were blind and stupid, entirely oblivious to the presence of flesh and blood in man. They forgot that this abides in him until the hour of his death, even though he begins to live according to the Spirit. Holy Writ divides man into flesh and spirit. These two strive and struggle against each other incessantly; and the flesh, at the devil's instigation, constantly harasses the soul and the spirit with evil and ungodly thoughts.
Experience bears this out.
1. Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
TO date we have discoursed on two chapters of St. John, and now we begin the third. But we could well afford to omit the beginning of this chapter, since it is customary to preach on it on Trinity Sunday; in fact, almost the entire third chapter is considered at various times in the course of the church year.1 But, as the saying goes, "a good song bears repeating." And since the letters of kings and princes should be read two or three times or even oftener and one must listen attentively to them, much more ought we to meditate on God's Word night and day, as we are told in the first psalm (Ps. 1:2). It contains divine wisdom which can never be fathomed or fully comprehended, wisdom so infinite and inexhaustible that we can all find plenty in it to study.
This chapter stresses above all else that sublime topic: faith in Christ, which alone justifies us before God. You have often heard me say that the Christian life is made up of two parts, namely, first of faith and then of good works.2 A believer must be pious and must lead a good outward life. But the first part, faith, is the more essential. The second is never the equal of faith, although it is more highly prized by the world, which ranks good works above faith.
The pope fell from faith and lapsed into good works alone, many of which are of his own invention and choice. The Jews and the Turks did likewise; they steeped themselves in their good works. So it comes about that the second part, namely, good works, has always been esteemed more in the world than faith. Of course, it is true that we must perform good works, and these must be highly regarded. But beware lest you emphasize these at the expense of Christ and of faith. For the greatest idolatry, yes, the very devil, ensues from too great an emphasis on works. This is what happened in the papacy and among the Turks. They overemphasize good works and entirely overlook faith in Christ. They do not laud and preach God's works but their own. But faith should be preached above all else, and then good works are to be taught. It is faith that takes us to heaven, without and before good works; for through faith we come to This is the lesson which the Gospel of John imparts here through the story of Nicodemus. In his favor he has the second part, good works; he is praised because of these. He lived a holy and honorable life in the world and gave due attention to good works. But see how he fares! He comes to Christ under the cover of night for fear of the other Jews, the elders and the chief priests. Nicodemus was not one of the chief priests or one of the other priests; he was a pious and influential layman, an aristocrat or nobleman among the people, comparable to our counts and knights of today. John says that he was one of the aristocracy, a ruler in the civil government. For the burgomasters were the peers of the princes; therefore the Gospel speaks of them as "rulers" of the people. Joseph of Arimathea and others were such bigwigs. The other rulers probably sided with the priests, with Annas and Caiaphas, thinking it below their dignity to speak to Christ. But Nicodemus comes to Christ with an irreproachable character, with decency, honorableness, and obedience according to the Law of Moses. He is a respectable and honest councilor, a pattern for men in civil office. When he heard of the sermons and miracles of the Lord Christ, he felt impelled to come to Christ and confer with Him. He did not dare divulge his visit to anyone in the Council, lest he have his head bashed in or be ejected from the council, exiled from the city, or stripped of all his property. The elders of the people all espoused the cause of the chief priests. In view of this, Nicodemus wants to call on Christ in secret and discuss a great and serious question with Him. He comes at night for fear of Caiaphas and the other chief priests and rulers of the people. He comes to Christ convinced of his own blamelessness and piety, and assumes that he will hear this opinion and statement from Christ's lips: "You are truly a pious man. Go, and continue on your course." But he now hears a strange sermon, one far different from what he had expected, enough to make him giddy and cause his head to reel.
Nicodemus realizes that Christ is a true prophet and teacher sent by God. He found proof for this in Christ's messages and miracles. And he says: "It is impossible that any other than one sent by God could perform such miracles." This is a strong testimony. Nicodemus speaks his mind frankly; he says that Jesus
- 126 is a true prophet and teacher who bears this out not only with His words,3 but also with His great miracles, which none but God can do. Thus he greets Christ with the words: "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God and that You teach the way of God correctly."
How does the Lord receive him? He surely lays him low at first, for his hope and good opinion of himself must be crushed and must vanish. Why? His confession that Christ is a teacher of the truth come from God and his praise of His miracles—these Christ accepts and lets stand. Then He replies: "My dear
Nicodemus, I shall tell you the truth. Since you regard Me as a prophet of the truth, I shall also carry out this office and inform you of the truth. And this is the truth: Don't imagine that I am going to preach the Law and Moses to you, as is the custom in your schools and churches, where you pay much attention to the Ten Commandments and discuss Moses and the prophets aplenty, but without understanding them. I have come for the purpose of preaching to you a far different and far greater doctrine than has been preached to date in the schools and synagogs." Thus the Lord says in Matt. 23:2: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do." The following words reflect the Lord's meaning:
3. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
These words greatly devaluate good works and the second part of the doctrine: the proclamation of good works. This does not imply that Christ rejects works utterly, for they are also commendable; but they must remain within their prescribed circle and sphere. Compared with the doctrine I am now discussing, namely, faith and regeneration, they are very insignificant. They cannot bring a man to heaven or advance him to that point where he feels a desire to behold heaven or to come into eternal life. No, one must be born again. Without this new birth there can be no membership in the church. These words of Christ are lucid and clear. Nicodemus is pious enough; he abounds in good works; and now he humbles himself and comes to the Lord Christ. Annas and Caiaphas would not have done this. Nicodemus confesses that Christ is a teacher of the truth. Still the Lord tells him: "your humility and piety count for nothing, and you will not get to heaven unless you are born anew."
Anyone who believed this and regarded it as true would stand ready to reply to the righteousness and pious ideas of the Turks and the papists, who tell one man to bind himself with a rope, a second to wear a cowl, and a third to go on pilgrimages. One could say: "Even though you make long prayers and fast and build modest houses, you will not get to heaven because of this. Wearing a cowl avails nothing. No, it is written: 'You must be born anew.' This is tantamount to saying: 'Now you are dead with all your works, conduct, and life. You are damned and worthless with your sanctimonious and Pharisaical righteousness.'
" It is the same as though someone were to address these words to the pope and the cardinals today: "In your condition you are dead, damned, and doomed!" But they do not believe it.
Let me illustrate. A child which is to be born two years from now is still nonexistent. At present the maiden who is to carry and bear the child is still unmarried. The child which is to be born of her is nothing and can do nothing. Everyone must admit that one can do nothing until one has life. Therefore all works, however precious and fine they may be, are absolutely nothing if performed before regeneration; they are nothing but sin and death. Consequently, the Lord Christ judges that Nicodemus and all the Pharisees, yes, the entire Jewish nation, who do not accept Christ and believe in Him, are nothing at all; for they are not yet reborn.
If this is true, then what are we to think of those who perform works far inferior to those of Nicodemus, as, for instance, the monks and the nuns and all the papists, whose works pale into insignificance beside those of Nicodemus? They, too, are unable to perform good works because they are not reborn. Even though they burden the people with many works allegedly good and precious, still all is unavailing.
This does not imply that we are condemning good works, but we do maintain that man must first be rendered fit and be born anew before he is capable of doing good works. We would be happy to have people who do works that are really good, and we ought to refer to such people in our sermons.
Our adversaries say: "Well, I shall enter a monastery, don a cowl and hair shirts, read Masses, and become a Carthusian." This amounts to nothing at all, for you are not yet born anew! First you must become capable of performing good works. This the papists and our enemies, the monks, do not understand. Therefore they raise the cry that we forbid good works. This is a lie. We teach in the very best way about good works and say that they can be performed by none but the regenerate, those who are born and created for good works; and we deny the claim of those who say that they perform good works even
- 127 though they are not qualified, indeed though they have not yet been born. Good works are necessary; but they are performed only by those who have been born as new persons, by those who can and must do them. If a carpenter is to build a house, it is necessary that the carpenter exist before he does the building.
For what could he build if he has not yet been born? The same reasoning must be applied to all good works. What will the wearing of a cowl or a tonsure or many similar works benefit you? I ask you, does this cowl make you a newborn man? It surely does not. But this is true: a cowl covers many a rogue, but it makes no one pious. Of course, I may adorn myself with a cowl; but first ask yourself whether you are born anew, and then inquire about the good works you must do. However, people do not do this; they go right ahead to become monks and nuns on the assumption that they will be saved by means of such works.
But make sure beforehand that you are born anew; if you are not, your works are worthless.
Therefore we teach that all the works of man are nothing and in vain apart from the new birth. And for this reason we call this the most important element in the instruction of the people, namely, that first of all they must be reborn. They must be told that they are all dead and that everything else, whatever there may be of conduct, orders, fasting, etc., avails nothing toward the attainment of the forgiveness of sin. First they must be born anew and become new persons.
But now we want to hear something about the nature of this birth. Its importance is stressed by the double oath with which Christ introduces His words. He says: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew." As if He were to say: "Do not imagine, Nicodemus, that you are saved by reason of your honesty and piety. Admittedly, one must live honestly, decently, and usefully4 in this world. If you do not, then Master Jack, the executioner, will appear on the scene with his sword and rope. He will make you act differently. He will say: 'What you do not want to do, you will be compelled to do!' But if you suppose that your good works are going to attain the kingdom of heaven for you, you will find them of no value.
For these works and this piety give nothing but this temporal life to you. Thanks to them, you are not throttled or banished from house and home, wife and child, or hanged on the gallows. Thus if you are a citizen of Jerusalem, you can enjoy life, honor, and fame by reason of your respectability. But so far as the kingdom of heaven, the church, and the kingdom of Christ are concerned, you must remember to become a new man. You must think of yourself as an infant which as yet is not only incapable of a single work but, in fact, does not yet have life and existence." This is what Christians preach.
The Christian message informs us that, to begin with, we must become wholly different persons, that is, that we must be born anew. But how does this happen? By the Holy Spirit and by water (John 3:5). after I have been reborn and have become pious and God-fearing, then I go forth; and everything I do in that regenerate state is good.
If Adam had remained in the state of innocence in which he was created, he could have indulged his personal wishes and pleasures. For example, he might have fished for black gobies wherever he liked, snared robins, or planted trees. These would have been good and holy works, and not sinful. Eve might have suckled and washed her children; and these would also have been good and precious works. Because the person had been created good, upright, pure, and holy, all his deeds were also good; whether he ate or drank, all was right. But now, since the fall of man into sin, he does nothing that is good. He sins in all his works, even in his prayers; for he does everything as a sinner. Whatever he does falls short of perfection— even his fasting, his praying, his ascetic life as a Carthusian, his wearing a monk's garb, and his going barefoot. All this is sinful because the person is evil and has not been born anew. Nothing that this person may do helps him one whit.
Therefore Christ says to Nicodemus: "I have come to proclaim a different doctrine, namely, how you must be reborn to become good. To be sure, Holy Writ has contained and defined this proclamation all along, but you do not read it. Even if you do, you fail to understand the message that you must be born anew before you can perform good works. For sinners beget none but sinners; the person is corrupt." In Matt. 7:17 and 16 the Lord declares: "A bad tree can bear no good fruit; thistles do not bear figs, nor thorns grapes."
Someone will say: "But the papists surely perform many good works: they pray, they fast, they read Mass." Tell them in reply that all this counts for nothing, that these are evil works, nothing but thistles and thorns. Why? Because the tree is evil; that is, the person is no good. Therefore whatever this person may do, whether he reads or prays, it is all evil. It belongs to the old birth and is accursed; and since it is evil, it can do nothing good. Oh, that someone could convince the papists and the Turks that they are all thistles and thorns! For they are not born anew; they are still of the old birth.
- 128 Christ says: "It is My purpose to inform man that I will make him thoroughly pious, not externally by parading his sour face or his respectable conduct before the world. No, not that. I want to instruct him in the new birth. I want to build from the bottom and purify the heart." We are not born anew through good works. Therefore Christ says: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot possess the kingdom of God." As if He were to say: "Do as you will, regard works as you will, give as much as you choose, clothe yourself as you desire—all this is of no account if you are not reborn." This is the intent of our text. It does not read: "If someone is endowed with various virtues" or "If someone is clothed in secular garb or in a monk's cowl" or "If someone conducts himself so or so—." No, it must be brought about by the new birth. But what is the new birth? In the new birth man becomes something that he was not before; birth brings into existence something that was nonexistent. And this is not brought about by a monastic order, by cowls, or by tonsures. So far as they are concerned, I am still, and will ever remain, the being who was born of my parents. Thus Nicodemus, the wise and pious man, is the same person that was born of his mother, still the same old Nicodemus amid his beautiful works. Thus when a person enters a cloister, he is not born anew under the cowl. He brings the old man, his flesh and blood, with him into the cowl; the cowl is the devil's Shrovetide mask.5 It is necessary to peel off the old skin and the old birth, and to put on the new. Nicodemus does not grasp this as yet. Supposing that Christ is referring to physical birth, he says:
4. How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?
Nicodemus' reply betrays a bit of pique. He says: "I know well enough what it means to be born!" But he is thinking of an infant being born of its physical mother. Nicodemus wants to say: "You are a queer preacher with an odd message. You are a teacher come from God; but You have a low opinion of us, as though we were nonexistent and unborn. Have You no eyes? Don't You see me and the entire city of Jerusalem? Or do You want to say that this adult person, this body, must be crushed, squeezed fiat, reduced to nothing, and return to its mother's womb?" If this were the meaning of Christ's words, then there would be no difference between birth and rebirth; then one birth would be like the other. Nicodemus believes that man cannot be born again except in a physical way, the only way he knows about.
Now the Lord replies more explicitly: "Reborn you must be, but not from your mother; for that birth would not be different from the first one. No, you must be born of the Spirit and of water; without this you cannot be saved." Now Christ explains His statement clearly and plainly enough, saying in effect: "I mean a spiritual birth." There are two types of birth. First, there is a physical birth from a woman. Thus we are all descended from Adam and Eve. Here Christ does not refer to this physical birth. He is speaking here of the spiritual birth, which comes from water and the Spirit.
If Nicodemus failed to understand Christ before, he will grasp this even less. This doctrine of rebirth by means of nothing but water and the Spirit sounds ridiculous also to our papists. They neither understand it nor believe it. In fact, this will seem a ridiculous and taunting message to all who do not yet pay proper heed to the doctrine of faith. Therefore they shout: "All, you must do good works!" This is to disparage the chief doctrine: that all is lost without a rebirth through the water and the Spirit. Don't imagine that you will enter the kingdom of God unless you have been reborn through water and the Spirit.
These are clear and powerful words; they demand that we be born anew, that is, that we pass from the birth of sin to the birth of righteousness. Otherwise we will never come into the kingdom of heaven. And then good works must follow this birth of righteousness.
Christ discusses these matters at length with Nicodemus, but Nicodemus cannot understand them. For that matter, they cannot be understood unless one has experienced them and has been born spiritually. But let these words stand, and do not indulge in subtle arguments, even though they appear foolish and strange to reason. Take them in their simple sense, just as they read, not as some have interpreted them. Münzer, for example, declared that water here symbolizes affliction and temptation.6 One must not be willful with the Word of God. It is better to say: "I do not understand the words," than to alter them. It is better to leave my hands off and to commend it to God than to add to or detract from God's words. Holy Writ must be treated with veneration and profound awe. In their impudence, however, the schismatic spirits do not do this; they are forward, as we read in the second chapter of the Second Epistle of St. Peter. They consider the Word of God nothing else than the word of man (2 Peter 2:10). But don't meddle with God's
Word. If you do not understand it, accord it the honor to say: "I shall wait until I do understand it."
- 129 Do not follow the example of Münzer, who claims that here the word "water" means affliction and temptation. It is true that the word "water" does often symbolize temptation in Holy Writ, especially in the Psalms.7 But here it cannot be interpreted that way; for here Christ is speaking of Baptism, of real and natural water such as a cow may drink, the Baptism about which you hear in the sermons on this subject.
Therefore the word "water" does not designate affliction here; it means real, natural water, which is connected with God's Word and becomes a very spiritual bath through the Holy Spirit or through the entire Trinity. Here Christ also speaks of the Holy Spirit and teaches us to regard Baptism as a spiritual, yes, a Spirit-filled water, in which the Holy Spirit is present and active; in fact, the entire Holy Trinity is there. And thus the person who has been baptized is said to be born anew. In Titus 3:5 St. Paul terms
Baptism "a washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit." In the last chapter of Mark we read that "he who believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:16). And in this passage Christ declares that whoever is not born anew of the water and the Holy Spirit cannot come into the kingdom of God.
Therefore God's words dare not be tampered with. Of course, we are well aware that Baptism is natural water. But after the Holy Spirit is added to it, we have more than mere water. It becomes a veritable bath of rejuvenation, a living bath which washes and purges man of sin and death, which cleanses him of all sin.
Christ wants to say: "You are not yet born anew. But I have come to bring you a new way of being born again, namely, a rebirth by water and the Holy Spirit, and to proclaim to you the necessity of this rebirth. I bring you a washing of regeneration which gives you a new birth and transforms you into a new person." With this message the Lord gives Nicodemus and the entire Jewish nation a hard blow and a slap in the face; for they thought: "Lo, we are circumcised; we are the seed of Abraham and of Isaac; we have the Law or the Ten Commandments, the temple—all of which was arranged and commanded by God."
Because of this they boasted that they alone would be saved. "No," says the Lord Christ, "I am ushering in a new order. Moses, the Law, the temple, and all Levitical service are now terminated. All those words are a thing of the past. Whatever is written concerning these things serves the purpose of pointing to Me that you may look for My coming and hear My message. My doctrine supplants that of Moses. And now I am not speaking of circumcision and of the temple but of a new washing." The entire Jewish nation was well aware that the Messiah would introduce a new doctrine. The Samaritan woman testified, according to John
4:25: "We know that when the Messiah comes, He will show us all things."
The God-fearing Jews who lived before the advent of Christ did not believe in salvation by the Law or by circumcision; but they knew that circumcision directed them to the Messiah, who would bring a new washing and a new doctrine. All of them were born and died in faith in the coming Christ, and by that faith they were saved. They believed in Him although He had not yet been born into the world. They did not rely on their own righteousness at all; but even before His advent they believed in the doctrine He would proclaim.
Thus Moses pointed to Christ in Deut. 18:18, saying: "God will raise another Prophet like me from among your brethren; Him you should hear." Moses had appeared and had brought a new doctrine into the world, and now he said: "Just as I have come with a new doctrine, so God will raise a new Prophet over you. He is to be your Messiah, who will also proclaim a new doctrine to you. I am bringing you a new
Law and doctrine, which is not written down and is not known to the world; you have accepted it and have followed me. Just so this other Prophet will come and bring a new doctrine. He will not preach my doctrine but a new doctrine and a new commandment, one that you have never had before. And you shall listen to Him as you have listened to me. Then my doctrine will come to an end, and you will no longer listen to me but to Him."
This statement and others like it perpetuated the confident faith in the coming of Christ the Messiah among the Jewish people. They waited for the One who, as Moses had said in this passage, would teach them everything. In this faith they died. They were saved as well as we are, who now believe that Christ ascended to heaven and sits at the right hand of His Father, that He will raise us from the dead on the Last
Day and make us more radiant and resplendent than the sun, that He will judge the quick and the dead, that He will save all believers, and that He will also raise the body from the grave. Although we must all die before we experience this, we are firmly persuaded and believe that it will come to pass. In this confidence we die; and by this faith we are saved, although we do not yet understand just how it will happen. But even though we do not see this, grasp it, or understand it, nonetheless we know that whoever believes will be saved.
- 130 Although the people in the Old Testament neither knew nor understood what the Messiah would proclaim—for instance, they knew nothing of Baptism, of the Lord's Supper, of the Office of the Keys, or of absolution—they nevertheless believed in the Christ who was to come; and they expected that the Messiah would come and teach them everything. They took hold of Him in faith even though they did not yet see Him. Similarly, we take hold of eternal life by faith today, although we do not really understand what it is. We believe that one day we shall partake of it.
Therefore Christ says to Nicodemus here: "The time has now come for your circumcision, the Law, and Moses to be terminated. Hitherto you have waited for Me, of whom the prophets and Moses foretold that you should listen to Me. Now that I have come, listen to Me! Forget about yourselves and your good works, about circumcision, sacrifices, and other worship in the temple. Come to Me and be baptized with water and the Holy Spirit, a Baptism that will give you a new birth and transform you into new persons, that will cause a regeneration or a renewal of your being. For the Holy Spirit works faith in us, and through this faith we regain the image of God which we lost in Paradise. If we are baptized and believe that Christ died for us, we will increase from day to day in faith as well as in the fruits and good works of the Holy Spirit. Whoever would be saved, let him accept My message; for now is the time for My proclamation, and henceforth Moses must hold his peace."
Neither the pope nor the Turk believes that Christ died for me. For that matter, no one else knows or believes this unless it is given to him by the Holy Spirit through the proclamation of the Gospel. For the Holy Spirit must be both the Preacher of this message and the Author who inscribes it in my heart, so that I believe and say: "I believe in Jesus Christ."
Thus the Holy Spirits proclamation centers in this word, which He teaches and inscribes: "rebirth."
Whoever believes in Christ, whoever believes that Christ was born, that He died for us, was buried for us, and was raised from the dead—is born anew or reborn. This rebirth makes a person a new man. Now you are animated by the thought which no papist or Turk has, namely, that Christ died for you, that He was raised from the dead and now sits at the right hand of God. And if you remain constant in this faith, then the Holy Spirit is there to baptize you, to strengthen and increase your faith, and to implant a new understanding in your heart. He also awakens in you holy and new thoughts and impulses, so that you begin to love God, refrain from all ungodly conduct, gladly do God's will, love your neighbor, and shun anger, hatred, and envy. Such works are performed by those who have been born anew, namely, born anew through Baptism, in which the Holy Spirit is active, making new persons of them.
Once he has become a new person, the new man stops discriminating among types of clothes or kinds of food and drink. The Christian says: "If you do not choose to wear a cowl, then put on a coat; and if you do not have a gray coat, then wear a red one. It is immaterial how you dress, and it also does not matter whether you are male or female. For none of this will grant you the new birth. No, this comes only when I believe that Christ died for me. This I know, by the power of the Holy Spirit, from the divine Word, and also from Baptism. Why do I need a cowl besides?" A Christian never requires these ceremonies. All that is necessary is that he be baptized by the Holy Spirit and attain faith through Him. This works the new birth. Then I serve God by observing the three Commandments of the First Table of the Law of Moses; and then, in obedience to the Second Table, I attend to the duties of my vocation to the best of my ability, loving my neighbor and leading a decent and quiet life with my wife. And if a cross should come upon me, I shall also endure it gladly, go to church, and listen to the words of Christ, my Bishop; then there will be no need to run to Rome or to St. James.8
Such, then, is to be the content of the new proclamation: how we become new persons, and then, as newborn creatures, how we also perform good works. This is the chief element of Christian teaching. It is necessary that the people be instructed about how they must be born anew by water and the Holy Spirit, not by cowl and tonsure. For the cowl covers only the old knaves; it does not create new beings.
Nicodemus, of course, does not understand any of this.9
6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Recently we heard the sermon in which the Lord told Nicodemus that unless a man is born anew of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot come into the kingdom of God. Thereby He indicated that our salvation and blessedness does not depend on good works or the righteousness of the flesh but on our being born anew. This new birth must precede the good works. There is nothing hidden about it; it is to be known as a new birth from water and the Holy Spirit. That is how we must be born anew. It is not sufficient to be born of a woman, which is a birth of flesh and blood. This birth we experienced once. No,
- 131 Christ says clearly and concisely that the birth referred to here must take place through water and the Holy Spirit. This new birth is Baptism. We are baptized in God's name, with God's Word, and with water. Thus our sin is forgiven, and we are saved from eternal death. The Holy Spirit is also bestowed on us; we receive a new nature, different from the one with which we were born. Through Adam we were involved in the realm of the devil, who is our master; death, sin, eternal damnation, and the devil's kingdom were born into us. But here we are reborn from death to life, from sin to righteousness; here we are transferred from the kingdom of the devil into the kingdom of God. You heard that the new birth is effected through the Holy Spirit and water, and that we are renewed through the power and the efficacy of Baptism. The new birth does not stem from our good works; but once we have been born anew, we begin to do good works, as we heard in the last sermon. Although this doctrine is assailed by the pope and the whole world, it is laid down here; and, I take it, so it will remain, regardless of who may adopt this doctrine. No one will ever strike a compromise between flesh and spirit. And begone with everyone who refuses to accept this doctrine!
That which is born of the flesh is flesh.
There is such a wide gulf between these two that it cannot be bridged. Flesh and spirit have nothing at all in common; man is either flesh, or he is spirit. Thus St. John declares: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh" or remains flesh. Of course, he is not referring to the meat slaughtered in the butcher's stall or offered for sale there; but he is speaking about physical birth, which gives man living flesh and physical life. With reference to this, Christ says that the physical birth remains physical and produces physical life and nothing more, and that in and of himself man is nothing but flesh.
Christ compresses all this into the one word "flesh," saying: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh," that is, it has a physical and living life. Whether it be king, prince, or lord—all share the same kind of birth; and the people who have had only this physical birth are nothing but flesh. This implies a condemnation of all that is exalted and precious in the world, call it by whatever name you will: noble or ignoble, powerful, clever, judicious, rich, wise, rational, as well as all learned men. For whatever is born physically is a physical being. And if it does not have another birth, it will never be anything but a physical being which will perish. Truly, this cuts the ground from under our feet; yes, it really condemns us.
It must be noted here that what we refer to as "physical" the Hebrews call "flesh" or "fleshly."10
Thus this verse passes an appalling sentence on the whole world, a sentence comparable to the one pronounced by St. Paul in the eleventh chapter of Romans, in which he says that "God has consigned all men to disobedience, that He may have mercy on all" (Rom. 11:32). Likewise in Rom. 3:23: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." And in Eph. 2:8–9: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God—not because of works, lest any man should boast." If we really believed this, it would make us very humble. For is a man's birth of a woman, which is only a physical process and nothing spiritual, to be his greatest glory before God? After all, what would it amount to even though you were born a lord, or even if you were a king or the Turkish sultan, or possessed the profoundest wisdom and intelligence on earth? My dear man, what would this really amount to? Nothing but flesh. In the eyes of the world all this may loom big and be greatly praised, but before God it means nothing. Why not? Christ answers this question here: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh"; a physical birth brings forth a physical object, and nothing more than a physical object. This is apparent from the bigwigs, whose might, honor, riches, glory, money, and goods all perish in the end.
Here Nicodemus is sharply lectured and taken to task. It will do him no good to have Moses and the entire Law on his side; despite all this he will remain flesh unless he is born anew. Christ wants to say:
"Nicodemus, why do you persist in following Moses so long? You will still remain flesh." So what does the preaching of the Gospel profit the pope and the Turks? They hear and see it all. It is painted for them,11 written for them, sung and spoken for them. And still they refuse to be converted, for they remain the flesh they were when they were born. Nicodemus too. He and his Pharisees have the Law of Moses, the temple, and divine worship; and yet they remain flesh. We do not fare very differently today. To be sure, we hear the Gospel preached, sung, and read; but we do not become more pious or better as a result. For we are flesh and remain flesh. On the other hand:
That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
As we have said, there is no way of reconciling the two: whatever is flesh remains flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spiritual. But what is spiritual birth? It means that I am born again as a new being
- 132 by Baptism and the Holy Spirit and that I believe in Christ. Then I do not expect riches, power, and glory from Him (as many a person looks exclusively for such things in the world) unless God has given me this before. And when the physical birth ends in death—whether this comes by fire or water, or whether I am interred in the earth—then I hope for and expect an eternal life, eternal joy and bliss. I shall be eternally saved even though I lose this life and lack the money and goods, the riches and power after which the world otherwise runs and races.
Thus we are reborn into a new life which is unlike the way of the world. Your natural mother cannot aid you toward this life with her body, her breasts, and the milk an infant drinks. An infant also has need of pap and cradle, clothes and shoes; it must be reared properly and decently. All these elements of parental support and sustenance are part of physical birth. But when all this has had its day; when you lie in your grave and your good friend, your father, mother, government, and princes cannot accompany you but are powerless to help you; when strength and might forsake you, and you leave behind your popularity, honor, money and goods; when you are buried—then a new birth is required. Then it is necessary to look to another existence, an existence into which I am called by the Gospel and by Baptism, namely, when the Holy Spirit gives birth to me anew for eternal life, rearing, nourishing, and clothing me anew. This calls for other breasts and nipples, a different room and different garments, to nourish me and clothe me—to nourish and clothe me for eternal life and to make me fit for the kingdom of heaven.
Thus the spiritual birth is brought about by the Word of God, Baptism, and faith. Even now, while we sojourn on this earth, we are already in this birth if we believe. I stated earlier that the new birth or the spiritual life cannot be perceived by the five senses. It is invisible. Neither sword nor might, gold nor silver, neither crown, scepter, nor kingdom, can help to acquire this life; it is bestowed through the new birth. And this new life will endure when this physical life ends, when the physical birth vanishes and is reduced to dust. When the physical birth is no longer seen and felt, then the spiritual life will abide, and we shall be quickened and raised from the dead.
This birth is invisible and intangible; it is only believed. We believe that what issues from the spiritual existence is spiritual, and that the chief treasure it dispenses is forgiveness of sin and eternal life. At the same time Christians must still participate in external existence too. While they are on earth, they let father and mother sustain them; they are still being governed, and they themselves govern; they eat, and they drink; they wear clothes and shoes, have house and home, money and goods. But all this they utilize as guests who journey across the countryside until they arrive in the city, which is their real destination.
Upon their arrival they do not care any longer for the inns which sheltered them en route. And while they are staying in the inn, they think to themselves: "Today I stay here as a guest, and tomorrow I journey forth again." Thus a Christian also reflects: "Today I am a guest here on earth. I eat and drink here; I live honestly and decently according to flesh and blood. But tomorrow I set out for eternal life in heaven, where I am a citizen and hold citizenship" (Phil. 3:20). Thus Christians pass through the years of their dependence on father and mother, through their time of eating and drinking, of wearing clothes and shoes; and when they come to their end, they forsake all that is physical and enter into an infinite spiritual life, where they no longer have any use for their physical Fife and existence.
And now Christ says: "You must be one of the two, either a physical man or a spiritual man. Now choose which you want. There is no compromise: either physical or spiritual." He who chooses to be physical may be intent on good and easy days here on earth, on gorging and carousing, on indulging in all sensual pleasures; for after this life he gets nothing more. He will take along neither money nor goods, neither power nor riches, neither gold nor pearls—everything will remain behind. You may be a Turkish sultan, but this will not save you. But whoever would have eternal life must see to it that salvation is his after the conclusion of this life and that God is his Protector. He must be willing, if necessary, to abandon everything temporal for the sake of the Lord, in whom he is baptized and born anew. He will use all earthly things according to his necessity and pass through this temporal life into an eternal life which he neither sees nor understands nor comprehends but only believes. Whoever does not transcend physical birth will descend into the abyss of hell. Physical birth entails physical things, such as diapers and pap, father and mother; it concerns physical life and no more. But if you want salvation, you need different parents, who will bring you to heaven. This Christ does. By means of Baptism and the Word of God He places you and your Christianity into the lap of our dear mother, the Christian Church. This He accomplished through His suffering and death that by virtue of His death and blood we might live eternally.
7. Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born anew.
This poses a mysterious and odd doctrine for reason, which cannot come to terms with it. Therefore the good and pious Nicodemus probably sat there wrapped in silence, brooding sadly, shaking his head, and acting strangely. Undoubtedly he pondered the matter, but he failed to understand. While he is wrinkling his nose as if to register his displeasure and sits there in silence, Christ continues and says: "My dear Nicodemus, why are you so amazed at this? No matter how long you meditate on this question, you will never comprehend it. Surrender, and bear in mind that you are learning it from Me. After all, there are other matters, surely of lesser importance, which you do not understand either, but which your fine and feeble reason has to accept on faith. So do the same thing here. Believe that a man must become a new creature and must be born anew if he is to be saved, even though you do not understand how this takes place. I shall give you an understandable and clear illustration from nature."
8. The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
The Lord wishes to say: "It sounded strange to you when I told you that you must be born anew. But listen. I will tell you something important, something known to everybody. You live in the wind every moment of your life; without it you could not exist. You hear the wind, and you feel it rushing against your hand, your nose, and your whole body, particularly when it blows coat and mantle over your head, as it often does. Yes, everything in the world feels the wind—the foliage and the grass, wood and stone, the high towers and the houses, and all the animals in the world. And yet you cannot tell Me from which hole it emerges, even though this were but a few inches behind you. Nor can you tell Me how far it blows and where it stops, even though it blows right in front of your nose. The sense of sight or the eye is the most acute member of the human body; yet it does not see the wind although the wind is very harmful to the eyes. The wind is perceived by only two senses: the ear and the hand, that is, the sense of feeling. Your perception of the wind is confined to feeling it on your hand and hearing its rushing sound with your ears.
Of course, the ear does not really hear the wind itself, but only the sound of rushing produced when the wind strikes it. A deaf person does not hear the sound of the wind; he merely feels it on his body."
Therefore the Lord wishes to say here: "Since the wind is a physical thing which sustains life and without which you cannot live, and since you feel it with your whole body and hear its sound with your ears, tell Me, my dear man, whence it comes and where it goes. Name the mother which gives it birth and the grave in which it is buried. You cannot tell Me. Yet you must believe in the existence of the wind even though you know nothing about it. It begins at the ear and ends at the ear.12 Even if it is strong enough to overturn houses, I still do not see it; I merely hear its sound. When I do not feel the wind on My body or skin, it does not exist at all so far as I am concerned; then I do not know whether it is far away from Me or whether it is before Me or behind Me or where it is hiding. Even if the wind uproots trees, I nevertheless perceive neither its origin nor its end. I merely hear its sound and feel its blowing against My body; but where it originates and where it stops I do not know. This you cannot deny, My dear Nicodemus. You experience this on your own body. You hear the sound of the wind, but you do not know whence it comes." Even if everyone on earth were to study this question, no one would be found who could say or prove just what the wind is, whence it comes, and where it gets such strength and power that it breaks strong trees in the forest, topples large houses, and batters and sinks mighty ships. When Aristotle engages in a lengthy discourse on the wind's origin, asserting that it has its source in the caverns of the mountains or of the earth, where it is confined until it rushes forth when a bit of air strikes it,13 he comes as close to the mark as do blindfold children who spin a top on the street and think they are spinning it toward the south when they are really spinning it toward the north. It is sheer nonsense, and a philosopher should be ashamed of having such thoughts!
Holy Writ informs us differently about the wind. In Ps. 135:7 we read: "He it is who brings forth the wind from His storehouses." And neither Aristotle nor anyone else has seen these. The wind is so mysterious that not one step of it can be known. This the philosophers themselves would admit if a confession of ignorance did not offend their pride in their own wisdom. It is very foolish of them to allege that the wind originates in the high mountains. A wise man should not speak that way.
But the Lord Christ declares here that one cannot say about the wind, which constantly surrounds us, whither it goes and whence it comes. It does not blow as we desire or from the direction we wish. It also rushes and roars without your knowledge, strength, will, might, or power, wherever it chooses, everywhere in the world, at one time from morning till evening or sunset, at another from midday until
- 134 midnight. We only feel its rushing and blowing, and we must simply believe it and acknowledge its existence.
The fact that everyone feels and hears the wind is, of course, only a physical matter subject to our five senses; and yet we do not know just what the wind is, whence it comes, or where it goes. Then why do we not readily give honor to our God and believe His words when He tells us that we are born anew through Baptism and that, although we are still sinners, we enter into eternal life by way of the grave and are saved? Why do we not believe this even though we cannot perceive and comprehend it with our reason and do not feel anything but the water and the sound of the Holy Spirit, that is, His Word? Therefore the Lord later says to Nicodemus: "If you cannot understand earthly things—for example, the origin and the goal of the wind—how, then, can you hope to understand when I talk to you of heavenly things? You must do God the honor of admitting His power to do things that transcend your comprehension." As if the Lord were to say: "I want you to know that I am going to talk to you about many things which you will not and cannot understand. In particular you will not understand how those who are born anew from water and the Holy Spirit will come into eternal life; this you must simply believe. It is not necessary for you to know the origin of the wind. Even though you do not know what the wind is, whence it comes and where it goes, you are content to hear its sound and feel its breath. And it may be very surprising that such a smart and wise man (indeed, all of us even today!) cannot know the wind, its source, its beginning, and its end, though we inhale it and derive our breath and life from it." This speech of the Lord is rather harsh, yes, very humiliating. But He wants to say: "If you, Nicodemus, are ignorant of this and must let the wind come whence it wills, why, then, do you not also say in this instance: 'I shall gladly humble myself and be taught, since I neither know nor can know anything about the wind. I shall do the same thing here. Even though I cannot comprehend the rebirth with my reason, I shall believe it and acknowledge as true that we must be born anew by water and the Holy Spirit.' "
Listen, even though you do not understand this. The sound of the wind is also heard in this Word of God: "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Furthermore, you also have the wind in the baptismal water; the Holy Spirit is blowing there. You cannot understand how a man can be renewed by water and the Holy Spirit, nor how one who has died can live anew. But believe it, accept it, and content yourself with hearing the sound of the water and with feeling the water and the sound of the Holy Spirit. It matters not that you cannot understand how you are renewed. Just say: "I will believe it. I do not know either whence the wind comes; and still I know that it exists, for I can hear and feel it. Thus I will also believe God when He says that Baptism initiates a new birth, even though I cannot understand how it can renew me, keep and preserve me for eternal life. I will simply hear the Word, accept the water of Baptism, and believe. After all, I have to accept far lesser things without understanding them. The fact that I was born anew this way is just as true as the fact that I hear the wind. Just as I know that I hear and feel the wind but do not know whence it comes, so I shall also believe that I am born anew by water and the Holy Spirit and that the old man in me must die if I wish to enter eternal life."
In this rebirth neither mother nor midwife is in evidence. It involves neither man nor woman. And yet it takes place, and we are born anew. Thus I also die, I depart this life, and I am placed in a coffin. But where I go and make my abode I do not know. All is invisible and beyond the reach of human reason and understanding. Yet the rushing and the roaring of the wind is present; I see that I am dying and yet am to live. I do not see how that life is to begin and to end; and yet I feel, yes, I experience, that I am to live.
Similarly, I also see that I am sprinkled with water in Baptism; but how I was reborn I do not see.
With the help of this physical and clear illustration the Lord taught Nicodemus to believe even where he fails to grasp, for he cannot even understand the sense of hearing. No philosopher or sage has ever been able to say how it happens that the ear can catch the report of a gun discharged two miles away and how this sound travels as fast as any arrow from a crossbow.
Yes, there may indeed be lesser things than the wind that defy our comprehension, that no wise man has ever fathomed. No man on earth has ever been able to explain how the eye can range so far, surveying from a high tower everything within a radius of ten miles or instantly Seeing the sun, which is much larger and more extensive than many worlds may be. This baffles human understanding. Much indeed has been written about this, but no one has ever been able to understand it.14 No one on earth has been able to explain how the movements of the tongue, assisted by the vocal chords, can produce speech and amplify it so that it can be heard by many people. And no one has ever appeared who could explain laughter or crying or sleep, or how it happens that the bread I eat today or the beverage I drink is transformed into my
- 135 flesh and blood and excrement tomorrow, how food is changed inside the body, where it is not nearly as hot as it was in the pot. Even though it were to remain in the pot and boil over the fire for many years, still it would not be converted into flesh and blood but would remain flesh. But in the body food and drink become precious flesh and blood in twenty-four hours.
No one has ever been born who could explain the phenomenon of leaves shooting forth in spring with all their might from a tree that was dead in winter, or the growth on a thin stem of a large fruit, beautifully colored, containing a hard kernel inside.
And who can tell me how a stalk can grow from a decayed kernel and then bear kernels? All this pertains to things that we see. We are completely ignorant of all these operations; yet we do not worry but accept them unconcernedly without understanding them. But we do insist on delving into the extraordinary operations of God. There we are busybodies and want to be very smart. We go about asking that abominable "Why?" with which our first parents in Paradise were deceived by the devil and which even today seduces us into all kinds of heresy and misfortune. Here we must learn from our own experience and from the observation of all creatures to believe God and His Word and to give way even when we do not understand. For if such physical things transcend our power of comprehension, why should we be so foolish and stupid as to discourse on the nature of Baptism, on the resurrection from the dead, on how a virgin can be a mother and bear a child, or on how there can be a Trinity in the Godhead?
This we want to ascertain by subtle reasoning. Isn't it a sin and a shame? If we cannot comprehend what we hear and see, as, for example, that I can see you and you can hear me speak, why, then, should we pry into the mysteries of God and try to understand when God ordains something more sublime than the physical? Why, for instance, do we try to explain how I am born anew in Baptism, how three Persons can dwell in one Godhead, or how Christ can be present in bread and wine in Holy Communion? Here faith alone is in order. Truly, we should be crowned with Scotch thistles15 for our foolishness in succumbing so easily to the devil's old query: "Why?" We cannot understand the functions of life around us. A mother cannot explain the conception of a child in her body. She cannot explain how she nourishes the child from her heart and how it grows from the drops of her blood, nor how she gets milk in her breasts. Nevertheless she carries the child and brings it into the world. Thus there are many things which we perceive with our five senses and yet do not understand. Should I not do God the honor of saying: "O God, why should I not believe Thee? I cannot even explain how I was created. Therefore I will believe that Thou canst do more than I can see or understand." And since I do not comprehend all that I see, I shall also refrain from arguing long with Christ and God, and I shall not try to explore the mysteries for which God the Father demands faith. The Lord Christ cites only one such illustration here; but when we survey the whole creation, we behold plenty of them. You cannot explain the growth of a kernel from a stalk, the growth of an apple, a pear, or a cherry from a tree, or how a tree, entirely dry in winter, is green again in spring. And yet we are foolish and stupid with our "Why?" and persist in arguing about matters that one must accept solely on faith. In other matters I am not perturbed if I do not know the answer. For example, questions about how I fall asleep, how I wake up, how I am born, or how I die—all these leave me cold. But where the time and the need for faith arise, there we have to know everything beforehand. In natural matters we cannot know anything, and yet in matters of faith we would like to know everything. We brood over, and pry into, the articles of faith with our "Why?" This is what makes the pope, the Turk, and all the sects pupils of the devil: in the affairs of God they insist on understanding everything and refuse to take anything on faith. They refuse to submit to the things that must be believed without being seen, although they have to do this in physical things, which they can both grasp and feel.
Therefore Christ says: "Dear Nicodemus, do not be amazed. Content yourself in this matter, and just believe in this rebirth. If you cannot grasp it, then simply believe it. You have before you a clear and understandable illustration: the wind. From this you see that there are certain insignificant facts which we cannot understand no matter how we rack our brains. Now I am speaking about far greater things than the sound of the wind. Therefore, simply believe that you must be born again. If you fail to grasp it, do not be surprised; just accept it in faith."
It is vexing and annoying that the wiser and more intelligent people are, the more they insist on knowing and understanding everything in God's realm, and the more they delve into it. There is no end to their questions. But in worldly and lesser matters they ask few questions or none at all. In the realm of faith they insist on knowing why; where they should probe into things with all diligence, they are altogether remiss.16
- 136 The last time we heard the sermon which the Lord preached to Nicodemus about regeneration. It was an excellent sermon. In it the Lord impressed on Nicodemus the absolute necessity of the new birth, without which we cannot come into the kingdom of heaven. We also heard about the meaning of the new birth. We shall not treat this further, since the subject is also preached on at other times in the course of the year.17
8. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
This text could be translated into our language in two different ways. In Greek, Latin, and Hebrew the word "spirit" is very elastic and may have widely different meanings. It may designate the wind, the Holy
Spirit, the regenerate nature in the believers, or anything that has neither flesh nor blood. We Germans have a definite word for the wind; we differentiate sharply between "wind" and "spirit." When we use the word "wind" we mean a strong, turbulent, stirring current of air which agitates the trees, the water, and everything. This is a clear and unambiguous word. But when we speak of "spirit," we think of something intangible, some nonphysical entity, something that cannot be perceived with the five senses. We think, for instance, of God or of the human soul. Thus we say: "He gave up his spirit," that is, he died. Or the word "spirit" may also be used of an angel. This is not the case in other languages. The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin languages do not have two distinct words for spirit and wind but refer to both ideas with the word "spirit." Similarly, the word "lord" has a variety of meanings in German. We use it along the entire scale, beginning with God the Creator, then on down to the king, the territorial prince, and the father and man of the house. This makes it necessary to note where the word "lord" refers to God or to man. The Hebrew tongue, on the other hand, has two distinct words, one for God as lord and another for man as lord.18 Just as the German word for "lord" may have various meanings—pertaining both to God and to the creature—so the word "spirit" is used in a variety of meanings among the Hebrews. In view of this we must note when the word "spirit" designates the wind or the breath which one exhales when speaking, and when it refers to the Holy Spirit. For some translate this verse to read: "The Spirit blows," taking the word
"spirit" or "wind" here to mean Spirit.19 But we have translated it: "The wind blows." We do not want to wrangle over these words, but at the same time we do not wish to deviate from their proper meaning and sense. For in Holy Scripture, grammar must be the servant, not the judge.
The reason why we have translated the word "spirit" with "wind" here is found in the Lords words:
"You hear the sound of it" and in His words: "So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." He is using the simile of the wind in order thereby to instruct Nicodemus regarding the second birth or the new birth. He says that the wind and the Spirit have this in common; the one is like the other in this respect. Therefore it makes good sense to relate the first part of the text to the wind. We have stuck to this, although it is not wrong or heretical to adopt the other interpretation, as some do, taking the word "spirit" to mean the Holy
Spirit. According to this interpretation, these words do not draw a comparison between the wind and the spiritual birth but between the Holy Spirit and those born from Him, who are like Him.20 No one sees the Holy Spirit; no one touches Him. I know not whence He comes and where He goes. Thus I cannot see a Christian either. Nor can I say: "At this time and in this place I shall become a Christian." In brief, it is invisible; neither time nor place can be fixed for it; it is intangible; it can't be felt, it can't be clothed; it does not consist in anything that can be seen and felt—it is sheer nothing.
But what good is it to me if it is nothing? Yes, it is nothing if you ask your five senses about it and consult with your reason and wisdom. You must put reason and senses aside and remember that what makes a Christian is something of which you hear no more than the breath and the sound. You hear the voice. Follow it and believe it, and you will be born anew. In Baptism, for example, I hear no more than the sound of the words: "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
What are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? If you put this question to your reason, the answer win be: "Sheer nothing." Reason sees nothing but water, and this it regards as plain water. But if I am to be saved, it must be something which reason cannot fathom and measure; for reason grasps and comprehends only physical matters. It must be something not physical but spiritual. For my soul is spirit, and it will not be profited by anything physical. Thus in the Sacrament of the Altar I behold nothing but bread and wine.
I see no flesh and blood, and yet flesh and blood are present. But all that I perceive is a gentle sound, a voice of the Holy Spirit telling me that it truly is flesh and blood. Blessed am I if I keep to this sound; if I do not, the loss is mine.
To be sure, the other opinion is also correct, namely, that it is characteristic of the natural wind that we hear it and see it when it rushes around a pillar, or that we hear its roaring sound when it blows through - 137 the trees, under the water, and in the water. But no one has ever been found who could say where it starts and where it stops, nor could anyone define the width and length of the wind. Of this the entire world is ignorant. Indeed, the wind can be heard, but it is useless to try catching it. "This," Christ says, "is the nature of the wind. You must not imagine that it blows from the rising to the setting of the sun, from one end of the world to the other. It does not follow a prescribed order. It may blow the length of a city and then stop, or of half a city, or of one house, and not be audible in other places and streets."
