God or for God's sake, but
1597) Augustana, Art. XVIII. <w:t>1598) Jn. 3:16-18; Acts 4:12 etc.
1599) Gal. 3:10-12.<w:t>1600) 1 Cor. 2:6-9; Col. 2:8.
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at best, only out of natural compassion. This is good and noble in the natural sphere or in the sphere of civil life. It also has temporal reward, like iustitia civilis in general;1601) but it is and remains sinful before God, because it does not approach the demand that God makes on every man in his law. God's law is νόμος πνευματικός (Rom. 7:14). It is not satisfied with works that come from any motives. Rather, it makes the very certain demand that love for God be the motive in all man's actions, Matt. 22:37: "Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind." But from where should the love for God come to the natural man? He has an evil conscience before God because of his transgression of the divine law and is therefore in constant inner flight from God. He actually lives without hope and without God (as αϑεος) in the world, as Paul convinces all heathens from their own experience Eph. 2:12. With this state of affairs, how could he love God and give his works to God! The more God's law invades him with its demands, the more the fact turns out: το φρόνημα τής οαρκδς εχϑρα εις ϑεόν (Rom. 8:7). Luther's oft-repeated phrase, "He wishes there were no God," is no exaggeration. In short, the natural man stands hostile to both God's gospel (1 Cor. 1:23) and God's law (Rom. 8:7) according to his inner disposition. This is the effect of hereditary corruption on the mind and will of man.
What complete disruption of mind and will entered human nature through the Fall is demonstrated by Luther in the behavior of Adam and Eve after they transgressed God's commandment. Adam is, Luther says on Gen. 3:10, "an
1601) Cf. the further explanation under the section "The Good Works of the Heathen," Vol. III, p. 52 ff. We also have an example of this in Acts 28:2 ff, where the hospitality shown by the heathen inhabitants of the island of Malta to the apostle Paul and the whole shipwrecked traveling party is described: "The little people" (βάρβαροι, the barbarians) "showed us no small friendship" (φιλανϑρωπία, love of man), "kindled a fire, and took us all out for the rain that had come upon us, and for the cold." Again, the temporal reward is mentioned. Paul first heals the sick father of the governor of the island, and then "the others in the island came also that had diseases, and were made whole," vv. 8-9.
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another man" (alius est factus, mutatus).1602) Adam's mind has sunk below zero, and his will has been transformed into an evil will. Luther's whole elaboration on this point is well worth reading repeatedly.1603) Luther opposes Rome's false doctrine of the divine image as a donum superadditum, after the loss of which the natural powers of man remained essentially intact. He says: "The scholastics argue that the righteousness in which Adam was created was not in Adam's nature, but was like an ornament or gift, so that man was first adorned, as when one puts a wreath on a beautiful virgin, which wreath is not a part of the virgin's nature, but is something special and separate from nature, which is added from outside and can be removed again without violating nature. Therefore they argue about man and devils, that even though they have lost the righteousness in which they were created, they have kept their natural powers pure, as they were created in the first place. But from such doctrine, because it belittles original sin, one should beware as from a poison." Luther then uses Adam's and Eve's addresses and actions after the Fall to show how unintelligent and godless both had become as a result of the Fall. He demonstrates the lack of understanding by the flight from God: "We cannot doubt that reason is corrupt, because we see the plot by which Adam and Eve think to be safe. For is this not the highest folly (extrema stultitia): first, to subject themselves to impossible things, as they do because they flee, from whom they cannot flee nor be hidden; second, to make their escape in such a foolish way (stulto modo) that they think to be safe under the trees, since no iron wall, no great mountains could protect them? ... And as Adam had made his escape foolishly (stulte), so he also gives foolish answer (stultissime respondet). So even after sin he lacks all wisdom and counsel." As the reason of his escape from God, Adam mentions hearing the voice of God. But this was a quite incomprehensible reason. Adam "had heard the voice of the Lord before, when he was forbidden
1602) St. L. I, 213. 0pp. ex., Erl. I, 220.
1603) St. L. 1, 199-223. opp. ex., Erl. I, 206-231.
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to eat from the tree. Why then was he not afraid and hidden? Why did he stand there joyful and erect, seeing and hearing God before his eyes? Thus it follows that he is no longer the Adam that he had been, but is all mixed up (mutatus) and has become another man, that he wants to protect and answer for himself with a lying cause." Adam gives his nakedness as another reason for his flight from God. "But the poor man does not consider that he did not have this fear before, nor was he ashamed that he was naked. For since God had thus created him, why should he be ashamed of the nakedness which God had created? Before, he had walked naked in Paradise before God and all creatures, knowing that God loved him and [he] had his delight in God; but now he is ashamed that he is naked, flees from God, and hides himself." Furthermore, when God reproaches Adam with the real and only reason for his flight and his shame because of his nakedness, namely the reason that he had eaten of the tree of which he was commanded, "Thou shalt not eat of it," Adam reveals all the more the corruption of his heart and will that had occurred. He says, "The woman whom thou hast set before me gave me of the tree, and I did eat." Luther describes how it looked in Adam's heart during this defensive speech: "Since Adam is thus convicted that he cannot deny the deed, he wants to defend it with rights (iure) and says: If you had not given me the woman, I would not have eaten from the tree. So he ascribes to God that he has sinned, and accuses him [God] on account of his sin." With regard to Eve, Luther adds: "Now also follows the example of Eve, who, having been corrupted by sin, is nothing better than Adam (nihilo melior est quam Adam), who wanted to be thought innocent and threw the blame out at God for having given him the woman. Here Eve also wants to excuse herself and blames the serpent, which was also God's creature, and confesses that she ate the apple, but the serpent, she says, which you created and let walk around in paradise, has deceived me. Is not this to accuse his Creator, and to deny the guilt of himself?"
We will have to admit that in the foregoing Luther does not explain the corruption of human nature (according to mind and will) introduced by the Fall according to his own thoughts, but on the basis of God's own Word, Gen. 3:7-13, thus
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completely correctly. And this corrupted kind has passed on to the whole human race by natural descent from the first fallen parent, as Christ testifies Jn. 3:6: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh." And this is what all statements of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament say. God testifies in Gen. 6:5 to all men that all imagination of the thoughts of their heart is only evil forever (רַ֥ק רַ֖ע כָּל־הַיֹּֽום [HEBREW]). We have an all-sided description of the corrupt human nature according to understanding and will compiled from the Old Testament in the New Testament, Rom. 3:10-18: "There is not he that is righteous, neither is there any. There is no one who has understanding; there is no one who asks about God. ... They do not know the way of peace. There is no fear of God before their eyes." At the same time, it is emphasized that this description applies to the whole human world, Jews and Greeks alike, v. 9:19. — This description of original sinful destruction has already been completely explained by the Lutheran Church in the second article of the Augustana: "Of original sin. Further, we teach that after Adam's fall all men who are born naturally are conceived and born in sins, that is, they are all full of evil desire and inclination from their mother's womb and cannot have true fear of God, true faith in God by nature; that this same inherent pestilence and original sin is truly sin and condemns all those to eternal wrath of God who are not born again through baptism and the Holy Spirit. ...Besides these, the Pelagians and others are rejected, who have not original sin for sin, that they might make nature godly by natural powers, to the dishonor of the suffering and merit of Christ." [According to the German; Trigl. 43, X]