16. The Christian life, a life in expectation of the Last Day.
In his sermon on Christian hope412) , Luther describes the Christian life on earth as a life lived in view of the Last Day. This description is quite scriptural. Just as the believers of the Old Testament
Hodge expresses himself thus: "Public prayer, it is often said, is the weak point in the Presbyterian Sabbath Service. This is probably true. That is, it is probably true that there are more good preachers than good prayers. The main reason for this is that the minister devotes a great part of the labor of the week to the preparation of his sermon, and not a thought to his prayers. It is no wonder, therefore, that the one should be better than the other." (Systematic Theology, III, 707.) Likewise, it is strongly recommended that the pastor, even in private pastoral care, e.g., when visiting the sick, the afflicted, etc., prepare himself for the prayer to be offered, if he is aware of the situation beforehand. It goes without saying that the pastor, by God's grace, should be able to pray doctrinally and edifyingly even extempore. The danger of "getting lost in generalities" can be avoided by transforming a scriptural word covering the case into a prayer. Experience teaches that aspiring pastors are not infrequently filled with trepidation about extempore prayers. The best preparation for praying extempore is for the students to lead a life of prayer already during their studies and to get used to talking to God about special events they encounter, be they of a joyful or sad nature, in a short prayer of praise or supplication. This can also be done during walks.
411) To Joh. 17:1. St. L. VIII, 748. Quenstedt (II, 1440 sq.): Gestus etiam corporis in precibus adhibendus est, qui et divini numinis reverentiam, seriam veramque humiliationem coram Deo testetur et animi attentionem in sacro hoc exercitio iuvet. [Google]
412) On Tit. 2:13: "We should wait for the blessed hope and appearance of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. This was a guest sermon Luther preached at Kemberg in August 1531 (St. L. IX, 930 ff. E. A 3 19, 328 ff.).
104 > Sanctification and good works. [English ed. ~ 84-85]
waited for the appearance of Christ in the flesh based on divine promises,413) so the believers of the New Testament are described as people waiting for the glorious appearance of Christ on the Last Day. Indeed, this is a characteristic of Christians not only at the end of their lives, but as soon as believers in Christ have come into possession of their eternal inheritance in heaven, their gaze is directed to the day when their Savior will visibly appear and take them with Him into eternal glory. The apostle writes to the Corinthians who have just become faithful, that they have no lack of any gift and only wait for the revelation of our Lord JEsu Christ, άπεκδεχόμενοι την άποκάλνψιν τον Κυρίου ημών Ίηον Χρίστον.414) Likewise Tit. 2:13: "We wait (προσδεχόμενοι) for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and of our Savior JEsu Christ." Also Phil. 3:20: "Our citizenship is in heaven, from whence also we wait (άπεκδεχόμεϑα) for the Savior JEsu Christ." As αγαπητοί ϑεοΰ, κλητοί άγιοι,415) επικαλούμενοι το δνομα Κυρίου416) is a designation of Christians, so also the άπεκδέχεσϑαι and προσδέχεσϑαι τον Κύριον etc. is a title of Christians. But Scripture does not leave it at this general characteristic, but places the whole Christian life, in all its activities and in its sufferings, in the light of the Last Day. Because they wait for their Lord, Christians are diligent in good works,417) especially in the sermon of the gospel,418) they keep themselves unspotted from the world,419) they guard against the security of the time of Noah,420) they walk through this world as strangers and pilgrims, they use this world without abusing it,422) they are mild because they leave the vengeance to the appearing Lord,423) they resemble the wise virgins who have oil in their lamps,424) they disregard the sufferings of this time,425)
413) The hymn of praise of Zechariah, Luke 1:67-79; of Simeon, Luke 2:29-32. The description of Simeon as προσδεγόμενος παράκλησιν τον Ισραήλ, v. 25, and of all believers in Israel as προσδεχόμενοι λύτρωσιν, v. 38.