The philosophers have devoted much time to the study of the wind. They have alleged that it emerges from deep caverns in the earth; when these open, the wind comes forth and begins to blow. But there is nothing to this. The correct answer is that we are not supposed to know how great or how short a distance it blows. We can only feel its blowing and hear its sound, but its height or its depth cannot be measured.
But if someone wishes to adopt the other interpretation, then we say that here the Holy Spirit is called "wind" figuratively. He is depicted here as the wind; its blowing is heard without our knowing whence it comes and where it goes. Earlier we heard that we must be born of the Holy Spirit.
But how? Simply by giving ear to the message that he who believes and is baptized is saved (Mark 16:16). The Holy Spirit reproves us because of sin (John 16:8–9), and He also comforts us. When I receive the absolution from my brother and derive comfort from it, what I hear is the voice of the Holy Spirit, His blowing and whistling. But how man attains this, how it all begins and comes to pass—that I do not know.
It is incomprehensible how he who is baptized will be saved, and how he who is absolved of sin will obtain eternal life. Our reason and nature are incapable of comprehending this or of believing in Christ; this has never entered into the heart of man (1 Cor. 2:9). Likewise, when we die, we know not where we go; for this is the Holy Spirits work, not man's. Since we cannot know anything about the nature of physical wind, whence it comes and where it goes, even though we feel it on our bodies, how could we understand where the Holy Spirit resides and dwells?
Then what about the teachings of all the others—the Turk, the Jews, the pope, and the monks? They have introduced some very foolish and erroneous doctrine with their orders and brotherhoods, as though forgiveness of sin and the new birth were matters of their zeal, their pleasure, their own arbitrary choice.
They all teach a way to salvation which I can comprehend. I know whence it comes and how it operates. It is easy for me to say: "I will don a cowl"; for I can understand how the cowl originated, namely, from human choice and decision. Furthermore, I can understand how the cowl came from the tailor, how the cloth was woven by the weaver, and how the wool was taken from the sheep. This is easy to understand.
Thus I can comprehend all their important doctrines, which deal with nothing but physical matters such as food, drink, clothing, and the like.
But I cannot comprehend that I must believe in Christ, that I must be baptized in order to be saved, that I must die in such faith in Christ, and that Paul and Peter suffered affliction and tribulation for the sake of the Christian name. Whence this comes, no one can explain; for there a spiritual life is at work.
The Holy Spirit is given to us, and His gifts are bestowed on us in a way that we cannot grasp. No one can determine the time or the place or the person, how and when one is to be converted to God. The Holy
Spirit and His gifts are not granted according to human will. If this were based on reason, then the pagan teacher Aristotle, our papists, and our monks could have ascertained and determined it. For in the papacy we ardently sought it; we prayed much, and we mortified our flesh with fasting. Yet we did not find it.
One entered a Carthusian monastery,21 another became a priest, another a monk or a nun. At length God came along and granted it to us without our cowls or good works and without such searching for it.
Whoever is converted to faith cannot say anything else than that the Holy Spirit comes when He wills and where He wills and to what person He wills, all in His own good season. He comes when and where
He chooses, and He confers as many gifts as He pleases. In the papacy they still hear nothing of the Gospel; and even if they do hear, they do not understand it. We now hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, but that is not due to any human power.
Thus every person who is converted also resembles the Holy Spirit. Whoever is pleased with this interpretation, let him adhere to it and retain it. Whoever is not, may adopt the other: "The wind blows where it wills, and so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." But the meaning is this: that the Christian life does not consist in things comprehended by reason. For a Christian lives and has his existence from his first to his last breath solely in the Holy Spirit, not in reason or in good works but only in the will of God and the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit, not reason, who teaches me to be baptized and to believe. Consequently, my life must consist in the Holy Spirit, who blows where He wills.
- 138 In this area, therefore, it is not appropriate to say: "I will do and undertake this or that." The works I do, like putting on a cowl or girding myself with a rope, do indeed fall into the range of my initiative, volition, and reason. In that area I may do whatever I choose and as much as I choose, for all works stemming from human power are of such a nature that their beginning and their end are known.22
The Lord Christ told that good man Nicodemus that no one who remains in the old birth would see the kingdom of heaven, since heaven is closed to all mankind. If they are to enter heaven, they must be born anew not by the flesh but by water and by the Holy Spirit. There is no other way, path, or street leading to heaven than that of water and the Holy Spirit. We must be born again through these. Christ demonstrated this to Nicodemus by a reference to the wind. It blows where it wills, and one hears its sound; but no one knows whence it comes and where it goes. Thus, Christ says, is a man who is born anew. The only way he can be recognized is the way the wind is recognized, namely, by the sound: when he speaks and treats of the divine Word, of Baptism, of the Supper of Christ's body and blood, of absolution or the Office of the Keys—which are visible things and signs. This is all we hear. We hear the sound, but we do not know whence it comes.
10. Jesus answered him: Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this?
Since Nicodemus' thoughts are focused on physical birth, he cannot understand how a man can be born anew by water and the Holy Spirit. Yet in view of the many examples of rebirth cited in Holy
Scripture he really should have understood. Therefore the Lord replies to his question "How can this be?" with the words: "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this? You do not understand it; why, then, should you believe it? You are a theologian, and in Israel at that. How can you, whose duty it is to teach Israel, instruct others if you yourself are uninformed? It is incumbent upon a theologian to be conversant with this subject and to be qualified to teach it, particularly if he makes bold to be a teacher in Israel." Therefore the Lord continues:
11. Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.
As though He were to say: "Do not imagine, Nicodemus, that you can comprehend this matter. You must stick to the sound and the wind, that is, to the Word. One does not know whence the sound of the wind comes or where it goes."
Here the Lord explains the meaning of the sound. It is the physical Word that one hears, the testimony and the speeches delivered by preachers; in other words, it is the proclamation of the Word of God. In all
Christendom we have nothing greater or more sublime than the Word of God. We hear the sound of the wind; Holy Scripture presents the Word to us everywhere; for instance, in Baptism, where the Word is the principal item. One hears the Word and feels the water, and without the Word Baptism is nothing. What can water accomplish without the Word of God? Likewise, in Holy Communion bread and wine are of no effect without the Word. Bread would forever remain bread, and wine would remain wine. But when the Word is attached to the Sacrament of Baptism and the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, that does it; then one feels it, as the rushing of the wind is felt. When the Word is heard, then we feel its sound before our ears.
These are the limits of God's revelation of Himself, and we must not believe anything else. We must simply believe and be sure that what we are teaching truly happens. We cannot see and understand it, just as we cannot ascertain whence the wind comes. I cannot see or feel how I am delivered from death and sin. The saints of God are still encumbered with many sins; like other people, they feel in both body and soul a resistance to both Tables of Moses, especially to the First Table: impatience with God and a questioning of His acts and judgments. Christians experience this as much as anyone. But it is wrong! I must not see, feel, know, or recognize anything. I must only listen and cling to the Word, basing everything on the Word of God alone.
We are like a person who is subject to attacks of dizziness. If he is to climb a high tower or cross a bridge with deep water flowing underneath, he must be blindfolded, have his head covered with a coat, and be led and carried across. Otherwise he will fall from the tower and break his neck, or he will fall into the water and drown. Thus, too, if we are to be saved, we must follow our Leader; then we are safe. We, too, must simply close our eyes and follow our guide, the divine Word, and say: "I will let myself be wrapped in swaddling clothes, have a coat placed around my head, and be led to the point where I believe
- 139 without seeing. On this I am willing to live and die." We can never feel it in any other way, even though we were to tear ourselves to pieces over it. Many have fretted and yearned to know where we will abide and lodge after death, just what our goal will be. Many great men lost their minds because they could not find out where one goes when departing this life. Hence the proverb:
I live. How long, I do not know; Must die, but know not when I'll go; Pass on, but know not where 'twill be.
My cheerfulness surprises me.
It is true that a non-Christian can know nothing at all about this. But a Christian must look at the matter in a different light. He has a reliable and superior Leader; he follows his Leader and Guide, Christ, who tells him what to do, saying: "Listen to what we say; we know whereof we speak. Our words are the truth, Trust Me. Surrender yourself to My safekeeping. Place yourself in My coat, which I have wrapped around your head. I will carry you safely across. If you do this, you will not be led astray." But you may counter: "I do not know where I am going. I feel nothing. I am groping, but I am touching nothing." This is true indeed. Yet you must rely on God's Word and trust God, who will preserve you. Otherwise you will tumble from the tower and break your neck; you will fall overboard from the ship and drown. But nothing is in evidence there—no ladder, no steps, no rope from which the ladder is suspended, no road that leads to heaven. The road to heaven is found in Christ, and only in Him; it is charted for us in the divine Word. Disregard it, and you will step into space and fall. Therefore Christ says: "My dear
Nicodemus, you must merely believe and follow wherever the Word will lead you. You must entrust yourself to the sound of the wind and listen to what we say and witness; for we tell the truth, and we bear witness to what we have seen." In this way, and in no other, are we born anew and saved.
This marks the difference between Christians and heathen. A person who is ungodly and a heathen goes along like a cow; he sees, evaluates, and judges everything according to the old birth, according to what he sees or feels. A Christian, however, is not guided by what he sees or feels; he follows what he does not see or feel. He remains with the testimony of Christ; he listens to Christ's words and follows Him into the darkness. Thus we find ourselves in a sack, wrapped in Christ's cloak. He leads us to where He is, and in Christ we ascend into heaven. It is He who saves.
We stress this doctrine daily, that the Christian life is a life of faith. But the devil hampers it and interferes with it everywhere. As a result, the world is entirely indifferent; and many people even deride it, as the pope, the cardinals, the bishops, and the rest of the pope's vermin do. The peasants and the nobility are also becoming Epicureans. It is the devil's scheme to elevate some people; then, as soon as they believe, they will be lured away from the faith and will seize upon matters not recorded in God's Word.
They will take issue with God and brood over the question why God does not bring the entire world to faith and salvation. They will speculate on the wondrous works of God, on His government of the world and on His judgments. But here is where we should be smart enough to rebuff the devil and say: "I will be content with the wind spoken of here, that is, with faith. If I am content with the sound of this wind, I shall fare well. Then I am safe, and I stand on solid ground. But I do not want to know what God has not revealed in His Word; that I will leave to the angels."
Even a cow can hear and see what I can; such ability does me no good, because it is part of the old birth. Some things, on the other hand—for example, God's way of judging and ruling the world—have not been revealed to me. Earthly knowledge is too little for me, and heavenly knowledge is too much.23
Nicodemus is concerned about worldly affairs, about this life, and about other things that are directly contrary to the Ten Commandments; Annas and Caiaphas were preoccupied with similar shams. Others want to be too smart and try to know too much. But we must walk straight ahead, swerving neither to the right nor to the left.24 We must remain on the royal way, following the sound of the Word and without prying into the wisdom of the angels. If I cling to what has been revealed to me by the sound of the wind
—for I am not to discard everything on the left side—I cannot stray. As for the rest, whatever I am not intended to know I leave to God. Christ will not mislead me. It is not for me to scramble about and leave the trail; if I do, I will break my neck.
Those people have the effrontery to try to rise higher than faith. But remain on the correct path, on the blazed trail, where there is no swerving either to the right or to the left; this means that you, motivated by your own will or zeal, must do nothing arbitrarily. I will not gaze too sharply into the sun, for its glare is too strong and brilliant. I will hang a screen before it and content myself with listening to the sound. If you
- 140 do this, you will know all and have all, including everything that is necessary for your physical needs; you will live without worry here and beyond. Then I shall understand why God granted me faith, why He illumined me and not others; I shall also know that one clay God will glorify my present body. And once I have traveled this road toward heaven, I need no longer worry about the scoffers who want to rise altogether too high.
In 2 Cor. 12:2–4 St. Paul says that he was caught up into the third heaven and there beheld things which man, yes, he himself dared not utter. But that is not for us. By the decision and decree of heaven, the only prescribed way for us men to pass from death to life is the testimony of God, that is, the divine
Word, the sound of the wind. We must follow this Word, testimony, and message, depending entirely on it; for God permits Himself to be heard in the proclamation of the divine Word. Set your heart wholly on it, as 1 Peter 1:13 says. If you are wrapped up in Him this way, then let Him pull you along in blind reliance on Him. Then, if He takes you to heaven or leads you to hell, it does not matter; for God is with you, and nothing can harm you.
But the devil places many obstacles in our way to keep us from understanding all this. Even after we do understand it, the devil is still reluctant to leave us undisturbed. He sends us physical and spiritual temptations—physical ones, to make us greedy, unchaste, and sensual; spiritual ones, to make us frivolous and indifferent to the words of God that are addressed to us in Baptism, in Holy Communion, and in absolution. Is it not despicable for anyone to be indifferent to words like "I baptize you" or "Whoever believes and is baptized" or "I forgive you your sins" or "Christ gives us His body and blood in the Lord's
Supper"? Therefore the wiseacres and schismatic spirits take offense at these words and despise them, as the proclamation of the Gospel is also despised because the persons who preach the Gospel are such insignificant men. These smart alecks suppose: "God really should present something more imposing!"
Because of its plainness they also despise Baptism, while they boast and talk much about the Spirit.
But we must know that God carries out His work and accomplishes great things through this humble form of Word and Sacraments. He is trustworthy; He who testifies here cannot deceive us, for He is not a man who can lie. Neither is it a man who preaches and baptizes; it is God. And if God declares: "I want to save you by the Word," you are to believe it; for by presenting His Word and Sacraments to us God deals graciously with us. He could pull a great whale from the ocean with a human hair—something we would be unable to do with many thousands of ropes. Therefore we should remember who this great Person is that deals with us in the Sacrament and addresses us through the office of the ministry. In six days He created heaven and earth. What sort of hands did He have for this task? Certainly not my fingers!
Therefore we should hold His voice, testimony, and statements in high esteem. They are so simple that we can cleave to them; God deals with us this way that we may be able to bear His presence. For if He were to come to deal with us in His true person and majesty, we would be lost. No one would believe it if He were to utter a word strong enough to resound from heaven to earth. No one would be able to endure a voice as great and powerful as the one on Mt. Sinai, when He spoke with trumpet blasts amid a great display of thunder, with the entire mountain on fire and enveloped in smoke, as is recorded in Ex. 19 and 20. The Israelites did not want to come before God; they asked Moses to be their spokesman that they might not all die. Moses said: "You are right. And God will give you another Prophet to whom you should cling (Deut. 18:15), that is, Christ. God will put His words into this Prophet's mouth, and He will speak graciously to us." But what happened on Mt. Sinai? There we could not endure God's voice, and we complained that we would have to die if we had to listen to God. Therefore Christ was to speak so plainly and gently to us that we might believe His words and testimony and cling to them. When God had appeared in His majesty, it was altogether too frightful; but now that He has come in a humbler form, we want nothing of that either. Thus we do not want the proclamation of the Law because of its splendor and luster, while we despise this other proclamation as an insignificant and inconsequential matter.
Therefore it should be our concern to prize this knowledge and to thank God that now we possess it so abundantly. But the Lord says to Nicodemus: "Even if I go to great length in My explanations, you pay no heed but insist on having it your own way as you think fit; you do not believe Me." A barefoot friar or a Carthusian cares nothing about the sound of the wind; but he pictures and portrays God to himself as sitting in heaven, with eyes only for his stinking cowl. That the exalted Divine Majesty should deal with us men through the medium of His Word is unbearable to such a person. On the other hand, it is unbearable to God that He should approve and accept everyone's fancies and become their fool. Nor should we want to have a God who adopts the manner of every arrant fool.
- 141 And now God says: "I will be your God. On Mt. Sinai I did indeed speak terrifyingly to you, and you could not endure it. Now I will send you a Prophet, that is, My Son, who will be a human being and will speak to you through human speech and words. His testimony and His words you, Nicodemus, must hear; if not, you are lost. Do you, a teacher and theologian in Israel, not know this? Have you never read what
Ex. 3 says that Moses did in Egypt?" When he was to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, he said: "O Lord, send anyone Thou wilt but me; for I am not equal to it. Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Children of Israel out of Egypt? I could not lead out a sheep or take a single step." And God replied: "Well, I shall be with you." Moses had to listen to this sound and believe in it; he had to obey the Word, and, in obedience to the Word, lead out the Children of Israel. In His anger God said: "Your brother
Aaron shall speak to the king for you and persuade him to let the people go." Now Moses might have been tempted to say: "Oh, the king is too powerful for me to set foot in his court and great hall! The country is his; it is entirely enclosed. I see no path or road on which I could take the people from the country." Such thoughts made a fool of Moses. Nevertheless, he followed the blowing of the wind, the testimony and Word of God, which said: "Go ahead, and I will surely find a way; in fact, I will find a way where not even a gnat could walk." And what did God do now? Well, since many miracles did not avail, God slew all the first-born of man and beast in Egypt. Thus God brought it about that the Egyptians themselves drove the people of Israel from the land, and the whole country of Egypt stood wide open on all sides. The Egyptians even implored them to leave; they opened doors and windows, and rejoiced over the good riddance.
According to Ex. 14, the Israelites came to the Red Sea during the exodus from Egypt. The sea was flanked on both sides by mountains so high that a bird could hardly fly over them. The Egyptians, with their hosts, pursued them, and now the Israelites found themselves entirely encircled and cornered. There were mountains, cliffs, and crags on the sides; but the sea was in front of them. Thus their way of escape was cut off. Therefore women, children, and beasts lost heart and cried: "Oh, were there no graves in Egypt that we might have died there? See here, dear Moses, you have led us here and brought us into these straits."25 But what induced them to talk this way? Well, they were still living in the first birth. Then
Moses cried to the Lord. His heart must have pounded and trembled a little, so that God chided him in His anger, saying: "Why do you cry to Me?" (Ex. 14:15). Yes, he was looking for a way to rescue the nation from the hands of the enemy; for they were surrounded by death. But the question was: "How to escape?
We cannot climb over the mountains, and we must not fall into the hands of the enemy." But what happened? Then Moses yielded to the sound of the wind heard in the words of God: "Take your rod and strike the sea." A wide, broad way was opened—perhaps as wide as the distance from Wittenberg to Kernberg,26 or even a little wider—straight through the Red Sea. Thus the Children of Israel, 600,000 armed men, not counting the others, could march through leisurely while the water stood like mountains on both sides.
Holy Writ abounds in instances of how the saints of God accomplished great deeds and conquered kingdoms through faith. We find some of these cited in Heb. 11. Thus we, too, must cleave to the Word of God through faith. By means of a little word of God, "Strike the sea with your rod!" Moses blazed a dry trail through the sea in a moment. One could never have drained the sea with a hundred thousand ships, but God accomplished this feat with a single word!
Dear Nicodemus, as a teacher of Holy Writ you should know this. For the entire Psalter and all the prophets declare that God is wonderful, and that His ways are past finding out and not easily disceruible.
In Ps. 77:19 we read: "His way is in deep waters, and yet His footprints are unseen." Therefore you should not say: "How can this be? How is this possible?" Instead, you should rely directly on the Word of God and not have reason or the old birth argue the question whether it is possible or not. No, you should declare: "Lord, Thou hast said it. Yes, I believe Thy witnesses; I will follow Thy Word. Whether it be into the sea or through the sea, into heaven or into hell, I will surely reach the goal if I follow the sound of the rushing wind, that is, the divine Word."
Moses might well have thought: "Striking the water with the rod, as God has commanded me, will never achieve anything. For what is a rod in comparison with the whole sea, so large, wide, and deep?"
But it was not for Moses to understand how this was possible; his eyes were to be blindfolded. Thus God said: "Strike the water!" And at this point Moses might have said: "Look, Lord, this is a rod and not a ladle or a vessel! How can I drain the sea with this rod and make a ford across it?" And yet the sea had to separate before the rod and stand like a wall on both sides. Now Moses must have thought: "I would never
- 142 have expected to see such an avenue!" But as he believed, so it happened. A roadway was opened through the sea—not a footpath but a great wide highway. The water receded to both sides and stood like walls, farther apart than from Wittenberg to Kemberg. It was really not Moses' staff that did it. The Word of God, "Strike the water!" created a new heart and mind in him; and this deed followed immediately. He also believed the testimony and was born anew. He only believed the Word, although he neither knew nor understood how this could accomplish such a thing.
Thus the Lord now says to Nicodemus: "Since you are a teacher in Israel, you should have known this long ago. Read the Psalms and the prophet Isaiah, where you will find many examples which prove that everything happens through the Word of God and that everything is sustained if God pronounces the Word and this Word is believed. Believers must transcend the knowledge and understanding of the old birth in their thoughts and actions. In their case it is something else; it is different work—a matter of faith, not of reason. Therefore we must realize that the life of a Christian, or the new birth, does not consist in external matters which we can comprehend but in faith and the Word of God, in speech and witness. And now, since you do not yet believe, you are not born anew. But if you do have faith in the Word, you do not care even though you are beheaded or burned at the stake or killed by the plague or exiled into misery and beggary. Simply believe the Word, and do not ask: 'How may I preserve my life?' Believe the Word and the testimony, and it will all come to pass. But if you insist on tangible evidence, nothing is gained.
"In Holy Writ we see that the prophets and patriarchs had to do this at all times; they had to obey the Word, believe, and do what seemed impossible to reason. Judged according to the old birth, they fell behind; but they had to follow the new birth. Holy Writ contains many examples of this, and you should be familiar with them, Nicodemus. The devil and sin are powerful and strong. What then are you to do?
Listen to the Spirit and the sound of the wind. Be baptized and believe, and leave the rest to Me. I will open up a new sea in which all men will be cleansed, washed, bathed, and born anew. Then do not say:
'Water and Word are plain and useless things,' but do say: 'I will accept the Word, the sound, and wager everything on it, whether I live or die.' Then you will see how you are led forth from Egypt, and how
Pharaoh and his entire host must drown in the sea. Then everything will be easier. You will be happy and cheerful, and you will come through the Red Sea. Although the Children of Israel forded it with anxious hearts, it all turned out well in the end, just as it does in physical birth. Ask a midwife how much pain, anxiety, and mortal fear are involved in birth. But after the child is born, the sorrow is changed into great joy. The case of the old Adam is similar. When he is supposed to die; when one must subdue and mortify him and walk in faith; when the old Adam is asked to endure fire, pestilence, war, and other distress—then he is pained and grieved. But persevere and bear up, and you will enter the kingdom of God. You must suffer and bear your cross bravely."
This we preach daily in order to inculcate respect for the Word of God, which was very much despised in the papacy. It was never taught or understood there. Instead, there was a deep contempt for the divine
Word. And the devil would like to snatch God's Word away from us today. Once it is gone, the devil is content to let you do as your fancy dictates; he will let you wear your cowl and tonsure. But if the Word and faith remain in force, then the sea and the Jordan must open. And even if mountains stood on both sides, they would become as soft as down and recede. Thus Christ says: "If you have faith, you can say to the mountain, 'Move and hurl yourself into the sea,' and this will come to pass" (Matt. 17:20).
Thus you, too, must follow the divine Word, as the Children of Israel did when they migrated from Egypt. For Christ still assures us today, according to Is. 64: "The sea shall become a paradise to you."27 He breaks a path for us to enable us to reach the other shore. He says: "Come to Me, climb on My back. I will wrap you in My coat, take you through, and bring you hale and hearty to the other shore of the Red Sea. I will help you go from this life into eternal life." We do not see this, but Christ knows it; and later on we shall discover that the sound was not meaningless but that it was the voice and Word of God Almighty. If we permit it to guide us, we shall never be lost.28
From the words which the Lord Jesus addressed to Nicodemus we have learned that He wants us to be bound to the Word and testimony of God. In matters pertaining to salvation we should learn, know, see, hear, and accept nothing but what God has spoken. We should abide by His Word, and neither try to improve on it nor to follow anything else. Whoever presumes to be saved without the Word or to improve on it will go astray. We dare not deviate from it, neither to the right nor to the left.
For the devil seduces man in two ways. He either lures him to the left, so that he believes nothing at all; or he entices him to the right, where he plagues him with holiness and human wisdom. In the latter
- 143 case people may believe something or other, but they always want to improve on God and soar higher than God Himself. This has always been the mark of heretics.
Thus the devil also duped our first parents, Adam and Eve, in Paradise. The serpent promised to make them wiser, although they would have been wise enough had they contented themselves with their former state. They wanted to soar higher and learn what was proper for God alone to know. When the serpent said to them (Gen. 3:5): "You will be like God," he cast them and all of us since then into sin, death, and misery with that disgraceful question: Why were they permitted to eat from all the trees in the garden and not from the forbidden tree? Thus we fell from the divine wisdom and followed the devil, who led us into hell and eternal damnation.
The heretic Arius29 followed the same line of argument. He said: "It is impossible for God to become man. How could He who was born of Mary be God's Son? How could a man be God at the same time?"
He claimed it was a violation of God's majesty and honor that both divinity and humanity should be present in the person of Christ.
Another argument is: How is it possible for three distinct Persons to dwell in one single Godhead?
And in the same way one can also argue about Baptism: How can one little drop of water wash sin away, or how can a piece of bread be the Lord's body in Holy Communion? Or a debate arises on the eternal providence of God, on God's rule of the world: Why does God permit the Turk and the pope to rave and rage against the Lords vineyard, the Christian Church? All this is based on that word "Why?" and it lays claim to great wisdom. The devil suggests it to us in order to deceive us and lead us away from what God has commanded us to know to what God has reserved for Himself alone.
We cannot enlarge on this here in connection with our text. We shall content ourselves with knowing that we should not join the great multitude, despise God's Word, and thus swerve to the left, and that we should not presume to be too wise with those who swerve too far to the right. It must be our sole concern to inquire and search into what God has revealed and commanded us to find in His Word, in Baptism, and in Holy Communion. What is pleasing to God is this: that you be baptized, believe in Christ, partake of Holy Communion, be subject to temporal government, obey your father and mother, and do whatever else God has commanded and instituted. In all this God has revealed more to us than we can ever accomplish.
But as for the rest—for instance, how the Trinity can be but one God, or how God rules the world—that you must not try to understand; you must believe it. Leave it to God, and trust His Word. If it had been necessary for us to know more, God would have revealed it to us.
This is why the Lord Christ says here: "We speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen; but you do not receive our testimony." That is: "Our testimony and teaching are surely true; but what good does it do? For either you decline to accept it and thus turn to the left; or you begin to soar too high, correct it, and want to improve on it. But all this gets you nowhere. Wherever one refuses to adhere to the voice and the proclamation, the sound of the wind, there all is lost." Thus we are told in Is. 7:9: "If you will not be silent and believe, surely you will perish." Why, then, do we torture ourselves to death in an attempt to explore the nature of God and try to know what we are not supposed to know? We are much like patients who long to recover and yet refuse to obey the physician or to take his medicine. They despise both the physician and his drugs, saying: "Oh, it won't harm me if I eat and drink whatever my parents give me, even though the physician has forbidden it!"
But we do not have time to dwell further on this subject. The Lord now continues and says: "You do not want to believe our testimony." He declares:
12. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
Although these words contain a wealth of meaning and could be expounded at greater length, we shall explain them more briefly.
We stated above that one cannot know the origin, the source, or the goal of the wind. Similarly, no one understands how a human being is conceived in the womb and born, how he grows and increases in stature, how food and drink are transformed into flesh and blood and then into excrement in one day and one night. The philosophers have deliberated long on this problem of human nourishment, but have found no answer. They have observed that bread and wine are not flesh and blood, that flesh is not blood, and that bread and wine will never change into flesh and blood outside the human body. And yet, when these things are eaten and are cooked in the stomach, they become flesh and blood within twenty-four hours.
- 144 Much has also been written about the birth and the nourishment of an infant, how it becomes pretty and chubby and attractive, although its food may consist of nothing but dry bread and water.30
These are earthly matters; we behold them with our eyes. We see, for example, that women are pregnant; but just how this operates, we do not know. Since we do not comprehend such earthly things, why, then, do you plague yourself to find out how three Persons can be one God or how a virgin can be a mother? Why do you try to reason this out? Thus the Sacramentarians31 want to know how bread can be the body of Christ. You cannot even know how you fall asleep or how you wake up, something we experience in our daily life; and yet you insist on knowing things far beyond and outside the range of reason, things which are far too profound for us. Let God's works stand and remain as they are. Content yourself with the sound of the wind.
We should follow the Lord when He tells us that we must be born anew. We can learn from the example of people who have been reborn. The rebirth transformed them into persons so different that they could hardly be recognized any more. Think of Abraham, Isaac, David, Samson, and Gideon. Faith and the Word of God changed them into wholly different people. Gideon, for example, slew 100,000 men without drawing a sword (Judg. 7:15–23). He merely told his men to carry a burning torch and a jar. They broke the jars and blew their trumpets. What made Gideon do this was not his first birth but his rebirth.
Thus Abraham, too, became a different person. With 300 servants he put four mighty kings to flight (Gen.
14:13–16). This was no longer the son of Terah; it was a new man. For Abraham was a child of God; he possessed and believed God's Word.
"I want you to know that the old birth without faith accomplishes nothing. If you cannot understand the things that happen in the world, of which we have so many examples in Holy Writ, how, then, could you understand a sermon about heavenly things?" He was going to preach about the Holy Trinity, about how Christ would rise on the third clay and sit on the right hand of God, and about the other sublime articles of the Christian Creed. "Nicodemus, you do not believe the instances that are recorded in your books—about Samson, Gideon, Abraham, and other great men who were transformed by faith. For who is strong enough today to open a lion's jaws as Samson and David did? Only those who are born of the Spirit may do it."
Now Christ wants to say: "If you cannot understand how you must become a different man, how could you understand if I told you that I am the Son of God?" For later Christ tells Nicodemus that no one ascends into heaven but He who descended from heaven, namely, the Son of man, who is in heaven. This is a parallel to the text of John 6:53: "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you." There the Lord refers to spiritual eating and drinking, to the eating not of the mouth but of the soul. There the body is the food for our soul; and the blood of Christ, shed for us, is its drink.
How this happens is beyond my power of comprehension. But faith accepts it, eats it, becomes big and fat, and grows strong for eternal life.
In this same passage the people murmur about this saying of Christ. They become confused and argumentative, and they ask: "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?" When they are offended by His statement, Jesus answers them (John 6:62): "Do you take offense at this? Then what will you do when the Son of man awakens you from the dead on the Last Day?" Here He is speaking about a different subject, more sublime than eating and drinking. As if He were to say: "You don't want to understand that I am referring to the eating and drinking of the heart by faith, and that My body and blood remain whole and undiminished. This seems a difficult saying to you, although you know what it means to eat and to drink.
But the eating and drinking spoken of here is different from physical eating and drinking, which one can partly feel and see. And if you cannot understand this, what would you do if you were told that He who was crucified under Pontius Pilate and descended into hell would ascend into heaven and sit at the right hand of God the Father, whence He had come? This would appear much harder and more difficult to you."
Here the Lord is speaking to the people about heavenly things, about His true divinity and humanity, and about other sublime articles of faith. But Nicodemus could not understand how he was to become a new man. He assumes that he is to be born anew of his mother. He cannot understand that he must give his reason a vacation and accept faith. If one does not understand this, how, then, can one hope to understand that God's Son became man and ascends into heaven again? It would have been far more easily understood if the Lord had said: "You will not get to heaven unless you listen to God's Word and believe in the Son of God, who came from heaven, was crucified, died, was buried, and will ascend again into heaven. But human reason begins to grow furious and foolish over the message that Christ descended
- 145 from heaven and ascended again into heaven. If this is so, what would happen if you were to hear that I suffered, died, was crucified, and rose from the dead; that I came from heaven and yet always remained in heaven; and that I am still Lord over heaven and earth? If from the outset you do not believe this and are not baptized in order to become new persons, how could you ever believe that three Persons are one God and that the second Person became man?"
I shall hold to the simple statement which the Lord makes so emphatically here, namely, that we must remain with the Word, that is, with the sound of the wind. And what other message does the sound of the wind convey than that we must be born anew through the Word and Baptism? At Pentecost, to be sure, the sound of the wind was stronger than it usually is; there the wind roared and blew in a different way, although it was the same wind as before. It proclaimed that the Christ is Lord over all creation, Creator of heaven and earth, seated at the right hand of the Father, Lord of the angels and of the celestial and earthly creatures as well as of those who dwell in hell, and superior to all the powers on earth.
This is not only a testimony; it is an article more sublime and heavenly than the one dealing with Baptism. This is something so sublime that it cannot be expressed in words. But we shall refrain from discussing such sublime matters and confine ourselves to plain and simple questions. St. Paul transcended these when he was caught up into the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:3). But we shall refrain from teaching others about this; for we have only two heavens, the one which we see hovering above us, and the other, of which Ps. 8:3 says: "I shall see Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers," namely, the kingdom of heaven. In the New Testament Christ calls His Word and His kingdom "the kingdom of heaven," in which the Word of God and the Gospel are preached and taught. In this kingdom we hear that whoever believes and is baptized will be saved and enter the kingdom (Mark 16:16). At some future time, when we have been raised from the dead, we shall also come into the third kingdom, in which St. Paul, as he declared, "heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter" (2 Cor. 12:5). Thus Christ wants to say here: "Oh,
Nicodemus, I have been preaching to you simply about earthly matters, that one must be born anew and become a different man, as David, Gideon, and Samson became different men! The ability to do battle with a lion does not belong to an ordinary man, to one born only of flesh and blood."
Elijah and Moses appeared to Christ on Mt. Tabor, when the heaven was radiantly bright. But I am satisfied to have the second heaven proclaimed to me, where Christ sits at the right hand of His Father and where there is the proclamation: "Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16). But when we arise from the dead on the Last Day, we shall also hear the words which hitherto no one has heard but Paul, Moses, and Elijah.
Christ wants everyone to take reason captive and to obey only the sound of the wind. For we are not saved through reason. No, we must become spiritual and believe. In my opinion, the Jews could be persuaded to believe that a man must be reborn and must become a different man. But they cannot bear to hear that Christ is God, that there are three Persons in the Godhead, and that the Virgin Mary received her milk from heaven rather than in the natural way. All this is intolerable to them and offends them; it is too sublime for them. But whoever refuses to believe lesser things, how could he accept greater ones?
However, we shall not expound this any further. Since the Jews would not believe Christ while He still sojourned here on earth, they became hardened. And now, since Christ reigns in heaven, they will believe
Him even less. Christ's words, therefore, only confused Nicodemus more and more.
And now the Lord continues and indicates what He means by "heavenly things." He says:
13. No one has ascended into heaven but He who descended from heaven, namely, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.
Subsequently the Lord will explain and interpret His own words more clearly when He says: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, etc." This will involve another article of faith, He wants to say, one far more difficult to understand than the article that flesh and blood or your reason cannot save you. The old birth will not do it, nor will it help you that Abraham is your father. Christ says: "No one has ascended into heaven"—no one, He says, but the one Man who descended from heaven. These words perplex and confuse poor Nicodemus more and more. He is tempted to say here: "What good does it do me to be born anew of the water and the Spirit if no one ascends into heaven but He who descends from heaven? Truly, I shall never ascend, even though I should be born anew; for I have never been in heaven!"
That is a stumbling block at first. We have never descended from heaven, and now we hear that whoever has not been in heaven will never enter there. What sense does this make: Christ came from heaven, He is still in heaven above, and He is returning to heaven? Those are strange and heavenly words.
- 146 This is a more difficult sermon than the one Christ delivered before. How is it to be understood? Why don't you ask reason: How can something that is in heaven and that remains in heaven simultaneously descend from heaven and ascend into heaven? How is it that Christ alone is to do this? Reason will be quick to conclude: "Well, then only he who descends from heaven will be saved. If this is true, why, then, proclaim that whoever believes and is baptized will be saved (Mark 16:16)? Why, then, are we baptized for salvation?"
But all this is still being said with a view to the rebirth. Christ wants to slay reason and subdue the arrogance of the Jews, who held that God would accept them as holy and pious by reason of their sacrifices, their good works, their religion, and their divine worship. But Christ says: "The righteousness of the Law and of our reason is absolutely dead." Whoever has been born only of a woman and possesses nothing but natural birth, will not ascend into heaven. Human wisdom, good works, and whatever the first birth may confer upon us—all counts for nothing; it is done away with and disqualified. For our powers and our reason did not descend from heaven; therefore they will not ascend into heaven again.
If this verse had been understood in the papacy, many an error might easily have been avoided.
Monk's cowls would surely not have been placed on the deceased,32 for the cowl of St. Francis did not descend from heaven. This sermon is an affront to them when it tells them that their order is nothing. They might still tolerate the sound of the words: "You must be born again." But to hear it said: "No one ascends into heaven," is too much for them. For by saying "no one" Christ makes a clean sweep and excludes all but Christ.
With these words Christ fells all the glory of the world with one blow, so that it withers like grass, as Isaiah declares (40:6–8): "All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field…. The grass withers, the flower fades." Thus God blows His breath over the holiness of people and withers it like hay.
Therefore our entire salvation and bliss are solely dependent on one Man, Christ. And here the work of our redemption is described in the three propositions: that Christ descended from heaven, that He resides in heaven above, and that He ascends into heaven again. The first one states who the person is; the second, the work He performed; the third, why He performed it.
In the first place, the person is of such a nature that He resides in heaven above, that is, He is true eternal God from the beginning of the world to the present. As was said to the Jews in John 8:58: "Before Abraham was, I am." This means: His existence is heavenly; He is true God. He did not derive His divinity from this earth or from His mother, the Virgin Mary. No, He had His divine existence before His birth, in His birth, and after His birth. He came from heaven, remained in heaven, and will ascend into heaven again, as He says in John 6:62: "You will see the Son of man ascending where He was before."
These words also describe the Person of Christ as very God from eternity. Reason, however, cannot fathom how He can descend from heaven and simultaneously remain where He was before. Thus the Person of Christ is portrayed as true God within the eternal Godhead in heaven who later came down to us and was born of the Virgin Mary and was still later to ascend into heaven again. All this proved that He was very God and very man. He is simultaneously on earth below and in heaven above, and after His death and His resurrection from the dead He will ascend into heaven again. He calls Himself the Son of man who has His existence both on earth and in heaven.
This is our faith: that Christ is true God and man. His ascending and descending indicates His work.
This points to a heavenly article of faith: that He is the Son of God and man in heaven, where He has always stayed. We shall postpone a discussion of His work of ascending and descending. It would carry us too far afield here and would consume too much time. For the present we shall content ourselves with learning that Christ is true God and man.33
The last time we heard the Lord Christ direct us to believe the testimony of the proclamation that no one can be saved unless he remains loyal to the Word which He Himself and the apostles proclaimed. This is the source of our comfort and our joy. It is not based on our own ideas, and it did not grow up in our garden; but it rests solely on Christ's knowledge and testimony, which we must believe without questioning. For whoever strays from the Word, either to the right or to the left, will break his neck. For the present we shall refrain from speaking about the enthusiasts, who despise the Word of God and boast of their enlightenment, their revelations, and their angelic visions. He says:
13. No one has ascended into heaven but He who descended from heaven.
Here the Lord states explicitly what we are to believe: the testimony and the strange proclamation that pertains to Christ alone. But how can reason accommodate itself to this strange speech? How can reason
- 147 harmonize the declaration that He descended and yet dwells above, that He ascended again and yet was continuously above in heaven? No human heart or mind can conceive such a thought. Reason says that it is impossible for one to descend from heaven and yet remain in heaven at the same time. Therefore we
Christians are regarded as extremely stupid people to believe things that are impossible and diametrically opposed to reason.
But whoever does not want to believe this, need not. It makes no difference to us that we cannot fathom it. If we are looked upon as fools because of this attitude, our folly will do us no harm. After all, we Christians are not so foolish; we know very well what we believe and where to look for and find help and counsel in every situation, and where we shall live eternally after we have been delivered from our present distress. If others refuse to believe this, they can let it alone. They try to reason it out. In their madness each one seeks to find God in a different way. Today they hit upon this idea, tomorrow on that.
But it is all useless. One must rely solely on the testimony which Jesus Christ, God's Son, brought down from heaven and believe it. This Christians do. They could, of course, make much of the revelation and visions of God. But they listen only to the testimony of this Man and believe Him. They accord Him the honor of declaring that it is all certainly true, even though it contradicts reason and sense. In God's name they wager everything on this testimony.
According to reason, it does not ring true to say that Christ descended; but according to faith, it makes good sense. We also believe that Christ, our Savior, is the true Son of Mary34 and the only-begotten Son of God; and yet there are not two sons but only one Son of God the Father and of the Virgin Mary. We believe that He is eternal God and very man and that He has two natures, the divine and the human; nevertheless, there is only one Son, both God's and Mary's, and not two sons. In the fullness of time (Gal.
4:4) He assumed His humanity from the Virgin Mary, but His divinity he received from eternity from the Father. Thus this same Son of God, who was from eternity, is also the Son of the Virgin Mary. There are two distinct natures but only one Son, Jesus Christ. This is our faith: that God has no other Son than the one born of the Virgin Mary, and that the Son, begotten by the Father before the beginning of the world, lies in the lap of Mother Mary.
We must hold to this faith in opposition to the heretics. The Turk contends that Mary was not the mother of the Son of God. The Nestorians said that Mary was not the mother of God but only of the man
Jesus, who by nature was only her son.35 They made two sons out of one. But there is only one Son; and yet there are two natures, which gave Mary the right to say: "This Son Jesus, whom I bore and suckled on my breasts, is the eternal God, born of the Father in eternity, and also my Son." And God says likewise:
"Mary's Son is My only Son." Thus Mary is the mother of God.36 And Christ, together with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, is very God from eternity who became man in time. So God the Father does not have a son apart from Mary's, nor does Mary have a son apart from God the Father's. This is the foundation on which our faith rests: that Jesus Christ has two natures even though He is one indivisible
Person. There are not two sons and two persons; there is one Son and one Person.
But if we differentiate two sons in Christ, then it must follow that there are also two persons; this would nullify our redemption and the forgiveness of sin. No, the two natures must be the one Christ.
Otherwise no satisfaction could have been rendered for our sins, and nothing would come of our salvation.
If Christ were only man, His suffering would have been useless; for no man's suffering has ever been able to overcome my sin and yours, death and the power of the devil, God's wrath and eternal damnation.
Therefore it was necessary for Him to be God, and, in order to suffer, also true man. Furthermore, if there were two persons, He would not be able to sit at the right hand of God as merely a human being.
If reason wants to philosophize and rationalize here and say: "Tell me, how can the Almighty God be born of a virgin and become man? How can God become man?" you reply: "I cannot understand it. But I must believe that both, Mary and God, had one Son, born from the Father from eternity and from Mary in time, one Person with two eternally inseparable natures." For Christ, God and man, refuses to be divided into two persons. If He were, we would be lost. Therefore this affords us the greatest comfort in every distress: that God and man are one and not two. Mary is to have no other Son than the one whom God, the heavenly Father, has. Nor is God, the heavenly Father, to have a different Son from the one Christ's mother has—with this distinction, however, that the Son assumed His human nature from the Virgin Mary and the divine nature from God, the heavenly Father.
- 148 The schismatic spirits have always had a yen to divide the Person of Christ. But our faith will not tolerate this. The natures, to be sure, are separated; but there is only one Son, the Son of both God and of the Virgin Mary.
Now we revert to our text, which is easily understood on the basis of what we have said: "No one has ascended into heaven but He who descended from heaven." Here Christ is really pointing to His two natures, which dwell in one person. He indicates that His Father is God and that His mother is human, that both have the one and the same Son, our clear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as our Creed also teaches.
Inasmuch as Christ is God, He is in heaven above from eternity, together with the Father. When He was born of the Virgin Mary, however, He descended from heaven; but at the same time He remained in heaven. He also ascended into heaven, but He was also in heaven before His ascension.
The expression "descended" denotes that the Son, who was sent into the world by the Father but never left the company of the Father, became man, Mary's Son. Thus all the fathers, including St. Augustine, interpreted this word.37 That He descended means that God's Son assumed our poor flesh, became man, and was born of the Virgin Mary. He not only adopted our flesh but also descended into death and the grave, yes, into hell, as we confess in the Creed: "He descended into hell."38 And at the same time that He was the mighty God here on earth, He was and remained the mighty God in heaven. No place and no space can contain the Godhead, as it is written in the prophet (Is. 66:1): "Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool." He ascended again into heaven; yet He had been sitting continuously at the right hand of God, His heavenly Father. Yes, according to His deity, He was eternal. And yet He revealed
Himself on earth, appearing personally and physically as man. He assumed a body and soul like ours. He was crucified. His thirst was quenched with vinegar. He died, was buried, and descended into hell. And all this involved no diminution of His Godhead. The only Person who is called God and who existed from eternity is He who assumed humanity. Thus He is the Son of God and of Mary. When He was born of the Virgin, He became a human Son through her.
Reason cannot fathom this. We must believe, as Holy Scripture also testifies, that Christ is true God and that He also became true man. Therefore both statements are true: He remains in heaven eternally; and yet He descended to earth without any change in His Godhead, becoming a human Son through His mother.
How all this comes to pass, I admit I do not understand. But for that matter there are many natural things beyond our power of comprehension: for example, the fact that we can hear, see, and speak; or that our food and drink is transformed into flesh and blood. And since we are ignorant of such things, we should keep silence and listen to God's Word when it says: "We speak of what we know." Even though we cannot understand this, it is proclaimed that we might believe it. We should not brood over the question how all this can happen, but we are simply to believe it. If, however, you refuse to believe it and insist on reasoning it out, you are lost. Therefore be satisfied to say: "I believe in the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, the one Son of God the Father and of the Virgin Mary. He has two natures, but He is one
Person. He is not two Christ's, nor is He two sons." Just how this happens to be so, reason cannot grasp; but it will be sufficient for you to know that there are two natures united in one Person.
Thus this text states that Christ descended from heaven; and after He had carried out His office here, He ascended again visibly into heaven, sits at the right hand of God, and rules there with might—not only according to His divine nature, as He did from eternity, but also according to His human nature. And everything—angels, principalities, and all creatures—everything is subject to the Son of Mary, very man; for divinity and humanity are now one essence and one Person in Christ. In John 6:61–62 Christ says to His disciples: "Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where
He was before?" In this chapter we also hear that He is above and that He is below, for He ascends as He is God's Son and He descends as He becomes man. According to His human nature, He dwelt on earth, died, and was buried; but according to His divine nature, He ascends into heaven again, where, in His divine nature, He had always remained. Thus Christ is the highest, the center, and the lowest; in short, He is the One and All. Thus St. Paul says to the Ephesians (4:8–10): "When He ascended on high, He led a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men. In saying, He ascended, what does it mean but that He also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things." Therefore Christ is the highest and the lowest, and none can be found to compare with Him.
- 149 And so the Son of the Father is also Mary's Son, and Mary's Son remained true God. He retained His Godhead unaltered, when, according to His human nature, He came down to earth, became man, and descended into "the lower parts," namely, into hell, and then ascended again into heaven. And since there is only one Son, there cannot be two; but this one Son descended, ascended, and remained in heaven above. Therefore it is correct to say that God's Son descended, ascended, and remained in heaven above, although this one act, that of descending, was performed only according to His human nature. But since the two natures dwell in the one undivided Person of Christ, one also ascribes to the divine nature what properly pertains to the human nature. For this reason it is not wrong to say: "The Son of God and of Mary descended into hell, suffered, and died" or "The Son of God and of Mary ascended into heaven and sits on the right hand of His heavenly Father."
In view of its great importance, I should like to illustrate this article of faith with examples if I could.
But we must use whatever examples we can find. You know that man possesses body and soul. But the body has an entirely different nature from that of the soul, and the soul has a nature different from that of the body. The body without the soul is not a human being; neither is the soul without the body a human being. But body and soul together constitute one human being, not two. And these two, body and soul, are so closely united that touching even one little hair of a man is regarded as touching the whole person.
Striking a man's arm or leg is regarded as striking the whole person, body and soul. Or let us take a sleeping person. The body is indeed asleep, but the soul is not asleep; it reflects and moves, it has its breath or life. Thus man sleeps and, at the same time, does not sleep; lives and does not live; smells and does not smell. Yet the two natures, body and soul, form one entity and being, and this despite the fact that there are two distinct natures. Body and soul cannot be divorced in a living being.
Likewise, a living and normal child is endowed with body and soul at birth. If it is dead at birth, one does not say that a son has been born. A mother does not say, however, that she has borne two children or two persons, but only one. But the child has two natures in one being, and each nature is different from the other. The childs soul is not derived from the mother's soul or from her blood, while the body is derived from the drops of the mother's blood. The working and creating of God is so marvelous that the body grows in the mother's womb, but not the soul. God Himself infuses the soul into man and thus gives him life.39
In other words, body and soul are two distinct parts, two natures; and yet they are one undivided being.
No one would say: "The mother bore two human beings." No, it was only one human being, although it has two natures. From this illustration one can, to a certain degree, understand the doctrine that the one
Christ has two natures and that He is God and man in one Person. Although our illustration is not adequate in every point of comparison, it may nonetheless serve the purpose of explaining to the simple people how two natures can form one essence in one Person.
To illustrate further: It is also said that a highwayman has struck down a person when he may only have inflicted a wound or cut off an arm. And when speaking of a person as slain, one does not say: "His soul was run through with a dagger"; one mentions only the body. And yet we say: "The whole person was injured"; for body and soul are united in one person.
We are told here that Christ, true God and born as true man, descended according to His humanity, that God's Son died, descended into hell, and ascended again into heaven; that at the same time God remained in heaven, for the Godhead does not move about hither and thither but is omnipresent; and that according to His human nature, Christ ascended up above all. One may properly say that since there are two natures in one Being and Person, God's Son came down and entered the Virgin's womb and God's
Son descended into hell. Although this really applied only to the human nature, by virtue of the personal union in Christ it is also ascribed to the other nature. "That which applies to one nature, applies to the entire person in the concrete."40 We differentiate between the natures as we do between body and soul; however, there remains but one Person. Thus Christ suffered for us not only with body and soul but also as the Son of God, as we confess in the articles of our Christian Creed: "I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only
Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary." And this Son, born of Mary, is also God's Son, who later suffered, was crucified, ascended again into heaven, and seated
Himself at the right hand of His Father. It is not two sons, but one Son. Up above He was born of the Father from eternity; here below He was born of Mary.
That is our Creed, and that is what we must believe. Let him who believes it thank God for it and pray that He may preserve him in this faith. Let him take to heart the words:41 "No one has ascended into - 150 heaven but He who descended from heaven, the Son of man, who is in heaven." The words "the Son of man, who is in heaven" were added with special forethought. Otherwise Christ could have said: "No one ascends into heaven but the Son of God." A little earlier He stated that the Son of God had descended from heaven. And then He says: "No one has ascended into heaven but—but who?—the Son of man."
"Well, are you not up in heaven?" To this question Christ replies here that the Son of man, that is, the Son of the Virgin Mary, ascended into heaven, descended from heaven, and remained in heaven.
"Oh, dear Lord, You are wandering around on this earth, hanging on the cross, suffering, and dying.
But how can I make these statements harmonize: that You descended from heaven and ascended again into heaven, that You remain in heaven, and that before this You were in heaven continuously? Can the Son of man be on earth and the Son of God in heaven?" You must answer thus: "Our Christian faith makes this harmonize, and so does this text, in which Christ Himself declares: 'As the Son of man I walk on this earth. I perform My office here; I suffer and I die. And although I was born man, I am simultaneously God's Son in heaven. I do not forfeit My divine nature, but I remain in heaven.' " We must cling to this as the foundation of our faith: that Jesus Christ, our Savior, has two natures but is one indivisible Person, that He is true God with the Father and the Holy Spirit from eternity, and that in time
He also became man through Mary. These two natures are united in the one Person of Christ.
But now the question suggests itself: Since no one ascends to heaven but He who came from heaven and remained in heaven, what happens to us, who did not descend from heaven and, for that matter, have never been in heaven? We came from Paradise and were born in sin; therefore we will not be able to ascend into heaven. Then where do we go? To the abyss of hell! It is most certainly true that no one enters heaven but the Son of God and of Mary. He is the only one who knows the way. But He does not keep this knowledge to Himself; otherwise He would have remained in heaven. No, He shows us the way by means of His dear Gospel, so that we will be born anew of water and the Holy Spirit, adhere to His testimony, and believe in Him. And then we, too, will ascend into heaven, not by virtue of our own person but by nestling up and pressing close to Him who alone ascends into heaven.
Later the Lord Himself will explain what He means by His ascending and descending. Here He speaks in general, in order to mortify human reason and to crush our spiritual pride and our rash reliance on our own righteousness. For the world teems with fluttering spirits42 who assail this text and try to force their way into heaven on our God without so much as saying "Good morning!" to our God and Christ. A Jew, for example, believes that he will surely go to heaven if he is circumcised and observes the Law of Moses.
The Turk lays claim to heaven on the grounds that he keeps the Koran. Thus the pope also has his own ladder and his own path leading to heaven. Each monastic order has its own way of ascent too; the Franciscans want to be saved by their rules, and the Augustinians want to go to heaven by theirs.
In refutation of all these the Lord Christ says here: "No one has ascended into heaven but He who descended from heaven." As if He were to say: "Let no one suppose that he will ascend into heaven, though everyone may hope to do this; for there is only one who ascended into heaven, namely, Christ."
Thus He had also said earlier that He enlightened all men who came into the world (John 1:9), and He had gone on to say that not those born of blood or of the will of the flesh would be saved but those who were born of God (John 1:13). For every birth proves unavailing, even a birth of great and holy parents; nor will any law, work, or zeal prove helpful. Such people suppose that they will go to heaven because of their holy life. But the only way, ladder, and bridge for ascending into heaven is Christ, the Son of man, who is the only one ever to ascend into heaven. Any other way, ladder, or bridge is invented and dreamed up, yes, useless and vain; for example, the ones St. Francis and others chose. Therefore it is well to note this text, which hurls a thunderbolt against all the work-saints.43 It works by exclusion and negation rather than by affirmation44 and repudiates all other ways, so that no one may look for a loophole, gap, crack, or some other subterfuge. The text says: "No one has ascended into heaven." This excludes all others, be they monks or anything else. No one but Christ has found the way to heaven and directed others to it. Christ makes this assertion in John 14:6: "No one comes to the Father but by Me." And again (John 15:5):
"Apart from Me you can do nothing." And again (John 14:6): "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life."
As if He were to say: "Dear Nicodemus, you do not understand the Scriptures and the prophets, who testified about Me. And yet you are proud and lay claim to holiness. This will not be gained by your works but only by this new message which was also proclaimed by the prophets, the message of the one way of ascending into heaven; and I am that Way."
- 151 The little word "no one" means us. We did not ascend into heaven, but He is the one who descended and ascended and remained above. Now what are we to do? Must we despair? No, for He shows us the way to ascend. He explains why He came into the world and how He constructed a good, firm, and solid bridge for us to ascend safely into heaven. He Himself is this Bridge. He explains His ascending, His descending, and His remaining above, saying: "This was done for a purpose; for as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life" (John 3:14–15).
Truly, this means that we need no longer remain below and be lost but that we, too, may ascend. And we do this through faith in Him. He has shown us the way and has drawn us up to Him (John 12:32).
But we shall discuss this golden text in the next sermon.45
The last time we expounded the all-important verse in which Christ the Lord says of Himself: "No man has ascended into heaven but He who descended from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven." We must learn this article of faith well and retain it, for very much depends on our knowing the Savior aright and clinging to Him in steadfast faith. Whoever passes that article of faith by, passes God by; but whoever discovers it, discovers God. Everything is concentrated in the Son, and outside the Son all is vain.
Therefore this proclamation about the Son of God is no unimportant matter. It is ordained that we should seek nothing apart from the Son and that we shall find nothing apart from Him either in heaven or on earth. Without Him all is lost.
As long as we live, therefore, we should admonish pious and God-fearing hearts to learn and to practice this article of faith diligently. For it has been assailed since the beginning of the world; the heretics and the devil have both raged against it. But it has maintained itself, and it will be preserved even against the very gates of hell (Matt. 16:18). These words may be simple and plain: "I believe in Jesus
Christ, the only Son of God the heavenly Father, born of the holy Virgin Mary, suffered, and died." They are prayed by children in their faith, and simple folk die a blessed death in that faith. But the devil tries in many ways to deprive us adult and mature persons of this by seducing us into supposing that we are too smart for such a childlike faith. Flesh and blood have to cope with a thousand objections to it. But whoever learns this article well can harmonize the three items: to descend, to ascend, and to remain in heaven. These words have no other content and significance than the words we confess in the Creed: "I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God and of the Virgin Mary, God and man, who remained in heaven and comes down to this earth as God's Son, becomes man, and dies." The word "descend" indicates that He became man and debased Himself to the death on the cross, after which He ascended again into heaven, where, being God, He had always remained.
And now Christ explains the meaning of His coming down or descending from heaven. He gives us the reason for His birth, telling us that He descended from heaven and ascended again into heaven for our sakes. He was not God's Son for our sakes, since He was God's Son before the creation of heaven and earth; nor did He remain in heaven for our sakes. From this we can learn that Christ's ascending and descending pertain not only to Him; no, they are significant especially for us. This becomes apparent from the text that follows.
14. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up.
Let us note and remember this text well; for the Lord Christ was truly the best of preachers, excelling even the other apostles. Therefore it behooves us to listen attentively to His words. These words are familiar. They are often treated in sermons. One finds them painted on many walls, and they have also been stamped on coins.46 Would to God that these words were also stamped and inscribed on our hearts!
They deserve to be sealed in our hearts. Thus the bride exclaims in the Song of Solomon: "Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm" (8:6).
These sublime words of our text are the greatest article of our Christian doctrine. All the world hears these words, but only a few accept them and engrave them on their hearts. The world grows hostile to this article and finds it intolerable. Of course, the Turk also thinks highly of Christ and concedes that He was a great prophet, that He was born of the Virgin Mary, and that His mother was not conceived in original sin.47 However, he does not confess that Christ is his God and Lord but places his Mohammed above
Christ or at least alongside Him. And the Turk is, at the same time, reputed to be very pious. He leads an abstemious life, and he devises his own way to heaven.
You also know that the pope thinks nothing of this text. In fact, this article of faith is practically forgotten in the papacy. To be sure, the pope retains the bare words of this text in the Gospel, but he
- 152 denies their power altogether. Only Baptism is preserved in its purity in the papacy.48 But basically the pope's regard for Christ is little better than that of the Turk. The pope and the cardinals write that Christ rendered satisfaction only for original sin and that we ourselves must atone for the actual and daily sins.49
All this is an attempt to rob us of Christ, who became our Bridegroom through faith. The devil attacks this article in thousands of ways in order to destroy it. But he will still have to let bride and Groom remain together; and this happens by faith alone. Faith is the engagement ring which betroths us to Christ. By faith we take hold of Christ, saying to Him: "You alone ascended above." As He said earlier: "No one has ascended into heaven but He who descended from heaven."
This article of faith, that Christ is our Lord, is what makes us Christians. It is the jewel, the gem, and the golden chain around the neck of the bride, who believes that Christ is true God from eternity, that He descended from heaven and became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and that He, and no other, ascended again into heaven. Thus He was declared the Son of God (Rom. 1:4), and He sits at the right hand of His heavenly Father. This is most certainly true, all appearances to the contrary notwithstanding. For if Christ were not seated at the right hand of His Father, this article of faith would never have come down to us; nor would it have been possible for this article to maintain itself against the constant opposition of so many kings and tyrants in the world.
Christ now construes His "ascending" to mean that we shall also ascend in Him, since Jesus Christ is the only one to ascend into heaven after first descending from there. Otherwise some might ask: "Well then, what about us?" Christ answers: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so, etc."
Therefore we shall also ascend in Him. You can throw this into the teeth of all Jews, Turks, and papists, who propose to be their own way to heaven with their orders, rules, and good works—they have invented so many roads to heaven—and say to them: "No one ascends into heaven but He who descended from heaven." He, the Lord Christ, took with Him into heaven the body and the bride He had acquired and adorned on earth. No one has ever ascended into heaven apart from Him.
By the word "no one" Christ does not mean those who follow Him. As the Bridegroom, He has ascended into heaven. When He descended from there, He did not intend to remain here alone; but He chose a bride on earth, and this bride He took along with Him into heaven. The Turks say: "Whoever observes the Koran ascends into heaven." The Jews claim: "Whoever keeps the Law of Moses has a way of ascending into heaven." The pope declares: "Whoever obeys me ascends into heaven." There is no end or limit to the variety of methods. But they all prescribe heavenward journeys on which the travelers will break their necks. These are detours, and they spell disaster; for Christ says here: "No one ascends into heaven."
The outward life of the Turks is said to be marked by a semblance of piety. They pray, fast, give alms, establish charitable institutions, and build churches. They are ready to help others. And with this appearance of holiness they deceive many people. Thus the pope also duped us. At the time we did not know better, but we believed that monastic orders and monkeries were the proper and correct way to heaven. Anyone who is not well armed with this article of faith and has not pressed it deep into his heart falls easy prey to the shining external gleam of holiness as well as to the prominent names of prophets and teachers. But because they have devised such a variety of ways to heaven, we will tell them: "We will stick to the one Way to heaven and adhere to Him who descended and simultaneously remained above."
He is our sole Resurrection, as is said in John 11: "I am the Resurrection, and the Truth, and the Life."50
Therefore He is the only Way to heaven, since He alone ascended there. Whoever remains loyal to this article of faith also remains loyal to Christ. Even if he were led captive to Turkey and were an eyewitness of the practice of the Turkish religion, of their many fasts and prayers, he would still say: "All this fails to interest me. Even if the pope and the Turk were to raise the dead, even if they flogged themselves with rods till the blood streamed from them, even if they fasted several weeks on bread and water—I know, despite all this, that you are not the resurrection or the life or the way to heaven. You will not deceive and delude me with all these acts. For Christ alone is the Way, and no other."
If a Christian preserves this article of faith in its truth and purity, it will be easy for him to ward off all false teachers and deceivers as well as his own whims and notions. Yes, he who holds fast to this has a mainstay for life; and he will also be saved in death through this one faith in Christ, that is, if he believes that Christ alone ascended into heaven. Therefore he will not be lost.
It is said that a Turk can go without a bite of food for three days. And St. Bernard is reputed to have abstained from eating and drinking so long that his lungs began to rot and his breath stank so much that he
- 153 was excluded from the choir and from association with his brethren.51 Let me say here that fasting is not an evil; it is a good work. Nevertheless, it is not the resurrection and the life. Fasting may be a good work incumbent on me, but it is not something that is in heaven or something that descended from heaven; much less will it lead and take us to heaven. Similarly, the ascent into heaven is not found in wearing a hair shirt. These works may be good; but they did not come down from heaven, nor have they ever been in heaven. They do not measure up to the Man of whom it is said here that He is the only one who descended from heaven, remained above, and ascended again into heaven. St. Bernard surely did not come from heaven; he came from the earth; he was born of a woman, and he cried like other infants. He came from our own midst and not from above. Nor is he the one who remained above.
So I judge and conclude of all works, no matter how good, and also of the lives of the saints, that they are not the Son of God or the ascent and the way to heaven. Of course, I must lead a moral, godly, and upright life in the world; but I must not presume to ascend into heaven by virtue of this. No one ascends into heaven but He who also descended from heaven and also remained in heaven; and that is Christ Jesus alone. To Him alone must all honor be accorded; all others are but human beings born of human beings. If they believe in Christ, then they ascend into heaven because of this Man and the fullness of His ascent and descent, and because of nothing else.
We distinguish two types of man: first, a man per se; secondly, a man of God. Man by himself may be pious in the world and do no one an injustice; but he is still a human person, and he cannot ascend into heaven. No, we need the Person who is both God and man; He is widely different from other persons, because He ascended into heaven, whence He had descended. By virtue of His exalted majesty the sleep and the fasting of this Person even for a moment or an hour are superior to all the works and all the fasting of all the saints. No man is His equal. This Person is God and man, greater than other men; for He is
God's Son. We, on the other hand, are nothing but humans born of woman. When a Christian imprints and seals this article of faith in his heart, that Christ ascended into heaven and descended from there again, he is safely on the way to salvation and need fear no delusion and deception. But when he discards this article and breaks the seal, then no error is too ridiculous for him to follow; for he has fallen from the ship, has erred from the right path. He is like someone who has strayed from the right highway. Regardless of the course he may pursue now, he goes wrong, because he has departed from the correct path.
We take such pains to stress this article because it alone has toppled the pope. May God grant that it will yet overthrow the Turk too before the Last Day. It is true that the pope and the Turk have had many good and learned men; in fact, the Turks still have many monks. But on this point they all erred; for they were ignorant of this article which alone governs all good works and the life of man, which alone saves.
Whatever man may do is pleasing to God for the sake of this article. And you young people who are not aware of the devil's powerful attacks against this article—for you have not yet engaged in this battle— must hold firmly to this article. We old teachers have not yet disposed of the sects; they all rage against it.
Even though they are vanquished for a while, they do not give up but rise again and again and grow. The same is true of those who once fall away from Christ; they go further and further astray until they perish completely. But take hold of the gem and remember the statement: "No one ascends up to heaven."
But now let us meditate on the story. The Lord delivers an excellent sermon to Nicodemus, a Jew, who supposed that keeping the Law of Moses offered him a way to heaven and that his own ascension into heaven depended on his fasting, his praying, and his ascetic life. Now Christ interprets and unravels
Moses to him correctly and says to him: "That will never do it. Your mode of ascension is not the way, but you must be born anew. Therefore listen to what I tell you. You are a Jew. I shall take your Moses and cite from him passages which you have not understood until now." Who else would have interpreted Moses in this way before?
He says: "In Num. 21 you read that the Lord our God sent fiery serpents among the children of Israel when they murmured because the Lord did not do what they wanted Him to do." In that country, where the heat is so intense, such serpents are called asps.52 When they bite a man, he swells, turns red, and his whole body becomes so feverish that he is soon past help unless the bitten member is amputated at once.
For if such a serpent bites into a finger or a foot, the limb must be amputated immediately. Otherwise the fire or fever will penetrate the whole body and affect all its parts, and death will be inevitable. In his song in Deut. 32:33 Moses sings of "the incurable venom of asps." They are called "fiery serpents" because they inflame the body with their sting so that the affected member must be cut off at once, or death will result. These serpents were not actually fiery; but when they bit a man, his flesh grew so fiery red and - 154 feverish that he died of thirst. This thirst suggested the name διψάδες to the Greeks. For heat induces thirst, and one reads that the angry breath of these serpents is so intensely hot that the very air becomes fiery as though it were aflame.53 That is why they were called "fiery serpents." We Germans have no descriptive name for them, since these serpents are unknown in our lands, although I am told that they have been seen out there in our Speck.54
By these serpents God punished the Israelites with sudden death in the wilderness because of their murmuring and disobedience. Now when the people sought everywhere for relief from this plague, Moses interceded for them before the Lord God, asking Him to mitigate the penalty. Then God said (Num. 21:8):
"Erect a seraph." This is the word He uses here; it means a house which is aflame, for the seraphim are fiery angels. Thus He says: "Lift up a fiery serpent, so that whoever looks at it will not die." Then Moses molded a serpent, patterning it after those fiery serpents, and set it on a pole. This serpent had God's Word and promise that anyone bitten by the serpents would go unscathed if he looked at this bronze serpent.
That was indeed a great miracle that such a severe wound should find such a simple cure. The people were to do no more than believe the word of Moses; the term which the Lord employs here for this believing is
"look at." This was a queer remedy, and I suppose it must have impressed the Jews as very strange and odd. But an emergency knows no law, as the saying goes.55 Their great emergency must have prompted them to believe, particularly when they saw that it was beginning to work a cure. Yet it is surprising that the human heart could believe the words of Moses, for the people had experienced the deadliness of the venom of these fiery serpents. They might well have thought: "Ha, what a ridiculous medicine it is that you propose for the sting and bite of the serpents! Moses, have you lost your senses? How are we to be helped by looking at this bronze serpent, which looks like those that bit us? We are so terrified that we cannot stand the sight of them! If only you would, instead, give us a drink, a cooling plaster, a cooling drink, to take away the venom and the fever! What good can mere words and looking do? How can that dead and lifeless object up there benefit us?"
Very likely it was not only the emergency that did it but also their faith. I am sure that many scorned to accept the remedy and died in their unbelief. They would not be persuaded and said: "Ha, how are we to be helped by looking at the serpent?" Probably none but the believers looked at the serpent. The others very likely turned away from it, saying: "Why do you make sport of me by asking me to look at that serpent? How could it help?" But it was not the act of looking at the serpent that cured; it was the words, the faith in the words. In all probability those who believed declared: "Behold, Moses is a servant of God.
God commanded him to do this; therefore it must be healing." Just looking at the serpent did not effect the cure; it was faith in the Word that did it. These people accepted the Word of God as a reliable promise of healing and deliverance from the poison.
In this story many were undoubtedly offended because it was all so unpretentious. None but the believers understood Moses' words and recovered through their faith in the Word. But who would have had the boldness to refer this story to Christ? I would never have ventured to interpret this story as Christ
Himself did when He plainly related it to Himself, saying: "This is the bronze serpent; I, however, am the Son of man. Those people were asked to look at the serpent physically, but you must look at Me spiritually and in faith. Those people were cured of bodily poisoning; but you, through Me, will be delivered from eternal poison. They recovered from a physical ailment, but I bestow eternal life on those who believe in Me." These are very strange statements and sayings.
In this way the Lord shows us the proper method of interpreting Moses and all the prophets. He teaches us that Moses points and refers to Christ in all his stories and illustrations. His purpose is to show that Christ is the point at the center of a circle, with all eyes inside the circle focused on Him. Whoever turns his eyes on Him finds his proper place in the circle of which Christ is the center. All the stories of Holy Writ, if viewed aright, point to Christ.
During the forty days between Christ's resurrection and His ascension He expounded many similar texts and related many such stories to His disciples in His conversations with them (Luke 24:27). He did the same thing when He appeared on Mt. Tabor with Moses and Elijah (Matt. 17:3). Thus He also relates the figure of the serpent to Himself here. Thereby He opens the treasure chest of Moses and shows them the nugget concealed there. He shows that all the stories and illustrations of Moses point to Christ. The precious treasure of looking solely at Christ was so near and dear to Moses that he wore it, so to speak, between his skin and his flesh. Christ is also our Serpent of salvation, symbolized for us by that earlier bronze serpent. For after the disobedience of Adam and Eve we, too, were bitten by the venomous serpent
- 155 in Paradise. They murmured against God when He forbade them to eat of the one tree. They wanted to know why He had forbidden it. And the devil said to Adam (Gen. 3:1): "Do you suppose that God really did forbid this?" He cursed the Lord our God and taught Adam to do likewise and to obey this venomous worm. Then the devil stung Adam and injected his poison, for which there is no cure; this resulted in Adam's death. By nature we all are still subject to death and have to die. There is no help and no remedy for this. No one has ever been able to escape sin and death; for we have all drunk the serpents fatal venom, which was transmitted to all of us by Adam and for which there is no antidote. As experience teaches, death is now inevitable.
Many philosophers have come up with attempts to assist nature and discover some remedy for this venom of the serpent and for death. The Jews had looked for this remedy to Moses and the prophets, who did indeed apply a plaster and cooling water; but this did not help. The sorcerers in Egypt had also been expected to find a remedy against this, but all was in vain. For there was no antidote for this venom until the fulfillment of the proclamation (Gen. 3:15): "The woman's Seed will crush the serpents head. Then the venom of the serpent will be extracted, so that it can no longer inflict any harm."
Christ says: "No one has ascended into heaven" and: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness." That is, God lifted up a bronze serpent like the other serpents that all who looked at it might recover. This symbolized the fact that God would let His Son descend from heaven and be nailed to the cross, where He, too, hangs like a serpent or a worm, the object of scorn and contempt, as Christ Himself laments in Ps. 22:6. But whoever believes in this crucified Christ will not be lost and perish but will have everlasting life, just as those who looked at the bronze serpent in the wilderness did not die but were saved.
It might have been expected that the Jews who had been bitten by the serpents would shun this cure, for it is only natural for us to shy away from anything that has harmed us. Even to see a picture of it fills us with sadness and abhorrence. But Moses said to the Jews: "Fear not!" as he showed them the cooling plaster and lifted up the serpent fashioned like the serpents which had bitten them and from which they had fled in fear. The Jews must have thought: "Moses, are you insane? Do you want to terrify us still more with your cure and scare us out of our wits? How could that serpent help us?" But Moses calmly proceeded, molded a serpent with the form and figure of the live, fiery ones, and suspended it before their eyes. For if one is bitten by a mad dog, one must bind the hair of a dog on the wound to heal it.56 Thus those who are bitten by fiery serpents—that is to say, those who are cast into sin, death, and eternal damnation by the devil—must look at this bronze serpent, that is, believe in Christ; and they will be granted righteousness, life, and salvation. Faith in Christ, the Son of God and true man, will accomplish this.
What is the significance of the fact that Moses took a serpent like the ones which had inflicted the wounds, instead of hanging a dead serpent on the pole to look at?57 He made a bronze serpent in which they had to believe. This signifies that Jesus Christ, God's Son, born of a virgin, became like us condemned people and hung on the cross like a poisonous, evil, and harmful worm. Yes, He resembles the serpent which got us into trouble in Paradise, that is, the devil. He was so despised, condemned, and rejected by the world that He was finally sentenced to an ignominious death and hanged as an archvillain among the murderers. Thus Isaiah had prophesied: "He was numbered with the transgressors" (Is. 53:12).
As though Isaiah were to say: "It was appropriate for Him to be hanged between murderers, to be numbered among the transgressors, and to be despised and reviled." And the legend inscribed over His head on the cross also stamped Him as a rioter who had rebelled against secular and ecclesiastical government. He was not regarded as a godly person but as a venomous worm unworthy of having the sun shine onto Him, as a menace to the entire world. Such was the low esteem in which the world held Him, and His Christians today share this with Him. If we preach Christ, we are accused of infecting the world with the most pernicious poison. The pope regards our doctrine as "the doctrine of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1); and if we preach the Gospel, we must be the most venomous dragons and vermin. Thus St. Paul declared that we are looked upon as the most obnoxious and venomous worms, which mislead and pollute the whole world, as καθάρματα and περιψήματα, the most damnable and the most infectious people, the world's curse and purgatory. Ridding the world of such people is considered a great service to God (John
That is how the Christians have fared since the beginning of the world, and we Christians are still being butchered daily like sheep for the slaughter. The Turk is martyring so many today because he
- 156 prefers a serpent or the devil himself to a Christian or a preacher of the divine Word. The pope, too, would rather gaze on a wolf or on vermin than on us; he assumes that he can cope with the Turk once he has disposed of us. Such is our lot. We who cure the world and help mankind are regarded as damnable people who contaminate, pollute, and ruin others. In the same way Christ was looked upon as a venomous worm to be shunned.
But that is the way divine wisdom works. Christ helps the world by confounding the world's wisdom; the wisdom of the world must become foolishness before Him. "It pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe" (1 Cor. 1:21). Accordingly, Christ must be a veritable bronze serpent, that is, a most despised person, but a serpent which does us no harm with its venom; for this is a healing serpent, without venom. Christ has only the form of a serpent, and in this guise He possesses a power surpassing any salve. For He heals mankind and saves from sin, death, and damnation, as that serpent in the wilderness cured men of physical ailment.
The world judges Christ only by His outward appearance; it does not regard Him otherwise than as a devil. And He does want to be a serpent, a devil, a judge to those who despair, to the unrepentant, and to the ungodly. Yes, He will be their tyrant and their punisher, since they make a serpent of Him and run from Him. He must have the form of a serpent; but even if He were still more repugnant to the eye and resembled a devil or a vile worm, I must even then learn to ignore this figure and outward appearance of Christ and say: "The world may regard Him as it will. What is that to me? He may be a murderer to others, and the inscription on the cross may label Him as a disgraceful rioter. All this does not affect me. I will look for the power concealed behind all this and not be offended by His external appearance. I look upon Him as my Savior. And he who gazes this way at the serpent, so woefully ridiculed and blasphemed, will be saved." Therefore you, too, must say: "His outward appearance will pose no obstacle for me; I will surmount this. No matter how hideously this serpent may be painted by the world, no matter how the world may do its worst and revile Christ with cries of heresy, of venom, and of murder—all this does not perturb me." Let the world be offended by this figure if it will. But you must realize that the bronze serpent is not really a serpent; it merely has the aspect and the form of a serpent. It is a bronze serpent without venom.
When I study God's Word, I find that Christ not only has the form of a serpent without venom; but I also feel a power in Him which will cure me of venom. Therefore I ignore the mockers who declare: "Oh, how can He help when He is dead and buried? How can we get help from Him whom the Jews decry as a murderer, a revolutionary, a blasphemer, a demoniac, and a Samaritan?" I reply to this: "Christ may be viewed and defamed this way in the world. I don't care. I will still regard this vile worm as the Savior of the world and as my Redeemer and Lord—not as a worm, serpent, or dragon, as a revolutionary, devil, or judge, but as one who gives me help and strength."
In this serpent God thus prefigured His own Son for the people of Israel. He was to assume the form of an accursed and damned man, yes, of a serpent, and become the Savior of the world. The world seeks to be saved by good works, but it pleased God to help mankind in this way. The world would regard His Son as a vile worm, but He would nevertheless save all who believed in Him.
Although many in the wilderness did not believe, still there were some believers who said to the others "If you want to reject this serpent, at least let me gaze at it and be strengthened." We must emulate their example today and say: "I will hold to Christ. He will not mislead me but will give me life and salvation."
Even if the pope refuses to accept Him; even if he disdains salvation solely through Christ, this serpent, without the aid of good works and our merit; even if he belittles faith and says: "Oh, faith is but a paltry thing!"—you reply: "My dear sir, then you must go your own way. I for my part will still hold to Christ and regard Him as the bronze serpent. In reality, of course, He is not a serpent; He is the Lamb of God, which bears my sin and that of the whole world (John 1:29), and saves me from eternal death. Only for us
He became a serpent."
And now when the enemies and adversaries of Christ the Lord also revile us, regard us as accursed people, and say: "You have the devil, and your doctrine is heresy," suffer with the Lord Christ, and continue to teach and to preach. St. Paul tells us (1 Cor. 4:13): "We are called καθάρματα and are regarded as the scum of the earth." Defamation will not harm me. Did not Christ my Lord also endure ridicule and abuse when He was regarded as a vile worm! And yet He helped all believers with His proclamation.
Why, then, should not a Christian preacher or a pious Christian be willing to bear this also?
- 157 In pointing to Moses and the bronze serpent which he lifted up when the Children of Israel were bitten by fiery snakes, Christ draws a comparison between the serpent and Himself. He, too, would be lifted up as a serpent; and He would bear this title of a rebel: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," that is, the king who agitated against the Roman emperor and the chief priests, who betrayed the Jewish people to the Roman emperor for the slaughter. "There He hangs. He must be a serpent. He must have committed an unpardonable crime. Therefore, away with Him!"
Even today we hear it said: "Oh, if we would only get rid of the Lutherans! Then we could soon defeat the Turk!" There has been enough preaching, writing, printing, reading, singing, speaking, and painting.
By this time they ought to realize that Christ is not a serpent, a vile worm, a dragon, or a demoniac, as His slanderers claim, but the Savior of all who believe in Him. Yet they wantonly refuse to believe it. Let them perish! But we know that He grants us salvation, that He is given to us by God as our King and Lord or Savior, and that God made Him a Wisdom for Jews and Gentiles which no reason can fathom. He is also our Resurrection, as He Himself declares: "I shall rise again, and all who accept Me and believe in Me will rise from the dead and ascend into heaven."58
It is not an easy matter to believe this. To believe that Christ was crucified for us, that He died and was damned for us, requires the power of God. Thus St. Paul says to the Corinthians: "We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles" (1 Cor. 1:23). And yet this proclamation penetrates the heart; for "it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith" (Rom. 1:16). If I were to consult reason about this, it would say: "Let the devil believe in the sort of wretched person who was nailed to a cross!" And yet the holy martyrs let themselves be burned at the stake and slain for such a faith! Despite His horrible appearance they believed that this condemned Man was the Savior of the world.
Thus Moses had to preach to Nicodemus and glorify Christ. A serpent was to appear, not possessed of physical but of devilish venom, that is, sin and eternal death. For this there would be no cure outside
Christ the Lord, who, in the form of an accursed and vile worm, would redeem man from death, sin, and the power of the devil and would save him eternally.
That is what I wanted to say very briefly on this text. For who could treat it exhaustively? The intention both of Moses and of John was to point to the deity of the Lord Christ. This Serpent, Christ, must be very God, since the mere sight of Him has the power to heal all men and to deliver them from death.
But it would take too much time to discuss the subject further.59
The last time we heard Jesus Himself say here in John that the bronze serpent in the wilderness had been a type of Him. Now He adds the purpose for which the Son of man was lifted up: "That whoever believes in Him should not perish." We have already stated that John describes Christ's deity and His humanity with these words. His humanity is evident from the fact that the serpent was crucified and died;
His deity is apparent from the fact that the serpent gives eternal life to all who believe in Him.
John pictures Christ as God and man throughout his Gospel. But here he states, with particular reference to His humanity, that the Son of man must be lifted up. That is, He must be hanged on the wood, on the cross, and suffer and die, which pertains to the human nature. On the other hand, it lies beyond humanity that a crucified man should impart eternal life and that anyone who looks at the crucified Christ should have eternal life. But no one was lifted up and nailed to the cross except Mary's Son, who is a man with power to save all believers, since He is also the Son of God. Thus we heard before: "No one has ascended into heaven but He who descended from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven." And this pertains solely to the divine majesty.
The statement: "The Word became flesh" (John 1:14) permeates John's entire Gospel. All he ever preaches is that Christ, the very and eternal Son of God, is also true man, born of the Virgin Mary. And he unites wonderfully the two natures in the one Person of Christ. Although it is not the work of the Son of man to save, to deliver from death, and to confer eternal life—a work that is not appropriate to man at all but to God alone—John declares that the Son of man was lifted up that all who believe in Him might have eternal life. Thus he does not separate the two natures here. He does not say: "Whoever believes in the Son of God has eternal life"; but "Whoever believes in the Son of man." The two natures are united in the single Person of Christ, and this Person is both God and man. The two natures, deity and humanity, are found in one Person; and the attributes of each nature are imputed to the other, so that whoever believes in the Son of man believes not only in a human being but also in God. Otherwise the man Christ could not save anyone. If salvation depended on great men, we could point to the holy patriarchs and prophets, such
- 158 as Isaiah, Elijah, David; or to the angels, such as Gabriel and others. For all their greatness, they cannot deliver anyone from sin and death. Nor do the words recorded here apply to them: "Whoever believes in Him may have eternal life." It is impossible for a human being to have the honor of bestowing eternal life on one who believes in him. But of this Person it is said that He can save. For the two natures are so united in His one person and essence that he who believes in the Son of man also believes in the Son of God.
Whoever comes in touch with the man Christ also comes in touch with the Son of God. In fact, the whole Trinity is found in this Man.
One might be tempted to ask at this point: "If it is true that believers find eternal life in the Son of God, then is it also true that the serpent was God? For this serpent in the wilderness gave life to the Children of Israel; anyone who looked at it was restored to health and did not die." Thus the false prophets, the avaricious parsons and priests, and other false teachers, those knaves, interpreted it. Thereby they embellished and garnished their idolatry as they lifted up a bronze serpent in Jerusalem, burned incense and sacrificed to it, made special pilgrimages, and worshiped it as a god. Similarly we today have placed images of the saints on the altars and have worshiped them, images of St. Christopher, of St. Mary, and others. Vast sums of money have been donated for the erection of cathedrals, churches, and cloisters in their honor. This bronze serpent was endowed with greater power than the men who were bitten by the fiery serpents; they had merely to look at this serpent for perfect healing. Therefore the Jews inferred:
"There must be divine power residing in this serpent," and they sacrificed sheep and oxen to it. I have often been amazed that this bronze serpent maintained itself for so long in Israel and that Samuel, David,
Solomon, Daniel, or Elijah did not do away with it.60 But I assume that during David's time it was kept in some remote or hidden place; it was not being adored then, and no pilgrimages were undertaken in its honor; but it was preserved only as a token and memorial of the glorious deliverance from Egypt. At the time of Isaiah, however, it became the object of idolatry. The people of Israel flocked to it in great numbers, burned incense, and worshiped it. The serpent was finally destroyed by the pious king Hezekiah, who thereby put an end to the pilgrimages (2 Kings 18:4).
In our own times we Germans have imitated the example of the Jews. We invoke the help of the saints, creating one saint and deliverer after another. Thus we made saints of Anna and Joachim not more than thirty years ago.61 At a time of great distress the Jews would likewise lift up the bronze serpent in the wilderness, stream out into the wilderness, and worship it. This they did particularly at the time when
Sennacherib lay before Jerusalem. Once they had become apostate to the true faith and knowledge of God, they sought help wherever they would and could.
Now the question is raised: Was God with that serpent, and did He thus lend His aid? The Jews argued: "Well, if the serpent proved helpful at the time of Moses, it must be God," just as Christ still helps us today. This is the proper reply: The bronze serpent itself helped no one. Nor did anyone in that day believe in the serpent and worship it. Furthermore, no one sacrificed to it in the wilderness; Moses would never have tolerated this. It was the Word that healed the Israelites, the Word spoken by God (Num. 21:8):
"Whoever looks at this bronze serpent shall suffer no harm from the bite or sting of any fiery serpent." It was the Word "Whoever looks at the serpent" that was effective. There God was speaking and promising aid, not the serpent. Whoever believed in this Word and promise of God and looked at the serpent was obedient to God. But at the time of Isaiah the Word of God regarding the serpent no longer applied; the Word had departed. For the work which the serpent was to perform in the wilderness had been accomplished, namely, that all who were bitten by the fiery serpents should be healed by looking at this bronze serpent. Consequently, the bronze serpent no longer afforded help in the days of Isaiah. Similarly, the Word which God once spoke to the Children of Israel, "Cross the Red Sea" (Ex. 14:15–16), is no longer valid today; for the crossing has taken place. And Gideon's fleece of wool was wet with dew at one time and then became perfectly dry (Judg. 6:36–40). But that is a thing of the past. For the same reason the bronze serpent no longer gave help at the time of Isaiah; nor did the people believe in it and worship it until Hezekiah had died.62 It was for the days in the wilderness that God promised the people of Israel deliverance from death if they looked at the serpent. And those who believed the Word that God spoke and obeyed the Word were saved.
Therefore looking at the serpent and looking at the Lord Christ are not one and the same thing. For we find it stated here that we are not merely to look at Christ the Son of God, but to believe in Him. When the Jews crucified Christ, they also looked at Him; but that did not save them. Looking and feeling are vastly
- 159 different; but the command is to believe. The Jews were not commanded to believe in the bronze serpent, to believe in the bronze or the metal, as we are commanded here to believe in Christ.
Christ declares here that He is the true serpent, typified by that serpent in the wilderness, and that this serpent must be viewed with spiritual sight, namely, with faith. At that time the Israelites had to believe in the Word from heaven; their faith did not pertain to the serpent but to Him who spoke. But here we are not only concerned with the words; we are also told: "Whoever believes in Him shall have everlasting life."
That bronze serpent was an image of Christ. Here we are apprised of the terms and the purpose of our relationship to Christ. We are told that we must not merely hear Christ but that we must also believe in this serpent, Christ, who bestows eternal life on all those who believe in Him.
This is a great and miraculous work. It is not accepted by the world or our reason, but it is scorned and derided by them. In fact, it does seem ridiculous that merely looking at a serpent should effect a cure.
Reason would have been prone to say: "You will never be able to stare those serpents away. Rather take a pair of tongs or other tools and use force to drive the serpents away. What a great idea—to look at the serpent! Even a cow could stare at the serpent—but how could that help her?" Looking or gazing at an object seems so silly. It is an easy task to perform. And yet those who obeyed the Word and believed the promise were cured. Just looking at the serpent was easy. But believing that this simple and superficial opening of the eyes and looking at the pole and the bronze serpent should have healing power against the snakes' venom—this was difficult. In itself there is nothing easier than to raise your eyes to someone; and without a doubt there were many Jews who mocked Moses and said: "Well, if the serpents cannot be driven away with knife and awl, with water and sword, how can it ever be accomplished by this inane looking at the serpent?" This is the attitude of our schismatic spirits and sects today who despise and minimize Baptism and Holy Communion. They say: "What can the water, the wine, and the bread achieve?" But it is characteristic of our God to perform great things through insignificant, humble, and odd means. Faith, I suppose, also seems insignificant to our papists. "Faith?" they say. "After all, what does faith amount to? Faith does not suffice. You must also perform good works, don a cowl, fast, pray, and give alms." All this has such a semblance of piety that they are led to believe: "Oh, faith is such a simple and plain thing; you must also do good works!" But just try it, and you will find out how easy it is to believe! Before long the devil will appear on the scene and whisper into your ear: "See here, do you suppose that it is possible to be saved in such an easy way?" And thus the Jews also suggested to Moses:
"You must take a pair of tongs and jerk the serpent away or immerse yourself in water for cooling. What good could it do you to look at the serpent?" But our God is so mighty that He can guide and govern the whole world with a straw or save and deliver from sin, death, the devil, and hell with a drop of water. It does, we concede, sound trivial that all who believe in Him shall have eternal life; but God works in such a powerful and mysterious way. Pay heed to the Word, and ignore the clamor of the papists, who shout that we must also perform good works for our salvation.
Mark this and similar texts well. They do not merely show that Christ is both God and man, as this text does. They also tell us how to use and enjoy the Lord Christ; for they say that all who believe in Him and hear Him shall not perish, but be saved.
Who can really express the full meaning of the words "not perish"? Harsh and terrifying sermons have been preached on purgatory, on hell, and on eternal damnation;63 and ineffable is the woe of eternal damnation and hell-fire. Yet here Christ makes it very easy to be delivered from sin, death, the devil, and hell: we need only believe in the Son of God. Such faith not only keeps us from perishing, but it also gives us eternal life. It transcends all human understanding that God, through faith in Christ, not only remits the sin of a sinful and damned person but that He also promises Him eternal life.
The Gospel records that this also seemed strange to the disciples. They asked Christ: "Who, then, can be saved?" (Matt. 19:25). He replied: "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). As if He were to say: "Do not say to yourselves: 'I will stick and side with the great multitudes'; but since it pleases the Father to give you eternal life by grace, just accept it." Of course, our nature and our reason do not make it easy to believe the promise that we are not to perish but have everlasting life.
Thus we must preach and proclaim that Christ, this serpent, is the Son of God and of Mary, and that he who looks at Him in faith is assured of eternal life. Now Christ continues; He underscores this fact and states the reason why faith can be so effective.
16. For God so loved the world.
- 160 Shortly before Christ had said: "The Son of man must be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life." Now He says: "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." What Christ said above about the Son of man— that He must be lifted up—He now also says about the Son of God. He tells us that God's great love prompted Him to give His only Son. Earlier He said that Mary had given her Son, and now He says: "God the Father gave His Son to be crucified." God's Son and Mary's Son is only one Person. He appropriates both natures for the work of salvation and redemption from eternal death. John the evangelist always links the two natures, deity and humanity, together.
Someone may ask: "How is it possible for the Son of man to save and to give eternal life?" Or: "How can it be that God's Son should be delivered to be crucified?" It sounds plausible that the Son of man might be crucified; but that He should bestow eternal life does not seem reasonable. And it seems just as incongruous that God's Son should die and give His life for the life of the world. But we must bear in mind that when we speak of Christ, we are thinking of His two natures in one Person and that what is ascribed to the two natures is really comprehended in one Person. Thus I can very properly say that the Son of man created heaven and earth, just as I say that the Son of God is the Creator of heaven and earth.
We dare not follow those heretics, the Nestorians, the ancestors of the Turks,64 who alleged that only Mary's Son, not God's Son, died for us. For here we find it clearly stated and written: "God gave His Son for the world." And this Son is assuredly not only Mary's Son, born of Mary, but also the Son of God.
And when Christ was delivered to Pilate to be crucified, and when Pilate led Him from the judgment hall, he took hold of the hand not only of the man Jesus but also of the Son of God, whom he crucified.
Therefore St. Paul said: "If they had understood, they would not have crucified the King of glory" (1 Cor.
2:8), whom all creatures usually adore. Thus it was God's Son who was conceived by the Virgin Mary, who suffered and died, was buried, descended into hell, and rose again from the dead.
This is the way to interpret expressions of the apostles, bishops, and ancient teachers: "Oh, Thou Son of David!" Or: "Thou Son of Mary, have mercy on me!" "Oh, dear Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, be gracious to me!" The words are a prayer to God and are the equivalent of: "Oh, Jesus, Thou Son of God, have mercy on me!" In these words you also worship the Son of Mary, because the two natures are united in the one Christ.
Thus the words of this text indicate that God gave His Son for us and that the Son of man died for us.
There are not two Jesuses, the one coming from the Father and the other born of Mary. No, there is only one Jesus. Therefore the ancient fathers said that the attributes of both natures are ascribed and imputed to the whole person of Christ "in the concrete," creating a "communication of properties," a union in which the attributes of the one nature are imparted to the other.65 Each nature, of course, has its own peculiar character. For instance, it is peculiar to the human nature of Christ to be born of the Virgin Mary. The divine nature has different attributes. But since the Person of Christ cannot be divided, there is a communion, which enables one to say: "The infant Christ, who lies in the cradle and is suckled by the Virgin Mary, created heaven and earth." Also: "The Son of God who is with the Father from eternity nurses at His mother's breasts, is crucified, and dies." "For the communion of the natures also effects a communication of properties." The ancient fathers diligently taught this and wrote about it.
But now we have to make the practical application and learn why the Person who is God and man came into the world. The Lord Christ teaches us this too when He says that any believer in Him shall be delivered from eternal death and be assured of eternal life. It was not an angel, a principality, or any of the world's mighty who became incarnate and died for us—no, both the angelic and the human nature would have been too weak—but it was the divine nature that assumed humanity. It was Christ who adopted our flesh and blood that we might be saved through Him.
Now we see how gloriously the evangelist John speaks of Christ and of the sublime doctrine of our Christian faith: that Christ is both God and man. This is what John stresses in his Gospel. He says nothing about the necessity of good works for salvation, as the wicked pope does.66
The last time we heard that the Lord informed Nicodemus in an excellent sermon that no one will go to heaven or enter the kingdom of God unless he is born anew and believes in the serpent hanging on the cross, that is, believes in the Son of man, who was lifted up that all who believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. This is the new spiritual birth, the way to eternal life, namely, faith in the crucified Son of man. Now Christ stresses, and enlarges on, this theme in the fine sermon delivered to only one man, Nicodemus. It seems surprising that He should preach so beautifully to him. Yet His lifetime of Christ but lives on after His death (John 19:39). The end and aim of this sermon by Christ is the conversion of Nicodemus. These words: "For God so loved the world" do not need a lengthy commentary and exposition; for we preach on this text every year.67 Therefore our discussion will be brief.