414) 1 Cor. 1:7.<w:t>415) Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2.
416) Acts 9:14: 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Tim. 2:22; Acts 9:21.
417) Matt. 24:45 ff; 25:14 ff; Luke 12:15 ff.
418) Matt. 24:14.<w:t xml:space="preserve">419) Tit. 2:12-14. <w:t>420) Matt. 24:36 ff.
421) 1 Pet. 2:11; Hebr. 13:14.<w:t>422) 1 Cor. 7:31.
423) Phil. 4:5. <w:t>424) Matt. 25:1 ff.<w:t>425) Rom. 8:18.
105 > Sanctification and good works. [English ed. ~ 85-86]
so little that, instead of weeping, they even rejoice,426) they are comforted in the midst of death.427) Soon, inasmuch as Christians walk in the face of the Last Day, their lives take on the right shape, as it were, of their own accord.428) Both individual Christians and pastors in particular should not forget this. It is true that Scripture also directs the gaze of Christians to a blessed death.429) But primarily and ultimately every Christian life should be oriented by the view of the return of Christ.
Luther dealt with this subject ex professo in the above-mentioned sermon. We put some main thoughts here. Luther calls it the "Christian art and right masterpiece" to "turn one's back on this present life, as it passes away, and to always grasp that future life in the face, to hope firmly and surely for it, as it remains eternally, and into which we belong". "It is not in this world that we Christians citizenship, walk, and dwell, but in heaven is our citizenship, walk, and dwelling." But Luther also reminds us how difficult this article of faith is to put into practice: "Such things are rightly taught, but not soon learned; rightly preached, but not soon believed; finely exhorted, but not easily followed; well said, but badly done. … Where we want to confess otherwise, we must confess ourselves, we seldom think that we must finally leave it and this life and send ourselves so that we would know where we wanted to stay. This is compounded by the stupidity that we are always afraid of death, mourning and trembling when things go badly for us. This is a sign that we do not wait for the blessed hope, as we should." But the learning of this article cannot be remitted to any Christian: "He who does not direct and send his heart to that imperishable life, and clings to this temporal, transitory life alone, does not understand what baptism, gospel, Christ, and faith are. We are not baptized into this life, nor are we called Christians because we are citizens, farmers,
426) Rom. 8:18; Luke 6:23; Matt. 5:12; 1 Pet. 4:12, 13.
427) 1 Thess. 4:13-18.
428) An example: the pastor, as a minister, knows that he often brings the vexed "dance and theater question," which admits of long theoretical discussions, to a conclusion in practice by a question like this: "In what place and company would you like to be found when your Savior appears?" [English ed.: See page 85, n. 141]
429) Phil. 1:21-23; Luke 23:43.
106 > Sanctification and good works. [English ed. ~ 86]
masters, servants, wives, maids, govern and allow ourselves to be governed, work and manage the household, but we are baptized for this purpose and this is why we hear the Gospel and believe in Christ that we all leave the same status (whether we have to live in it here on earth as long as God wants and serve God, each one as he is called by God) and leave this world into a different being and Life, since there is neither servant nor master, neither maid nor woman, neither female nor man, but since we are all equal and one in Christ Jesus, Gal. 3:28, how such equality here begins by faith, but there is accomplished by sight, 1 Cor. 15:53, that there will be no death, but life eternal and incorruptible, no sin, but righteousness and innocence, no fear, no sadness, but security and joy, no dominion, no authority, no power, but only God all in all; in sum, there is God and Christ himself together with all his chosen ones and saints. We were baptized into such eternal life, into which Christ redeemed us through his death and blood, and into which we received the gospel. As soon as a child is baptized and clothed in the chrisom, he is from that moment initiated into eternal life, so that from then on he is only a pilgrim and guest in this world for the rest of his life and so suits himself that he is ready to leave this temporal life and hope and wait always for that imperishable life."
107 > Perseverance to salvation. [English ed. ~ 89]