After Christ has said: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up," He continues with the words: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." To astound Nicodemus, He repeats what
He had said before. As though He wanted to say: "Dear Nicodemus, is it not wonderful that the Son of man is hanged on the cross and lifted up, and that the Son of man, born of the Virgin Mary, true man with body and soul, is also the Son of God? Is it not a miracle that the Son of man and the Son of God are both one Son? (For Christ relates the statement that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life to the Son of man and to the Son of God; this refers to both.) Thus, Nicodemus, I am preaching to you about very important matters which may well astonish you; for instance, about the necessity of the new birth. But still more amazing than this is the process of the new birth."68 It is, of course, out of the question for a man to re-enter his mother's womb to be born again. No, this is the procedure: God gave His only Son into death for us; that is how we are reborn. Does it not surprise you that for the sake of this rebirth God adopts such a wonderful plan and chooses His only Son—for He has no other—and lets Him become man, instead of selecting some angel or some patriarch? God does not confine Himself to giving us His Son in His incarnation, but He also delivers Him into death for us. He has Him lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent. Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that medicine effective enough? Who would ever have had the boldness to ask for such a cure for death and sin? But such strong help and powerful medicine will work this for you.
Now you do not understand all this, and you are wondering about this demand for a new birth and about this deliverance from sin. You know full well that we are sinners and are lodged in the jaws of death. Hence it must sound odd and strange to you that we are to conquer sin and death and need not fear
God's stern judgment and His wrath. Yes indeed, it is strange. But now behold! What is God's plan? The answer would never have occurred to you. Because of His divine wisdom, counsel, and mercy God gives
His only-begotten Son, who is also the Son of man, as a remedy against sin, death, and your old nature and birth. The Son is "given" to us by dying for us and being buried for us. That, I take it, is another miracle and one far greater. If you are astonished and regard it as incredible that a man must be born anew, this greater wonder must amaze you still more. God loved a poor sinner so much that He gave him, not an angel or a prophet but His only Son. The way of His giving was that His Son became man, and the purpose of His giving was that He might be crucified. This you must learn; and after you have learned it and beheld these wonderful things, your heart will feel constrained to say: "This is truly miraculous! How is it possible?" But if you can accept and believe it, you will conclude: "After all, if God's Son is the cure and remedy for sin and death, why should I be surprised, since I know that God's Son is greater than sin, the devil and my death?" Just believe it, and you will experience that He is greater. It is surely true that by my own strength I cannot banish death but must die even if I don a monk's cowl, join all the monastic orders and abide by their rules, go on pilgrimages, and perform all those good works on which they place their reliance. None of this is the correct prescription or medicine. But if I can believe in and accept this remedy, that God gives us His Son—not an ordinary son like Abraham, Isaac, and David, of whom God has many, but His only-begotten Son—it is certain that this Son can effect a new birth in us and can, therefore, be a victor and conqueror of the devil. This is because God's Son is vastly greater than death, far stronger than sin and the devil. Through Him we have the grace of God rather than wrath, and whatever else me may need besides. If it puzzles you how a man is to be transferred from the devil's realm to the kingdom of God, God's gift of His Son must surprise you still more. And if you accept this in faith, you will no longer be puzzled about the other. If we have the Son of God, who faces death and opposes the devil on our behalf, on our side, let the devil rage as he will. If the Son of God died for me, let death consume and devour me; for he will surely have to return and restore me, and I will stand my ground against him. Christ died; death devoured the Son of God. But in doing so death swallowed a thorn and had to get rid of it. It was impossible for death to hold Him. For this Person is God; and since both God and man in one indivisible Person entered into the belly of death and the devil, death ate a morsel that ripped his stomach open.69
- 162 It was the counsel of God the Father from eternity to destroy death, ruin the kingdom of the devil, and give the devil a little pill which he would gleefully devour, but which would create a great rumpus in his belly and in the world. Now the Lord wants to say: "Dear Nicodemus, it is miraculous, as you see, that God should spend such a great and precious treasure for our rebirth. For is it a miracle that I, the Son of man and the Son of God in one Person, am sacrificed to death and enter the jaws of death and the devil?
But I shall not remain there. Not only will I come forth again, but I will also rip open deaths belly; for the poison is too potent, and death itself must die."
Christ wants to prevent us from thinking of Him as separate from the Father. Therefore He again directs our mind from Himself to the Father and says that the Father's love for us is just as strong and profound as His own, which is reflected in His sacrificial death. He wants to say: "Whoever beholds the Father's love also beholds Mine; for Our love is identical. I love you with a love that redeems you from sin and death. And the Father's love, which gave you His only Son, is just as miraculous."
Furthermore, Christ tells us how He destroys death and how I am rescued from death. He will be death's venom. Death and Law, to be sure, will condemn Him. Therefore He will have to die and be buried. But He will rise again from the dead. And where I shall be then, the devil will have to retreat. But how do I approach this Savior and Redeemer? By means of cowls or monastic orders and rules? No! Just cling to the Son in faith. He conquered death and the devil, and He slit the devil's belly open. He will reign and rule again, even though He was crucified under Annas and Caiaphas. Therefore attach yourself to Him, and you will tear through death and devil; for this text assures us: "Whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life." Accept the truth of this miracle of God's love for the world, and say: "I believe in the Son of God and of Mary, who was lifted up and nailed to the cross." Then you will experience the new birth; for death and sin will no longer accuse, harm, and injure you. Whoever believes in the Son will have eternal life. Cling to His neck or to His garment; that is, believe that He became man and suffered for you.
Cross yourself and say: "I am a Christian and will conquer." And you will find that death is vanquished. In Acts 2:24 St. Peter says that death was not able to hold Christ, since deity and humanity were united in one Person. In the same way we, too, shall not remain in death; we shall destroy death, but only if we remain steadfast in faith and cling to death's Destroyer.
In John 17:11 Christ prays: "That they may be one in Me, as I and the Father are one." If I cling to Christ in true faith and remain in Him, it is impossible for sin and death to accuse and condemn me; for Christ has conquered them. This, however, is accomplished, not by our strength but by faith in Him. In this way we, like pious lambs, remain resting in the arms of Christ, the faithful Shepherd.
Therefore whoever is a Christian and takes hold of Christ by faith is not terrified by the devil; nor is he cowed by sin and death. Even though he feels his sins and is frightened and saddened by them, he nevertheless overcomes this feeling and is not subdued; for he will be quick to say: "I believe in the Son of God and of Mary. He is the devil's venom and death; but at the same time He is my salvation, my remedy, and my life."
We read an excellent story about a certain nun. (In every station of life God preserves some, keeps them in faith, and saves them.) This nun was very much troubled and assailed by thoughts of the devil and of sin. Of course, all but those who serve their own belly feel God's wrath and judgment; this accounts for the fact that people will take refuge in the saints. Now since this little nun was filled with terror at the thought of the wrath of God and wanted to be saved, she made it a habit to say whenever the devil troubled her: "Devil, let me alone. I am a Christian!" And the devil had to leave her.70 On the surface this seems to be simple technique and easy to learn. But it is necessary that the words be inspired by faith, as those of this little nun were. For the devil did not particularly fear the words: "I am a Christian." No, it was her faith, the fact that she firmly relied on Christ and said: "I am baptized on Christ, and I entrust myself solely to Him; for He is my Life, Salvation, and Wisdom." Wherever such words proceed from faith, they generate a completely fiery atmosphere, which burns and pains the devil so that he cannot tarry.
But if a person speaks without warmth about matters pertaining to God and salvation, as the common man does, then the devil merely laughs. But if your words are aglow in your heart, you will put the devil to flight. For then Christ is present. As we read in Hos. 13:14, He devours death and destroys it; and here He declares: "Whoever believes in Me shall not perish but have everlasting life." If the believer is to have eternal life, it is implied that he is also free from sin and death. When the devil hears the name of Christ, he flees, because he cannot bear it. But if he does not feel the presence of Him who has destroyed him, he casts man into hell.
- 163 I am saying this for the sake of those who think that the mere recital of the words suffices, without any faith in the heart. Thus many hear these words spoken and also resolve to use them on occasion. I want to tell you a story about this. An ungodly medical doctor in Italy was once asked to stand as godfather for an infant. During the rite of Baptism he heard the beautiful words of institution, how the infant became an heir of salvation through Christ, and how the church implored God that Christ would accept this infant.
After the Baptism, when he pondered these words at home, he became very sad and depressed. As it happened, he had invited guests to dine with him that evening. When the guests noticed his melancholy mood, they asked him why he sighed so and why he seemed so troubled in his mind. Then he revealed his feelings and said: "I stood as godfather today and heard some great and wonderful words. If I had the assurance that I was baptized in the same way, I would never again be terrified by the devil." One of the guests was an old man who had actually been godfather at this doctor's Baptism. He spoke up: "Now my dear doctor, my dear doctor, you need not be in doubt on that score. For I was present at your Baptism. I stood as godfather for you, and I can testify that you, too, were baptized this way." This made the doctor very happy. A little later he rose from the table and went to his room. There he noticed two large, long goats horns projecting from a wall that had previously been bare. In an attempt to torment the doctor, the devil had assumed the guise of these horns. Now when the doctor saw this, the thought flashed to him:
"But I am baptized; I am a Christian. So why should I fear the devil?" Armed with that faith, he rushed to the wall and broke off one of the horns. Then he hurried back to his guests and joyfully related to them what had happened in the room. The guests all arose from the table and hurried into his room to see whether the one horn was still visible. Lo and behold, they found two horns again protruding from the wall. One of the guests wanted to show off and imitate his host. He said: "Well, I am a Christian too!"
And with these words he dashed toward the wall, intending to break off one of the horns. The devil broke his neck and killed him. This guest tried to make light of the whole matter to deck himself with glory. In consequence, his head was torn off, whereas the doctor, who took recourse to faith in the hour of trial, suffered no harm.71
This story is undoubtedly credible. My purpose in narrating it is to impress the fact that one must learn not only to recite the words of Holy Scripture by rote but also to believe them with one's heart and to remain steadfast in times of peril and in the hour of death. For there are many who speak the words: "I am a Christian," with their mouth but do not believe this in their heart. When trouble besets you, you will find out whether you take these words seriously. In days of sorrow take hold of the Word of God and of faith; pray, and say very fervently: "I am a Christian!" Then you will discover whether you really believe. When a person is not oppressed by sorrow, he has no occasion to perceive this. Callous people, who are not assailed by trouble or temptation, know nothing of this. The rebirth of which Christ speaks here is not acquired while dozing idly and comfortably behind the stove. If you are a Christian and really believe, join the nun in her words: "I am a Christian!" What is the result? You will find relief, and your mind will be at ease; and you will be able to thank God that the devil had to take to his heels. For he cannot withstand these words of fire.
Thus it all depends on this great and grand miracle, that I believe that God gave His Son for us. If I do not doubt this, then I am able to say in the midst of my trials: "I concede, devil, that I am a sinner burdened with the old Adam and subject to the wrath of God. But what do you, devil, say about this: God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that all who believe in Him might not perish but have eternal life? These words I believe!" And you must speak these words in sincere faith. For Christ has passed through death and sin, and death was powerless to hold Him. And now Christ says: "If you believe in Me, death shall not devour you either. Even if death should hold you for three days or so, as he detained
Me for three days in the earth and Jonah for three days in the belly of the whale, he shall nonetheless spew you out again." You might have reason to be surprised about all this—not only that you must be born anew but also that God so loved the world that He gave us a potent plaster, remedy, and syrup against sin, death, the devil, and hell, so that whoever lays that on his heart will not perish.
On the other hand, consider the abominable error of those who directed us to other methods, telling people, for instance, that they should retire into the desert, enter cloisters, or go on pilgrimages—and all this so that we might not perish but have eternal life. I, too, entered the monastery that I might not perish but have eternal life.72 I wanted to follow my own counsel and help myself by means of the cowl. Truly, it is a vexing and troublesome business. In Turkey and in the papacy this doctrine is still rampant; the Jews teach the same thing. But it really comes from the mouth of the devil.
- 164 One might be tempted to ask: Is it possible that so many can be mistaken about this? The answer is that the Son of God is stronger than all the gates of hell (Matt. 16:18), also greater than all the monks and their cowls. Nicodemus, too, was curious to hear how he was to be reborn and saved from death. He asked how this was to happen. Jesus told him: "This is the way: the Son of man must be lifted up, and God's Son must be given into death, and man must believe in Him." Even if the world were to teem with monk's cowls and with monastic rules, even if the world were full of the ordinances of the pope, the Turks'
Koran, or the Jews' laws, Christ would still be greater than all these. For He is still the Creator of heaven and earth and Lord over all creatures. His sacrifice for me was not St. Francis or any other monk or the mother of Christ or St. Peter or an angel or cowls and tonsures; it was a far more precious treasure.
Salvation and deliverance from death call for a greater service than any human or any angel could render.
Only God's only-begotten Son can render it. The Son swallows up death.
Our adversaries also read this text, but they do not understand it. We also had these words in the papacy, but we failed to comprehend them. Instead, our thoughts were directed solely to our works. And yet some took hold of these words in faith and were saved, like the nun who said: "I am a Christian." I once saw a monk who took a cross into his hands and remarked while the other monks were boasting of their good works: "I know of no merit of my own but only of the merit of Him who died for me on the cross." And in reliance on that merit he also died73 In the papacy it was customary to admonish a dying monk to be mindful of his own merits and works and of those of others. And in that faith they died. But just as the pious monk died a blessed death, relying solely on the merit of Jesus Christ, so many a wretched criminal on the gallows has been delivered from sin and saved through faith.
That is how St. Bernard was saved. He was an exemplary monk; he observed the rules of his order scrupulously, and he fasted so assiduously that his breath stank and no one could abide his presence. But on the threshold of death he exclaimed: "Oh, I have lived damnably! But heavenly Father, Thou hast given me Thy Son, who has a twofold claim to heaven: first, from eternity, by reason of the fact that He is Thy
Son; secondly, He earned heaven as the Son of man with His suffering, death, and resurrection. And thus He has also given and bestowed heaven on me."74 Thereby St. Bernard dropped out of the monastic role, forsook cowl and tonsure and rules, and turned to Christ; for he knew that Christ conquered death, not for Himself but for us men that all who believe in the Son should not perish but have eternal life. And so St.
These are golden words which must be preserved in Christendom; they alone make a person a Christian. You see how woefully those err who try to escape eternal damnation by means of their monkeries, cowls, and tonsures. Moreover, such people even offer their supererogatory works for sale and transfer them to others. This, I regret to say, is how we lived in the papacy. You young people, be grateful to God for your better insight, and learn these words well. For death and the devil are in league with the pope and with the Turks' Koran to delude the people into relying on their foul works for salvation. But salvation demands more than our good works; for not even the holiness of the angels sufficed. God's own
Son had to be given to conquer death. Now heaven and the victory over death are not Christ's alone; whoever believes in Him is not to perish but shall have eternal life. On the other hand, whoever refuses to believe is eternally beyond help and rescue, as Christ points out later when He says: "He who does not believe is condemned already" (John 3:18).75
The last time we heard Christ say to Nicodemus: "God so loved the world." Furthermore, He assured him that God did not send His Son to condemn the world. From these words we learned that God's Son and the Son of man are one Person. We learned that the Son of man was hanged and lifted up as the serpent in the wilderness had been lifted up. This applies properly only to His human nature, since God cannot suffer and be crucified. And yet Christ says here that the Son of God was given into death and was crucified. From this we learn about the "communication of properties," the fact that the attributes of both natures pertain to the one Person, that the attributes of both natures inhere in the one person.76 Despite the fact that Creator and creature are two disparate beings, as different from each other as nothing is from something or from everything, or as different as heaven and earth, still it is true that here they are united.
I am stressing this for a very good reason. Many heretics have arisen—and still more schismatic spirits will appear—who have assailed this article of faith and have been offended at the thought that God should suffer. The Godhead, they argued, is an eternal majesty, while humankind is only a temporal creature.
They toyed with this article regarding the two natures in Christ most adroitly and alleged that Mary was not the mother of the Son of God, and that Christ, Mary's Son, is not the Son of God. They were offended
- 165 by the two natures found in Christ. In place of the two natures they contrived to find two persons.
According to Holy Scripture, however, we declare that there are two natures in Christ but only one Person and not two, and that this one Person, God and man suffered, that the Son of God and of Mary was crucified. A schismatic spirit may contradict this and say: "Ah, God cannot be crucified!" But tell him that this Person, who is God and man, was crucified. Since God manages to harmonize this, we, of course, must harmonize it too and declare that Mary is Christ's mother not only according to His humanity, but that she is also the mother of the Son of God and that her Son is both God and man. This is the language
St. Paul employs in Heb. 6:6, when he speaks of the false Christians who "crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold Him up to contempt." And in 1 Cor. 2:8 he says: "If they had understood, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." Since it is the language of St. Paul and of Holy Scripture that the Son of God and the King of glory was crucified, we can accept it without hesitation. Anyone who believes the Bible will not mutter a sound against it. We can also reverse the picture and say: "This Infant, born of Mary and suckled by her or lying in her lap, created heaven and earth." If someone were to interpose: "Well, what, after all, could such a lithe child create?" I reply: "This is what Holy Scripture says." For instance, in Luke 2:11 we hear the dear angels sing at Christmas time: "To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." That angelic song, in which Christ was called the Lord, was sung at a time when the Infant still clung to His mother's breast.
The fathers contended fervidly for this, maintaining against the heretics that there are two natures in Christ but not two persons, that there is only one Son. This is how Scripture speaks and how we, too, must speak. To be sure, Christ was crucified according to His humanity, and He created heaven and earth according to His divinity; but since this one Person is God and man, it is proper to say: God's Son is the Creator of heaven and earth, and God's Son was also crucified. One dare not divide the Person, leaving only the human nature; but one must bear in mind that this Person is also God. Thus St. Hilary says:
"When Christ suffered, the Logos was quiescent."77 If we fail to hold that the Person who was crucified was both God and man, we are eternally damned and lost. We must have a Savior who is more than a saint or an angel. If He were not superior to these, we would get no help from Him. But if He is God, then the treasure is so heavy that it not only outweighs and cancels sin and death but also gives eternal life. No mere human could acquire eternal life for us or overcome devil and death.
This is our Christian Creed, and in conformity with it we confess: "I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered and died." Let heathen and heretics be ever so smart; hold firmly to this faith, and you will be saved. It follows, then, that whoever believes in the Son of man, who was born of Mary, who suffered and was buried, will not be lost but is a son of God in possession of eternal life. Devil, sin, and death will not be able to harm him; for he has eternal life.
The text has good reason for adding that God gave His only Son and that believers in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God has many other sons. We, for instance, glory in the fact that God is our Father, as we pray in the Our Father. And St. Paul declares that God "destined us in love to be His sons through Jesus Christ" (Eph. 1:5). But the evangelist identifies these sons when he says: "These are sons who believe in the Son." It is logical that the Son in whom we believe must be distinct and different and greater than we, the sons of God who believe in Him. Others are also sons of God, but they are not such sons as He is in whom we must believe. He is not a Son of God by reason of His believing in us; we, however, become sons of God through our believing in Him. Therefore His divine sonship is vastly different from yours or mine.
The heretics garbled Holy Scripture terribly. They claimed that Christ is called a Son of God by a metaphor, as we, too, are called sons of God.78 In Job 38:4, 7 the angels are also termed sons of God. We read: "Where were you when the sons of God [that is, all the angels] worshiped Me in heaven?" They claim that Christ was a son of God in that sense too. But scrutinize this text. Here we learn that He is the Son in whom we must believe. We holy people and the angels are not sons of God such as He is; for we all become sons of God through our faith in Him. The angels, too, were made sons of God through Him; for they were all created by the Son, as we read in Col. 1:16. We human beings were also created by Him, but we lost and condemned sinners become sons of God through our faith in Him. Christ, however, is God and the Son of God; for there is a great difference between the one who believes and the one in whom one believes. If someone deserves the honor that men believe in him and through that faith become children of God and achieve the new birth, such a Person must be very God. Again, if He created the angels and if the - 166 angels take first rank among the creatures, then Christ must be Lord of all creatures. Likewise, since He created us men, He cannot be a son of God in the sense in which we or John the Baptist are sons of God.
This is the real difference between the other sons of God and this Son of God. He is God Himself, whereas we are made sons of God through Him; He gives us eternal life and through Himself overcomes death. These are essential differences. This is how you must interpret Holy Scripture, not only for your own sake but also to enable you to cope with the schismatic spirits, who twist and interpret Scripture according to their own ideas. You must realize that this Son is holy, safe from devil and death, and is not subject to damnation as we humans are. Nor does He require salvation for Himself; for He has always been, and still is, Salvation and Life personified. He is very God not only in His Person but also in His office and His works. These bear witness to His divinity, as He says in John: "Even though you do not believe Me, believe Me for the sake of the works" (John 14:11). Therefore it is a definition of His essence79 when this text says: "Whoever believes in Him has eternal life." It is He who bestows eternal life, kills death through Himself, and saves all who believe in Him. Such a work only God can do.
Your faith finds its vindication in the fact that Christ is very God in view not only of His essence and nature but also of His work. He is God in person, but He also performs the work of God: He saves those who believe in Him. Nowhere do we find it recorded that faith in any angel, whether Gabriel or Michael, or in John the Baptist or in the Virgin Mary, will make a person a child of God. Only of the Son is it said that He rescues from death and gives eternal life. Thus Christ is established in the Godhead not only according to His person and majesty but also according to His work. Therefore it is fitting for us to write this text on every wall, and also in our hearts, with large, yes, with golden letters; for these are words of life and salvation. They teach us how to escape death and defend ourselves against all heretics, also against the pope and the Turk, all of whom read this text, but with drowsy eyes and deaf ears. For if they had heard, comprehended, and believed these words, they would not have fallen into such folly but would have said: "I am saved by Christ alone, who gave Himself into death for me." And if this is true, I am quick to add: "Well then, what am I doing in the cloister? Why did I run to Rome or to St. James?" I did all this for the purpose of gaining salvation. And henceforth I adjudge all religions and faiths false and heretical, whether of the Turk, of Mohammed, of the pope, or of the Jew, who also read and recite these words, but in the same indolent and indifferent manner in which the nuns read the Psalter without paying heed to its content. They, too, speak these words, but they only repeat them by rote like a parrot. But you must reflect on these words and impress them on your heart. And after you have gained a good understanding of them, you are in a position to examine and judge faith and to stand your ground against the attacks of the schismatic spirits.
Christ says further: "Ponder this, dear Nicodemus: that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that we should be saved by Him." As if He were to say: "I Myself perform the work of redemption from sin and death." And this work performed by Him, He gives or transfers to the Father, so that the Father's work and the Sons work are one and the same. The evangelist John consistently distinguishes between the Persons, but he identifies the work. For the Father is not the son of the Virgin Mary, nor was
He crucified, but only the Son; and yet Father and Son remain true God, and the Son draws us to the Father through Himself.
We heard Christ say: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6); and: "No one has ascended into heaven but He who descended from heaven" (John
3:13). This is a hard and terrifying speech; it reflects nothing but the wrath of God. It condemns the whole world, deprives it of God, and leaves it lost and condemned. Yes, God is a real tyrant. You have heard of God's anger and judgment; you have heard that we all were conceived and born in sin. But now hear of the love of God, that He looks with favor on you and loves you. If you wish to have a gracious God and Father and know of His love for you, you must realize that you come to God by believing in the Son, whom the Father gave for you and who had Himself crucified for you. If this is your faith, it will be impossible for you not to feel the ineffable love of God manifested when He saved you from eternal doom and gave His Son that you might live. Hold firmly to this if you wish to be saved. For if you believe this, you ascend to heaven through Christ.80 Then you will not confront an angry judge but a dear Father, who is so kindly disposed toward me that He gave His Son for me; otherwise I would be lost. Now I can confidently say: If God loved me so that He gave His only Son for my salvation, why should I fear His anger?
- 167 In the papacy many sermons dealt with sin, death, and hell, and also with the wrath of God. But what did they say about deliverance from all this? They insisted that we render satisfaction for our sins with our good works and atone for them with monastic life, pilgrimages, and Masses. But here we read: "Whoever does not believe in the Son has the wrath of God abiding over him." The pope, on the other hand, demands that I wear a cowl, be tonsured, and perform other tomfoolery to appease God's wrath. The Turk, the pope, and the Jews depict God as an angry God, but as one whose anger can be allayed and whose favor can be won if I humble myself, fast, sacrifice, perform good works, and expiate my sins with an ascetic life. It is the devil himself who directs people to their good works and not to Christ, the Son of God. God forbids us to rely on ourselves and boast of our good works, no matter how good they may be; and He insists that we approach the Son, take hold of Him, cleave to Him, believe in Him, and say: "I believe in Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, who was born of the Virgin Mary, who suffered and died for me."
The papists sang this in their churches daily, and they also taught this creed to their children. However, no one understood it; otherwise no one would have said: "I want to escape hell with my monkery and my order." The Lord demands here that we refrain from all thoughts of finding God and attaining salvation by means of good works and seek refuge solely in Christ the Lord. For to seek God outside Christ leads to eternal damnation. Much could still be said on this subject if time permitted. At all times there have been many schismatic spirits who ignored Christ and wanted to climb up into heaven and seek God with their clever thoughts and their good works. All the heresies that were rampant among the Jews can be traced back to the hermits or Levites, who erected altars in their gardens, in beautiful fields, in bright meadows, under a pretty linden tree, or on a hill, whither they lured the people. Occasionally the devil would lend a hand with a miracle, and thus the people were miserably seduced. The prophets earnestly warned against this practice and condemned this self-devised zeal and worship of God. But when the defies declared that this or that was to be done in these places because it was pleasing to God, the devil supported the suggestion. And the people flocked there in droves and established their own worship of God, just as though God were in agreement with them. He, however, had made it known through Moses where He wanted to be worshiped—not in any attractive spot, under a beautiful tree, in a gay meadow or field, or on a mountain, but at the place where the Ark of the Covenant rested. Thus God was to be found only in the temple in Jerusalem. But the schismatic spirits retorted: "Why should God not also be found on this mountain or on the spot where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob worshiped? God can hear us here as well as in Jerusalem." This meant climbing to God with one's own zeal. We did the same thing. We were not content with God's plan: "No one ascends into heaven but He who descends from heaven," and: "To escape damnation and to attain eternal life, one must believe in the crucified Son." No, we replied: "You must assuredly perform good works, not only the good works prescribed in the Ten Commandments—oh, no, these do not suffice! You must also do the good works commanded by the pope, such as fasting, observing holidays, etc." And now these people mock us when we preach about faith. They say: "Faith?
Nonsense! No, whoever joins this or that order is saved." This is the trouble. This means seeking God in our own arbitrary way and trying to climb into heaven on the self-invented ladder of our own ideas. We must be on our guard against that devil whose name is Enthusiasm.81 People who follow him disparage the oral Word and declare: "The Spirit must do it!" All they ever talk about is the Spirit. Of course,
Nicodemus might have received the Spirit in this way too; but he gives ear to the Word of truth preached to him here by Christ: "No one ascends into heaven." The Word must still be preached and read orally, and the burden of our message must be: "I believe in the only Son of God, who died for me." We must seal our faith with the confession that we know of no other God than Him of whom we read here:
"Whoever believes in the Son of man has everlasting life." No other thoughts or works will achieve this for me; the only way and the true way to God is to believe in the Son. Therefore God has also commanded us to preach this diligently. That is why He established the ministry of oral preaching, instituted the Sacraments, and commanded absolution. He wanted this message to remain alive among Christians that faith might be preserved in wakeful hearts, a faith which confesses: "I believe in the Son, who was given into death for me." The papists, to be sure, hear these words too; for they possess the Bible as we do. But they slumber and snore over them; they have eyes and do not see, ears and do not hear. They say: "Oh, if only I had done what St. Augustine or St. Francis commanded!" The laity call upon the Virgin Mary to intercede for them with her Son. During my twenty years in the cloister I was obsessed with the one thought of observing the rules of my order. We were so drowned in the stupor of our own good works that we did not see and understand these words. But if you want to find God, then inscribe these words in your
- 168 heart. Don't sleep, but be vigilant, Learn and ponder these words diligently: "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." Let him who can write, write these words. Furthermore, read them, discuss them, meditate and reflect on them in the morning and in the evening, whether awake or asleep! For the devil will sorely assail your faith in an effort to make you doubt that Christ is the Son of God and that your faith is pleasing to God. He will torture you with thoughts of predestination, with the wrath and the judgment of God. Then you must say:
"I don't want to hear or know anything else about God than that He loves me. I don't want to know anything about a wrathful God, about His judgment and anger, about hell, about death, and about damnation. But if I do see God's wrath, I know that this drives me to the Son, where I find refuge; and if I come to the Son, I also have a merciful Father." For St. John tells us in his epistle that the Father loved me before I ever loved Him or knew Him, that He remitted my sin and gave me salvation (1 John 4:10).
Hearing these words and believing them makes a person a true Christian. But if one loses these words, all is lost, be you a Carthusian or whatever you will.
The words "not perish" are inexpressibly glorious. They mean: to be rid of sin, to have a good conscience, and not to be under the Law. Otherwise the Law punishes sin; but now, even if someone feels sin and the wrath of God, sin will not give him a bad conscience, because his sin is forgiven. The Law will not accuse him, sin will not bite or plague him, death will not devour him; for if he believes these words, he is safe and secure.
This is what we preach and believe. And let anyone who does not share this faith pray God that it may be imparted also to him. But see to it that you do not resist this faith or violate and blaspheme it, as the pope does when he says: "Of course, I know that Christ saves; but He does not save me." Well, the devil, too, knew that Christ saved Peter. Faith is not a paltry and petty matter as the pope's contempt of it would make it appear; but it is a heartfelt confidence in God through Christ that Christ's suffering and death pertain to you and should belong to you. The pope and the devil have a faith too, but it is only a "historical faith."82 True faith does not doubt; it yields its whole heart to the conviction that the Son of God was given into death for us, that sin is remitted, that death is destroyed, and that these evils have been done away with—but, more than this, that eternal life, salvation, and glory, yes, God Himself have been restored to us, and that through the Son God has made us His children.
These are living words which Christ addresses to us, to you and to me, when He says that he who accepts the Son shall be saved and that death, devil, and hell shah be disposed of for him. These words comfort us when we are frightened and troubled or when we contend against the schismatic spirits. They extinguish the flaming darts of the devil (Eph. 6:16). They assure us that we retain the glory that God's
Son is our Gift and our Treasure. This conviction cannot be imparted to us by any monastic order or rule, whether it be named for St. Augustine or anyone else. No, you must say: "I believe in Christ, in whom St.
Augustine also believed." But if I were to say: "Oh, you dear Virgin Mary, you are holier than I. And you, St. Francis, have many merits; transfer some of them to my credit!" it would all be vain. The same answer would be given to you that, according to Matt. 25:9, was given to the five foolish virgins when they wished to borrow from the wise virgins, who had their lamps full of oil: "Go to the dealers and buy for yourselves"; that is, go to your preachers and teachers, who misinformed you so.
Thus we find rich, excellent, and salutary words in this text. They should be diligently heeded.83
This Gospel is customarily preached to the congregation every Whitmonday. It is so pregnant with meaning that it can never be exhausted. We have already expounded the first part in detail, namely, the section which informed us that God sent His Son into the world that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Let that suffiee. But now we want to discuss the other part, the part which tells us that the world refuses to accept the judgment and to give ear to God's Word.
It seems very strange that the world is so mad and foolish as to be averse to the message of salvation, that it cannot bear the proclamation that it is to attain eternal life and to be redeemed from sin and death, through Christ, the Son of God, and that it need not fear the Last Judgment. This is truly the most pleasing proclamation of all; it is the best. Even if it is brought to our very doorsteps, it meets with rejection. How does it happen that we prize our salvation so little? See how this message fares among the papists and the schismatic spirits. They will listen to this proclamation and tolerate it, and they will agree that God's Son was sent into the world and was given for me. But when it comes to the point that our good works are thereby rejected and counted for nothing and they are told: "You monks must believe this Christ and be saved through Him alone, not through your Masses, pilgrimages, or other ceremonies," then the fight is
- 169 on; then they call all this nothing but damned heresy. If one said this about the Turks, I would not believe it. I myself, however, hear and see that many become evangelical because we preach gently to them but are taken aback and become mad and foolish when they hear or see something displeasing and are told that their good works are rejected. Their anger, wrangling, and hatred stem from the fact that we are saved through the Son, whom God has sent, and not through our cowls, tonsures, or any of our good works.
This is the content of our beautifully expressed text: that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that all who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Is this not clear and explicit enough? Yet it avails nothing. For as soon as people hear that their own efforts count for nothing, all is forgotten. They insist that their own method must be and remain right. By God, let heaven and earth crash down upon this attitude! It is amazing that man is so malicious that he can discard his own merits only with angry reluctance, whereas he should be very ready and happy to accept salvation by another's aid and benefaction. Man is completely unwilling to have the First Table condemn his deeds. And why do I speak about the sins against the First Table, such as idolatry, blasphemy, cursing, swearing, for which the world refuses to be reproved? The world cannot bear reproof for sins against the Second Table either. For if you tell a peasant that he must believe in Christ, since salvation is being offered to him through Christ, and that he must also guard against fornication and adultery, he will promptly become angry and reject God's
Word and teaching. Likewise, when the nobility is taken to task in a sermon, they grow angry and furious.
Nor do the princes want to be censured. When they are told: "If you do this or that, you are not Christians," they call such a chastening sermon slanderous and libelous, and they accuse the preachers of defaming them before the people. They demand that a sermon confine itself to the words: "God so loved the world that He gave His Son," and "whoever believes in the Son shall have eternal life." Such a sermon is just fine! But they insist that the preacher ignore the sequel: that the world hates and rejects the light.
Kings, princes, lords, and noblemen do not want to have anyone rebuked for loving the darkness. But let the devil refrain from telling them this, for Christ Himself declares here that the world hates the light.
What do you suppose would be the result if we were to refrain from reproving the nobility and others?
That would be tantamount to delivering them, adorned with flowers, into the hands of the devil. And still they boast of being good evangelicals! What, then, are we to do? Shall we cease preaching and allow them to hurl themselves into the jaws of the devil? It would not be so strange if I were to throw the keys of my office at the Lord's feet and say: "Lord, do Thy own preaching! Thou mightest indeed have arranged matters differently; for we preached to them, but they will not heed us." However, God wants us to remain firm and steadfast in the execution of our calling and office, and to reprove sin. He wants to rule His church through the preachers, through the external Word and the Sacraments, just as He governs the world through burgomasters, kings, princes, and lords and punishes the evildoers with the sword. Otherwise God could dispense with executioner and government for the service described in Rom. 13:4; He Himself would be far more adept at punishing knaves. No, God also avails Himself of our service in the church to reprove sin, just as He avails Himself of the princes in the secular realm. If this were not God's own order and institution, I would not want to preach another sermon to the end of my days. God says: "You must do this regardless of the consequences to you, you must remain in your office." If you are in the ministry and see that you have rascals and knaves, fornicators, adulterers, and robbers in your parish, you must say:
"Since this is my duty, I will point out sins to peasants, burghers, and noblemen, and rebuke them for these without paying attention to their complaints when they say: 'Look here, you are defaming me!' " For if I held back, I would make myself guilty of your sin. And why should I go to hell for you? They might retort: "Well, I am not asking you to do this; I am not forcing you." Yes, this may be true. Still you do not want me to reprove you, and you refuse to let me upbraid you for your vices. You expect me to hold my peace, although I occupy an office which requires me to reprove sin, as the prophet Ezekiel does in chapters three and thirty-three, when he declares: "So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. If I say to the wicked to turn from his way, and you give him no warning or speak to warn him, to save his life, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand"
(Ezek. 3:17 ff.; 33:7 ff.). Do you suppose it is a small matter to burden a ruler with such a responsibility?
This burden has been imposed on the poor preachers, as it has on all who hold other offices, such as burgomasters, princes, and government officials. They should not keep silence in the presence of sin; nor should they themselves sin. For if I see adultery or other sins in people and neglect to take the sinners to task, God will visit their sins on me. We members of the secular and of the ecclesiastical realm have been ordered to punish wrongdoing. But no one does so. What is going to become of you, great kings and - 170 teachers in the church, who hear and see so much crime and sin but hush it up and do not punish it? Thus many people go to hell for the sins of others.
This responsibility makes it difficult to occupy a position in government, whether spiritual or secular, in the secular government or in the church. And yet rulers and government are necessary. Therefore you should not be hostile to them; they bear a heavy burden. Faithless stewards will have to pay a dear price.
Don't begrudge them the golden chain they may wear around their necks; their office involves jeopardy aplenty if they do not govern aright and punish wrong. But this thought never occurs to the common man.
He does not realize that if I, as a preacher, keep silence and neglect to censure sin, all the sins of this city are charged to my account. You observe how everyone in the world scrapes and scratches, covets and practices usury; and if one remonstrates with them, they grow angry and almost burst with indignation. Do you consider it a good evangelical sermon if I keep silence and let you do as you please? Why should you encumber me with your sins? I will not permit them to oppress me. Bear them yourself! You will say:
"Yes, but why do you not hush up my sins?" Don't you understand that because of my office I will not and dare not keep my peace? How can you compensate me for being damned on your account, for partaking of the guilt of your sin? Such is the esteem and the thanks the dear Gospel receives from the world: it prefers the darkness to the light. The Gospel of Christ is a precious and sweet message, but it is received with shameful ingratitude. It is a comforting message with a charming sound when one says:
"Christ wants to sacrifice His life and His soul for you." But when we take a man to task properly and reprimand him for his sins, it's the devil, and he refuses to tolerate it. One must proceed thus: First teach man that he is saved by Christ alone. Then also hold the prospect of judgment before the ungodly. Tell them that man cannot endure the light which shows him how he is saved, but that he wants to persist in his usury and in other sins. But we shall treat all this in the proper order.
Christ says: "God so loved the world." This is an inexpressibly beautiful message; that God, the heavenly Father, had compassion on us and in His mercy and pity gave us His Son. Add to this the fact that we did not deserve it but that it was done, not in view of any piety or merit in us but out of sheer grace. And to whom was this grace shown? To "the world," that is, to those who were condemned and lost. We are ready to listen to the message that God loved the world, but the statement that the world was lost is repugnant to us. And what does God give the world? Ah, it is an ineffable love that gives us more than a kingdom, more than a thousand angels, which would indeed be a great and remarkable gift. But no,
He gives us Himself. He gives us His Son, who is very God. He gives us the very dearest thing He has and is.
To whom does God give His Son? To the world, that is, to the wayward multitude, which has not merited this but, on the contrary, should reasonably expect to be doomed and damned. The Son is given that those who were lost may be saved through Him.
And what are we to give to God in return for this love? Nothing. You shall not go to Rome on pilgrimages, become a monk or a nun, or perform this Or that good work. Only believe in Christ, cast off your old nature, and cleave to Him. Your faith, however, must be of the sort that abounds in good works.
Thus this Gift and Present, the Father's Son, is not acquired with hand, finger, or foot; it is not found in a cloister or a monk's habit; nor is it contained in any vessel. It is grasped solely with the heart and by faith. And when this Gift enters your heart and you sincerely believe in Christ, you do not remain your former self, as, for instance, a thief, an adulterer, or a murderer; but now you become a new man, for the light dwells in your heart. Therefore our God insists on possessing your heart wholely; it is the heart that must believe. Our God takes the best of man, the inner man—not the mouth or the hand, but the heart. He wants you to be pious within. When you believe in Christ, your heart is purified. Thus St. Peter declares in Acts 15:9: "Faith cleanses the heart." Such a faith will no longer permit you to be arrogant and proud; for if the heart is cleansed, then hands, eyes, feet, and all other members are also pure, and their works are also different. Faith will not allow you to be a sinner, fornicator, or adulterer; henceforth your life will reflect the quality of your heart.
Now Christ enlarges on this subject as He continues with a glorious statement. He says that the world was indeed condemned but that the Son was sent for the very purpose of saving the condemned and lost world. He tells us that since He was given to us from a motive of pure love, all who can must accept Him with their heart and believe in Him. This means being snatched from damnation and transplanted into eternal life; it means that death, hell, and the devil's power have been abolished.
So far Christ has been speaking affirmatively. Now He adds negatively:
- 171 For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world.
As if He were to say: "The whole world, when it is pious and at its best, fears God and flees from Him.
For it is aware of God's wrath and of the reality of hell, divine judgment, and eternal damnation." We see proof of this in sickness, pestilence, fever, war, famine, and other distress and misery in the world, all of which are penalties and plagues of God by means of which He shows His anger and judgment against the ungodly. And anyone with a little piety in his heart realizes that God is angry and punishes; he fears God's judgments as he fears the devil. Coarse and ungodly people are not frightened by war and pestilence. On the contrary, they grow ever more impatient because of wars, pestilence, and venereal disease.84
The consciousness that God is angry and that He is an irate Judge of sin is innate in the human heart.
His wrath is evident in the world; we see Him punishing one here, another there. In such circumstances it is impossible for man to be happy. He is in constant fear that God is standing behind him, cudgel in hand, ready to strike him down. Now the Lord Christ says here: "We will put an end to such thoughts; God does not want us to entertain them any longer." No matter how God may act in the future—even if He sends forth His four plagues into the world, sickness, war, famine, and wild beasts (Rev. 6:8)—this is not to be construed as God's wrath. For the judgment has been done away with, all external signs to the contrary notwithstanding. God often feigns wrath and impatience with His saints. We think, for instance, of the times when He afflicted Job, Jeremiah, David, and others. This, however, was not to be a judgment for their ruin and destruction; rather it was to be a trial, as 1 Cor. 11:19 and Psalm 30 declare. Thus Christ also declares here: "The judgment is past. The Father and I condemn no one. God is not angry; for I am the Pledge and the certain Token, yes, the Gift and the Present to show you that God is not angry with us.
For I was not sent to judge the world, to make you run from Me, or to repel you as a stern judge. The negative is always more impressive than the affirmative." As though Christ were to say: "It is not My purpose to judge you, nor is it the Father's purpose to judge you. For if He wished to judge and condemn you, why, then, did He send Me into the world? No, the wrath is gone, and now He is filled with sheer love. He also sent Me, not to judge the world but to save it."
These are glorious and consoling words. Pious Christians should enshrine them in their hearts, for they assure us that God does not judge us. These words should comfort us—too bad we are such despairing rogues!—and assure us that God will not slay us or throw us into hell: "The ungodly should fear God, flee from Him, and not approach Him joyfully. But you who believe in Me shall not be judged or run from Me as from a relentless judge. For through the medium of faith the judgment has been abolished; the mission to which I was delegated has put an end to judgment. Therefore the thoughts of your heart are wrong; for whoever accepts Me in faith banishes those awful words about God's wrath, hell, and eternal damnation."
"Not to condemn the world"—these are Christ's clear and plain words, words which we did not invent but spoke. Why? Because He was not sent to condemn the world but to save it and to enable it to escape the judgment. "For the world has Me; I am its God. And he who has the Son of God and believes in Him cannot be judged, for the Father has abolished judgment through the Son."85 Otherwise Christ, the beloved
Son, would also have to be condemned, which is impossible. Therefore wherever He is, we are to be also.
Thus we shall not be condemned; for if I believe in Him, I cannot be judged. Now we should not run from Christ and God, the heavenly Father. It is His will that we stay close to Him, as chicks gather under the wings of the hen and as children cling to their parents. Like children, we, too, must find refuge with Christ and the heavenly Father.
The world is already judged by original sin, the hereditary fall,86 and the Law of Moses; for it was seduced by the devil. The Law of Moses, our conscience, and our heart already proclaim such judgment.
In Rom. 1:32 we hear that our conscience accuses and condemns us and that consequently a judge is no longer necessary. The world has always been full of judgment and death, and it is not worthy of love.
Therefore there was no need of a judge any more; but now the Son has been sent that we might know that our thoughts must be put to death.
This is surely a comforting doctrine. But the devil suppressed it under the papacy, and it is despised there to this day. In the papacy I myself fled from Christ and trembled at the mere mention of His name.
For my mind conceived of Christ as a judge to whom I would one day have to render an account for all my words and deeds. I knew these words very well, and I read them daily; but I read them without understanding, because I regarded Christ as a judge. Thus we erred woefully. And St. Bernard, who was a pious man otherwise, also said: "Behold how Christ chides, censures, and condemns the Pharisees so harshly throughout the Gospel, whereas the Virgin Mary is always kind and gentle and never utters an - 172 unfriendly word." From this he inferred: "Christ is given to scolding and punishing, but Mary has nothing but sweetness and love."87 Therefore Christ was generally feared; we fled from Him and took refuge with the saints, calling upon Mary and others to deliver us from our distress. We regarded them all as holier than Christ. Christ was only the executioner, while the saints were our mediators. No one really perceived this beautiful text, and none of us impressed these words which Christ speaks here upon our hearts: "I did not come into the world to condemn the world." Christ assures us that He is not a judge. He is a Mediator, a Helper, a Comforter, a Mercy Seat, a Bishop, a Shepherd, a Brother, an Intercessor, our Gift, and our
Deliverer—not a judge. He was given and presented to us so that we would not have to flee from Him.
But these wounds in our heart are not yet fully healed. By nature we are disinclined to trust in God; and then, when evil teachers, such as schismatic spirits and sectaries, also appear, everything is soon undone. I must still apply myself like a child to the study of these words, which assure me that Christ did not come to judge the world.
Christs occasional stern and rebuking demeanor in the Gospel has but one objective: to save the world, not to condemn and judge it; for it has already been judged and condemned, as He asserts in this text. He wants us to accept Him; He does not want us to hate the light; He wants us to become new persons, to cleave to Him with all our heart, to rely on Him, and to say: "Thou didst not come to condemn me but to save me." People will believe in Him; yet at the same time they will want to retain their old nature. But this is not the way. Those who are addicted to vice cannot love or follow Christ, for Christ and Belial cannot reside side by side. Faith must change the heart. If you are imbued with true faith, you will no longer rely on money or goods; nor will you be proud or smug any longer. Faith cannot exist where there is reliance on money and goods, for faith puts its reliance only in Christ. But the world will much sooner dispense with Christ than abandon its possessions; this is what it means to do evil works and to love darkness.
Those who really stand in awe of God's wrath must inscribe these words in their hearts and accept them as true: God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save it through Him. If your faith is true, you will experience in any conflict or anxiety of conscience that Christ is not lying when
He assures you that He does not intend to condemn the world but that the world will be saved through Him. Such a faith will not fail you in the hour of death, for this faith will support you in all kinds of trials.
This is what faith accomplishes if it is not false or counterfeit. With such a faith one will also be able to enjoy life, eat and drink, use the necessities of life, and say: "Why should I boast? Today I live; tomorrow
I die. Thus my heart's affections belong to Christ alone."
But if you are envious, if you are a whoremonger or an adulterer, a robber or a knave, and you say:
"Oh, God did not send His Son to condemn the world!" you will soon realize that you do not belong among the true believers. You do not dwell in the love of the Father but under His wrath; you love darkness and live outside Christ and the love of the Father. For if you were in Christ and remained in the Father's love, you would not commit such sin and vice; and then these words would also apply to you:
"God did not send His Son to condemn the world." But this you do not do, and at the same time you resent reproof.
The law of nature had placed the world under judgment even before. Moses expanded this so that our judgment and condemnation became manifest to us through the Law. However, when you are in danger and trial, hurry over and take hold of Christ; you will be saved and not condemned. Then let Christ chasten you. On the other hand, if you refuse to do this, you are lost. Christ reproves and chastens a person with His Word in such a manner that he will not be condemned. Whenever Christ says: "Woe to you!" He intends to save you; with these harsh words He wants to make you pay attention to the Father's love. If you remain proud and persist in wickedness, you are lost.
Father and mother do not chide, whip, or chastise a child in order to throttle it, hang it, or club it to death but in order to keep it out of the hands of the executioner, who might otherwise hang or execute it someday. Thus God, too, does not want us to become wild. He judges and chastens us to ward off and prevent our doom, to keep us under His protective care, and to make us heirs of the kingdom of heaven.
That is why God visits the elect with so many trials. If a thought such as this ever occurs to you: "Oh, God is angry with me!" then you must say: "No, I believe in Thee, and I believe Thy words; they cannot deceive me. And even if Thou dost grievously afflict me, Thou wilt not cast me off. Thus Ps. 143:2 declares: 'Enter not into judgment with Thy servant.' For Thou hast not been sent to condemn the world."
Even if God torments you with pestilence and other evils, His heart is not bent on the destruction of - 173 everything. When many of the Corinthians had taken Holy Communion carelessly and unwisely so that God struck them with sickness and death, St. Paul declared (1 Cor. 11:31–32): "If we judged ourselves truly, we should not be judged by the Lord. But When we are judged by the Lord, we are chastened so that we may not be condemned along with the ungodly world."
God's chastening rod is to be construed as a judgment which intends to save us and to remove us from condemnation. With such judgment God, to keep us from being condemned together with the world, wants to snatch us from the damnation and judgment to which the world is subject. For Christ did not come to condemn. We are not to regard Him as an executioner, as one who is angry and eager to condemn us, but as one who is eager to help the world. But the devil has a hand in this. He can depict Christ as one who is angry with us; he can picture Him as very death before our eyes. But if you remain under the wings of this Brood Hen, the Lord Christ, you are able to say: "God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world. You must not make Christ into a devil for me; for He was not sent to be my judge, tyrant, venom, death, wrath, and pestilence. No, He is called a Helper. This is His office; this is the purpose for which He was sent, as He Himself declares: 'Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest' (Matt. 11:28). The Father was induced by a sincere and profound love to send Him to us that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."
Thus Christ concludes, saying: "Whoever believes in Him is not condemned." Then He speaks affirmatively again and says: "The believer is freed through Christ from the judgment which is already in force." All men are already condemned and imprisoned to be damned eternally, but the Son of God was given to us to redeem us from that judgment. No matter how the devil and your conscience may harass and worry you, this comforting doctrine remains true and certain, provided that your faith is true and sincere. And then you need not fear that Christ will address you on Judgment Day with the words (Matt.
25:41): "Depart into eternal damnation!" You know that He will say instead (Matt. 25:34): "Come, O blessed of My Father." If our hearts could grasp the fact that we need not fear the Final Judgment, what joy they would find! As for me, the words "Depart from Me" are null and void; for over me I find inscribed the word: "Come, O blessed." And if judgment has been abrogated, then it follows that all other evils, such as sin, death, the devil, and hell, have also been eliminated.
Therefore let anyone who can, learn these words. However, we wretched people cling more firmly to our money and goods, to honor and power, to avarice and sin; these we will not forsake, and we persevere in doing evil. We pay no attention to these words; and if a person has heard them just once, he supposes that he knows all about them: "Whoever believes in Me need not fear judgment." Judgment has been nullified for him; it concerns him no more than it does the angels. He does not stand in need of a mediator on that Day, for judgment has been disposed of. He does not require the intercession of the saints; nor does he fear purgatory. Unless Christ is a preacher of lies, it is certain that just as Christ does not fear judgment and cannot be judged, so we believers will not be judged. But more than this: On that Day we, together with Christ, will judge the world and all the ungodly. Thus St. Paul says: "Do you not know that we are to judge angels?" (1 Cor. 6:3). This affords us great comfort and banishes fear; judgment has been abolished for us on account of our faith in Christ.
These words are true, and still it is so hard for them to enter our hearts and to be mastered fully. Even pious hearts are filled with venom and entertain old thoughts which they cannot shake off. This text offers a precious remedy for such venomous thoughts of the devil. Many, however, are smug and have learned these words too quickly. But whether we believe it or not, it remains true nevertheless that all who believe in the Son, whether children or adults, are free and safe from the judgment. For we still have the same
Christ and the same Baptism St. Peter and St. Paul had. And even if you are steeped in sin like St. Paul, who slew many Christians and shed innocent blood, or like St. Peter, who denied Christ, you are nonetheless baptized; and if you believe in Christ, you are delivered from judgment as much as they were.
This doctrine cannot fail you. Therefore it is wise to learn it betimes if you can, so that in the hour of death you may know it and not be eternally lost. Let everyone see to it that he have a sincere faith, and let him pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). If you are weak in the faith, why do you not pray? Or if you live in unbelief, avarice, and other vices that militate against faith, remember that you have prayer. Call upon God that His name may be hallowed, that His kingdom may come to us, and that we may become strong in the faith and no longer be so arrogant, angry, etc. For the Lord Christ is well aware that we are feeble and that sin still clings to us. But we must say: "O Lord, help us to become kind and gentle, not - 174 fornicators, misers, robbers, etc., so that we may be saved through the Son, whom God sent into the world."
Thus I—and anyone else throughout the wide world—am saved if I believe. For we read here: "God so loved the world that all who believe in Him shall be saved through Him," not only St. Peter or St. Paul but "all." All will be transported from this life into the kingdom of heaven without being judged; in fact, they will be judges over others. These are clear words, words not invented by us but words of eternal life which God had His Son proclaim to us.
Next we shall hear about those who love their evil works more than the light, who despise the Word of God. Christ says: "He who does not believe is condemned already" (John 3:18).88
The last time we heard the Lord proclaim to Nicodemus and to the whole world that God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world but to save it. We also heard that such salvation comes from faith, for whoever believes in Christ does not enter into judgment. Such a message should really dissolve an discord and unite us in thanks to God night and day. The whole world should jump and dance for joy.
But, as it happens, the world cannot endure this message. If a man will not bear the proclamation of good news, how could he endure the announcement of misfortune, that is, of the fact that he is damned and lost?
Now the joyful message follows that the judgment is over; this means that the wrath of God, hell, and damnation are no more. For the Son of God came that we might be saved and delivered from death and hell. Then what is still lacking? Faith. People refuse to believe this. God gives His Son to save the world; but the world says: "It is not true that the world is steeped in sin and is damned." This is a pity. Therefore the text continues:
19. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light.
As though Christ wished to say: "Whoever believes, does not go to hell; whoever does not believe, already has the sentence of death pronounced on him." Why? Well, because he does not believe in Christ.
This is the judgment: that such an ineffably comforting doctrine of God's grace, procured for the world through Christ, is proclaimed, but that the world still wants to believe the devil rather than God and His beloved Son. And this despite the fact that God assures us: "Sin, hell, judgment, and God's wrath have all been terminated by the Son." We wretched people might well bewail the sin into which we fell through Adam, the death which resulted, and all the attendant misery, also the judgment of God which we must bear. All this often makes it appear that God is angry with us, that God is too harsh and stern, like an unfair judge. But God wants to inform us in this text: "Good and well. Through My Son I shall cancel My charge against you so that you need lament no more. To be sure, you have sinned, and with this sin you have deserved the judgment of God. But your sin shall be pardoned, death shall be abolished; I shall no longer remember man's sin, in which he is born and in which he lived. The accounts are to be considered settled. God will not again call a single sin to mind. Just believe in My Son."
Now what is still lacking? Why the judgment if all sin has been removed by the Son? The answer is that the judgment is incurred by man's refusal to accept Christ, the Son of God. Of course, man's sin, both that inherited from Adam and that committed by man himself, is deserving of death. But this judgment results from man's unwillingness to hear, to tolerate, and to accept the Savior, who removed sin, bore it on His shoulders, and locked up the portals of hell.
Let us take the instance of a physician who can help a patient and has promised to relieve him of his distress. He suggests a remedy for the patient's debility or for the poison which the sick man has eaten.
The patient is well aware of the efficacy of the recommended remedy; yet he says to the physician: "Be off! I don't want your advice. You are no doctor; you are a footpad. I am not ill. I did not swallow any poison, and I will not suffer any harm." And then the patient tries to murder the doctor! Would we not say that this patient would have to be not only ill but also stupid and raving mad to pursue and to kill his physician?
Or what would we think of a prisoner who reviles a king, prince, or lord offering to release him from captivity and to shower him with benefactions? What would we think of this prisoner if he were to spit on his benefactor, berate him with scurrilous words, and harm or kill him? Yet the spiritual madness of refusing the help proffered us by the Son of God is ten times worse. Should our God not become angry and let hellish fire, brimstone, and pitch rain down on such ingratitude? Over and above being sinners, we are so depraved that we reject help and even persecute and kill those who urge us to accept the help. This
- 175 saying is applicable to us: "Whoever frees another from the gallows often finds that he would like to hang him up there again."
It is expressly stated here that Christ came and removed the sin of the world so completely that it is entirely deleted, entirely forgiven. But to refuse the Helper, to refuse to hear the Man who abolishes sin, and, more than this, to want to kill Him and to persevere in sin—that is vile and base. It is terrible to hear this proclamation, which brings remission of sin and release from death, maligned as heresy and to see this
Helper persecuted. We preach this every day, and that is what goes on. I did not suck these words out of my finger; no, you hear that this is spoken by Christ Himself. Nevertheless, it is decried as heresy. Should our God not become angry? Should He not dispatch pestilence, famine, pope, Turk, Tartars,
Sacramentarians, Anabaptists, and all sorts of sectaries to plague us? Our refusal to accept the Son surely deserves such punishment. It is terrible to proclaim that one should not accept and love a Helper and Savior who remits sin. Whoever acts this way and becomes ungrateful to God has a right to expect God to punish him with Turks, Tartars, and Anabaptists, and that schismatic spirits, sectaries, and false brethren will rain and snow down on him.
Now this is not a harmful message; it is one that helps and saves. Still it is despised by nearly all, particularly by the pope, who tramples it underfoot. The malicious attitude of noblemen, burghers, and peasants toward it knows no bounds. And the preachers also wrangle with one another over it, whereas they should do nothing but praise and thank God, rejoice in Christ, and say: "God be praised in eternity that judgment has been abolished! We shall rejoice for evermore." But this does not happen. To be sure, the judgment has been removed, and hell and God's wrath have been removed. Security and peace between God and us have also been established through the Son, who did not come to condemn the world
—the world was already condemned before His coming—but to save the world. All that is still lacking is the acceptance of the Son. But what happens is related in the Book of Proverbs: "God greets many a person who cannot thank Him for it."89 The greeting would indeed have been deserving of gratitude if it had stated: "Here I, your Savior, am coming to abolish judgment." To this the world replies: "May the devil with his hellish fire reward You for such a message!" Thus the Savior comes to Jerusalem, visits and greets the city. But in response to His greeting He is crucified and murdered. That is gratitude indeed for such a friendly greeting and sincere kiss! And if Christ were to preach today, the world would do the same thing to Him that it is doing to us. Thus Christ declares here: "They are judged already, for they refuse to acknowledge their sins and to be delivered from wrath and divine judgment."
This is what Christ means when He asserts here: "This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world." As if He were to say: "It is a grand and blessed light which shines into your hearts and says: 'Fear not the wrath of God, for God is gracious to you.' Even if your sin and your conscience plague and oppress you and you stand in awe of God's judgment, you must realize that all has been changed and that judgment has been abolished. Instead of harboring fear of the Final Judgment you must yearn and long for it, since it does not denote your judgment at all but your redemption." At that time we shall be delivered from the last enemy, death (1 Cor. 15:26); our bodies will rise again from the grave. Devil, death, and worms will cease; and God's disfavor will end. This judgment will draw you from the grave and deliver you from all evil. Therefore the Day of Judgment will be a time of rejoicing for you, far more so than the wedding day is for the bride; for this terrible Day has been converted into a happy and desirable Day for you. Thus all is well if you believe. But those who love darkness more than light will experience the reverse. They must live in dread of the Last Day. For the believer, the thought of this Day is comforting, since condemnation and the terrible judgment are gone.
We are surprised that the Turk's power and terrible tyranny are growing apace today and that the pope and false teachers are making such inroads. We find an explanation for this in 2 Thess. 2:10, where St.
Paul tells us that this is what happens when people refuse to love the truth that would save them.
Therefore God sends them "strong delusion to make them believe what is false, so that all may be condemned" (2 Thess. 2:11–12). When people do not want the truth and the grace of God, God gives them what they actually desire, namely, strong errors and penalties, also teachers who tickle their ears and preach lies they are prone to believe (2 Tim. 4:3). Then what Moses referred to in Deuteronomy 32 comes to pass: that he who has drunk shall lead the thirsty, that one will thirst for strange doctrine and, when surfeited, will spew it out.90 Thus he who is disinclined to listen to the truth and to Christ will be inclined to listen to lies. The pope, for example, came along and declared that one must invoke the saints, such as St. George and St. Barbara, also St. Christopher, who never lived in this world.91 He also taught people to - 176 go on pilgrimages and to have Masses read for protection against hobgoblins. And since people would not listen to the truth, they had to endure and accept these lies. When they were told: "Believe in the Son of God!" they turned deaf ears. When one said: "Believe the doctrine of the apostles!" the apostles were branded as liars who preached harmful things. And if the doctrine of the Gospel is abandoned after our own day, there will arise spirits who will proclaim such nonsensical things that now we would be ashamed and refuse to listen. But this will be revered and accepted as something sacred. Thus in times past great emperors, kings, doctors of divinity, and wise men made monkeys and fools of themselves by donning monks' cowls and having themselves tonsured in the hour of death. And thus they were buried, believing that in this attire they would go straight to heaven and be saved. In Spain and in France this is still a common belief.92 But is it not terrible to contemplate that a Christian, baptized in the blood of the Son of God, the innocent Lamb, and delivered from the final judgment and eternal death, should forget this so soon, and, in its place, don a cowl and rely on it for salvation? And yet this happens wherever the Gospel is not preached. It is also generally known that in times past this was done in the papacy.
My dear man, what would we do nowadays if someone were to die without caring about Christ's blood, Baptism, or Christ's suffering and death but, instead, donned a monk's cowl? Indeed, I would lend a hand carrying hellish fire to his grave. For today we have a different Light to gleam and shine for us.
God is so angry with the ungrateful world because it did not love the Light. In 2 Thess. 2:10 St. Paul states what Christ says in our text: that the world loves not light and truth but darkness. The world manifests horrible blindness. I doubt that a dog or a sow would tolerate being garbed in a monk's cowl. Not only were such grave errors rampant in the papacy that a dying person, for instance, was vested in a monk's cowl; but, worse than that, this was regarded as something extremely holy and as achieving salvation. If I had not seen it myself and were told that in Turkey it is customary to regard anyone wearing a monk's cowl as saved, I would not believe it. It is still harder to believe this of Christians, who have the Light, that is, the doctrine of Christ, the Son of God, who died for them and became their Mediator. Yet they ignore this in the hour of death, don a monk's cowl, give way to aberrations, have their own orders, and regulate their lives, not according to Christ's statutes but according to human traditions. Of such people I would have to say that they are the greatest and most stupid fools of all, that they are swine not Worthy of being called human beings, yes, that they should not even be called swine. Yet we, too, were entangled in this error. For approximately fifteen years93 I tormented myself miserably with Masses, although I heard the name of the Lord Jesus Christ mentioned daily, listened to sermons on His Passion, and read and sang the words of this text. In spite of an of this I thought that if I made a mistake in any part of the Mass or omitted any of it, I would be lost. It is strange and terrifying to think that people were so stupid, so possessed of the devil and so misled by him. Many, however, discarded cowl and other tomfoolery in the hour of death and would have none of it. St. Bernard was one of those. He hung his cowl on the wall and prayed: "God's Son had a twofold claim to heaven: in the first place, as the Son of God, by inheritance,
He was born to the kingdom of heaven; in the second place, He has also gained heaven. And since this was entirely unnecessary for Him, He transferred this right to me, which I must appropriate by faith."94 O
St. Bernard, that was a timely return! Many others who were converted to Christ and whom God preserved as His elect died this way.
Once a monk was lying at the point of death. The other monks reminded him of his good works and merits, saying: "Bear in mind that you are a member of the Order of St. Francis, that you were a pious priest, that you diligently prayed your Psalter and read many Masses." Then he picked up a crucifix, held it aloft, and replied: "Why should I put my trust in an order? This Man did everything. I know of no work and merit other than that of this Man."95 That monk had really understood this text. This is what one may call shedding everything, molting the cowl as a crayfish molts, and putting on one's baptismal robe,
Christ. And thus the monk was saved.
But I have also seen some of them dying in great distress and agony, lamenting: "Oh, I violated the rules of my order!" But those who divested themselves of the cowl, returned to Christ, and put on the baptismal robe were saved. For if Christ was delegated to earn salvation, then my cowl did not accomplish it, as St. Bernard confessed.
When monks and nuns hear that their cowls are worthless, they are afire with rage, and the whole Rhine is ablaze. And if you tell the pope today that cowl, holy life, or conduct count for nothing, he replies: "Nonsense!" They will let Christ be called the Savior of the world, but at the same time they refuse to have their own efforts condemned. When this is done, they begin to rave and rage. They remain
- 177 in their darkness and shout: "The fathers, the councils, holy orders, rules!" Whenever monks were saved, however, they were constrained to crawl to the cross of Christ again. This is what St. Bernard did. I regard him as the most pious of all the monks and prefer him to all the others, even to St. Dominic.96 He is the only one worthy of the name "Father Bernard" and of being studied diligently. He is dressed in a cowl.
But what does he do when matters become serious? He does not try to satisfy the judgment of God with his cowl; instead, he takes hold of Christ.
In Heb. 13:7 we are admonished to look at the faith of the saints, not only at their works. Do this in the instance of St. Bernard, who does not assume that he will be saved by his chastity but by his faith in the Son of God. The pope, however, insists that we should look at the external life of the saints: what they ate, what they drank, and how they were dressed. Their faith he ignores entirely. And the vulgar ass calls such conduct a holy order! We older people know well what blind and deceptive things were preached, for the world was full of these. Today the young people know nothing about them.
But what happens? Now that the Light has returned and is being preached, it becomes apparent that people love darkness more than the Light. They even persecute us because of it and kill us. They will not tolerate the statement: "The cowl avails nothing for salvation." For that view would undermine and close all the cloisters. The idea of salvation through a cowl betrays the greatest darkness. One should not think it possible that any sensible person could be persuaded to believe it. Yet we renounced Christ and sought refuge with Mary and St. Barbara. This was because we fled from Christ as from the very devil, for we had been taught that everyone's works and orders would be arraigned before the judgment seat of Christ
In the papacy, we old people were so corrupted that even today I find it difficult to believe my own sermons proclaiming that Christ alone is our Savior; nor can I accept the Light as freely as I should like.
The pope's doctrine holds me back and conjures up the opposing view, namely, that I will have to satisfy God's judgment with my good works. Therefore the hellish fire should be made ten times as hot for the pope and such false teachers as for the Turk and the heathen; for this Gospel clearly states: "Christ is not coming as judge but as Savior." The monks, however, taught the very opposite: that Christ would be a judge, This doctrine made it imperative to don a cowl. But you young people, who have not been tainted with these harmful doctrines and ideas, inscribe this in your hearts, remember it, and thank God for it. For if you despise the Light, God will chastise you. Then you will be covered by darkness even more horrible.
Our noblemen, burghers, and peasants are virtually inviting darkness to descend on them; for they resent reproof and make bold to prescribe to us which sins to reprove and how to reprove them. They love darkness, that is, damnation, more than the Light. Those canceled men—I mean to say "councilmen"97— will not put up with our sermons against their drunkenness, robbery, theft, and carousing. What else does this reveal than that they love darkness more than light? But take my word for it, Christ did not come that you might remain in your sin and in condemnation. You will not be saved unless you stop your sinning.
To be sure, sin has been forgiven; but you must cease your covetousness, adultery, and fornication. The life of all of us is under condemnation and subject to the judgment of God, but Christ appeared in order to deliver us from this. Yet you have the effrontery not only to remain in your sin but also to spring to its defense. Now listen to this text: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; there is no judgment for him." Wherever faith is genuine, there is no love for sin. Nor does a true believer remain in sin, but he shuns it and says: "If my sin is forgiven, I cannot continue to sin." Just as a person who has been healed and cured of a disease can find no delight in sickness or do anything to impair his health, so anyone who persists in false teaching and in an offensive life is under judgment and condemnation.
Therefore see to it that you avoid not only the subtle darkness, that is, the error and folly of heretics, but also the obvious darkness, that is, open vices and sins. Christ says here: "People love darkness more than the Light." That is why such great ingratitude, such contempt for God's Word, fornication, thieving, coveting, and robbing abound in the world, so that it is fairly swamped with these vices. And yet people resent it when we call their attention to this. I, too, was so enveloped by darkness that I really was hostile to Christ and grew fond of Mary and St. George. The world marches on to wrack and ruin, and after our death you will find that you will be visited by even greater darkness. Many schismatic spirits, sectaries, and fluttering spirits will arise to confuse you so that you will not know which way to turn. God is well able to send us great darkness. Hell will also be made hotter for us if we love such darkness more than the Light. We will share in the verdict which the Lord Christ pronounced upon the cities Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum: "Woe to you, Capernaum! Woe to you, Chorazin" (Matt. 11:21–24). Let us be on our
- 178 guard lest Wittenberg become another Bethsaida and it be said of her: "You were exalted to heaven; you will be hurled down into hell!" This is what happened to Jerusalem as well as to Sodom and Gomorrah.
Have no doubt, the judgment can come swiftly; and those who despise the Light will be plunged into hell.
For Christ declares: "This is the judgment which has come over the world and over this city because they love false doctrine and a sinful life. Therefore. they will perish more ignominiously than Sodom and Gomorrah." Aye, rumor has it that the Turk is ready to march on Germany. The country is ripe for judgment; it flows with the blood of poor Christians who have been murdered. Our ungrateful people fairly devour their pastors. Therefore I fear—although I prophesy reluctantly—that a severe punishment will be visited on Germany, a punishment so great that no human heart can express it.
The former judgment was relatively slight. But the fact that a blind world prefers death to life, prefers hell to heaven, bodes a terrible judgment. Therefore accept the Light, Christ, the Savior, who has removed our sin. For whoever despises the Light and loves darkness will come into judgment. The world perseveres in its lusts, gluttony, drunkenness, pomp, greed, hatred, envy, and other sins. But the world does not rest there; it also hates and persecutes the ministers of the Word of God, yes, God Himself. And over and above this, people feel resentful toward the pastors for upbraiding them. In this they are supported by the antinomians, who assert that we should not chide and reprimand the people.98
The last time we heard, first, Christ's proclamation that He was not sent into the world to judge the world, but to save it; we heard, secondly, that man is so wicked and so steeped in darkness that he hates the Light, that is, Christ and His Word, loving the darkness more than the Light; and, thirdly, we heard that man, to cap the climax, still defends his evil works.
It is St. John's wont to associate these three items. And, to be sure, they belong together and cannot be dissociated. First of all, St. John proclaims that Christ is God. Practically throughout his Gospel, he emphasizes that Christ is very God, born of the Father from eternity, not created He wrote this Gospel for the purpose of proclaiming this article of faith. Thereupon he declares that this Person, God's Son, is also true man, born of the Virgin Mary. In the second place, John drives home the point that no one is saved by his own good works but solely through the Son of God; for He was sent into this world, He became man and the Lamb of God, to bear the sin of the world. Outside Christ there is no deliverance from sin and death; for He, and no other, was sent on that mission. If another had been able to perform this, why, then, should God have sent His Son? In the third place, it is necessary that faith be sincere, not deceitful, false, or hypocritical but convinced that this is really so, and ready to wager everything on it.
It must be noted in particular that Christ is true God. In the Gospel we learned that He was elevated as the serpent in the wilderness was lifted up; also that all who believe in Him have eternal life; also that the wrath of God abides with the unbeliever; furthermore, that "God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him." Christ lays claim everywhere to the honor of divinity. For "to be believed in" is the exclusive prerogative of God, since the person in whom one is asked to believe must be capable of bestowing eternal life. And no one but the true God can do this or deliver from eternal death. This we can use against the heretics, such as Arius and Cerinthus.
In the second place, whoever hopes for salvation and deliverance from God's wrath and judgment must believe in the only Son of God. There is no other help or counsel for man. The Jews, Turks, and Tartars all esteem Christ and His mother Mary very highly. But they do not believe that He is the Son of God, in whom one must believe and through whom all are saved. Therefore the boastful statement99 in his letters—that he believes in the God who created heaven and earth—profits him nothing. The Jews say that too. However, it has been ordained, as we find recorded in John 5:23, that he who honors the Son also honors the Father. Therefore the faith of the Jews and of the Turks is nothing but sheer blindness, for they exclude the Son and want to retain only the Father.
This is the chief article of our Christian faith: that the Son is eternal and true God and also true man, sent into the world for its salvation. This article annuls the belief of the Jews, the Turks, and all others who renounce the Son and thus worship another god and look to another source for help. The Turk is not able to pray the Lord's Prayer or the articles of our Creed. Faith, to which God alone is entitled, is the chief type of worship. For we are not to believe in angels, prophets, or apostles. No, this divine honor is due the Son alone; for He is true God with the Father. John treats this article very intensively.
In the second place, John shows that there is no other way of salvation from sin than through Christ, the Son of God. On this point they all teach falsely—the pope, all the monks, the Turks, the Jews, yes, the whole world. To be sure, they concede the first part: that Christ is the Son of God. But they will not admit
- 179 that there can be no escape from sin, death, and judgment except through faith in the Son. No, they contend against this with all their might. They want to be saved by their own works and by their life in cloister and convent. But here we are told very tersely: "Whoever believes in the only-begotten Son is not judged." This is the faith that saves; works do not save. We do not read that we are saved by a vow to join pilgrimages or by any other vow or by Masses or by purgatory. If the chapters dealing with these items were deleted from the books of the pope and the monks, little would be left. And the holy father, the pope, has ordained and confirmed all this in his bulls, thereby making Christ, together with His saints, mere irate judges. If this were expunged from the pope's books, he would be without hide or hair. This Gospel states, however, that Christ is no judge, that He came into the world, not to judge it but to save it; for with His blood He rendered satisfaction for sin, death, and hell. And whoever believes in Him now has also rendered satisfaction and payment for sin, not by means of pilgrimage or works but through Christ alone.
These are the two statements that must be joined together and cannot be dissociated: first, that Christ is true God, to which we must hold against Turk, Jew, and heretic; secondly, that for our sakes He is also true man that we might be saved through Him, since otherwise His humanity would have profited us nothing. It is impossible to separate God from man in the Person of Christ. It is also impossible to separate our salvation, this article about justification before God through Christ, or satisfaction for sin, from the Person of Christ, who is God. For He alone, and no other, rendered eternal satisfaction for sin.
In the third place, John again and again injects the fact that faith must be sincere and genuine. There are many who confess the first two facts: that Christ is true God and that He is our Savior. But this is no more than froth on the tongue. It is not rooted in the heart; it is not true; it is a delusion. Therefore John is so insistent that faith must be unfeigned and active, manifesting itself through good works. Although faith suffices for salvation and although I attain heaven through faith, it is nonetheless true that good works must issue from this faith; otherwise, faith is not genuine. Faith must be taken so seriously that it cannot remain without good works.
In his epistles, too, St. John insists that we love God and then also our fellow men. Whoever fails to do this, he declares, remains in darkness and does not believe. If I earnestly believe that Christ is true God and that He became our Savior, I will never deny this but will proclaim it publicly against the Turks, the world, the pope, the Jews, and all the sects; and I will confess that it is true. I would rather forfeit my life or jeopardize property and honor than disavow this. Wherever faith is genuine, it cannot hold its tongue; it would rather suffer death. Such faith will also confess God's Word before tyrants. To be sure, it will encounter all sorts of trials and temptations from the devil, as the martyrs amply experienced.
Therefore St. John rejects a false and reigned faith; he demands a genuine faith which will openly confess before the world the two things it has learned, namely, that Christ is the Son of God and of Mary and that He became our Savior. If this Christian confession stands, other good works will follow. If you were a fornicator, an adulterer, or a drunkard, you will now be that no longer; for if you are redeemed from sin, you will henceforth desist from sin. Consider how you could harmonize a sinful life, greed, anger, hatred, and fornication with a claim to Christianity. No faith can exist where sin abounds. You must cease your fornication and marry; you dare not steal or bear false witness against your neighbor. If you do wallow in sin and commit adultery, unchastity, fornication, gluttony, carousing, and gambling, you are not yet redeemed from sin. For wherever sin still holds sway, there is no forgiveness of sin and no faith in To be sure, we still feel sin in us, and it is also certain that sin still remains in the saints of God; but it does not reign over them. Faith subdues and curbs sin so that it cannot burst into the open unhindered. It is inconsistent, on the one hand, to say: "I believe that Jesus Christ is true God and that I am saved through Him," and, on the other hand, to claim that the pope is also right when he preaches about cowls and tonsures. These two statements are contradictory. In a moment of feeble faith and of temptation a person may try to find solace in the thought: "I have performed many good works. I have preached much. I have given alms." To overcome this temptation in such an hour the heart must cry out that it relies solely on the pure Word of Christ. Then the tongue must declare and proclaim that neither my fasting nor any other work has rendered satisfaction for sin, but that it was the Son of God, who was given into death for me.
Then it will be impossible to declare in the same breath that Christ is the Atoner for my sin and that purgatory and Masses are also acceptable. This is what the pope did. He taught that Christ is the Son of God and of Mary and was born for us; at the same time he said that monastic vows, pilgrimages, cowls, and tonsures also render satisfaction for sin.
- 180 This applies also to other deeds. If I am a believer, I refrain from wooing another man's wife. An evil lust for another man's wife may seize me, and I may observe that this woman is more beautiful than my own wife and perhaps also a better housekeeper; but I will still be content with my own wife, and my heart will declare: "No, I must not commit adultery." Likewise, I will abstain from the practice of usury and from covetousness; even though another may be more affluent than I, I will be satisfied with my own goods. And if avarice threatens to raise its head, my heart will repel it and keep it from breaking out and asserting itself.
Therefore St. John joins these three items, which can, in fact, never be dissociated: first, the deity and the humanity of Christ; second, faith in Christ, our Savior and Redeemer; and third, the good works which attest faith in God and love of one's neighbor. A sincere faith manifests itself in good works and makes it impossible for a person to remain a fornicator, an adulterer, or any other kind of rogue or knave. These three points are associated, and all three are attacked by the world: Christ as God and man, faith in Christ, and good works. The Turk and Arius storm against the first point: that Christ is true God; they find it unbearable. The second—that Christ is our Atonement and our only Savior—is attacked by the pope and by all the work-righteous. The third one is opposed by the whole world, by all false Christians, all of whom are averse to the performance of good works and prefer to live in sin and shame.
But how did I go so far afield when discussing this matter? Christ says: "He who believes in Me is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already." Also: The only Son of God was given to us, not for the world's condemnation but for its redemption and salvation. Now we continue:
Because their deeds were evil.
Dwelling in sin and darkness is, in itself, not the worst thing that can befall us; for we were born in sin.
But it is a pity that Christ is constrained to say: "People take delight in darkness; they love sin." The Light appeared, to be sure; but man finds his heart's delight in darkness, he persecutes the Light and loves darkness. He enjoys wandering in darkness, and he avoids the Light.
This pertains, first of all, to those who seek to serve God with false worship. They cannot bear to hear that they are to be redeemed and forgiven through the Son of God and that their own mode of worship is to count for nothing. Nor will they tolerate being reproved for their evil deeds. The pope belongs in this category. He is so attached to his rules, orders, monkeries, and other lies, and clings to these so tenaciously that, as a result, he hates and persecutes Christ, God's Son. Of course, he does not acknowledge this hatred. On the contrary, he declares that he loves the Son of God and believes in Him; but his works refute this claim.
In view of man's vileness it is not surprising that he not only commits sin and dwells in darkness but also loves and defends his sin. To sin and err because of human weakness is understandable, especially if one's faith is still feeble; but to condone and try to justify a fall and not to acknowledge it as such, but to claim that it is perfectly proper—that is devilish. When Adam sinned in Paradise, he engaged in a long disputation before he finally admitted his sin. He cast the blame on Eve; Eve, in turn, held the serpent responsible. Adam was loath to make a clean breast of it and say: "I have sinned." It is the very devil, when a person has sinned and refuses to admit it, in fact, tries to justify his sin. This resentment of public reproof is still in evidence today. People resent being told: "You are an adulterer, a usurer, a drunkard!"
They do not want to be upbraided, but they bear the preachers a grudge even though they know full well that they are sinning. It is no mere human sin when you sin and at the same time try to justify that sin; no, the devil has a hand in this and converts the human sin into a devilish one. For if it were possible for the devil to say: "Oh, my God, I have sinned!" he would in that very moment be changed again into an angel of light and be saved. But this is out of the question, for the devil persists in his claim that God is in the wrong and that he is in the right.
Or let us take an instance that pertains to your own household. If anything in your home is damaged and you, as the housefather, become angry and inquire into the cause, you will hear the answer: "Mr.
Nobody is responsible." No one will acknowledge his guilt. And yet the damage has been done, and you grieve over it. Sometimes a servant is caught in the act and still denies it. If the guilty one confessed it, the master would pardon him. But devil and death have brought that Mr. Nobody into the world. As a result, man is so base and vile that he pushes the blame on others. If man admitted his sin, he could readily obtain mercy and find a gracious God. For what would God not be glad to give us, if we only came to the cross?
However, people refuse to do that. And by this refusal they augment their sin sevenfold; yes, they multiply it without end and measure. This was bemoaned and lamented by all the prophets. Moses called the - 181 Children of Israel "a stubborn, stiff-necked, and disobedient nation unwilling to obey and follow God." Ps.
78:8 expresses a similar complaint,100 as do Jer. 5:3 and Ezek. 2:4. And in Acts 7:51 Stephen rebukes the Jews: "You always resist the Holy Spirit." The devil follows the same pattern. He denies everything and thus makes seven sins out of one. If a child could say to its father: "I have done wrong. Forgive me!" it would be forgiven. Instead, the child denies its guilt and asserts that it did not do this or that. Thereby it adds a lie to the sin already committed and the damage already caused, and thus it increases the number of its sins. On the other hand, if it confessed its sin and said: "I have done this!" it would remain in the light and become an angel of light.
But nobody expels Mr. Nobody from the household, from the secular government, or from the church; much less will anybody expel him from hell. Adam was this Mr. Nobody when he declared: "The woman
Thou didst give me handed me the apple" (Gen. 3:12); and thus this Mr. Nobody became the ruin of all.
God had ordered Saul to exterminate the Amalekites, insisting that not so much as the hoof of an ox survive. But Saul disobeyed. He did indeed slay all the people, but he spared the fine cattle. He was seized by avarice, so that he did not destroy all the fine beasts. And when the prophet Samuel took him to task for this, asking him to account for the animals that had not been slain, he replied: "The people spared them, to sacrifice them to the Lord our God." Samuel now became so incensed that he pronounced a terrible judgment on Saul, saying: "What does God care about your sacrifice? He demands obedience. God did not command you to sacrifice the animals." And when Saul continued to justify and defend what he had done, the charge of disobedience was flung into Ms teeth. He was informed that God regarded disobedience as a sin comparable to idolatry and sorcery (1 Sam. 15:1–31). For if God orders me to do one thing and I do another, and, over and above this, try to justify myself, I am really committing sorcery. As a matter of fact, we are all still wont to do this. If Saul had only said: "I forgot the command. I did wrong!" his sin would have been remitted.
David was much wiser. He declared: "I have resolved in my heart not to love darkness but to confess my transgressions." What was the result? In Ps. 32:5 we read: "Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin.
When I acknowledged that Thou art in the right, all was rectified." When David committed adultery and slew Uriah, and Nathan accosted him with the query: "What have you done?" David replied: "I have sinned against the Lord." Then Nathan said: "The Lord has also put away your sin" (2 Sam. 12:13).
It is bad enough if I refuse to admit a sin which I really feel and for which the Son of God was given to us as the Man who is to forgive sin. But the devil does not let us stop there; he bids us defend ourselves with our Mr. Nobody. To commit a sin and then to deny it and try to justify it, is not human; no, that is devilish and reveals a real dragons tail. If we were not tainted with this poison, our condition would not be so desperate. How much we have spent on Masses, how often we have gone on pilgrimages, how many times we have called on the saints! But now that we live in the gracious season of the Gospel, we cannot even open our mouth and say: "Oh, we have sinned!" although merely uttering those words would bring remission.
When the Light tells you: "You are evil and sinful," you should acknowledge this and reply: "It is true!" Then you will have forgiveness of sin. But we cannot bring ourselves to do this, whereas we should be willing to walk over 2,000 miles, yes, to the end of the world, to acquire the comforting knowledge that sins confessed are sins remitted. But now that we have this consolation at our very doorsteps, we scorn it and follow the devil, who claims that he is in the right and that God is unjust. The devil is versed in this skill; therefore he must be our god, and God must be accounted unjust. We also follow the devil when we condone the sin for which we are reproved. Ask yourself if you can check your anger when something in your home has been damaged and everyone professes innocence. A father will surely not tolerate such a denial of fault from son, daughter, or servant. As a rule, however, the master stands accused of injustice; the servant wants to be master in the house, and the maid wants to be the mistress. Thus the devil wants to be God in heaven. He cannot acknowledge his sin, but God in heaven is assumed to be in the wrong and deemed worthy of hell.
It can happen that we sin from human weakness; for we were born in sin, in ignorance of God, and in anger and hate against God. That is unfortunate enough. But guard against aggravating this with hatred and enmity against God and His Word and with a denial of your sin.
Therefore Christ says very truly: "This is the judgment,hat the human race in its blindness denies that its sin is sin, although Christ came into the world to take away sin." But the real problem is this, that Christ is now said to be a devil. Man wants to be just and to be Christ Himself; for Christ is not accepted
- 182 by man. It is not enough that Christ took man's sin upon Himself; no, He must also let man call Him unjust and condemn Him. That is making matters three times worse and sinning sevenfold.
Every one of us should be ready to be chastened for the sins committed under the papacy and for the false worship we practiced there. All should willingly profess the truth and admit their failings. If we do this, grace and forgiveness are ours. As David said in Ps. 32:5: "When I confessed my transgression to the Lord, then Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin." In Psalm 51 we find a similar confession. Saul, however, does not acknowledge his sin. He makes God a liar and ignores His Word; that is making a god of the devil. We must cultivate the habit of speaking the truth gladly. Writers laud the Turk for the virtue of truthfulness.101 They relate that the Turks admit the truth promptly and do not try to defend themselves with this Mr. Nobody. If a Turk is caught in the act, he will say: "Yes, I did it." This is an excellent civic virtue. Everyone respects a man who admits: "Yes, I did it." He may indeed be ashamed, but he will nonetheless confess the truth. It is a shame and a disgrace that the Turks, the archenemies of Christ the Lord, should have the honor and glory of excelling us Christians in truthfulness. They train their children and their people in this virtue. It is fine civic discipline to teach children not to lie or deny any wrong they may have done. The Turk has many other laudable characteristics. In fact, no one is so vile that he does not have something good in him. But we Christians should certainly emulate this example and cultivate the habit of truthfulness.
So this is the judgment: the world denies its sin, yes, even defends it; and thus one sin grows into seven. We should confess our sin, repent of our disobedience, and accept Christ. If people accepted the Light, they would think as I do and say: "I was a monk and an idolater for approximately fifteen years.102
It was wrong, and I shall reform." If others did this, their sins would be remitted. Many of us are doing it; others, however, are obstinate and declare: "Well, should those people have a monopoly on knowledge?"
And thus they remain in darkness, hate and persecute the Light, and defend their darkness. We, too, still have many such people in our midst. They not only sin, but they deny their sin, justify it, reject all reproof, yes, even expect to be honored and extolled in their wickedness. This is the work of the devil, who would like to extinguish the Light.
Wherever a preacher sees open vice in a city, he dare not hold his peace; he dare not preach to please man but must rebuke this vice. I dare not remain silent when I behold all types of vice, such as fornication, greed, usury, lying, and deceit; for that would be depriving people of the Light. However, if a pastor reproves the bakers for making their loaves of bread too small, this will be construed as slandering the shoemakers, the tailors, the butchers, and all the other trades. It is not enough that they sin; but they refuse to admit this, and they presume to defend themselves. In this way they reveal their love for darkness. But I appeal to you to turn to God and change your ways. If you have sinned, humble yourself and say: "If I have been making my loaves of bread too small, I shall make them larger in the future." Do not refuse admittance to the Light. But if you refuse to listen to reproof, then I ask you to come forth and preach in my stead. It is my duty to be a preacher of the Light and to point out your sins to you; it is your duty to cease sinning and to shun the works of darkness. We sorrow greatly that almost every nook and corner of our city bids fair to become a cesspool. But be on your guard. If you want to be children of the Light, you must walk in the Light forsake your evil ways, and refrain from grumbling and sulking. If you do not care to hear us, leave the church.
If you want to be a preacher of darkness, you must be one at your own peril. I for my part will preach of the Light. And the Word I proclaim is not mine; it is God's. He admonishes you through His servants not to defraud your neighbor or to wrong anyone in your station. But everyone does with his wares what he will, unconcerned whether he violates God's commands with his actions or not; thus he even makes an idol of his sins and converts light into darkness. But listen, my fellow, don't grumble too much. Otherwise we might preach the Law to you still more sharply from the Catechism. Not only that; we might also take steps to have you seized by the nose and thrown into a dungeon. Therefore stop your muttering against the Word of God; it is too powerful for you.
This, then, is the judgment pronounced against the world: that people want to retain their false ways of worship over against Christ that they refuse to acknowledge the sin they commit and try to justify it. Well, so far as I am concerned, you need not mend your ways. I shall not yield, and you also will not yield. But on the Day of Judgment God will ask me: "Did you preach that?" and I will be able to say yes. Then He will turn to you with the question: "Did you hear that sermon?" and you will answer yes. And in reply to God's next question to you: "Why, then, did you not believe it?" you will say: "Oh, I took it to be the - 183 mere word of man, spoken by a poor chaplain or village pastor!" And now this Word, implanted in your heart will accuse you and be your accuser and judge on the Last Day. For it is the Word of God; it is God
Himself whom you heard. Thus Christ says: "He who hears you hears Me" (Luke 10:16). And I have performed the duty of my office in the sight of God and before His judgment seat by making your sins and vices known to you and reproving you for them. I shall not be accounted guilty of your blood. But you can see then how you will pass muster.
Pastors and listeners are soon parted, but it is impossible to separate the Word of God from your conscience, which heard the Word. These will make your heart, yes, the world, too big for you to escape on that Day; you will stand condemned, for the Word will condemn you. In view of this you should—as I have often suggested—dissociate God's Word from a person; you should not rely on a person but solely on the Word of God which you hear.103
20. Everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light.
These words may well serve as a proverb. We touched on their content recently, but much remains to be said. God sent His Son as the Savior of the world, to redeem us from sin and save us from death, from hell, and from all distress—this, we have been told, is the chief article of our Christian Creed. The great trouble is, however, that man will always maintain that God must be lying and that we ourselves are in the right, that He is unjust and we are just, that He is tyrannical and we are merciful. All the prophets and apostles had to cope with this and found that they could not bring God and man together on this matter.
We expect God to fall down before us and address us: "Your Grace!" We regard ourselves as the indispensable light of the world. That is the only way we treat God. He is, in reality, merciful, gracious, and truthful toward all and deals generously with us. But although God is just, He cannot gain that recognition from man; man insists that God is in the wrong. To be sure, everyone says and admits that God is just, almighty, faithful, and good. For that matter, who would doubt it? Our adversaries and the open enemies of God also concede it; but with their actions they deny it and refute the confession of their mouth. Nor can they bear it when we say: "If you believe, God will be gracious and merciful to you; for this purpose He gave you His Son." "No, no," they cry, "that is impossible!" They always know so much better.
In Ps. 51:4, David sings: "Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in Thy sight, so that Thou art justified in Thy words and blameless in Thy judgment." He was ready to accord
God this honor. It requires a fine skill to say: "Against Thee only have I sinned." All the prophets contended for this: God is justified in His words and blameless in His judgment. It is strange that this is confessed with the lips but is not believed, in fact, is horribly persecuted. This is why it cannot be preserved in the world. To be sure, the world will confess with its lips: "Is it not self-evident that God is just? Who would gainsay it?" However, if you tell the people: "You are a sinner," then you will find that they will reply, in an effort to be justified in their own words: "Well, what might God have to do with your sins?" This confirms the words which Christ speaks here: "Whoever does evil shuns the light and finds it impossible to say that God is just." Such a person resents reproof. He does not say to God: "Thou art justified and blameless in Thy judgment." For our better understanding let us take this example. A thief is a knave, but he cannot bear to be accused of thieving even if he is convicted by his own conscience.
Whether he breaks into a house in the dark of night or steals in the open market place during the day and robs and defrauds his neighbor, he will not let you call him a thief even if his own conscience tells him that stealing is a sin and convicts him of this sin in his trade or calling. He is not able to join in the words of the psalm: "So that Thou art justified in Thy words"; for he cannot tolerate the Seventh Commandment, though his heart perceives its message. Nor can he prevail on himself to do the Seventh Commandment the honor of saying: "I am a thief. I have stolen. Thou art justified in Thy commandment and Thy judgment." No one will give voice to such a confession unless misfortune or distress wrings it from him, or unless Jack Ketch,104 the hangman, calls on him. Although a person may be guilty of an offense, he does not want to be charged with it if it was committed secretly and he can hope that it will not be discovered. No one is ready to say: "The light is right." No, everyone declares: "The darkness is in the right." If you were to censure a person and call him a thief, he would retort: "You lie like a knave. I am no thief." Or let us take a violation of the Fifth Commandment. A murderer or footpad who kills another stealthily, stabs him to death, or poisons him will display great adeptness in concealing his deed. Thus Job said: "Have I covered my transgressions before Thee as men do?" (Job 31:33). However, the murderer's conscience will convict him; if another were to accuse him, he would reply: "You are lying!"
- 184 But let me ask you a question. After your conscience has accused and convicted you of a sin you have committed, is it right for you to say: "No, I did not commit a sin, and You, Lord God, lie like a knave"?
An adulterer who slinks to his neighbor's wife will do the same thing. As long as he can cover up his crime, he will become furious and resort to odious words if someone accuses him. But it is surely God who addresses you through the voice of your conscience: "You shall not commit adultery!" I beg of you, peer into your heart, which already condemns you. Since your own heart admits your sin, would it not be far better to confess your sin so that God may be justified in His words and you may receive remission of sin than to deny God before all the world? David might well have been tempted to hang the prophet
Nathan on the gallows when he upbraided the king of Israel for his adultery. But David fared far better by promptly confessing his guilt (2 Sam. 12:1–15).
All men dislike having themselves and their deeds disclosed and revealed. They all agree when you say that God is good. And who is there in the world to deny that God is just and justified in His judgment of man? Still man cannot bear to have you reprove him. No one wants to stand revealed as a murderer before the world, as a thief, as a greedy belly,105 or as tainted with any other vice. Now who is it that hates the light? All of us, for no one among us would like to see his true history inscribed on his forehead. But we all like to hear ourselves honored and extolled. No one of us thinks of saying: "May God be merciful to me!" If the sins known to my heart were published to the world, I would deserve the gallows. To be sure, the world now respects me. But if it really knew me, it would spit on me; for I would deserve beheading. If a person truly acknowledged this, it would tend to make him humble before God and fearful lest he look down on others. It would also make him forget his conceit. Otherwise one might be tempted to suppose that what is hidden from man is also hidden from God. The proverb "More souls ascend to heaven from the gallows than from the cemetery" would seem to contain more than a kernel of truth. The criminal being hanged on the gallows must confess his sin, saying: "Lord, I am a knave, and Thou art just!" On the other hand, he who dies in bed conceals his sin, such as murder, theft, adultery, and other coarse vices. Nor will he plead guilty to them. It lies in the nature of man that he does not want Ms sin to be viewed as sin but to be called righteousness before God and the world. It is true, of course, that no one need divulge his secrets before the world and place himself in the public pillory. Keep your sins to yourself, and pray God for forgiveness; become reconciled to those whom you offended. And always bear your sin and shame in mind, in order to suppress any temptation to conceit. So far our application of the words "Whoever does evil shuns the 1ight" was easily understood. It is a different matter when we come to the chief commandments of the First Table, when we touch on those who preach false doctrine and institute false worship. These want to hear no correction or reproof. They do not wish to be regarded as erring. They will not recant and say: "I have erred." No, they cannot bring themselves to this. David did it in order that God might be justified, and St. Paul said: "Let God be true though every man be false" (Rom.
3:4). No one will suffer having the 1ight placed right before his eyes and being told: "This is the Word of God, and that is error." Everybody, from the highest to the lowest, rejects reproof; no one heeds God's judgment upon his life, his doctrine, and his traditions. And still they all say that God is just, truthful, and gracious. But when rebuked they say: "It is not God that speaks these words and speeches you quote; it is the devil. This is not God's Word; it is the devil's word. For God never could have spoken these words which show that I am a fool steeped in error and which brand my parents as idolaters for attending Mass and going on pilgrimages." Thus God's Word must stand condemned, and our God must struggle and strive to justify Himself, to show forth His truthfulness, and to prove that man is enmeshed in errors and lies. And, I suppose, there will be an eternal war about the saying: "He who does evil shuns the light." The contention would be composed shortly, however, and all the differences would be settled if we could force ourselves to say: "I have sinned, but Thou art merciful. I am a liar, and Thou art truthful. I am evil, and Thou art good." But to achieve this is impossible. Neither Turk nor pope, neither princes nor subjects, neither thief nor adulterer, murderer, monk, or nun win make such a confession and sing the God-pleasing song: "Thou, God, art truthful; I am a liar. Thou art good; I am evil." On the contrary, if one reproves them to the face for their idolatry and sin, they rave and rage. They become agitated and begin to wage war on God. The pope and the Turk butcher the people, and princes and lords persecute the divine Word; for they will not let God be righteous. But is it not a pity that our salvation and eternal bliss should be so close to our reach? For all God demands is that we join in David's words with all our heart: "Thou art just, and I am unjust." He wants us to acknowledge and confess our sin so that He can remit them. It will not profit us to say: "Read Mass! Don a monk's cowl!" Merely say: "I have sinned." Yet we are so - 185 unrepentant that we would rather perish than confess truthfully that we are sinners and justify God by means of this confession. David justified the prophet Nathan's words: "You are an adulterer, a murderer, and a blasphemer." When David heard this, he was chastened and replied: "The words are true." He confessed his sins immediately and received forgiveness. Nathan did not write David a letter of indulgence, nor did he say to him: "Make a pilgrimage to St. James, or have Masses read; or lie down in a hairy garment!" No, he said: "The Lord has removed your sin."
Again and again we must proclaim that the grace of God can not be attained unless we confess our sin, but that God remits our sin if we but acknowledge it. Whenever we follow the example of Saul and pretend that we have not sinned—as the Jews, the pope, the Turks, fornicators, and greedy bellies do today, boasting that they are not sinners but just, and thereby implying that God is in error—hell stands ajar, and heaven is closed. It goes without saying that the devil is not merciful, just, and almighty; for he does not preserve all things; nor does he create the sun and light. But there must be someone who does this. It follows that it is God who creates and preserves all, and that He also protects the three estates in the world—the church, the civil government, and the home. It is He who lets His sun rise over the good and the evil (Matt. 5:45). All other creatures acknowledge that God is gracious and merciful; only man denies this and withholds from Him the honor which all the others accord Him. The crux of the matter is that he who does evil cannot bear the light. Blessed is he who does, for he will be helped.
Light is a glorious thing. In fact, nothing surpasses it. Everybody loves the sun, and all creatures rejoice when it rises so resplendently early each morning. Who, then, hates the light? The thief who contemplates theft dislikes the sun and all light. If a lantern shines on him or if the sun rises, he becomes so angry that he almost tears himself to pieces. He wishes there were no sun, even though its beautiful glow illumines heaven and earth. Everyone except the thief welcomes the sun's splendor. And why is he ill-disposed toward it? He wants to steal. Thus also a fornicator, an adulterer, a murderer, or a robber deplores the presence of light, saying: "Oh, is it light already?" All others are charmed by the light, but thieves and adulterers cannot bear it. Now whom are we to blame for this? The thief or the sun? The sun and the light are not responsible for theft, murder, and adultery; the thief, who hates the light, is responsible. If the thief were pious, he would thank God for the light of the sunrise and say: "What a wretched knave I am to steal and have the sun surprise me in the act of crime! I will never steal again."
We experience the same thing in the spiritual realm, in matters pertaining to the First Table, when the darkness of heresy and false doctrine reigns in the world. If light is shed into this darkness, people become angry, murmur, reject the reproof, and shout: "Destroy the light!" But is this not the Word of God, and do you not yourself profess that God is justified in His Word? And still you condemn it, refuse to tolerate it, and say: "This is not God's Word; it is the devil's word." For "everyone who does evil hates the light."
The thief must acknowledge: "The sun is an excellent light"; and yet he is hostile to it. Similarly the pope says: "The Gospel is the divine truth"; and at the same time he calls it a doctrine of demons (1 Tim. 4:1).
For he would like to conceal all his lies and idolatries from God, as a thief hides his crime from the sun.
This is really an excellent verse: "Everyone who does evil hates the light." One should thank God for the light; yes, one should long for it; one should desist from evil and say: "Dear Lord, I am straying. Give me Thy light, help me that the day may break and I may see." But instead they pray: "Oh, never let the sun rise, for I want to be able to steal." They love the evil more than the good.
How can we explain that a person hates that which is good and pleasing? Our text gives the answer:
"Lest his deeds should be punished." The thief, I suppose, would welcome the light if his theft of a hundred gulden were ignored and overlooked and we said to him: "Behold, those hundred gulden were not stolen; they are your rightful possession." But the rebuke of the light, which says: "You shall not steal!" he cannot endure. Thus an adulterer might also be satisfied to see the light if we closed an eye to his adultery and fornication. But he bursts with indignation when the Sixth Commandment upbraids him with the words: "You shall not commit adultery!" Thus the Gospel, too, might be accepted as a good and excellent message, for it offers forgiveness of sin and God's grace and mercy. But when it condemns the Mass and declares: "Purgatory is nothing, and human righteousness counts for nothing," then the Gospel must be of the very devil; for it is unthinkable that the papistic abominations are the devil's handiwork.
The world hates and persecutes the beautiful light of the Gospel because the Gospel reproves darkness.
21. But he who does what is true comes to the light.
- 186 That is, anyone who does what is right and does not steal, will walk openly and be unafraid to confess his actions; he will say, as the publican Zacchaeus did: "If I have defrauded anyone, I shall make fourfold restitution" (Luke 19:8). Such a man takes his theft into the light. Thus we pastors need not fear to have our instruction and preaching heard by all, for we know that our doctrine and life are rooted in God. A husband and housefather can also defy and challenge the devil and the world; for he knows that he has done right. He is unconcerned about any accusations of murder, adultery, or other vices that may be leveled against him. Thus we, too, preach publicly and are ready to be cited by anyone to give an account of our doctrine. Let him who can, censure us. The pope shouts that we shun the light, that we are rebellious and disobedient because we refuse to appear before him. I reply: "You need not worry about us.
You demand that a Christian defend himself and present his case before Belial." We would be doomed in advance, as our adversaries are both judge and party to the suit. Let our adversaries come and defend themselves before us. We know full well that they want to condemn us; in fact, they have long since condemned us. Christ and Belial are the antagonists, and there is no one to judge their suit. If, however, there were a mediator or judge, Christ would appear in the light and the devil would remain outside.
This would also be the verdict pronounced for us. We do not shun the light and are far from fleeing from it, but we do insist on an impartial judge.106 But they themselves want to be the judge, and they shout that we are stubborn and refuse to appear before them. But that is no fault of ours. Why do you not come to us for a discussion of your position? Give us neutral judges to mediate between us, and we will appear.
But you want to manhandle us the way footpads do, who take a traveler by force, cudgel him, rob him, and throw him into a den filled with other murderers and robbers; then they force him to lodge his complaint and file suit against those who robbed him. The poor man would not get very far, for these robbers would be both his judge and his opponent in the suit. Our adversaries do that too. The Bishop of Mainz is both plaintiff and judge and freely hangs whom he pleases.107 For eight long years the emperor has been trying to convoke a council; but he, together with all the kings and princes, has not succeeded in doing so.108 Our adversaries shun the light and demand that they be both party to the suit, as we are, and judges. May the devil reward them for this! They refuse to come to a council, and say that nonetheless we must let them be and remain our judges. But no, my dear fellow, that will not do. We and the papists should each be party to the suit; and then some honest, trustworthy, and impartial people should be elected as judges. This would give us a free hand to deal with the pope. Just see whether we would not gladly appear under those circumstances! However, the words "a free Christian council" are poison and death to the pope. They cannot consent to be party to the suit, as we are; but they demand a council in which they are judges and masters. They reject the idea that the pope be party to the suit as the Lutherans are. They cannot bear the thought of having the question raised and discussed whether the pope and the papists are in error. No, they take for granted that their teaching and deeds are all correct, and they condemn us as heretics. The words "Everyone who does evil hates the light" are very appropriate here. Therefore they fly from the thought of a council as the devil does from holy water or from consecrated salt.109 And we must say: "We do not run from the light but from darkness, in order to avoid straying into their darkness." We accuse them of misleading the entire world. They are the defendant, we are party to the suit and plaintiff; and we demand judges who are willing to listen to us plaintiffs. But they will not let a council be convoked, because they do not want to stand accused. No, they claim to be holy and blameless, and we are to be condemned in advance. They will accede to a council only on the condition that we be denied a hearing and that our complaint be ignored. But we must love the light and confess the truth without curtailment, and we must be willing to shed our blood and die for the profession of the truth.
The second part of our text applies to us: "He who does what is true comes to the light." Furthermore, we know that our deeds are good, "for they have been wrought in God." And we will say: "I will not surrender Christ, but I will confess Him before the world and the devils." Whoever fails to do this, is lost.
We preach of Christ, and therefore we desire and demand that our cause be heard and judged. For many years Emperor Charles, together with all the princes, urged the holding of a council, but with no success.
We, who are with the Light, yes, walk in the Light, may be joyful. They, however, dwell in darkness; in it they will also die and perish, and thereby they will give reliable proof of their darkness. For their deeds are evil. They thirst for our blood. They would like to see us all slain. On the other hand, since we long for and seek the Light, we are also of the Light.110
21. But he who does what is true comes to the light.
- 187 The last time we almost finished our discourse on the fine and excellent sermon which Christ delivered to Nicodemus. We heard how He divided His sermon into parts. It is my opinion that the words
"Everyone who does evil hates the light" formed the conclusion and final section of the sermon. These words of the Lord serve to explain why the world cannot suffer the Light, that is, the proclamation of the Gospel, yes, Christ Himself. The underlying cause for this is found in the fact that despite its baseness and villainy the world claims to be in the right and cannot bear having its evil deeds brought to light, revealed, reproved. The entire world labors under the folly and delusion that one may not and must not rebuke. The purveyors of false doctrine, which glistens brightly before the world but actually deceives and deludes the people; the pope, his partisans, and other heretics—all these resent reproof and refuse to be brought into the light. They have misled many with their false doctrines, with their pilgrimages and Masses; and yet they will not tolerate it when we take them to task and tell them they are in the wrong. "And this is the judgment." Then there are others, coarse fellows. They do not care about any doctrine but act like wild brutes with their gluttony, guzzling, fornication, stealing, and other gross vices which fairly engulf the entire world. They, too, refuse to be denounced. Thus princes, lords, noblemen, burghers, and peasants all want to go unscathed when committing a wrong; yes, they even resent private admonition. They do not wish to be told: "You are a tyrant, a fornicator, an adulterer, a greedy belly, or a usurer." They demand that we preach to them about nothing but Christ, who died for poor sinners. We are supposed to confine our preaching to the subject of grace, which emphasizes that salvation cannot be attained through good works but only through faith in Christ. It is unnecessary, therefore, to rebuke sin and vice, such as fornication, greed, gluttony, carousing, pomp, theft, and unchastity. They insist that we preach exclusively on the grace of God. They say: "Let me keep my greed, adultery, theft, robbery, fraud, and cheating.
Ignore all this! Why? Well, you wish to upbraid and condemn me, and that I cannot bear. For what business is it of yours whether I live a godly or an ungodly life? Let everyone attend to his own life and conduct. Just preach the Gospel to me. Why do I demand this? Well, you want to drag me into the light of day." Thus the world refuses to be reproved for its doctrine and belief or for its conduct. It wishes to have the light extinguished so that it will not illumine its evil deeds.
Behold, the Lord Himself declares that man rejects reproof both for doctrine and for conduct. Now if you refuse to accept rebuke and admonition, what are we to do? After all, what is the purpose of our being here? If you insist on doing what you please, you have no use for Gospel or preacher, government or prince or policeman; for their common office is none other than to chastise, either with words or with blows. A thief or a murderer, I suppose, might also complain about the executioner and say: "I wish that the government and the executioner would go to the devil! They betray me, bring me into the light, expose me to public shame, and hang me on the gallows. If it were not for government and for Jack Ketch, I would have continued to pose as a pious man and could have gone on with my defrauding and deceiving, with my fornication and other villainy."
Thus the world is determined to go unreproved. It wishes to remain in darkness, and it does not want to be informed of its false preaching and teaching. But if this is to be the state of affairs, then you might as well abolish the churches, and frequent the tavern and the whorehouse instead. On the other hand, if you are interested in your salvation and if you believe in a life after this present one, then it is necessary that you listen to reproof. But if you do not care to be saved, why, then, should I be so concerned about it? If you do not believe in the existence of hell, of death, devil, eternal damnation, and the wrath of God, then just inquire of your neighbor concerning these. He will tell you that we all must die. In brief, if church and temporal government are to stand, then evil deeds must be brought into the open. The government and the hangman must bring to light and punish the obvious darkness, the coarse vices and the offensive conduct of men. Christ and we preachers in the church bring to light the subtle darkness of false doctrine and religion, reproving both the false teachers and the work-righteous. But princes, noblemen, burghers, and peasants will bring matters to such a pass that no preacher will open his mouth any more to rebuke their evil deeds. In fact, the world is already approaching that point. But woe to the world, if it ever comes to that! You, however, must conclude: "There must either be reproof, or God will have every type of government overthrown." If you wish to be saved and to be a Christian, don't object to a sermon of reproof. And a preacher must either rebuke or resign from his office. Let the Christian who rejects reproof give up his pretense of being a Christian. Christ, who declares here: "The light is coming into the world to expose evil deeds," wants this reproof to be carried on; and it is impossible for you to check and hinder
Him in this. Through his bishops and ungodly princes the pope tried to resist this reproof, but without - 188 success. Let any peasant, nobleman, or burgher who wishes to go unrebuked have his way. They will surely meet their punishment and see whom they have despised! The text now turns to the other side:
21. But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God.
This verse is far too broad, and I am also too feeble to interpret it adequately. But it would surely be deserving of adequate treatment, for it is a powerful verse. In brief, its aim is this: It does not refer chiefly and exclusively to true preachers, but it states that anyone one who preaches the truth will not try to elude the light. Thus we, thank God, do not shun the light. We were not ashamed to proclaim our doctrine before the emperor, the pope, yes, at all diets and publicly before all our enemies. We never concealed our doctrine; but they are not so bold as to come with their doctrine to us or to a place where our side is in control, as we come to them with our doctrine.111 Furthermore, they cannot bear to have us judge and condemn them; but they wish to create a situation where they can appear as both plaintiff and judge. This is what is meant by evading the light. We did not resort to this in Augsburg in the year 1530; for whoever teaches the truth does not shun the light. Likewise, those who live decently and know that they are innocent of a particular deed will not hesitate to reveal their actions. Such a person can afford to have God
Himself, yes, the dear angels of God and the entire world as judges. And if a Christian did err and fall into sin, committing murder, theft, robbery, immorality, or other ignominious vices, he may still come into the open and confess, even before the angels of God; for this also is a real confession, because he knows and believes that God and the dear angels see and know all that he does. Therefore even if he did evil, he will make open confession of it and win the praise of God and man for this. He does not flee the light, but he says: "I have sinned." This confession does not harm him, but it is a truthful act; he who confesses all his deeds and is not ashamed to do so performs an upright deed of truth. This truth—to believe in the Son of God and then to confess one's sins in the world—is a powerful thing; for this is what it means "to come into the light." However, the world cannot put up with this. Evil people want to go their way unreproved; they do not want to be accounted wrong in faith and doctrine as well as in life. The pious Christians, however, make an open confession when they have committed some wrong.
This is the excellent sermon that Christ addressed to a great scholar. It would be well worthy of more extensive treatment; but we must continue with the text, although I feel very weak and fear that I will have to rest and relax sometime.112 The text continues:
22. After this Jesus went into the land of Judea.
These words are a brief preface to the sermon which follows. For the evangelist John intends to describe later how Christ, our dear Lord, eclipsed John the Baptist's light with His own; for we read earlier that John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ the Lord and prepared the way for Him. Now that the Master is present, the servant must observe silence. It was not the purpose of John the Baptist's mission to have him retain his office. He was not to teach the people and have the people adhere to him, or to hold them under his sway on and on, as the prophets, Elijah, Elisha, David, and others had once done.
This was not John's mission. The people were not to remain with him. He was merely a precursor to lead the people to the Lord and to persuade them to cleave to Him.
It is my opinion that the events described here by John occurred quite a while after Christ had delivered this excellent sermon to Nicodemus and had returned to Galilee. These events may have taken place when Christ called His disciples and apostles, as recorded in the fourth chapter of Matthew (4:18–
22) and also in the second chapter of this Gospel, where we read of the calling of Philip and Nathanael (John 1:43–51). We base our opinion on the fact that Christ's ministry was already in full force at this time. Furthermore, the evangelist states that these events took place during the lifetime of John the Baptist and before his imprisonment by Herod. John did not preach much longer than two years, at the very most, three; but Christ preached three and one half years. Therefore it follows that the great work carried out by these two remarkable men, Christ and John the Baptist, extended over a period of seven years at the most.
Thus John preceded Christ very closely, as he was still baptizing and was not yet imprisoned when Christ began to preach. Christ and John preached simultaneously for half a year or almost a whole year. They appeared on the scene in closest proximity; John preached two years before the Lord, if it was that long, and the two preached together for approximately a year. After that Christ preached alone about two and one half years more. In this short span of time the glorious work of our salvation was wrought, and the precious message of the New Testament was proclaimed, a message which we must still preach and teach today.
- 189 Now Christ moves into Galilee and carries on His activity there. This consisted in nothing else than preaching, praying, baptizing, teaching, eating, sleeping, and then preaching again. He was not idle for a single hour. Since He also wanted to be man, He had to attend to His wants like any other human being; but preaching and praying were His chief occupations. Here He describes Baptism too as one of His special activities. For now Christ wants to take Baptism over from John, since John had been merely a servant discharging the duties of this office until now. Therefore John gladly turns the office of Baptism over to Christ as his Master; for John was not to be the ruler but only the Lord's forerunner, who was now to give way to the Lord.
23. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there.
John delights in allegorical speech,113 as we see from the remark that "there was much water there" and also from an expression such as found in chapter six, that "there was much grass in the place" where
Christ fed the five thousand (John 6:10). In another passage John states: "Now the Passover was at hand"
(John 11:55). Thus he says here: "There was much water there." John has his own peculiar expressions, to which we shall revert later. The statement adds nothing to the story; yet he remarks here: "There was much water there."
Generally speaking, the river Jordan is a mischievous body of water. Sullenly it follows a winding course, and it is accessible only at a few places. It is a proud and a deep river as it flows along in its serpentine way, obstructed here and there by hills through the countryside. It submits reluctantly to man's use of it.
The evangelist John says that John the Baptist was unable to baptize everywhere along the Jordan. For the river was spiteful and did not yield readily to serving man; it withdrew from him as though it were averse to contact with him. John baptized at a spot where it was accessible, at the town of Aenon; here the river formed a bay.
John now relates the story and its significance.
All this, however, is mystical and allegorical speech. Holy Scripture is also, as it were, a winding and deep body of water. Not all can understand it; but at times it withholds its use and comprehension from the reader and withdraws from him. Occasionally it passes by quickly, like a shower of rain which is hard to keep in one spot. Today God's Word and Holy Scripture are found in one place, tomorrow in another.
Because of my weakness I am not able to enlarge on this mystical sense, for the sake of which the evangelist John here mentions the Jordan. I shall do this later, however.114
This is an unimportant story. Consequently we shall not dwell on it. Furthermore, I am unable to discourse on it at length. However, since it was recorded by the Holy Spirit, we dare not pass it by. We must devote some time to it. As all the evangelists report that John the Baptist baptized at the Jordan, which implies correctly that he was active in Galilee, the evangelist John wishes to inform us that the Baptist did not confine his work of preaching and baptizing to the Jordan in Galilee but that he extended it to Judea, namely, to the vicinity of Jerusalem and Bethabara, to which the Jews dispatched a delegation of priests and Levites. These places were not located in Herod's territory. Here John makes mention of Aenon and Salim, both of which lie in Judea, not far from the Jordan.
The evangelist John wishes to indicate that John the Baptist spent most of his time preaching in the wilderness, near Jericho and the Dead Sea. This is verified by the evangelist Luke (3:2–3). There he began to preach and baptize; and then he also came to Galilee, where he was beheaded by Herod.
Salim nestles in the mountains, not right on the Jordan but some distance away. It is evident that John did not remain in one place but traveled here and there until he also reached this place. He began his work among the tribe of Judah, and then transferred his activity to Galilee, where he was slain. Christ reversed the order: He began in Galilee, and here He traveled into Judea and toward Jerusalem, where He was crucified.
If I were not so weak, I would expound the significance of the words "Aenon" and "Salim" for you.
The evangelist wants to tell us that John the Baptist was still engaged in his ministry at the time of the conversation between Christ and Nicodemus in Judea. The Lord remained in Judea a long time. From here
He later traveled to Capernaum and to Nazareth, which remained His home until shortly before His death, when He again came to Jerusalem. John, however, was in Judea, coming from the south and traveling north. These two are the greatest preachers that ever walked the earth. But neither of them kept Ms office very long; John preached only two years, and the Lord Christ, about three and one half years.
- 190 I will omit the text concerning "the discussion that arose between John's disciples and the Jews over purifying" (John 3:25), since I am ill and feeble and unable to do as much as I should like.
The pestilence is spreading terror and anxiety here at present.115 I have always advised, and still do, that those who are resident here and have wife and child, as I have, do not flee. It is different in the case of the many transients and visitors here in the city; they are foot-loose and can come and go as they please.
Unless the emergency assumes greater proportions, we should not bar their departure. But as for you, I wish that the devil did not terrify you so. Does your fear of death—the death which Christ the Lord overcame for you and from which He saved you—reflect the quality of your faith in Christ and your knowledge of Him? Is this the effect of our preaching, that you may so soon despair in such an insignificant wind? You are causing an evil report to be spread about us. Why make such an ado over the fact that the pestilence is killing a few people? To be sure, the devil is vexing us as he sits poised in the air and shoots his venom at us from his gun. Anyone he hits must necessarily suffer. St. Paul also had his angel of Satan to harass and buffet him daily (2 Cor. 12:7). Should our fear of him exceed our trust in Christ? Therefore do not inflict this disgrace on the Gospel! Though one house may be infected by the pestilence, the whole city will still remain intact. If the pestilence were in my home, I would not move out.
The devil cannot vent so much anger on me as to drive me out. I will let him go on a rampage in my home and console myself with the promise that the Lord Christ is living, that He arose from the dead, that He ascended into heaven, and that He sits at the right hand of God, not in order to be idle and while away His time there but to save us all from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Even if we do die, we shall live again. There is nothing unusual about seeing a few corpses in the city. Should you despair even if ten pestilences were to plague you? It would be of the very devil if, in such an event, a husband deserted his wife. In such a case the government should intervene and forestall this. Or, suppose that everybody refused to bring meat, fish, grain, and other necessities into the city. Is that what you call loving your neighbor as yourself? Almost no one ventures to enter his neighbors house. As a result, the ailing practically die of hunger. If this is our attitude, it is small wonder that the pestilence is upon us. All the devils should come to punish us for this. For if we cannot endure being chastised with this little switch, what would happen if God were to visit us with war, yes, if He were to come with thunder and lightning and hellfire? We are indeed acting as if we had entirely forgotten God and as if God had grown impotent.
If the pestilence should return, I exhort you not to behave so detestably. See to it that the poor people who are afflicted are provided for, and that they are supported by the church or the common chest.116
Whoever fails in this duty should be expelled from the city. Order a physician, a barber-surgeon or two.
Otherwise God will punish you and take away the wood from your fields, your grain, and whatever you have in your cellars. If you can attend to this inanimate property of yours, why do you refuse to take care of the people? Is that what you call loving your neighbor and taking the Lord into your home, visiting Him when He is ill and sheltering Him when He is homeless (Matt. 25:35–40)? What are Rome, Milan, and Venice doing, where the pestilence rages on and on?117 Even if they have these cities cleansed often, they still cannot wipe out the plague. Far more people are born there daily than fall prey to it. How many hundreds, do you suppose, are born daily here and there? It is only fair that one person die and make room for another.118
If you occupy a public office, it is your duty to remain and not to flee. Take some medicine and fumigate your home, but stay with those whom God has entrusted to you. To be sure, the prince did at one time order me to leave because of the threat of death, but I did not want to.119 Even if everything about me reeked with pestilence, it would not drive me from my pulpit. For this is my calling, and I am determined to discharge it and attend to it. If I should die in the process, it would be dying in a vocation of love, which would be far better than living another century. But if you flee, forsaking parents, wife, and children, you are an accursed fellow. You should prefer a hundred deaths to that.
The pestilence is a fine and effective mode of chastening. One is shriven120 and dies in the knowledge of God, in faith, and in prayer. Although burgher, peasant, and noblemen are straining for war and famine,
God is still holding this in check and staying the punishment, although He is surely threatening to unleash it. And if this punishment comes in the form of pestilence, do not let your fear of the devil become excessive; for God is testing your faith, your repentance, and your love. Even if the devil frets and fumes, should I flee from the country because of this? If he kills and devours us, he will surely have to spew us out.121
- 191 Therefore I do not know whether I should pray for the pestilence to subside. At present the peasants and noblemen are overcharging and highhandedly running up the price of all the commodities on the market, and they don't care about anyone.122 The government, too, is so remiss, so sluggish and indolent.
If God did not take a hand in this, none of us would care to live. For if sins go unpunished, if all are free to do as they like, and if the government connives at everything, we wish for the intervention of God.
Peasant and noblemen do nothing but skin and flay the public, as if they were God Himself. A pestilence is necessary to separate the chaff from the grain. For if burghers, peasants, and noblemen continue in this manner, it would be better for us to die.
Do not, therefore, exaggerate the evils of the pestilence. Do not paint them worse than they are, or say, as the peasants do, that you would prefer famine and war to the pestilence. Don't paint the devil over the door; he will come soon enough anyway! Do not carry on so frightfully, especially those of you who are with us in this church and are hearing the Word of our Lord Christ. Bear in mind that the pestilence is the devil's dart. Even if he should hit me with it, what does it matter? Christ still lives; and I, too, will live, for He says: "He who believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). And those who die of the pest generally pass away gently, just as though they were falling asleep. The death of those who succumb to famine and war is different. Furthermore, in times of pestilence you still have a pastor at your side to speak the Word of God to you. Therefore do not be so alarmed, lest we provoke God to visit us with greater calamity in His anger. Let those of us who are resident here also remain here and make provision for physicians, barbersurgeons, and hospital, lest, through neglect, we sin against our neighbor. For we are under obligation to assist him in body and soul. If a home is infected, this is just a drop of rain; the storm has not yet broken.123
After this Jesus came.
All the evangelists record that John the Baptist performed his office of preaching and baptizing along the Jordan. For the Promised Land was very arid; it had no other river than the Jordan. This stream takes its course almost through the middle of the country and, at its end, empties into the foul swamp where, in ages past, stood Sodom and Gomorrah. The Jordan not only terminates at that spot, but its water drowns itself, as it were; the foul swamp chokes the Jordan to death.
When St. John was chosen to be the Lord Christ's forerunner and to proclaim the advent of the Messiah, his Baptism was granted him as a mark of identification. Others were given other signs. Isaiah, for example, went naked one time to show that Palestine was to be pillaged and plundered (Is. 20:2–4).
Jeremiah wore a wooden yoke about his neck (Jer. 27:2). The prophets usually possessed tokens over and above the Word. Thus from the beginning of the world God appointed signs in addition to His Word, so that people had an opportunity to behold with their physical eye that God loved His people and church and was disposed to be their benefactor. When Adam received the promise of the woman's seed from God,
God dressed Adam and Eve in furs (Gen. 3:21). And when God wanted Abraham's seed to become His own peculiar people, He instituted circumcision for Abraham (Gen. 17:10). Thus God at all times bestowed external, visible signs to accompany the office of the ministry, lest we complain that we cannot find God.
In our day, in the time of the New Testament, God has given us Baptism, the Sacrament of the Altar, and absolution to bring Christ very close to us, so that we can have Him not only in our heart but also on our tongue, so that we can feel Him, grasp Him, and touch Him. God did all this for the sake of those shameful spirits who seek God according to their own pleasure, with their reason and their own ideas and dreams. To make it possible for us to recognize Him, God presents Himself to us perceptively and clearly in signs. But we do not accept these; nor are we concerned about the divine Word, although Christ the Lord Himself says: "The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does His works" (John 14:10); again: "He who hears you hears Me" (Luke 10:16); and again: "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation; he who believes the Word of God and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:15–16). But we utterly disregard such words of the Gospel as well as absolution. Thus we perceive God not only with our hearts but also with our eyes and our hands, for He gives us a tangible and visible sign of Himself. At all times God has so governed His people that He could also be recognized visibly by them, lest they say: "If it were possible to find God, we would roam to the ends of the earth in search of Him." If you had ears to hear, it would be needless to wander far in search of God. For He wants to come to you, plant Himself before your very eyes, press Himself into your hands, and say: "Just listen to Me and take hold of Me, give Me eye and ear; there you have Baptism
- 192 and the Sacrament of the Altar. Open your mouth, let Me place My hand on your head. I give you this water which I sprinkle over your head."
During the lifetime of the prophets God revealed Himself not only through the Word but also in some external, visible, and tangible form. John the Baptist, for example, employed the oral word; he pointed to Christ and said: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). But, in addition, the Jordan had to serve him as an external sign and image to help the common man to seize and take hold of God. Otherwise he might say: "Oh, if only I knew where God can be found, I would go in search of Him!" This is what we had to do in the papacy. The pope hid the Sacraments under a chair, and he read only the text of the Gospel from the pulpit. He belittled God's Word and told people: "Run in a coat of marl to St. James. Call upon St. George, Erasmus, and others."124 But there I could see nothing, and I could feel nothing; in the bright light of day I found myself stark-blind. But no one paid attention to God's revelation of Himself, both in His Word and in visible signs. And I fear that those times will return.
You see Baptism with your eyes, and the one who is being baptized feels it. We can thank God that He placed His dear Son into the lap of His mother Mary. Those who saw Him touched and felt the Son of God; and those who heard Him also crucified the Son of God! And now, when Christ could no longer be perceived personally and physically, He bequeathed to us His Word and Sacraments, which we can perceive with our five senses. But despite this we ignore it and invent something apart from it, as the monks did, in which one neither sees nor feels anything that God commanded. What devil ordered you to do this? For what human idea could ever surpass what God Himself gave us? Therefore we must repel our own ideas and dreams, and not abandon what God has offered us. For pastors, parents, lords, and ladies also tell us God's Word and will.
Aenon, Salim. These are Greek names, and I do not know their meaning.125 But it seems that John shows a greater predilection than the other evangelists for interpreting names and investing them with a meaning. In chapter 1:28 he said that John baptized in Bethabara; and in chapter 11:16 he speaks of "Thomas, called the Twin." More than the other evangelists, John describes the names. In this way he exhorts us to ponder their meaning. His comment on the two names Aenon and Salim is that "there was much water there," which suggests that this fact was very important. He also adds that many people flocked there to be baptized, "for John had not yet been put in prison."
It was John's office to baptize. But in the entire country there was no other body of water than the Jordan, unless one includes a few swamps scattered over the countryside. The Jordan follows a very sinuous course, twisting hither and thither. Its banks are very steep, and it is impossible to draw water from the river except in a few spots. The river is very deep and flanked by high banks. Where the river was accessible and water could be dipped from it, they said "there was much water there." To such a place
John went in order to baptize. At other places the river could not be approached easily; for writers point out that it ranged far and wide, twisting and turning, and that dipping water from it was difficult.126 Now
St. John takes pleasure in recording that this was a place where much water could be drawn from the Jordan, something that would have been impossible in ten other places. But why does he make mention of this?
The Jordan was an image and a symbol of the entire country, of the people, and of the Law of Moses.
Authors who describe a land set greater store by its bodies of water than by its cities and castles. "The Rhine," they say, "flows thus"; and then they describe the bodies of water and the forests. Therefore Ps.
42:6 also says: "I remember Thee from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mt. Mizar." Thus the entire country is called "the land of Jordan," for the river is lord of the country. The same thing applies to the Rhine. The territories through which this river flows must, therefore, be named the Rhineland.127
Thus the river Jordan is a symbol of the Law, which was issued in that place in the land and which points to Christ, who was to be born in this country. And now John comes and baptizes close to the end of the Jordan. He was fond of baptizing there, likewise at Bethabara, which means a desolate and lonely place; for this was a waste spot, devoid of vegetation, just an expanse of wilderness. The town where the river empties into the swamp was not far away. This is where John baptized. He was the last preacher of the Law; yes, he was the end of the Law, as Christ the Lord declares in Matt. 11:13. The Jordan flows through Judea until it reaches Bethabara, where John baptized. There it disappears, loses its identity, and now receives another name—the Dead Sea. This is where the five cities, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah,
Zeboiim, etc., stood.128 Here the river is drowned, as it were, close to the town of Bethabara, where John baptized.
- 193 John wants to indicate, mystically and spiritually, that John was the last preacher of the Jordan, that is, that the Law was to be terminated now and that men should be baptized. This did not imply that they were to be justified on their own, but they were to leave the Jordan and be baptized with the fire from heaven.
The word "Jordan" means descent. This river descends gradually and drops down until it is swallowed up in the Dead Sea, just as the Elbe follows a downward course toward the sea, where it is lost. The Jordan has its source in the territory of the tribe of Dan. It emerges from a beautiful spring and then winds its way downward. John could not have chosen a more appropriate symbol for Moses and the Law, which the Ten Commandments teach. The teaching of the Law is also sinuous and deep. It points sin out to us until it leads us into death; that is, the Law kills and leads into the abyss of hell. No one can come to this
Jordan, that is, to the doctrine, and drink of it. The power of the Law mortifies the flesh. All is dead there and drops into the Dead Sea. This is true particularly of the Jews, who defiantly boast of the Law of Moses. And we, too, will fall into a deadlier swamp than the Jordan if we do not keep the Law of Moses.
So John marks the end of the Law and says: "I am not the true Master; but the Bridegroom will appear, who will accomplish all. I am still a part of the Jordan, but He who is to come will not be like this river."
May this suffice regarding the words "Aenon" and "Salim" and the fact that many people came there for Baptism. Now there follows:
25. Now a discussion arose between John's disciples and the Jews over purifying.
Here we find the unending quarrel which now arose between John's disciples and Christ's. It was with forethought that John chose the word "purifying" rather than "Baptism"; for a little later he continues: "To whom you bore witness, here He is, baptizing, and all are going to Him" (John 3:26). The other three evangelists report Christ's Baptism by John; the evangelist is silent on this subject here, but he says that he had borne witness to Him. I shall postpone discoursing on this to another time.
"He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you bore witness, here He is, baptizing (John 3:26). What a show of ingratitude toward you! You are a prophet. And He is so ungrateful, comes along, and takes baptizing away from you. Formerly you baptized as a prophet, and now He is doing it. Which Baptism is pure now? (The evangelist does not want to call it 'Baptism' but 'purifying,' indicating that we are purified and sanctified through Baptism.) If your Baptism is pure, why, then, does He baptize? By doing so He will create confusion and depreciate your Baptism. We were baptized by you in order to be sanctified and saved by your message and Baptism. And now He is introducing an innovation. We are at a loss to know whether we have been cleansed or not. For if we were purified by your Baptism, why should
The evangelist says that a dispute arose about purifying, that is, about Baptism. He uses the term "purifying" in order to correct the error prevalent at the time, the error which questioned that Baptism purified. This question, how and where one is purified, dates back to the beginning of the world; and until the end of the world people will find it a problem. Reason seeks its own way to salvation, while the coarse, dissolute, and wicked people do not care about salvation at all. But distressed hearts, worried about the hereafter, about forgiveness of sin, about an escape from death, and about the assurance of eternal life, are concerned about purifying.
This is the question about which the disciples of John and the Jews are arguing. The pious Jews, who believed in God, who prized their own salvation, and who were not unrepentant, were also perplexed about this. The one resorted to this, the other to that. This was also the vogue in the papacy: one became an Augustinian monk, another a Dominican, and still another a Franciscan. Reason is a hindrance as it reflects on questions like: "How will I be saved and become pure? How will I escape death and sin? How will I obtain a gracious God?" These people are under the impression that both are baptizing, John and Christ. And now the question suggests itself: Whose Baptism is the correct one? The Ten Commandments are still extant. Whoever keeps them is pure; furthermore, "if you would enter life, keep God's
Commandments" (Matt. 19:17). Such was the message of John along the Jordan. But Christ says: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:16). How do these two statements harmonize: that he who keeps the Law will be saved and that he who believes will be saved? Which is the true purification? This is a bone of contention to the present day. And the contention, the quarreling, and the wrangling are not with Moses but with the disciples of John. Those who preach about good works are now actually ashamed that they once lauded monks' cowls and tonsures so much. Now they want to be John's disciples and preach piety and good works. They say: "One must perform good works. Whoever does them is saved." Well then! Christ never says this with as much as a syllable. To be sure, He declares: "If - 194 you would enter life, keep the Commandments" (Matt. 19:17). Furthermore, He says that nothing impure will enter the kingdom of heaven (Eph. 5:5). "This is John's mode of purification," they say, "therefore good works must save." "Yes, do that, go ahead," says Christ, "keep the Commandments!" Thus He addressed the scribe: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul. Do this, and you will live"
(Luke 10:27–28). This is a fine purifying. But since we cannot comply with these demands and cannot attain this goal, John adds: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
For wherever Christ's Baptism and purifying do not enter the picture, the foul swamp swallows up the Jordan, and we go down into the abyss of hell together with Sodom and Gomorrah.
To be sure, the Commandments must be kept. Of course, observe them! John is baptizing, he is not yet in prison; that is, the Jordan is not yet swallowed up. Indeed, we join Christ and say: "Do this!" "Ah!" you say. "Don't you preach faith?" Yes, but we also want to see good works performed; yet faith must come first. Then good works will follow.
Thus the controversy keeps going on. John's disciples want to be saved by their good works and by the Baptism of John. John says, however: "I am not the Bridegroom (John 3:29); the Jordan must come to the end of its course and be drowned in the Dead Sea. Now there is a different purification. Christ has appeared and is now baptizing. My Baptism must cease, and the Jordan must be drowned." The purification now in effect is this: that "he who believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:16). Then those who are purified by Christ will also find the other purification, for this soon follows as a sequel to the first.
Since the beginning of the world the question has been raised and hotly debated whether salvation is attained by God's grace or by works. The chief purification must precede, for "grace and truth come through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). Furthermore, "from His fullness have we all received, grace upon grace" (John 1:16). After that we do not forbid good works. However, we do preach that good works can neither constitute nor bring about this purification. But Christ must purify us with His blood; then the other purification will follow from grace, Thus we come away from the Jordan and the Dead Sea.129
The last time we heard that the disciples of John debated about the question of purification. This subject has been in dispute and controversy ever since the beginning of the world; it will go on until the end of the world. Man will always question and wrangle about it. The heathen philosophers also sought to learn how to serve God and how to be saved. Here John is not speaking about the purification of the world; he is speaking about purification before God. The question is: In what circumstances will God recognize this bath of purification and declare him cleansed who is bathed? Moses instituted many modes of purification, such as holy water and others. The pope and the Turk, too, make much of purification.
Among the pagan nations the Romans and the Greeks especially set store by purification and sought a way to be cleansed before God.
Now John introduces a new mode of purification, one hitherto unknown to the Jews. In addition, he proclaimed the message that the people must desist from their evil deeds and life and await the coming
Messiah. Such testimony implied that he himself was not the one who could purify them, and that his Baptism was not the purification. He says: "I purify with water. I do not claim that you are cleansed thereby. No, you are cleansed by Him who comes after me, who will purify you with the Holy Spirit." At the same time those who had died before this were saved by accepting John's Baptism and being purified through their faith in the advent of Christ, to whom John pointed as the true Purifier. In this way all the patriarchs and prophets were purified. Circumcision and all purification were associated with, and related to, the coming Messiah. Circumcision helped them inasmuch as it was linked to the coming Messiah; they were circumcised on their faith in Him, and thus they were saved. Otherwise they would not have been saved. For Christ is "yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8); He is from the beginning. The pious son
Abel sacrificed a fatted lamb; yet he was not saved because of the sacrifice but because of his faith in the promised Christ. It was the promise that did it, the promise that the woman's Seed would crush the serpents head (Gen. 3:15). Abel believed in this promise, and on the basis of his faith in the future Seed he was graciously accepted by God. Cain, however, came swaggering along with his sacrifice, a sacrifice of good quality, which his field had yielded and which had been God's gift and present to him. But what was missing? He did not look to the future Seed of the woman; he was an unbeliever and assumed that since he was the first-born and the only prince in the human race, he would prove acceptable to God for the sake of his own person. Therefore he did not look to, and hope for, the woman's Seed which was to crush the serpents head. Abel, on the other hand, gave ear to the message of the woman's Seed; he believed it, and - 195 as proof of his faith he offered his sacrifice. Cain, however, thought: "Oh, even if I sacrifice but three kernels of wheat and my brother places a hundred lambs on the altar, I am still everything, while Abel is nothing." But our God has a different system of accounting, and according to it, the one who is nothing must be everything; for he believes in the future Seed, Christ. And Cain, who presumed to be everything, is nothing; for his faith does not rely on the future Seed of the woman. It is Abel who is purified, not Cain.
About this a horrible quarrel ensued, so that in the end he who wanted to be everything slew Abel.
This has always been the course of history. Just read the records, and see how all the patriarchs and fathers sacrificed and how the fire consumed their offerings. Then the ungodly Jews remarked: "God regards the gift and the sacrifice!" Now Cain had offered nothing but chaff. However, God is not interested in oxen, sheep, and sacrifices; as is evident from Ps. 50:8–9 and from Is. 1:11. God says: "Who commanded you to sacrifice?"
The trouble is, as we see from the books of all the prophets, that the ungodly assume they are purified because of their generous sacrifices; but God is of a different mind. Because of the assumption of the ungodly all the prophets were tortured and slain, and all the great kings dethroned. But whoever bore in mind during his sacrifice that the true Lamb, Christ, was to be slaughtered for the sins of the world, was saved by and in that faith in the advent of Christ. And whoever failed to do so was not saved. Even if such a person were willing to sacrifice a thousand oxen, it would be regarded by God as little as a fly. In the case of the godly, however, what availed was their reliance on the future Seed for their salvation. Thus from Adam and Abel down to our day there is but one way to salvation, for the promise of Christ and the Christian faith began with the promise that the woman's Seed should crush the serpent's head. This promise endured until He Himself appeared. And now faith no longer applies to the future Christ but to the present Christ, the Christ who has come. And what was formerly observed in the Law has validity no longer, whether it be Law or circumcision. Christ Himself is present now, and everything pointed to Him.
Thus the Jews stand condemned. They want to give God the lie; they maintain that Christ has not come, reject the One who has come, and are waiting for one whom they themselves dream up and invent.
The Turks are damned for the same reason. They teach that God first sent Moses, and later David, to replace him. David's doctrine, they say, was in force until the advent of Jesus. Jesus' doctrine endured until the people grew evil. Then God entrusted the rule to Mohammed, who was to reign over man with the sword. Thus they eliminate Christ entirely. Mohammed is to remain until God sends another prophet.
They suppose that God will continue to delegate prophets in these latter days of the world as He did throughout the Old Testament. But we must bear in mind that shortly after the fall of Adam Christ was ordained to be our Savior. After the time of Abraham, Moses, and David He Himself came into the world; and now He will remain our Savior until the end of the world, until the Day of Judgment, and in all eternity.
It is true indeed that there have always been others who practiced different methods of purifying; but the doctrine has never varied since the beginning of the world, and it will remain as it is until the end of the world. To be sure, it was worded differently. From the beginning of the world until the days of John the Baptist the people were told: "Believe in the Seed that is to come!" From then on it is: "The Messiah has come." Thus there has always been but one Christ—the Christ of the past, the present, and the future.
The Apocalypse refers to Him as the One "who is and who was and who is to come" (Rev. 1:8).
I am saying this that we may understand the doctrine of purifying and of Baptism correctly. John relates it all to Christ. He says: "I was sent to be His forerunner." And if anyone should interpose: "But were people who died before the advent of Christ also saved?" then we reply: "Of course, they believed that John purified by his Baptism; for by means of it he joined you to Christ." Thus one is saved according to the way in which Christ instructed Nicodemus (John 3:5). And when Christ Himself appeared and was present, St. John's Baptism had to cease, just as 1circumcision also had to come to an end then.
Henceforth it is wrong to say: "He will come." Now we say: "You dare wait for no other. I do not believe in anyone who is still to come, but in Him who was and still is" For we have no other Seed of the woman than the One who lived in John the Baptist's day, who in ages past was to come and did come at the time of John, who has now appeared and will remain in eternity. Whoever does not believe this, but looks to another, as Jews and Turks do, will be eternally damned. Everyone is intent upon devising his own method of purifying. Cain looks surly because he wants to force God to recognize his deeds. When we were garbed in a monk's cowl during our days under the papacy, we were persuaded to believe that we were holy and pure as though we had just come from our Baptism. We compared our filth and stench to - 196 the sacrifice of Christ the Lord. Then came holy water, Masses for the dead, vigils—all of which are methods of purification. And all this despite the fact that even the Baptism of that most holy man, John, did not avail and could not avail, but that all had to rely on, and believe in, the Christ who was to come and with whose advent all else ended! We are not even as good as the Jews or the Turks, who say that the Baptism of John and of Christ has come to an end and that anyone who accepts Mohammed will be saved.
Thus the papists have attacked our position and declared that anyone who falls into sin after his Baptism must undergo a distinct type of purification. From the very beginning of the world the saints had many different ways of purification, all of which, however, were connected with Christ the Lord. But when nuns and Turks fall into sin, Christ and His purification count for nothing; then a particular kind of purification must be introduced. Therefore the pope is no different from the Turk, if indeed he is not even worse.
There may be, we concede, different ways of baptizing, of purifying, and of sacrificing; still there must remain only this one sacrifice: Christ. Abel's method was to sacrifice a lamb, to which he related his faith in the coming Christ. If Gain had also done this, then there would have been no difference between his offering and that of Abel. Abraham had a different offering. He sacrificed his son, which was radically different from the offering of Abel; but still this offering of Abraham was also directed to the one Seed of the woman. Moses constructed the tabernacle or ark of the covenant. He trained a people which had its own realm; he also led them through the Red Sea. But the idea of the woman's Seed was present in all these various and novel methods. Thus since the world's inception there has been but one purification, since all believed in one God and in His Son, Jesus Christ. Then each one performed good works according to his station in life, whether he was a husband or a scholar. A nun should have done the same thing and said: "I will wear the same veil and crown that other women wear." But this she did not do. She should have thought: "I will make purification by Christ my crown." But who would have understood this at that time? The wrath of God cast Mohammed and the pope upon the world to deflect us from the one purification of Christ and lead us into manifold kinds of purification. In the end we became such stupid fools that we even purchased the good works of the monks for money.
Therefore open your eyes and see how the devil tries in various ways to deprive you of the purification of Christ. For the one group utterly rejects the Law or the Ten Commandments, the other wants to reinstate the pope's canon law in the church,130 Give the same reply as that given here by John: that there is absolutely no other purification than that found in Christ, the woman's Seed. And if human doctrine insinuates itself into the church, drive it out so thoroughly that not a letter of it remains. And remember that every human doctrine is idolatry, as surely as God lives. For John says:
27. No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven.
John's Baptism in itself does not purify; it must be enveloped in faith. It is not derived from man; it comes from God and from heaven. Thus faith, too, springs from no one but God. This is also true of purification. God had also commanded circumcision, but it was a means to the end, Christ; it was enveloped and wrapped up in faith. Thus all the sacrifices by the prophets had to be ordained by God, not by man; otherwise they should have been trampled underfoot. We must accost the Turk and say: "Where did God command the message preached by Mohammed? It has nothing to do with faith." The pope has brought out his canon law once more; and he rules the church with chasubles, cowls, and tonsures. If I were asked to comply with such things on the supposition that they are commanded, I would not place so much as a thread on the altar. But he says: "You must obey the church." "You lie," I reply. "God did not command from heaven these externals with which you deal. That is why you have no faith."
Therefore the papacy is sheer idolatry, no matter how it may gleam and glisten.131 I would not give a fly for St. John's Baptism, Abraham's circumcision, and Moses' tablets if they did not bear the notation:
"God from heaven." Nor would this help me if I did not add that I accept it in faith. Therefore the pope should be forced to leave the church and to spew out his canon law; for it did not come from heaven; it came from man. We often hear the statement: "But they were wise people." Tell them: "Yes indeed, but wise people also commit great follies. They were not commanded by God. Even if they were a hundred times holier than John the Baptist, I know that they still lack God and His Word. They turn away from faith. They are not enveloped and wrapped in the Savior, but they lead away from Christ the Lord." If you do believe in Christ, you are saved. But beware of what God has not commanded; for that is in opposition to God, and it must be thrown out of the church as the filth of the devil. Those who teach this are seeking a different purification from the one commanded by God; and since it is not commanded by God, it must be regarded as null and void. He teaches a different purification, which is to generate a new life within us. No - 197 man can fully understand how great an abomination human doctrines really are. Let the jurists instruct the world. And then, when the world is pious and there are no more murderers, fornicators, adulterers, or usurers, we shall dispute with them. Let the physicians also attend to their office, and let everyone do what he is commanded. But none of this is to be foisted on the church; there God's Word alone must rule. God commands: "You shall have no other gods." Therefore the canon law is in direct opposition to God. Now
God says: "In the church I want to be God alone." This is impossible unless all other voices are excluded from the church. If they are not, then the Sabbath, the name of God, faith, and the majesty of God will soon perish.
The heathen and other wise people—including the Jews, who had the commandment regarding circumcision and sacrifices—are rebuked and chided as idolaters. For they divorced their circumcision, their sacrifices, and their works from faith in the coming Messiah. They said: "Whoever sacrifices, becomes pious through such a work." Therefore they sacrificed much, and they made a great fuss about food, drink, and dress. This at least was not a human invention, such as the pope and the Turk indulge in; and yet it degenerated into idolatry. Why? Because the Jews did not use the sacrifices as they were commanded to use them. They should have viewed them as an external sign and wrapped themselves up in the coming Messiah. But they definitely excluded Him. Cain said: "God commanded me through my father to sacrifice." But his sacrifice was bare; it was not wrapped in faith, which alone renders God gracious. For when I believe, then the sacrifice is pleasing and acceptable to God. But if you reject the woman's Seed, the sacrifice does not please God. The pope and the Turk adopt ways of purifying not commanded by God, and then they exclude Christ completely. Thus they are seven times worse than the Jews, who at least had purification and other works that God had commanded; but even these were worthless. Now someone will say: "This is a precious thing, and they were wise people." Quite so. But even John the Baptist, who was sent by the Holy Spirit, will be worthless if you subtract faith. Much less will the canon law be of any use if you add the claim that it saves. Therefore the system of canon law must be driven from the church. They would like to introduce this filth again; but we will burn it again, burn it on the garbage pile.132 The pope hates us and damns us because we refuse to give his abomination and his purification with holy water a place next to the true purification. But in the Gospel of John Christ the Lord predicted that it would be so: "If they called Me Beelzebub, who am the Lord and Master, how much more will they call My disciples that!"133 But we have the true doctrine, and we know that we axe not in error.
In God's sight we are not schismatics, for the Word is invulnerable. Even if they call us heretics, God and our heart are aware that they do so unjustly. They themselves know that our doctrine is from Holy
Scripture.134 They want to have their own purification besides. But our children quote from the Ten Commandments: "You shall have no other gods." God wants to be sole Ruler in the church, and He will tolerate no secondary god. They might let us have Holy Scripture and Baptism, but they cannot endure that we attack and rebuke their idolatry. However, if God is gracious to us, then let the devil and all his scales135 vent their ire on us.
John's disciples now say to him: "Your purification is nothing. You bore witness to Christ that you got your Baptism as well as your purification from Him. Now He is introducing another purification, and such an attractive one that everybody is flocking to Him. Therefore put a stop to this, dear John." But John replies: "No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven." As if he wanted to say:
"Oh, dear disciples, you do not understand my purifying correctly! He is not introducing a new purification. His is not a human idea. Therefore let Him go unhindered. His work is from heaven."
Christ's and John's purifying are altogether identical; only John follows a different pattern; for Christ Himself is the purification which John taught. All were dependent on Him with their sacrifices. John also says: "I baptize with water" (John 1:26). Therefore it is not of man but of God. John is speaking particularly about the realm of God, the church, where nothing must prevail but what heaven has given.
And if anything is not received from heaven, it is a human bauble and nothing, even if it was spoken by the wisest men on earth. It must come from heaven; one dare not say that man chose or devised it. John rejects all other means of purification and says: "My purifying would be nothing if it were not joined to Him who is purification personified, who enlightens every man (John 1:19), and from whose fullness all is taken (John 1:16). This type of purifying also came from heaven. Otherwise, if my purifying had not come from heaven, it would be as invalid as a monk's cowl. But God commanded it and specified that through my Baptism I am to point to Him who Himself purifies."
- 198 Therefore John says: "A man can take nothing for himself." Man wants to take it; but if it is to have any value, it must first be given from heaven. Not only faith but also the mode of purifying, for example,
Baptism, must be revealed and given from heaven. Nor would Baptism be worth anything if Christ, who is purification personified, were not present there. This verdict of John effaces and buries all the canons. "A man can take nothing for himself"; this means that the cleverest and holiest on earth can teach nothing and take nothing unless it is given them from heaven. Therefore I as a human being can give you nothing. But listen to Him into whose hands the Father placed everything to rule the church—Baptism, the Power of the Keys, and Holy Communion. Whatever is not in agreement with that must be called the devil's filth and must be swept out of the church. We voluntarily observe all sorts of rites and ceremonies, especially those related to the altar; but through his decretals the pope presumes to establish a ceremony derived from heaven and claims that he who abides by it is saved. It might, for instance, be a good thing if all preachers remained celibate. Yet the question whether or not one can live this way must be left to everyone's free choice. But the pope declares: "No one can be a servant of the church unless he remains celibate." This is what he teaches in his canons,136 which have dropped from the devil's behind. They dare have no sanction in the church. An emperor cannot tolerate another governor in his country beside himself. The judge of Kemberg137 can have no jurisdiction here in Wittenberg. Neither can anyone rule in my house unless this authority has been given to him. But if someone else tries to play man of the house here and conducts himself as he will, we would say that his plot will miscarry and fail, because he has not been authorized to do this. If this is true with regard to home, city, and country, how much more must it apply to the church that the pope cannot reign there together with Christ. Yes, to the gallows with the pope! If it is intolerable in a kingdom or in your home that someone share the authority with you, should it be reasonable to expect us to tolerate that a new and different bride be foisted on us? This would not only be useless, but it would also be sinful and deserving of death.138
Recently we heard about the dispute that had arisen among the Pharisees and the disciples of John concerning purification. They had asked John whether his Baptism or Christ's was the correct one. In reply John now says:
A man cannot take anything unless it is given him from heaven.
This great question about purification and salvation has been debated since the beginning of time, and I suppose it will endure to the end. The question that is still raised is: Is it Christ who purifies us, or is it something else? Now this is John's answer: "Man is only man. Can his ability exceed human limitations?
Nothing is nothing, and it can accomplish nothing unless power is given from heaven." Apparently John wanted to exempt the Lord from these human limitations and elevate Him far above other men. He implies that He is also much holier than he, John, is.
John wishes to say: "Don't interfere with Him. Do you suppose that His is human thought and design?" When John uses the term "man," the simple reader will infer that he is speaking here of man in general. John does include in this word all who have lived since Adam, whether emperor, king, philosopher, nobleman, burgher, or peasant. No matter who a man may be or how prominent he may be, all count for nothing. Something higher than, and different from, man is necessary, even though he be king, patriarch, or prophet. Therefore this word "man" embraces everyone born of woman except Christ.
He is not an ordinary human being. There is more to Him than just the human part. All the rest—father and mother, children, lords and ladies, servants, rulers, doctors, jurists, and craftsmen—are all human.
They may be endowed with the most splendid gifts, but these have all been granted by God and given by Him. Christ, too, is human; but at the same time He is far more than this. The parental estate ranks next to God. Then follow rulers, jurists, physicians, and craftsmen. Insofar as they are human, they are nothing.
The Bridegroom, who has the bride, is everything. To be a father or a mother is something precious; the peasant, the burgher, the ruler, the jurist—each has an estimable station; likewise the pastor and preacher.
However, we must discern and discriminate. Do the jurists, etc., have a fine profession? Yes? But, after all, what is it? It is given from heaven, and still something is lacking: it is not Christ. There is still much evil inhering in it. The eye in the body is a beautiful gem. No other member is so vibrant and endowed with such sweep and range; the eye can survey half the heaven with a glance. But if you take the eye and place it on the forehead or on a leg or a knee, you will perceive how ill-suited this appears. And if it is misplaced and ill-suited, it is the very devil. A cobbler has a commendable trade. But suppose that he tried to make a hat out of a shoe and said to me: "Hold still, and pull the hat on your feet." The hat or hood, of course, is a good commodity, and the feet are also good; but the hat is out of place here. An object may be
- 199 ever so precious; but if it is not put in its proper place and time, it is nothing, as I just demonstrated with the eye. God created the eye, and it is a beautiful and valuable member of the body; but if it were placed at the kneepan, all would be frightened by it. A woman may be ever so pretty; but if she is also a whore, she is not fit for marriage. If you attempt to transform a sleeve into a coat, the quality of your fabric may be ever so fine; but it makes no sense and is impracticable. But we humans believe that whatever is beautiful is also suitable and adaptable everywhere. Thus the pope invented many canon laws; but if these only seem impressive, they are nothing. The purification instituted by the fathers is surely a fine thing; but if it usurps the place rightfully occupied by the Head, it is misplaced. Much of what the pope invents and fabricates he tries to put in the place where Christ should be, just because it appears beautiful and attractive. The bride, too, is beautiful, and it is very becoming to her to stand at the bridegroom's side; if she is found in a brothel, however, or if she runs after another man, she is ugly, and we properly cry shame upon her. She is beautiful in her person. But in her adultery she is not beautiful; there she looks like the very devil.
John wants to see Christ elevated above all mankind. God has ordained the various estates—of parents, government, burghers, and peasants. He adorned each one, each in its proper order. Now let each stay in its place. It must remain within its sphere; there it is fitting and proper. But this does not efface your sin, as the pope and the jurists allege. It will not do for you, tailor, to come and allege that your doublet is an excellent shoe. The temporal government, too, is a fine institution; but let it remain in the world, and do not place it into the bridal chamber of Christ. The civil law must be applied in disputed questions, but do not foist it on the church. If this is done, it is viewed humanly; and that is comparable to placing one eye on the knee and the other on the back. The pope, too, presents such a picture. He wants to drive Christ, the Bridegroom, from the chamber; he behaves arrogantly, and blares that his doctrine is holy. This must establish the rule for the Christian Church, and anyone who contradicts or disobeys it is damned. He is much like the tailor of whom I spoke before. Everyone must confine himself to that which has been entrusted to him. Something may be ever so beautiful and fine; but if it is not used properly, it is not proper, despite its beauty. If it is true in a minor matter that things must be restricted to the proper sphere to which God ordained them, it applies much more to the church of God that nothing should be jumbled together, whether it be canon law or jurisprudence, whether John the Baptist or a prophet. But if all is intermixed here, it will be like placing the eyes on top of the head and the nose on the kneecap.
Whatever steps out of its proper place or role, is nothing. This is borne out by experience in less significant matters, yes, in all stations.
Into the church, that is, into matters of faith, the pope brings all his handiwork and whatever he can think up. John says: "Compared with the Man Christ, man is nothing, and I am nothing." Therefore anyone who aspires to be a master or ruler in the church should say: "I will let matters rest as Christ has ordered and commanded them." For everything will miscarry if one presumes to tamper with someone else's business. Imagine what would happen if a tailor came to a cobbler with a last and said: "My dear man, fashion a pair of trousers for yourself on this last"; or if the cobbler came to the tailor with a fabric and said: "My dear man, make me a pair of shoes"; or if the maid made bold to reform the mistress, or the pupil to teach the schoolmaster. It is obvious that this would be intolerable.
Here John is not speaking of such unimportant matters; he is discussing purification, in which none but Christ is to count. Here man must do nothing and know nothing but Christ. For if skillful artisans resent it when some stranger tries to meddle with their work, how much more ought the words that God addresses to His Son be respected: "Thou alone art to be the Bridegroom, and no other." And John says: "To be sure,
I amount to something because I was the Messiah's forerunner; but in the matter under discussion here I have done nothing and amount to nothing." A person may be respectable, honest, and handsome; he may be endowed with splendid gifts. Still he will not be saved by all this. No one goes to heaven because he produced good canon law. Salvation requires more than the talents of John and the prophets, to say nothing of the jurists. John is able to say: "I am the greatest of those born of woman (Matt. 11:11); still I am not entitled to sleep with the bride." That is, no one can teach the church how it is saved. What we can do is to point to Him, and we can go to Him. It is evident that salvation requires more than what a mere human being can accomplish.
Here we find the answers to the questions: Which purification is the correct one? Is the pope's doctrine true, or is it true what John says? "It is He who comes after me, who is wholly different from me. I who stand so close that I can point to the Messiah with my finger must nevertheless acknowledge that I am not - 200 the one. It is He alone, He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." With his sermon John thus directs all of us to Christ. The saints may be adorned with beautiful gifts, but all this counts for nothing. Why? If viewed by themselves, they may appear fair. But if you compare them with the Bridegroom, they are nothing; and John's words apply: "A man cannot take anything." Wherever this does not happen, you are making a hand out of an eye. The pope thought he was handsome, and did this; but when he is compared with the Bridegroom, his beauty vanishes. Therefore no purification avails except that which is provided by the Bridegroom Himself. The canons and decretals may be good, but they are out of place here. The Turk has a good government, and Moses had one too; but all this fades beside Him, as do the councils and canons.
For in this matter man can accomplish nothing. This calls for a different Man, an only Man, namely, the Bridegroom, whose bed must not be defiled. He spoke of this matter so plainly and clearly that even the laborers could understand.139 Harlots and knaves must not enter the bridal chamber, nor anything invented by man; for all that men may invent and devise is nothing. The best thought men can entertain is to beget children in matrimony. Now that is God's order; He wants no children begotten in adultery. God also tells man: "Have dominion over the fish of the sea" (Gen. 1:26). You must say: "But when it comes to matters of salvation, I know absolutely nothing but Christ alone." And if you come along and adduce your councils and canons, you will find your verdict here: They are nothing at all, especially if you append the words of the decretals: "We command and expressly demand this."140 It is the very devil and death when he says: "Kiss my feet! You are obliged to do this." Let the devil kiss you! If I were asked to do this as a mark of friendship or in play, I might possibly accede. But if you declare: "If you do this, you will be saved," I reply: To do this is the function of Christ alone, He alone is the Lord of righteousness. The pope should say: "I do not ask you to comply with all of my laws so that you might be saved; no, you must believe in Christ."
Thus John, too, says here: "You are not saved by my purification. I must decrease, and Christ must increase." With these words he invalidates all that the human mind and reason might invent. In the monasteries we worked hard; yet we accomplished nothing. For it was all devised by man, and that is all futile and lost. John makes no claim for himself, although he and the prophets pointed to Christ. John wishes to say: "I call you to witness. I do not say that my Baptism saves, but I baptize you that you might accept Christ. For I am not the true Purifier; I am only the finger and the hand of the Messiah, who is the true Purifier. Whoever believes in Him and dies in that faith is saved. I did not purify Him, but I pointed to Him who purifies. I placed all my disciples and you, too, into His arms and bade you all abide with Him."
John's disciples say: "You baptized Him! Now everybody is flocking to Him." But John replies: "Did you not hear my words? He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30). I was a voice crying before the Lord and pointing you to Him" (John 1:23).
John is truthful; for he says: "I am not the Christ" (John 1:20), as the Jews supposed he was. The pope and his followers should be equally truthful. But Christ's prediction applies to them (Matt. 24:5): "For many will come in My name, saying: 'I am the Christ.' Many will come in My name and venture to say:
'If you go to Rome, you will attain remission of sins.' " John does not claim that he will purify you or forgive your sins. He says: "I am not the Christ." The pope, however, did have the impudence to do this.
John might have said: "I am indeed a great man, much greater and better than the pope; for Christ Himself said that I am greater than the prophets, since I was the angel who immediately preceded the advent of the Lord (Matt. 11:9–10). But in spite of all this my life and deeds will not aid you to obtain salvation. Even if I wear a leather girdle and a camel's hide, eat locusts, and dwell along the water, I am not purified thereby. Christ alone does this. For that matter, all stations are good; so is the Law of Moses, and the Turk also has commendable laws. But if any of this is to be applied to purification, it is the very devil. The purification of the jurists is good in its place, and it is also a fine custom that a bishop bears crosier and miter. However, these can never purify; nor can they destroy death. I am the true Baptist's predecessor; that is, I am he who points to the Baptist and Purifier." It is John's office to say: "I am not the Christ, but He is." And it is still the duty of all—of pope, monks, and the rest—to point to Christ.
The picture of bride and bridegroom is borrowed from secular affairs. It is easily understood. The bride belongs to the groom. One may say: "He who is dancing with the bride is a fine fellow. Why should he not have the bride?" He may be noble, rich, learned, or handsome; still he is not entitled to the bride, for she is the bridegroom's own. This is also applicable to spiritual matters. No other Bridegroom than
Christ may take the bride. In the spiritual realm it is also intolerable that the bride should belong to any other than the Bridegroom. And what does John do here? He delights in leading the bride to the Groom;
- 201 he takes pleasure in dancing, feasting, and drinking with the bride. "The prophets, all the saints, and I are bridal servants and friends, serving the Groom at the marriage; but I do not claim to purify the bride."141 In their writings the popes claimed that they were the bridegrooms of the Christian Church and that the bishops were the bridegrooms of their dioceses. In reality, they were panders! John makes no such claim, although he surpasses all the popes and bishops in greatness. He rejoices just to hear the voice of the John dwelt in the wilderness. What does he know about bridegroom and bride? He chose this illustration because everyone, he knew, realizes that the bride belongs to the groom; likewise, the church belongs to Christ in this important and great question. The pope ventures to transform Christ's marriage into harlotry, and the bride into a harlot. John, however, says: "I am not the Christ; there is only one
Christ." And now he declares: "The bride belongs to none but the Bridegroom. He has the bride, and now all who are invited to the feast in His honor can rejoice with Him and hearken to His voice." John rejoices with all his heart that the time has now come when he can see and hear Christ. His joy is now fulfilled
(John 3:29). John preached until this time; now he is to keep silence. Christ has now appeared and is preaching. He takes the bride into His arms, baptizes and purifies her. John wishes to say: "Before this event I preached, proclaiming that He would come and that you should gather about Him. And now, since
He Himself is preaching, the bride has been led to the Groom. My mission is ended. He must increase."
Thus John always points us to Christ.142
Everyone must perform his duty in his station and vocation in life, as we find this enjoined in Gen.
1:28: "Have dominion over the birds of the air and over everything that moves upon the earth." You must administer everything well, for that is why you have reason and worldly wisdom. But in respect to the subject at hand more is required than any knowledge which this life affords. Here we are to keep quiet and to leave bride and Bridegroom alone. The acquisition of eternal life demands another type of wisdom than that of this world, which treats only of such things as the building of houses. When the pope preaches abstention from meat on Friday or the observance of holidays, we must be able to tell him: "Hold your tongue! Don't confuse the consciences! Or use your wisdom in your own home!" It was John's concern to keep the church pure; he wanted the Word of God preached in its purity. Therefore he and other prophets now make room for Christ. How much more imperative it is that those who preach human doctrines make room for Christ! Whoever hears them must say to them: "He who has the bride is the Bridegroom."
Therefore we will no longer put up with the pope's doctrine. We will declare that all canons, laws, decretals, and councils are idolatry wherever they do not agree with the voice of the Bridegroom. Thus all human doctrine is idolatry. Consequently, it dare not be tolerated. If the philosophers and Moses are not to be accepted, much less can the decretals of the pope and the councils be endured. Therefore John is very decisive in his statement.
There are several groups who preach against Christ. For instance, there are those who forbid the administration of Holy Communion to the laity in both kinds and prohibit the marriage of priests. Another group is not quite so bad. Take, for example, the dear fathers who instituted many things, but without claiming the authority of Christ for them. They admitted that Christ had not enjoined these practices, but they said that they themselves regarded them as salutary. They act as if these did not run counter to Christ; and yet they do run counter to Him when viewed in the light of the Word of Christ. Then there is yet another group which is far worse; they quote the Word of Christ. The pope and the sects belong to this group. They hear that nothing is valid without Christ and outside Christ. They claim to be the bridegroom, that is, to preach Christ. But this is a fraud. It is as if the bride, whom everyone admits into his chamber, were a harlot. Satan acts much like a rogue who comes to a home and poses as the man of the house.
These are thieves; they are of the devil. These are the spirits who do not hearken to the Bridegroom. Thus the pope misapplied the words: "You are Peter" (Matt. 16:18). They adorn themselves with the name and the Word of Christ, as we find this stated in Matt. 24:24–26.
This is directed not only against the open enemies of Christ, such as the ungodly and the pope with his canons, but also against those who quote the Word of Christ. An honorable wife may be deceived by one who imitates her husband's voice. Therefore we must be on our guard against the devil, lest he devour us.
A Christian cannot walk along smugly; neither does he sleep or snore, but he says: "The devil is active, not only fulminating in the open against Christ but also seducing people when he appears in the guise of Christ the Lord." Therefore the church must walk circumspectly, lest he be deluded by a voice which simulates that of the Bridegroom. She must learn to recognize and to become intimately acquainted with - 202 the voice of her Bridegroom, the Lord Christ. If He does not accept the prophets and Moses or John, who, after all, is of God, how much less can He tolerate those who preach without or against the Bridegroom's voice, or those who put forth their own statements under the guise of the divine Word!
Therefore we must see to it that we preach nothing and listen to nothing in the church but the Bridegroom's voice, and not a simulated or an imitated voice either. It is to be Christ alone who removes sin and overcomes death. Therefore believe no one, whether he comes with pomp and power against Christ, without Christ, or under His name. Mark and remember what He preached. If someone should proclaim anything that is inconsistent with Christ's voice and I detect the deceit, I must say: "Fie upon you, you pander! Are you trying to make a harlot of me?" You might answer me: "See here! Am I not quoting holy words" Yes, to reason it may sound good; but I have the Bridegroom's voice to guide me. I must believe in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and then also love my neighbor. The Catechism teaches me this. Yet we minimize the importance of such doctrine today. How many of us pay heed to it? And, at that, it is so easy to understand our position, for example, on the prohibition of Holy Communion to the laity in both kinds. They allege that there is as much in one part as in two, that you also receive Christ's blood when you take the body. Therefore the rabble in the papacy opine that they receive both in one.143 Tell them: "I am very well aware of all this. But then tell me why you priests receive the cup, while we have to content ourselves with one kind." They will counter: "Oh, we are priests, members of a special station, set apart from you laymen!" Well, that is surely very smart! Who told you that you are to distinguish between priests and laity in the Lord Christ? Is there also another Baptism for the laity than for the priests? Why does the Lord Christ say that He died for the sins of the whole world without any discrimination among the various estates of man? No, servants and emperors have but one Baptism, as they have but one Christ.
Why should we not deal with the Sacrament of the Altar in the same way, since we all share the same Baptism, the same faith and hope in Christ, the same Holy Spirit, and also the same Christ? Only in Holy
Communion do you differentiate and say: "There is a difference between laymen and priests." Must the Sacrament reflect the distinction made in the estates of men? Do you maintain that Christ ordained this distinction by which the laymen receive but one element and the priests two? The answer is no. Why, then, do you divide what Christ wants to have administered in undivided form? They will reply: "This is the order in the Christian Church."144 In which church? The church is and must be the bride of our Lord
God, but thereby she is made the pope's bride. And I declare that in all my life I have never seen a more repugnant harlot. If she is a true bride, she will hearken to the voice of the Bridegroom. And the Bridegroom says: "Take, eat, drink!" This is the voice heard by the church; and the Christian Church listens to the voice of the Groom. Those who fail to do this must be called the devil's church. They deceive145 us with the words: "The church has ordained this." They may assure me all they please that the pope and his followers are the bride, that is, the church which believes in Christ and teaches and observes everything Christ has taught. Now Christ did not institute the Sacrament of the Altar in one kind but in two. Why, then, do we go to that shameful brothel even though Christ warned us not be believe those who come under the cover of His name, that is, in the name of the Bridegroom? Much less should we hearken to those who come in the name of the bride! If we are to disbelieve the cry: "I am Christ" (Matt. 24:5) and not trust those who come in His name, that means, not believe the doctrine taught in the name of the Groom, then it is reasonable that we trust the title "church" still less. Instead, we must give ear to the true and real voice of Christ. By way of illustration: In the fifth chapter of Ephesians we read: "Wives, be subject to your husbands" (Eph. 5:22), not: "Husbands, be subject to your wives!" What disorder would arise if the husband commanded something and the wife did just the opposite! That is the situation here.
Christ ordered that something be done, but the church countermanded the order. Therefore you must say:
"Church, get out! I want to have the genuine Bridegroom and His voice!"
If we did not see and hear the baseness of men with our own eyes and ears, it would seem incredible to us. They will assert: "My dear man, the Christian Church has decreed the administration of the Sacrament of the Altar to the laity in one kind." That is blasphemous prating. Now do we accuse the church of flouting the voice of Christ? No, it is not the church. The church obeys Christ. The text says: "He who has the bride is the Bridegroom." But the devil attempts to seduce the bride and deprive her of that chastity and virginity in which she was betrothed to Christ.
Therefore it behooves us to learn to identify the Bridegroom's voice. If someone should come without Christ, against Christ, or under the name of Christ, tell him: "The name of the Bridegroom and of the bride dare not be blasphemed and dishonored. Christ says so and so. And whoever follows the voice of the - 203 Bridegroom will not alter or change this message." In the home it would be intolerable if the wife were to act contrary to the husband's commands. Of course, if he is a dolt, let him rise from his wife's side and permit another to lie with her. If such a situation is unbearable in the home, how much more so in the church! The church has no right either to hear Christ the Bridegroom speak or command, and then to change His orders. Therefore to say: "The church has ordained this or that" is sheer blasphemy. For Bridegroom and bride are but one body; and the bride complies with all the demands of the Groom, as St.
Paul declares in the fifth chapter of Ephesians (5:25, 32). Whether someone acts arbitrarily against Christ, without Christ, or under the guise of His name, it is immaterial; it is all against Christ. Therefore we must be on the alert against the devil, who assails us either with doctrine that runs counter to Christ, as the tyrants do, or with doctrine that is devoid of Christ, as the canon laws do. And others will come with the Scriptures and give themselves the semblance of the Lord Christ; this, of course, is also against Christ.
Christ alone must remain the Bridegroom; He alone is vested with authority and must be heard, as the voice from heaven declared (Matt. 17:5). And now all those who are not Christ's own, that is, all those who are not His spokesmen, really ought to keep silence. We should be satisfied with Him. We should not wait for Moses, much less for others; for God has put His Word into His mouth. He alone is to have a voice in the chamber, for the Father entrusted this to Him; and we are to hearken to no other, be it Moses or an angel from heaven, as St. Paul says (Gal. 1:8). Since we do not recognize or honor anything that is spoken against Christ, without Christ, or under the guise of His name, what good will it do the papists to make shift with the name "church" or "bride"? If I am not moved by any sham claim advanced in the name of Christ the Bridegroom—for example, the humbug committed with the words: "You are Peter"
(Matt. 16:18)—how much less will I be impressed by the name "church" or "bride"!
Therefore we must learn that all authority rests in the hands of the Son. It must be our concern to remain a pure and undefiled virgin who will have nothing to do with anyone but Christ, who redeemed her with His precious blood. This does not imply a rejection of the temporal government, because it is the Bridegroom's voice that bids us to be subject to the government. Nor do we thereby repudiate parental authority, for the parents inculcate the Ten Commandments and the Gospel. Wherever I recognize the Bridegroom's voice, I must follow and obey. Thus I am part of the pure virgin, that is, of the church, which is one body with Christ.
It is a great honor and glory to be termed the bride of the Lord Christ and one body with Christ. That is why the devil is so bent on destroying this relationship. But now we can detect which is his voice and which is not. The pope with his church is the devil's brothel; what he preaches is opposed to Christ or is devoid of Christ or only appears to bear the sanction of Christ's name. John says: "I make no pretense to be Christ." Much less can the pope and the other fathers and saints be Christ. And if John is not sufficient and acceptable to God, much less are the others. H St. Francis had observed and believed this, he would not have wrought so much damage with his monasticism. But he did not. And whenever he proclaimed that anyone who wears a cowl will be saved, he was worse than Judas and belonged in the abyss of hell.
Thus St. Anthony also alleged that anyone who ran into the desert was a member of the church.146
The blockheads who followed these men, however, interpreted this as the pope did, with his buffoonery about the cowl. But you must steadfastly hold to Christ and joyfully listen to the Bridegroom's voice. H not, all is lost. If St. Francis echoes the Bridegroom's voice, I shall give ear to him; if not, to the devil with his proclamation! Thus they all go down into the abyss of hell, also the pope and his followers; for he expelled Christ from the church and transformed the church into a harlot.147
Recently we discoursed on the text from John: "He who has the bride is the Bridegroom." Our discussion revolved about the question of purification. John's disciples had been grumbling because
Christ, too, was baptizing and the disciples were flocking to Him, with the result that John the Baptist's reputation was waning from day to day. John's rejoinder was: "It is perfectly proper that He is baptizing, that all are gathering about Him, and that His fame is growing; this is as it should be." John's disciples had previously been told that their master was not the Christ to whom all the people should adhere but that he was merely to function as Christ's forerunner. Now that Christ had appeared in order to succeed him, John declares: "This is in order. It was the burden of my proclamation that someone greater than I would come after me, 'the thongs of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie' (John 1:27). I have always confessed that I was not the Christ but was guiding and leading you to Another. Therefore do not bemoan the fact that all are running to Him and that He is baptizing; this was the very aim of my mission. Without it Christ would never come. It is my office to direct people to Christ." We must diligently differentiate John's office from - 204 that of all the prophets and from that of Christ. The purpose of John's message was to prepare the way for Christ. It follows from this that his office and his Baptism would not endure. These were terminated when
Christ Himself baptized and preached. John says: "He will succeed me. I was sent to go before Him, to bind you all to Him and not to myself. It was my mission to point to Him. With this I have discharged my duty." John the Baptist did not preach more than two years, admonishing the people to accept Christ— who would follow him, yes, who was already present—and thus also to accept His Baptism. So far as the water and the witness to the coming Christ were concerned, the Baptism of all was the same. But the difference lay here in John's announcement: "He will come. He has not yet preached, but will do so soon, before two years pass by." When Christ did appear, all the predictions of John came true. It may be said that the Baptism of Moses and of the Jews was intended to remind the people of the Law148 that they were the people of God. They were not cleansed from sin by this Baptism; but it was intended to fix their gaze on the chief promise given them and to assure them of His coming. This was the purpose of their circumcision, of the Law, and of the various types of daily purifying and washing. Thus St. Paul says in 1
Cor. 10:2 that the Children of Israel were baptized in the Red Sea and that under the cloud they had the same food we have. How? Behold, he says, "all drank from the supernatural Rock, which followed them, and the Rock was Christ." Christ was with them in the Red Sea, also at the rock and in the supernatural food. All these were nothing but tokens which reminded them of the Christ that was to come. The Jews supposed that Moses had decreed the laws and baptizing and purifying for a lasting observance and that in time the Gentiles would also adopt these. This is why Moses had foretold the coming of the Messiah, that God would send them another Prophet (Deut. 18:18) and that the woman's Seed would bruise the serpents head (Gen. 3:15). Thus all their laws, their Baptism, and their purification were to direct and bind the people to the Messiah, who was to come. All the saints were saved by this future Messiah, as we are all saved by Him today. John is the last to proclaim His coming. He says: "He will come during my lifetime, before the expiration of two years. I will not cease preaching until you behold Him of whom all the prophets spoke, to whom all point, and for whom all the prophets hoped."
This is an excellent sermon; it depicts the Messiah as being present. The Jews assumed that Moses, the prophets, and John were to be and remain the outstanding men and that the whole world would follow them. But here John declares: "No, you must repent and come to the Lord. For He will appear and bruise the serpent's head; He will be the blessed Seed. Jacob and Judah will become one kingdom, but the kingdom will not remain thus. It will come to pass that 'the scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a ruler from the temple until the Lord Himself appears' (Gen. 49:10). All the peoples will rally around Him; for He will not only be king in Judah, which, after all, is but a small area, nor will He remain in Jerusalem; no, the whole world will come to Him and cleave to Him."
Manes wanted the Law discarded; he said that the devil had given it.149 But Christ is today and yesterday (Heb. 13:8). Adam and Eve and their children believed in Him because they possessed the promise of the woman's Seed, who would bruise the serpent's head (Gen. 3:15). That is what Adam preached; he also received numerous signs which impelled and encouraged him to look to Christ. Moses'
Law, Baptism, sacrifice, kingdom, and priesthood were to endure but a short time, not permanently. For how long? Until the woman's Seed should appear. And all who understood this were saved, as, for example, the patriarchs. Similarly, we today also preach, teach, baptize, and have our government. None of this has any permanency; but it all points us to Christ who became incarnate and for whom we must wait and hope. These are only mementos and monitors. Thus Christ remains our Savior in the future and in the present. The little children who marched in Christ's van sang their hosannas, just as the patriarchs had done; we, who with the whole world follow in His train, sing the same song. The only difference is that they preceded Christ and we follow Him. Whatever was ordained was all focused on Christ.
Therefore Christ was this Rock, for He was to come from this nation. They and we share the same faith, but they lived before Christ.
And now John's office was to terminate, as Adam's and Abel's had. It was their mission to proclaim that the woman's Seed would come and bruise the serpents head, and be sacrificed. They were the monitors, but their office has come to an end. Thus Noah, too, preached the coming of the Messiah, as did the patriarchs who succeeded him. Then it devolved on Abraham, through whose seed all the generations of the earth were to be blessed (Gen. 12:3); then on David, from whose loins the Messiah was to issue (2
Sam. 7:12), Everything points to the loins of David, from which the Christ was to be born. Now John comes and says: "Adam, Abraham, David and his kingdom, and also my office, although I am nearest to - 205 Him—all these must now come to a close. Our message is identical, but I speak of the immediacy of His coming; yes, I say that He is already present." All this must decrease. No one can be bound to John's office any longer. Anyone who now believes in the future coming of the Messiah will be damned. He has come, saying: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:16). I do not hear Him say: "I am coming" but: "I have come." Mark introduces his Gospel with the message (Mark 1:15): "The time is fulfilled. You must no longer wait for prophecies or for the ministry of John. The time to which they pointed is now accomplished (as we read in John 5:32–47). Therefore one must not assign the advent of the Messiah to a different time. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. If we believe, we are saved; if not, we are damned. Although their prophecies have now been fulfilled, they are still useful as witnesses to Christ.
One must not suppose that Adam, with his sacrifice, and Moses will endure; no, Christ replaces them.
John preached for a long time that I would come; now I have appeared, and he steps aside." The Jews are under a double delusion: they suppose that the Law will abide and that John will abide. But John says:
"He who has the bride is the Bridegroom." And there is but one Bridegroom. Adam was a great prophet, for these words came from Ms lips. So were Noah and the other patriarchs. But no one of them was the Bridegroom. John was the greatest of men, second only to Christ; but he was not the Bridegroom either.
Since the world's beginning there has been but one Bridegroom, Christ; and there will be no other until its end. The church that believes in Him from the beginning until the end of time is His bride. Wherever you see His marks, you can rest assured that the church is at that place.
It is charming that John should call Christ a Bridegroom. For groom and bride have everything in common. The husband confides all his secrets to his wife. She is part of his body, and she bears the keys at her side. Thus Christ is the Bridegroom and flesh of our flesh, as St. Paul says in the Epistle to the Ephesians, just as an earthly bride is one body with her bridegroom and shares in all his goods (Eph. 5:25–
30). There is no room for a second bridegroom. Adam, Abel, David, Isaiah, Augustine are not the Bridegroom; only Christ is. All the prophets foretold His coming and spoke of His marriage. Therefore the pope makes a fool of himself when he boasts that he is the church's bridegroom. That is the devil's speech. The church that accepts the pope as her bridegroom is the devil's whore. Just as an earthly bride dare have but one bridegroom, so the church, too, can have but one. Otherwise both are whores. If Christ is the Bridegroom, it must follow that the pope cannot be. Therefore the church must be subject to Christ alone or be counted a harlot.
It is necessary that this text be noted carefully and that it be quoted against those who would flirt and dally with the church. They want to dishonor and rape her, as the tyrants and the heretics do; this is also what the pope does. He wants to force her to worship his human baubles and lies in place of the word of Christ the Lord. Others come along, not only against Christ but also without Him. The former rape the bride right away; but first they indulge in amorous trifling with her, in an effort to soften her into becoming a harlot. These are the men who preach about the Law, good works, and pilgrimages. They all insist that Christ is not the only Bridegroom, but that we who are holier than the rank and file should also be bridegrooms. The third group is by far the worst. They palm themselves off on the people in the guise of the Lord Christ. It is easy to detect and discover something that is in direct opposition to Holy
Scripture. But if people come along adorned with the name of Christ the Lord, marching under the banner of the church and of Christ, and with the word of Christ on their lips, as we read in Matt. 24:23, then a person is easily deceived and misled. For they declare: "Lo, you must perform good works, for Christ says: 'Give, and it will be given to you' (Luke 6:38). And: 'If you would enter life, keep the Commandments' (Matt. 19:17)."150 They delude the people by using the name of Christ. Here the devil proves himself an exceedingly skillful artisan. Therefore stick to the Word of God. Ignore every other word—whether it is devoid of Christ, in the name of Christ, or against Christ, or whether it is issued in any other way. No one dare sleep with the bride or make her pregnant but the Lord Christ alone. If He does not teach or preach or make souls pregnant, all is lost. The sermons in the papacy were all devoid of Christ. And the pope alleged that laws not found in Holy Scripture were also incumbent on people. To be sure, these laws might be observed. But one dare not say that the observance of these laws renders satisfaction for sin and saves, and that all is well with you if you keep these laws, but that you are lost if you disobey them. That we cannot tolerate. The church has no power to justify sin and to exact obedience in matters not commanded by Scripture. When the pope declares: "When a priest marries, he is a sinner and will be damned," he brands as sin what God Himself did not make a sin. Furthermore, he calls a man a "digamist" if he marries a second time or marries a woman who is not a virgin; and he will not tolerate
- 206 such a person in an ecclesiastical office.151 Tell me, what kind of a sin is that? "Oh," he says, "it is a violation of the prohibition of the holy Christian Church." Then you must answer: "Who ordered the church to call that sin which God Himself did not make a sin?" They will say: "Even if God did not do this, we owe the church obedience nonetheless." You must deny this. If they ask you for the reason, tell them that she is not the church of Christ but the devil's bride. If I were a young chap and desired a wife, I would marry a widow who had survived three husbands, just to spite the jurists! God says: "It is sin if you do not believe." The real sins are innate. And you, pope, presume to make it a sin if I do not wear a cowl.
But the more persistent the pope is with this demand, the more resolutely must I defy him. They make bold to declare it a sin if I marry a nonvirgin, and they declare me qualified for the ministry if I marry a pure virgin. I suppose I could abstain from meat if free choice were accorded me in the matter. But if the eating of meat is to be stamped as sin, I shall not abstain. If they tell me: "You owe the church obedience, and this is forbidden by the church!" I reply: "I refuse to fast, just because you demand it; for so I have been commanded, or I forfeit eternal bliss." In such an event I must insist on my Christian liberty.
In our teaching and actions, therefore, we must insist that Christ remain the only Bridegroom. But if I do not regard Christ as the Bridegroom, and if I abstain from doing something in the belief that it would be a sin even though Christ did not declare it a sin, I am letting a pander lie down in the bridal bed. The grief I feel as I see Christians being duped and deceived by the names "church," "sin," and "God's Word" must be in proportion to the love I have for Christ. You must say: "In spite of your gifts and your knocking, and your blandishing and endearing words, I will not let you in unless you bring Christ and Coifs Word. You must not deprive me of my bridal estate." Therefore the more persistent they become with their demands, the more we must resist them. A pious bride defends the purity of her marriage so zealously that she would rather die than yield to a paramour. If Christ does not remain the only
Bridegroom, it is inevitable that we become harlots. At present the princes and bishops are coercing us to accept their whoring. Others say that we must accept the canons and whatever the spiritual fathers devised, and that it is necessary to observe the traditions of the church. But say what you will; the fact remains that these are not the word of the Lord Christ; therefore they must be consigned to the flames. The members of the third group don masks, as if their doctrine were Christ Himself. This really gives us trouble; for they imitate Christ so well that I think it is He. Yet it is not He. Take their sermons, for example, where such spirits so embellish themselves with the name of Christ that it is difficult to say whether they are quoting canon law or the Word of God. But a faithful bride soon recognizes the voice of her groom; and even if the speech resembles his, she is quick to detect the deception. "The voice is
Jacob's voice" (Gen. 27:22). If you do not have Christ Himself who baptizes, but only the fathers and the councils, they will delude you as they twist the words any way they please. At all times your reply must be: "The bride belongs to Christ alone, not to the tyrants, to the pope, or to those who come slinking in the guise of the Bridegroom. We are only friends and servants. Adam and Eve are friends of the Bridegroom.
Noah, Abraham, and David are not the Bridegroom, much less Augustine and all the bishops and fathers.
No, the only Bridegroom is Jesus Christ, the Son of God and of the Virgin Mary." Unless it is the Word of that Man, you must say: "I do not hear you. Christ alone is authorized to speak here."
They will say, however: "If you do not observe this, you are sinning." You must answer them: "Who are you to make this a sin? Christ alone has the right to define sin. I will fast if I feel the inclination. If you were to tell me that I am committing a sin by refusing to fast, I would reply that you are not Christ. Where did you get this authority?" "Authority? Well, the Christian Church decreed this." "But that is a false and a misplaced confidence. Don't pollute the bridal bed."
Therefore the titles "church," "fathers," and "councils" should not distress us. We neither can nor will bear the constraint they impose on us; for compulsion to do something not commanded by Christ is the mark of a prisoner. We will tear their bonds asunder. We have Christ, and we hear no voice but His. If we encounter some tyrant or a sham Christ, we will be on our guard. In the prophets we find repeated references to such spiritual hatlotry.152
Now if those who preached of Christ must cease their activity, how much more will they have to keep silence whose sermons are directed against Christ or are devoid of Christ! They must be totally dead.153
We have heard how John the Baptist humbled himself, refusing to claim that he was the Bridegroom but rejoicing that he was the Bridegroom's friend and could hear His voice. Now he continues:
30. He must increase, but I must decrease.
- 207 These words pertain to John's office. He was Christ's forerunner and herald, proclaiming: "Christ, the Bridegroom, is coming right after me. In fact, He will come while I am still living. He is already born, but He has not yet entered upon Iris office."
The proclamation of John is distinct both from that of all the prophets and from that of Christ. The prophets announced the advent of Christ from afar, long before the time. John, however, prophesied of Christ's immediate appearance. He said: "It is not I; He Himself is now present." This is the meaning of his words: "He must increase, but I must decrease"; that is: "My sermon and my Baptism must now be terminated, for I preach of Him who is to come. Since He has now appeared, there is no longer any need of my preaching."
This verse is a splendid refutation of the Jews, who reject John's Baptism and doctrine, believing that Christ is yet to come. Thereby they mislead many simple and fickle Christians. People do not realize that the Christian Creed contradicts the Jewish belief; thus they become Jews again, inasmuch as they suppose that Christ is yet to appear. John's voice becomes invalid and contemptible for them; yet the words do not read: "He will come" but: "He has come."
This text also refutes the papacy. There one presumes to merit Christ with one's good works, although He came long ago, when we were rescued from the realm of darkness through the Baptism of the Holy
Spirit. Now all should rejoice over the voice of the Bridegroom and lead others to Him who do not yet know Him. But the papists forsake Baptism, in which they were born anew through Christ, and thus become worse than the Jews.
Now it is incumbent on us to practice and teach this doctrine which John proclaims: "My office is at an end. Pay attention no longer to my words that Christ will come, for He has already appeared. He
Himself is now preaching and baptizing." John continues:
31. He who comes from above is above all.
He wants to say: "He is the only one who came from above." In chapter one (John 3:13) he said: "No one ascends into heaven. He alone ascends, and He also descends."154 This means that it is impossible for man, born of flesh and blood, to know the mind and the counsel of God. The Son, who descended from heaven, must inform us. It was not possible for us to ascend into heaven to learn this, for none but Christ could ascend or descend or remain above. No one is able to say: "This or that is the plan of heaven." But the Son of God, who is above, who is in the very heart of the Father, descends from heaven and reveals it all to us. Therefore John says: "He who comes from above is above all."
Now we must learn to believe what we have heard, not what our five senses can comprehend; for such is our Christian faith. It is natural that he who is of the earth knows only things of the earth; thus he also speaks of the earth (John 3:31). He cannot speak of heavenly things, since he has never seen God. If we are of the earth, our talk must be confined to things of earth. Like will stick to like, and no one can alter nature. To be sure, I can attire a woman in man's garb and give her the appearance of a male; but for all of that I cannot transform a woman into a man or a man into a woman. Thus also all children except the woman's Seed are of the earth; therefore their words and actions are of the earth. This verse deals the pope's doctrine a hard blow. "To belong to the earth and to speak of the earth" (John 3:31)—this includes not only such general and commonplace matters as the building of houses, marrying, eating and drinking, buying and selling. No, John does not have these things in mind here. He means that man's talk reflects that he is truly of the earth, as we see in our bishops now. They are not interested in God, His Gospel,
Baptism, Communion, or in any natural and decent morality. They gorge themselves like sows; they revel and guzzle and indulge in all sorts of wantonness, just as if there were no God. They are extremely vulgar.
The philosophers and poets at least still spoke of good moral conduct. Others are greedy bellies; consequently, they speak about avarice and also about indecent words and deeds. They are lewd fellows, and their speech and deeds reflect their filthy minds. Nature penalizes these vices. Reason also tells them:
"It is not right to steal, to rob, to whore, and to covet." But John's term "to speak of the earth" also deals with more elevated subjects. It includes the attempt to speak about God and is not confined to subjects like money, immorality, avarice, etc. People claim to know something about divine matters, about how to attain God's mercy, how to be redeemed from sin, how to have a good conscience, and how to reconcile
God. This is what St. John has in mind in particular. St. John condemned not only the Sadducees, who believed nothing, but also the Pharisees, those respected, great, holy, fine, and wise men who were not only endowed with excellent gifts of mind but also made use of Holy Scripture, from which they taught their own way of salvation.
- 208 The others stand reproved by nature, by reason, and also by the philosophers.155 Reason is blind and dense in this sphere, because this transcends it. Even if reason is able to recite the Ten Commandments and is aware that we should not have other gods, it is still not smart enough to detect how corrupt human nature has become through its birth from Adam. Much less does reason know how we might reconcile
God. Therefore reason is doubly blind here, saying: "If you have sinned, do penance and perform good works to redeem your sins. Become a monk or a nun; make God the triple vow of chastity, poverty, and obedience. In this way you not only render satisfaction to God for your own sins, but you will also have a supply of supererogatory works which you can transfer to others." But you have not been commanded to suffer poverty or to render obedience to your prior. The pope asserts that you are privileged to be in a far loftier vocation than others; thereby he creates the idol of overweening reliance on your own righteousness and wisdom. The observance of those three vows from other motives might be commendable if it were not attended by two arrogant chaps—one of whom claims that he can render satisfaction to God's commandments through good works, the other that he is able to keep these commandments. Both of them are liars. They are totally blind, for no human being can keep the Ten Commandments thoroughly and completely. This is evident from Christ's sermon recorded in Matt. 5, where we read: "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:20). These people thought they were keeping and fulfilling the Law by their external observances. It would be fine if they kept the Law. But the Ten Commandments are too high, human nature is too corrupt, and we are too polluted to be able to trust God with all our heart. In our trials and temptations wrath stunts our love, and impatience our meekness. Then our hidden imperfections appear.
Therefore it betokens a great, harmful, and pernicious blindness when a man assumes that he can keep the This is what St. John terms "speaking of the earth." If I purchase something on the market, I have to pay the full price or give the seller the equivalent in wares. Or let us take the case of a person fined in court. If the fine is paid, justice is satisfied. That is a good example of "speaking of the earth." Thus we are also wont to speak in a very earthy way of divine matters. Here we also speak of buying and paying, as is customary on the market. You assume that you have kept the Ten Commandments and are very pious; now all your sins will be forgiven you. This is adopting the language of a peasant on the market or in the tavern. He is willing to trade, to barter, and to pay, as the law demands. I expect a peasant to deal with me as I deal with him; this is the way of the business and barter of the earth.
To be sure, it is laudable to devote oneself to the observance of the Ten Commandments. This is what the Pharisees did. This is what we, too, did in the cloisters, where we obeyed the priors and drudged and slaved night and day. But this was "of the earth" in double measure because we added the supposition: "If I abound in obedience, I shall not only be able to pay God, but I shall also have a supply of supererogatory works." So the coarse and earthly is elevated into the divine sphere, which reason regards as of the earth.
The supposition I have quoted is no good. Thus man's blindness manifests itself in two ways. In the first place, he fails to recognize his inability to pay what he owes. The pope is afflicted with this blindness, and so are many other people. But a man must know that although the Ten Commandments demand fulfillment, he is unable to meet this demand. The world often regards counterfeit as payment; but this does not deceive God, only myself. The work-righteousness of the Jews and the external spiritual discipline of the monks are the blindness of which John speaks here. But you must know that these things are no indication that you have Christ or that you are Christians. No, you are still living in the old birth of Adam, and you have no other holiness or wisdom than that of the earth. With this you will go down into the abyss of hell, for you are blinding and deluding yourself.
The second blindness is apparent in reason's ignorance of the fact that help must come from above.
We try to work our way upward from down here, assuming that the satisfaction resides within me. I am unwilling to believe that Christ, the Son of God, died for me and that my sins are remitted by grace. In the first place, people are blind to their ailment; in the second place, they are ignorant of the remedy. Whoever considers himself hale and hearty is not interested in a physician; for first, he does not believe that he is ill, and, secondly, he knows of no physician or remedy for sickness. This is twofold blindness. Here reason declines to see our wounds and sickness, and it also fails to yearn for healing and consolation.
This is the earthly birth. Whoever is of the earth remains of the earth, and his speech and deeds are adapted entirely to the earth. You will say: "Well, what about the fine pagan virtues and the severe and abstemious monastic life, such as that of St. Bernard? Are all these to be regarded as of the earth? Even
- 209 reason can see and say that this is a holy and decent life!" Still it is of the earth, for it strives upward and aspires to mediate between God and man. If it remained below and said: "I do not presume to merit heaven with this and atone for my sin," it would be good, like the obedience of a child that need not fear the rod. But we are ascending beyond our bounds when we say: "God will repay me with His mercy in view of my works." You will never ascend if you have thoughts like those of the Pharisees; but you will fall and break your neck, and you will remain earthly indeed. For their doctrine and life are of the earth. It would avail nothing even if they tortured themselves to death or emulated the example of the kings of Israel. These kings sacrificed their first-born children and burned them. They sacrificed those whom they loved most. If they had no sons, they offered their daughters. They sacrificed them to the devil, supposing that they were offering them to God and doing Him a great service thereby. It is indeed the greatest of all sacrifices to slaughter and burn a son on the altar. It is the highest mark of self-denial for a father to subdue the voice of his heart this way. "Should God not recognize this?" No! "Why not?" Because it is of the earth. A hypocrite is so presumptuous that he believes such a work will merit forgiveness and provide eternal bliss. Such a thought is inspired by reason. But we hear that "whatever is born of the earth belongs to the earth." It is very hard for anyone, whether man or woman, to remain chaste if he is not endowed with this gift. They raise the cry that a person should surrender himself to lifelong chastity, divest himself of all property, be obedient to others, and remain celibate. The sacrifice of a child was also a great act of devotion. But all is spoiled by their expectation of earning forgiveness of sin thereby. They betray their ignorance of two facts: first, where to obtain remission of sin; secondly, that the malady must be cured by other than earthly means. Take all the works of the monks, and you will find that they are not heavenly but earthly, performed by men born and created of the earth.
How, then, do we rid ourselves of the earthly? Our Gospel, which they condemn so deplorably, gives us the answer, namely, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, of whom we confess in our Christian Creed: "I believe in Jesus Christ." He "comes from above"; He is not of the earth but from above, as we read in 1
Cor. 15:47. He was not conceived by an earthly being but by the Holy Spirit from above. He brings heavenly things with Him; He becomes man, dwells and lives on earth, prays, fasts, and does good to many. Reason, in its ignorance, says nothing about this. No man has ever descended from heaven, been conceived by the Holy Spirit, suffered under Pontius Pilate, or died for the whole human race. We must all join the little children in corfessing: "We believe in Jesus Christ, who was conceived, was born, and suffered." This Man's work alone accomplished everything. All that we are and have is of the earth, but He who is from above does it all with His death and blood. Even one little drop of His blood helps the entire world;156 for this Person is very God, begotten of the Father from eternity. He holds the ransom money for me, not for Himself. He was not born, nor did He suffer and die in order thereby to become the Son of God; for He was this already. No, He suffered and died that I might become a son of God through Him and that I might derive my righteousness, wisdom, and sanctification (1 Cor. 1:30) from above.
In the first place, the world is unaware of its blindness; this in itself is great blindness. In the second place, it does not know where to obtain help. The world does not say: "I believe in Jesus Christ, who died for me." However, John the Baptist declares: "Christ descended from above and dies for me." Therefore
He has none but heavenly works, and all His words and acts are heavenly. On the other hand, all that man does is error and blindness, for it is of the earth. He who is from heaven above is heavenly, and He also speaks and performs heavenly things. But we know our failings and deficiencies, our inability to keep the Ten Commandments. We do not cover up our sins; but we confess them and say: "I am of the earth and speak of the earth. Therefore I cling to Him who is from above, to His works, words, and suffering. All this is heavenly. I also perform deeds of charity for my neighbor." Then by faith I am incorporated into the Man from heaven, and He says to me: "You are Mine, and I am yours; for I have done these heavenly works for you."157 Thus the bridegroom also says to the bride: "If you will marry me, behold, then I will give you the keys and all my goods." Now she is no longer merely a woman; she is her husband's helpmate, who possesses her husband's property and body. Thus the kingdom of God and eternal life must also come to us from sheer grace, not from our own earthly works but from this heavenly Man's works, which He performed for us before our birth, yes, which He wrought for us at the beginning of the world, immediately after the fall of man, according to the promise given to Adam and Eve: "The Seed of the woman shall crush the serpent's head" (Gen. 3:15).
Therefore John always urgently entreats us to become well acquainted with Christ and to realize that we are earthly beings, as the pope also is and remains with all his works and his life; indeed, all his
- 210 thoughts are of the earth. Externally it all appears attractive; but the cowl covers up his pox, leprosy, and scurvy. If, however, you take hold of Him who comes to you from above, you are in safe keeping; for He is not of the earth, and His works are not under condemnation. He extends over all and fills all; and you did not ascend into heaven to Him, but He came down from heaven to earth to you. If you remain with Him and say: "I believe in the only-begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ," His works become yours. These are not earthly works, such as we otherwise arrogantly rely on for help. No, His Word and doctrine are heavenly and are the Word of God. In this way you also become heavenly and will ascend to heaven, and the devil with all hell will not be able to restrain you. We will ascend from the midst of sin and death, and from the jaws of the devil; for a Christian has become a heavenly man. Our own satisfaction for sin accomplishes nothing. Our human wisdom and righteousness only blind men to the heavenly righteousness of the heavenly Man, for they assume that they can attain this with their own works. A barefoot friar and Carthusian says: "Is it reasonable that I, who have been a monk for so many years, who hold membership in an exacting order, who lead an ascetic life, should merit no more than a newborn infant or any servant or maid?" They become very angry, for it irritates them that we gain our end so easily. They declare it is heresy when we say that Christ came down from heaven; they claim that we forbid the performance of good works. They say: "Well, can it be possible that I spent so much time in the cloister without meriting more than others?" I, too, lived approximately fifteen years so wickedly and shamefully.158
There you hear your verdict: "You are of the earth." Fret and fume over this as you will. All your rules, statutes, and glistening great works are of the earth, both the words and the deeds. Why not rather thank God for His grace? You still may avail yourself of the twelfth hour and pass from earthly to heavenly works, even though you labored eleven hours and bore the heat and burden of the day (Matt.
There is no other way. "He who comes from heaven is above all." This means that the heavenly Man must come to our aid; otherwise the man of the earth is doomed, no matter how exalted he may be. Verily, the monks are not Christ; they are of the earth. Francis is not Christ, and his works are not the works of Christ. St. Augustine was a great man, also a holy man; but, for all that, I will not address him with the words: "I believe in St. Augustine." No, we say to none but the Son of God: "I believe in Jesus Christ, who sought and saved me here below and then ascended again into heaven." Therefore it is gross blasphemy to elevate our earthly works above all else, even above Christ Himself, who came to transform us all into heavenly people.
Now there follows a complaint that such a doctrine is blasphemed and vilified:
32. Yet no one receives His testimony.
Christ wants to say: "Out of love for you I humble Myself and come to earth: I become an infant, assume body, soul, and human nature, am conceived by the Holy Spirit without sin, become a heavenly man and yet a true natural man endowed with flesh and blood, body and soul—all this to comfort you and that I may die and descend into hell for you. If you believe all this, even hell and the grave will be able to hold on to you no more than they were able to hold on to Me. Now you are a heavenly, not an earthly man; you no longer think, speak, and act in an earthly way but in a heavenly way."
The world in its blindness does not know that our salvation depends on this Man. John informs us in the fourteenth chapter that Christians must perform good works (14:12). But when I take hold of Christ, I become a heavenly man. Paul converted a thousand times more people than Christ did, for he traveled and preached in about twenty countries. Thus Christ says: "He who believes in Me will do the same works that I do, that is, heavenly works." This is how good works are acquired. Now they accuse us of forbidding the performance of good works. But we preach about heavenly works, and they preach about earthly works.
Well and good! Let them do earthly works. We lay claim to the heavenly works and care nothing for their ugly earthly works. We will abide by the works of Christ, which He wrought for us, presented to us, and still works in us.159
So far we have heard that John the Baptist had the office of pointing to the Son of God. He was chosen to be Christ's forerunner, to point to Him with his fingers and his words, lest the world pass Him by, as the Jews did, who neglected to meet Him and still cannot find Him today. The fact remains, however, that everything was placed in His hands, that everything is found in Him, and that through Him we obtain treasures of wisdom. Whatever the Son of God is not and whatever He does not do remains undone. No reason can comprehend this. It is necessary to hear and take hold of the Word of God by faith, for the - 211 reason and the skill of flesh and blood do not reveal that the Son of Joseph of Nazareth holds all heaven and earth in His hands. Reason does not penetrate beyond this, that He is a human being like others; or, at best, reason will regard Him as a holy man, such as the prophet Jeremiah, as Isaiah, as David, or as Peter.
Even with the aid of the Ten Commandments man is far from realizing that this is God or that there is no other god besides Him. Whatever is decided apart from Him is doomed to failure. But if all is not to be forfeited, He must be viewed as God and man, on whom all depends. If anyone esteems Him as the One who is above all, he will experience the profound depth of wisdom about God and all things inherent in Him; for He is the Light and the Life. Therefore it is all-important that we ask for no wisdom but that of the Lord Christ. This is especially so in matters concerning eternal life; for the worldly order was instituted and created before Christ. I am speaking of the wisdom which the world claims to possess when it presumes to know how it fares with God. No matter who speaks about subjects transcending this life, it is sheer blindness and stupidity, because it is not Christ. Thus St. John reports that there were and still are many wise men who make bold to prescribe that people should lead such and such a life. The Turks also suppose that they are very wise and that they serve and praise God. Still their wisdom and external pomp all pale into nothing next to the wisdom of God. Yet everybody assails this Man, refusing to hear or see
Him, and slays anyone who does wish to hear about Him. It is said: "The pope and the emperor are no fools." They also live in the expectation of being saved; they also glorify Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
If this is so, where do they fall short? The Turk is a public enemy of Christ; the pope is not an open but a secret enemy and persecutor, a false friend. This makes him all the more evil.
Therefore John concludes that all wisdom and holiness stand condemned if they are not coupled with God's grace, God's wisdom, and the true worship of God. Without this it is all nothing but the work of the devil, no matter how it may glisten. For Christ is above all. Did not David and others proclaim the truth? If Adam, Eve, Isaac, and others had not been so wise as to pin their all on this future Messiah, all their wisdom and holiness would have been nothing. But their faith was fixed on Him. Abraham says: "My
Isaac and I, my circumcision and all my holiness are vain and will effect nothing. But the promised Seed, through whom all the peoples are to be blessed, He accomplishes all" (Gen. 12:3). All the saints since the world's beginning cleaved to Christ, and this is what all people to the end of time must also do if they are not to be lost. Only the Man Christ does it all. Adam must be called a Christian to be saved; this applies to all the others as well, or they are nothing at all.
You might interpose: "But these people were not baptized!" This does not matter. They set their hope on the Baptism and the doctrine of Christ, which were theirs by faith; they had other signs too, for example, the sacrifices. All was directed to Christ; He was above all. Therefore it is imperative that in matters pertaining to eternal life we give ear to nothing but the voice and doctrine of Christ. To listen to any other voice spells our doom. The Turk set Christ aside and accepted Mohammed. The pope rejects
Christ and holds to his canon laws. The monks and the nuns do the same thing, saying: "We are sincere at heart and mean well." Mean well or not, if you are not Jesus Christ, it means nothing! Christ is not in your monkery, chastity, and poverty. Salvation does not consist in our works and deeds. No, he who sincerely believes in Christ the Lord, adheres to Him in true faith, and seals this in his heart, not doubting that Christ is his Savior—he is saved. A red coat is not called a red garment because of the material from which it is fashioned, but because of its red color. Thus a person does not become a Christian because he dons a cowl, becomes a monk, and tortures himself. What, then, does make him a Christian? This, that he inscribes and seals these words in his heart: "I believe in Jesus Christ." These are simple words, fit for a layman's sermon. The priests and monks insist on something more complicated than this plain doctrine; for they say: "Is it possible that I was a monk for ten or twenty or thirty years without meriting more than others?" Well, choose such a life if you will, and pursue it earnestly. Who is there to restrain you? Yet when you come to depart this earthly life, you will not remain in your hair shirt or in your Carthusian order, but you will be thrown to the worms. Even if you were dressed in angelic costume then, what will become of you? The cowl, tonsure, father, mother, and all come to an end. Then what will remain? He who sits at the right hand of God as Judge of the quick and the dead! He who has Christ in that hour and is dressed in Him and adorned with Him is safe. Without Him you will find that cowls and tonsures, the faith of pope and Turk will not stand the test. But he who bears the seal and signet in his heart: "I believe in Christ" and lives and dies in this faith is in safe keeping. Whoever believes in Christ is saved. In the fourteenth chapter of St. John we read: "Because I live, you will live also (14:19). Since I live and you
- 212 believe in Me, you will not die but will live as I do." Also: "He is above all" (John 3:31). Thus we face the alternative: Cleave to Him, or be damned and lost.
Why does John press this subject so? Because the people were so miserably misled that they did not esteem the Messiah-Christ but hoped for another Messiah who would appear with pomp and splendor and be lord over the whole world, accoutered in a golden coat of mail and followed by a retinue of thousands of horsemen. They called Him who opposed them a fool and said that He was possessed of the devil.
Since Christ did not live like other people, and His doctrine did not agree with theirs, they were convinced that He was possessed of the devil. They would not listen to Him, because they were steeped in the illusion that the Messiah would come attended by a host of warriors. If Christ had entered Jerusalem in great splendor and had announced that He was the Christ, they would have fallen down before Him and accepted Him. Therefore it was necessary for John to preach and resist them, saying: "He who comes from above is above all (John 3:31). He is present. He will not come with much ado, as you imagine. You will take no notice of Him."
Since the world holds this article of faith in contempt, we must foster and cherish it. After my death they will attempt to eradicate this article. The sects will pervert everything and portray Christ as the pope does. Therefore the text refutes this misconception of the Jews:
32. He bears witness to what He has seen and heard.
"What is this Christ to do? Of what use is the Messiah? What sort of a Messiah is He? Has He nothing else to do? Is this the way He comes upon the scene? What does He do?" "He bears witness." "Is He so impotent, is this the conception of His regime, that He does nothing but bear witness? Can't He do anything but preach and speak? He wields no sword, possesses not a foot of land, and rules no nation.
What is His function?" "To preach." "Should we be expected to accept such a Messiah?" "Well, do as you like!" Today similar talk is current. People say: "Oh, what can the preaching and writing of those fellows in Wittenberg amount to? If the pope, the emperor, or the Bishop of Mainz were to teach and write, or if the councils had issued this or that, then we would willingly accept it. But the people preaching this message are lowly!" But what if it is not God's plan that the Messiah should come like an emperor? All that the Turk and the emperor have amounts to (if you will pardon the expression) excrement and filth.
Christ does not want to show them the honor of coming clothed with the power which they now possess.
The fact that He comes so destitute and engages in nothing but preaching manifests inexpressible wisdom and strength; yes, here we have the very treasure of wisdom and knowledge, namely, that whoever believes in Him shall live eternally. He who believes and performs the duties of his office shall be a king and an emperor in heaven; he shall be like the angels. Thus Christ's kingdom is to consist in His message.
But who can perceive this? You are not to see it. His rule and His sermon are a testimony. And now whoever wishes to be justified before God must hear this Witness, that is, the Preacher. His is a sermon that bears witness solely of things not seen and heard in law books or anywhere else in the world. It testifies of something that no one has seen. A judge does not pass sentence on a matter that he himself observed; no, he needs witnesses. The problem here is to preach and to speak about something not seen.
Now the Lord Christ becomes the Father's witness from heaven above all. He is to do nothing else than open His lips. His sermon is to be a testimony of the Father's attitude, of His plan for mankind's salvation and redemption from sin, death, and the power of the devil. To this He bears witness. He submits to becoming man and to dying. He rises again from the dead and says: "My words bear witness to this. If you believe this testimony and these works, then you believe the witness of God."
But how will He bring about our salvation, and how will He bestow eternal life? He bears witness that He has come as Priest and Lord. But He does this in such a guise of poverty that reason, too, is offended by it. The Lord is poor; He does not possess a single heller; and women follow in His train to support
Him. But since He does not own a single heller, how is it possible for Him to impart anything to others? If you follow reason in this, you will go astray, as the pope and the Turks did. Simply listen to the witness and say: "Even if I do not understand this, I still believe it. If it is ordained that this should be hidden from sight and reason and should be apprehended by faith alone, let it be so." The world is averse to this; it insists on indulging in subtle arguments with regard to the Sacrament of the Altar and Baptism. The Sacramentarians deny that the Sacrament of the Altar contains the true body and blood of Christ. And the world refuses to believe that the Virgin Mary bore a Son who is both God and man. The world argues:
"How can God and man be one, since God is eternal and man mortal?" Thus the world has always insisted on rationalizing and understanding everything. But if this had fallen within the range of our
- 213 comprehension, it would have been unnecessary for Christ to come clown from heaven with His revelation to us. Reason is blind; man must hold his ears to Christ's mouth and listen to His Word. And what will Christ preach? He will tell us how to believe. Thus He who is above all does nothing but bear witness.
Here you find the Messiah portrayed and described as a Preacher, as all the prophets had foretold.
Preaching is to mark His realm and rule. In His testimony we find all wisdom, life, and truth; for He bears witness of what He Himself has seen and heard. If He had not seen and heard this, He could not reveal it and bear witness. What He preaches is not a fiction or a figment of His imagination; it deals with the things He has seen, for He is God's Son, and He knows the depth of God's will and wisdom and of the Father's counsel. To this He bears witness. This text opposes pope and Turk, who close their ears to the testimony of this Man.160
The last time we heard why the sermon of the Lord Christ is called a testimony; it is a message not comprehended by reason. But reason must give ear and be informed. The kingdom of the Messiah is to be called a witness, which means that it is the Messiah's office to preach. His sermons are to deal with matters never seen or heard before. Thus the Messiah must bear witness.
John the Baptist continues:
32. Yet no one receives His testimony.
You may ask: "Why, the apostles and the church accepted it!" And we, too, confess: "I believe in a holy, Christian Church." But here John is surveying the great multitude in the world that rejects this testimony. Neither the Turk nor the pope and his church accept Christ. Of the others, however, who do receive the testimony of Christ, John says that they "set their seal to this, that God is true" (John 3:33).
When the Lord made His entry into Jerusalem, the vast majority, for instance, the Pharisees and others, did not receive His testimony. But of the small number he says that "they set their seal to this." Some do hear and receive it; they accept the message which is incomprehensible otherwise, which indeed transcends reason. They honor God and say "that God is true."
We are all agreed on the First Article of the Christian Creed, which deals with creation. But in the Second Article, which deals exclusively with Jesus Christ and His redemption, we come to the parting of the ways. This article introduces the testimony to which this text refers: that He, the Son, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, that He was born of a woman and was the natural Son of the Virgin Mary, and that simultaneously He was the only Son of God, and was very God. Here we find the stone of offense; here
Jew, Turk, and Tartar refuse to receive the testimony of Christ. Together with us, the pope accepts the words of this article; but he digresses when he insists that we make satisfaction for our sins by means of our works. This is apparent in the monastic system; no one becomes a monk just to indulge in a bit of mummery but in order to atone for his sins thereby. Nevertheless, those among them who joined the children in the words "Christ died and was buried!" were saved. The pope, however, stops short of this; he does not believe that Christ came to render satisfaction for our sins. It is the office of the Lord Christ to be a witness to this. To be sure, these words, as spoken by children, are brief; but at the same time they are inscrutable and unfathomable. Those who do not take these words lightly but receive them sincerely, so that their life and their death, their omissions and commissions are governed by them, "set their seal to this, that God is true."
This sounds odd and extraordinary. Cannot God be true even when we do not set our seal and testimony that He is true? I always took for granted that we were to receive seal and letter from Him, and here we are told the reverse. This has been the trouble since the world's beginning and will remain so until the end of time: that the world will not concede that God is true. Thus we read in Ps. 51:4: "So that Thou art justified in Thy sentence and blameless in Thy words when Thou art judged." St. Paul also touches on this subject in Rom. 3:4. It is not a question of acknowledging God in His majesty as true. In His majestic essence, as He is in Himself, He is too lofty for us to speak to Him. But we do speak about the way to serve and to proclaim God. This is what Ps. 51:4 refers to: "That Thou mayest be justified." Where? "In Thy words." Where is God to be justified? Not in His majesty but in His words, in His message. God is judged and convicted in His speech. He must submit to this. In His majesty God is a consuming fire. We are interested in the God who became flesh, who is suckled by the Virgin Mary; we want to see Him as Mary bears Him in her arms, and we must picture Him to ourselves as He hangs suspended on the cross.
Christ is assailed in His capacity as preacher, in His preaching activity; there He is the subject of contention. Adam attacked Him in Paradise, and Lucifer in heaven; but they did so in vain. The incarnate
- 214 God, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered the old serpents sting and bite, but without being devoured and destroyed. This is what is meant by judging, punishing, and condemning our God—not in His majesty but in His words and His office, about which all the world raises the cry: "This is heresy!
Exterminate it! Consign it to hell-fire!" The pope is so rabid in his opposition to this doctrine that he would prefer the Turk and the devil to it. When the Jews hear it proclaimed, they spit on the ground in their malice and call Mary a harlot. Thus Christ is spewed upon and despised today, as He was when He hung on the cross. He truly suffered death; He was publicly judged and shamefully sentenced. The Father sent His Son to preach. But what happens? All that the Father does and works through the Son is condemned as the proclamation of the devil and as heresy. It is evident that even today the world does not do otherwise; God is still called a liar. The world, to be sure, does not condemn His majesty; but it condemns the message that flows from Christ's lips. It regards the Gospel as a lie and as heresy. If someone says to Christ: "Thou art a liar, a heretic, and possessed of the devil!" is this not at the same time directed against the Father, who sent the Son? Christ the Lord says: "I do not perform the works of My own accord; but the Father, who dwells in Me, does them" (John 5:19). Also: "My teaching is not Mine but the Father's" (John 7:16). If I give Christ the lie this way, I do the same to the Father, not in His majesty but in the person of Christ and in His message.
Accordingly, Christ's message is promptly condemned by the world, which would be quick to exterminate it if it had the power. The world is nothing but a rabble that dishonors and blasphemes God in In the light of this it is easy to understand the words of St. Paul when he says that Antichrist "will take his seat in the temple," that is, in the Christian Church, where he will be a ruler and a king, i. e., a preacher
(2 Thess. 2:4). There he will sit enthroned, exalting himself and opposing God. He will not try to exalt himself over God in His majesty but over the God who is proclaimed and worshiped. This means that he will place himself above God in His words, not above God in His majesty. He will not honor the precepts of Holy Scripture as the Word of God. Furthermore he says: "Holy Communion in both kinds is correct; still you must not administer it this way." He condemns such administration as heresy. He acknowledges that marriage was instituted and ordered by God for the propagation of the human race (Gen. 1:28). At the same time he says: "You must not marry, even though God has commanded it." Likewise, all are free to eat what they wish; yet he forbade the eating of meat, cheese, and butter. Thus the pope's doctrine is nothing but exalting himself over, and rebelling against God, not against God in His majesty but against God in His revealed and proclaimed Word. The clearer God's Word is, the more furiously did he rave and rebel against it. The Turk does not reside in the Christian Church; the pope, however, wields the Bible and administers the Sacrament. Nevertheless, he opposes these with all his might; he adjudges them to be lies and in the wrong and the devil to be in the right. Still he prevails in this only for a season. As the psalmist declares: "So that Thou art blameless when Thou art judged. It is Thou whom they condemn; but still
Thou wilt be justified in the end. The serpent may sting Thee in the heel and condemn Thee, but Thou shalt prevail nevertheless." So it is today. The pope stung Christ in the heel; but at present the divine Word is again being brought to the fore, and the people prize it more highly than they esteem the pope. Christ the Lord is again raising a foot to crush this serpent, the pope. "Thus Thou wilt be accounted pure and holy even though Thou hast been condemned; that is, Thy Word was condemned as heresy, as unclean, as filthy speech, and as impure venom. But Thou art to be cleansed; and the Word, which they sullied and defiled, is to become as clear as the sun." This explains the words: "Thou wilt be judged." God's Word is called filth and heresy, but it will rise from the dead and shine gloriously. Now the divine Word is prized; but the pope, who formerly shone like the sun, is accounted as filth today.
And now whoever receives the testimony of Christ the Lord, which is universally condemned, "sets his seal to this, that God is true"; he honors God and acknowledges that He is true and righteous. He may say that the pope, who was once heralded as a preacher of truth but who condemned the Divine Word as lies, is in reality an archliar and that the Word of God, which he condemned, is the eternal truth. To be sure, God and His Word do not require our certification and seal. But it is to our benefit that God's Word is true. If it were not, we would be lost. Wherever the Word does not illumine and shine, the blind will lead the blind, and both will fall into the pit, as Christ the Lord says (Luke 6:39).
When God is justified in His Word, that is, when He is accounted right, then He is accorded the proper honor, namely, that we acknowledge that His Word and Sacrament are pure and are the source of salvation and eternal life. This is where the pope misses the mark and comes to grief with his doctrine; yes, this
- 215 consigns him to the pit of hell. If I regard God as just, I honor Him as God. How? By declaring that His Word is true. And then God will be gracious to us—not, of course, in His majesty, which is too sublime for us. Furthermore, if I say that the Sacrament of the Altar is right and that marriage is a holy estate, I let
God be God. Before this the devil occupied the place of God. But now I am reinstating God, who offered Himself to me, who spoke to me, whom I served, who also revealed Himself to me in His Word and Sacraments. Not in His majesty but in His state of humiliation and humanity He speaks to us and offers us
His Sacraments. There this God, who becomes man, who suffers, dies, and rises from the dead, is proclaimed to me, enters my ears, and by way of my ears enters my heart. Whoever dishonors this Christ, also blasphemes God; for He is one Person of the Trinity.
But what does it mean that we "set our seal to this, that God is true"? Why does John call this sealing and certifying? The others do nothing of the kind. In fact, they would rather expunge everything and put themselves in God's place. But we are convinced that God is true, and we also attest it. With us all is certain and beyond doubt.
Among men nothing is safer and more certain than that which is given under one's hand and seal. I feel sure when I have a sealed document. In the present day people believe that their money is safer when it is certified and sealed than when it is deposited in a safe, where thieves may steal it.161 Thus document and seal are regarded as a fine guarantee among men. Testimony is a similar guarantee among Christians.
They have no doubt in their hearts, but they say with tongue and mouth, and confess and certify with their whole life, that this doctrine is the pure and precious truth. Thus the dear martyrs stand firmly on this testimony; they press and attach a seal to it, as it were, when they sacrifice life and limb for it.
We must familiarize ourselves with the language of Scripture. To "set the seal to this, that God is true" means: not to question that God is God and that He is true. Many others, to be sure, hear the message; but it goes into one ear and out the other. They "believe for a while and in times of temptation and sorrow fall away" (Luke 8:13). Their heart is not constant and steadfast; and in days of affliction they again forsake the Word, for it is not sealed. They cling more firmly to money and goods, to honor and power, than to the Word of God. Anyone who really accepts the message of the Gospel resolutely sets his seal to it and says:
"This seal and document mean that I can stake life and limb and all I possess on this." His heart is certain and harbors no doubts. If one believes, the tongue will no longer dispute the Word; life and conduct will also conform to it.
Listen to St. Paul. He says: "You are my letter (2 Cor. 3:2) and the seal of my letter (1 Cor. 9:2). I need no other; I wrote the letter." He makes the church at Corinth a letter which should be read everywhere. "I do not mean to say," he declares, "that I wrote the letter with my own hand. The letter was actually written by a deacon, and the true author is Jesus Christ." It is not ink that He uses in His pen, that is, in His ministry. He comes with the Holy Spirit and His gifts, as we read in 1 Cor. 12:4–6. The ink is the proclamation which He writes through the apostles; and the Holy Spirit transmits this message through us.
Christ is the author who inscribes the message in our hearts, not with ink; no, the beautiful letters of the Holy Spirit are faith and hope; they flow from His pen as fiery and living letters.
Elsewhere St. Paul says: "You are sealed in the heart, yes, also in the hands, in words, and in works"
(2 Cor. 3:2). Christ is our God's letter. Those who believe and lead a Christian life are sealed; that is, they have faith, and the Holy Spirit has inscribed the Word in their hearts with the conviction that it is true.
This is not reason; it is a vibrant letter written into the heart by means of our ministry and the Sacraments, so that the heart is now replete with living letters which are aglow with love. True faith shines forth to condemn all heresy and error and to inscribe the truth in the heart through the preaching ministry of the Holy Spirit, so that it says: "I do not doubt that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and of Mary." This is the import of the words we have written.
Thus St. Paul calls the church a letter and himself the pen. We compose the letter. In what way? "I am the pen, the tool for writing. Christ uses what I write, so that the heart of the Holy Spirit engenders faith in the Christian and convinces him of the truth." Others do not do this; therefore they do not put their seal to it. Those who do, however, have the Holy Spirit, who imprinted the message in their hearts, so that they can say: "The truth is in this Word." In this way the Holy Spirit brings it about that God is God in our hearts. Therefore we are also told in another passage: "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, in whom you were sealed" (Eph. 4:30). Sealed for what purpose? For the Lord. You received a pledge of your inheritance, namely, the Holy Spirit, who dwells in your heart through the oral word (Eph. 1:13–14). He inscribed this through His gifts and impressed it on the heart, so that pledge, seal, and surety serve one end. This is not - 216 to collect guldens; but you are signed and sealed and you receive the pledge that you might believe and say: "I believe in Jesus Christ; I believe that I shall be numbered with the elect; and I believe that the Holy
Spirit will not leave us in the grave." For this was written that we might believe that we are redeemed and are children of God. The Holy Spirit speaks to those who read the Word of God. In this way speaking and writing become identical, only that the oral Word is more powerful than the written Word. By means of the written Word, however, you can communicate with people more than a hundred miles distant from you. Thus we find the Holy Spirit speaking in His writing and in His sealing. When He speaks, pen in hand, and presses the letters into the heart, people change radically. Such people become convinced, for the Holy Spirit writes and imprints His message into the heart. They have a pledge, a ring, a seal, so that they entertain no doubts as to the truthfulness of God. The knowledge that God is true is a glorious treasure in the heart. But he who despises and scorns it gives God the lie, ejects Him from his heart, and establishes the devil there. The greatest honor we can accord God is that we serve His Word. Whoever does this confesses that God is true. But he who does not believe says to God: "Thou liest and art not truthful!" Thus the Romans are told in chapter four: "Abraham gave glory to God" when he believed, for he was thoroughly convinced (Rom. 4:20). He set his seal to it with clear and fine letters of his heart. He had a sharply engraved seal; that is, he believed with all his heart that it was true.
I honor God when I say that His Word is true. The truth that resides in His majesty is not in dispute.
To repeat, those who believe, as Abraham did, are so convinced of the truth and have the truth so deeply engraved in their hearts that they stake their life and death on it.
John praises these people by saying that they honor God by accepting Christ. Thereby they acknowledge that God is true. They seal and certify this and do not doubt it but are certain of it. What happens where this does not happen? If we are not certain of a matter, we do nothing about it; we are not willing to suffer for it, and we will not die for it. In such an instance we have no seal and letter. Therefore it is necessary that the Word be and remain pure, even though the world should go to wrack and ruin over it. However, to believe, really to believe, is not a simple art, as those people think who do not receive
Christ. They have only an illusory belief in Christ's death, speaking of this as a jackdaw or a parrot does.
But to be absolutely convinced that God is true, it is necessary for the Holy Spirit to implant a faith which justifies God.
Men who transmute copper into gold are looked upon as wizards and sorcerers. Competent and experienced magicians are able to do this.162 However, he who justifies God in His words is a true master.
He regards God as true both in His majesty and in His Word. His faith will evict the devil from his own heart as well as from that of others. The devil must vacate the heart and make room for God. Faith is entirely different from what people imagine. Faith must be a living document, a seal, a signet, a conviction so strong that one is willing to forsake all for it. There God comes to you and makes His dwelling in your heart, converting it into heaven and Paradise. All this redounds to our benefit; if we regard God as true, we receive righteousness and eternal life from Him. Then a person will become so firm in his faith that he will say: "Whoever condemns God's Word is of the devil"; and he will stand ready to be tortured to death for this conviction. He bears this signet ring and will not be talked out of his faith.163
Until now John has dwelt on the future ministry of Christ, lauding Him as an excellent preacher who is equipped with testimony from heaven. He announced that whoever received Christ would "set his seal to this, that God is true" and that God is God. Now we continue:
34. For He whom God has sent utters the Word of God.
This is a message by John the Baptist which the other evangelists do not record. The others say very little about John the Baptist. They merely narrate that John proclaimed that another would succeed him, the thongs of whose sandal he was not worthy to untie (Mark 1:7). They also relate how John berated the Pharisees. But the evangelist John reports on his sermons in detail, especially here, where he quotes John as saying that God becomes true on earth. This sounds strange, since most people in the world make God appear a liar and unjust. The devil remains their god, and him they serve faithfully. Christ, he says, was sent into the world to proclaim the Word of God. Therefore John declares: "He whom God has sent utters the Word of God." Why should this require such emphasis? After all, the world is pious enough and well aware that it must believe when God's Word is preached, and that it must give ear to anyone sent by God.
"Well," they say, "there is no disagreement on this subject, not even among the heathen; all concede this in advance. Is it necessary, then, for John to stress this and to declare that Christ was sent by God? Who would dare accuse the pious and virtuous world of refusing to hear God's Word or to listen to Him who - 217 was sent to it? After all, this is what the world does zealously." We also read: "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand" (John 3:35). "Well," they say, "it is nothing spectacular that He loves the Son; He loves all the saints, and He also creates them all." Or: "He whom God has sent utters the Word of God." Reason is quick to assent to this. Then why this quarrel and strife in the world? Why did
Cain slay Abel? How, then, does it happen that the pope condemns us and regards us as heretics and offspring of the devil and that we, on the other hand, say that the pope, with all his bishops and cardinals, is of the devil? Both factions speak of God and His Word; both also profess to esteem the persons of those who preach. In agreement with the whole world, with Turk and pope, everyone claims to accept and worship the Word. But here is the difficulty: They are offended by God's command that the Son must be listened to, that His servants must be honored, and that we must put our seal to this, that God is true.
Acknowledging Christ as the Son of God, and His message as the Word of God, is the real stumbling block. The major proposition is true, but the minor is denied.164 Christ, the Son of Mary on earth, is not to be recognized as the One. The Jews declare: "We are God's disciples. Moses derived the Word from God, but Christ's Word is of the devil." Whence does Christ come? This is the question debated and disputed by the whole world. He was sent by God, and He brings gifts with Him. As soon as this is applied correctly, disagreement arises. If we were to admit that the pope was sent by God, it would be acclaimed a good thing. But we say that he forced his way in as a murderer and a thief; God did not put him in the place he now occupies. It follows that God did not send him. If he had come from God, we would, in all fairness, listen to him. But since he did not, we shall not listen to him. The pope, however, declares: "I am in possession of the Word of God; but you, where do you find any testimony that you are of God?
Therefore your doctrine and mission cannot be of God." The Jews also insisted that Moses was their master and teacher and that Christ was not sent by God; hence they paid His Word no heed. The Turks concede, to be sure, that Christ was sent by God; but they add that His office terminated with the advent of Mohammed, who was sent by God. What Mohammed says must now be heard and accepted. Just as we christians say that Moses and Abraham were circumcised but believe that circumcision is a thing of the past today, so the Turk declares that Christ's Word and mission no longer have validity. Now who is to arbitrate our dispute, agreed though we are in the major proposition that all of God's Word must be heeded? If we declare that this, too, is God's Word, the Jews and the Turks will deny it.
On this subject John now says: "He who is sent by God utters the Word of God. I am His witness, for I am His forerunner. God ordained me to be a prophet. (In confirmation of his call he also proclaimed much that is not chronicled.) I am His forerunner, and you will have no other Christ than Him who follows me.
He who is sent now is the only One ever sent." We should take note and observe who succeeds John after his death. Of Him John said: "It is certainly He who comes after me" (John 1:27). The people, however, killed both Christ and John and disregarded the testimony of John. Christ appeared immediately, preached, performed miracles, and gave mighty proof of His call. First He sent the prophets before Him; then He presented His message and His miracles, which gave evidence of His identity. But no one paid attention to the message, to the miracles, or to the testimony of John; yes, they even crucified the Lord of glory (1 Cor.
2:8). They did not doubt that He was sent by God and that He preached the Word of God. But they could not admit that the son of the poor Virgin Mary, a carpenter's wife, was the Lord of whom John testified thus. If they could have been convinced of this, they might have said: "Why should it disturb me that He is a poor woman's son? Let Him be the son of a cobbler for all I care! He is truly doing all that John foretold of Him." Yet it was all to no avail. Even today they go about and gape in expectation of a Messiah to be sent to them by God. But God has already sent the Messiah. God's Son became man. They saw Him, they heard Him, they felt Him, they touched Him; they also crucified Him! And now they cry and bellow and stare heavenward. But their hopes will never be fulfilled, for they are looking for the Messiah of their dreams. This is why John preaches so urgently that his testimony be heard. He says: "The Father sent the Son and put everything into His hands. Whoever believes in Him has eternal life. He is the true Messiah."
They oppose this and insist that He is not from God. Therefore they also crucify Him as a blasphemer and a rebel.
We experience the same thing today. Since we preach the Word of God, we staunchly maintain that God has called us. These two facts are entirely logical: that those who preach the Word of God must necessarily be sent by God; and, conversely, that those who are sent by God cannot proclaim anything but the Word of God. It is impossible to derive the Word of God from reason; it must be given from above.
Verily, we do not preach the human wisdom of philosophers, jurists, medics, or of any other profession.
- 218 To be sure, we are conversant with the arts of poets, philosophers, and jurists; yet we do not preach about them. We are also acquainted with all the doctrines of the papacy and of the monks. Still we proclaim nothing that was born of our reason. A different dominion was assigned to reason, namely, over the fish, the birds, and the beasts, as we see in Gen. 1 and 2. Whatever you may do in that sphere is agreeable to me. I stand ready to appoint you and reason to be rulers and regents. I will let you decree, if you deem it proper, that an acre of ground be appraised at four guldens and that a bushel of grain be priced at so and so much. I am ready to yield you the privilege of fixing the price for a house or for clothing. Reason holds sway in all law books, in all arts and trades, in laws, in courts of justice, etc. Into these areas we do not trespass with our sermons. All this properly belongs in the realm of reason; jurists must reign over cities and country and people. On the other hand, neither reason nor cows nor fields know a bit about this: that God is Creator of heaven and earth; or that from eternity God begot His only Son; or, that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead; that God's Son became man; or that the Christian Church believes in the forgiveness of sins. Therefore the proclamation of Christ's Gospel had to convey this to us, and the apostles were commanded to proclaim it. The apostles transmitted it to us, and thus it will continue until the end of the world. Of those who preach this message it is said that they are sent by God.
When the pope comes along and says: "One must consecrate herbs, wear a gray garment and broad tonsures, etc., and thus be saved," you must reply that money, clothing, and all else are subject to the rule of reason. Where did you get your wisdom? Let the jurists take care of that! Emperors, kings, princes, and lords—they all are the offspring of reason. What does this profit you and me for our salvation? Our proclamation, however, deals with Christ; whoever listens to it and believes in Christ has eternal life. The Word of God, sent from heaven, must serve the purpose of instructing you where to turn even though you were burned to ashes. Now what difference does it make whether you are married or celibate, or whether you possess money and goods? We must all die someday, and on the Last Day everything will be consumed by fire. Therefore all that belongs to the sphere of jurists and parents is perishable and transitory. Yet the pope is bent on nothing else in his books than on ways and means of preserving the glory of the bishops, on doing this and doing that, on wearing such and such a garment, a broad tonsure, and a cowl. Here on this pulpit165 it is our duty to preach the Word which has not been invented by man but has been sent from heaven. Then a Christian can say that he derived his faith and message, not from the philosophers of Persia, Greece, or Rome but from the Word of God, which came from heaven. Then he will confess and say: "I believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting." These are different topics; they have nothing in common with transitory matters but assure us that everlasting life and resurrection from the dead are ours after this temporal life. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit must enter into the picture; we must believe in them. Therefore we hold that God's Word is true; in it we have signs enough that we have been called. For we have been baptized, and those who are baptized are also called. They also praise, glorify, and confess God, as SS.Agnes, Agatha, Anastasia, and others did.166 Although they were not preachers, still they confessed their faith, because they were baptized.
Thus God sent you, too, from heaven. You may ask: "How?" You were baptized; at that time you were born as a child of God through Christ. Even though we were all called, however, we cannot all preach; but this does not relieve us of our obligation to confess Christ publicly. A few must be chosen to preach to the others; the hearers must listen to them, assent to what they say, and confirm its truth with their life. In the rite of ordination the baptized members bestow a special vocation on those whom they select, and those who are called in this way proclaim the Word of God.167
Now the point will be made that surely these are not all true priests. How does it happen that many are heretics in spite of their Baptism? Although they were called by God, they do not speak the truth. Those who are Christians are convinced that they are called to confess God. In Baptism we all receive the chrism and the priestly garb. In the First Epistle of St. Peter, chapter two, we are told that we are called out of darkness into His precious and marvelous light that we may declare all His virtues, His power, and His wonderful deeds (1 Peter 2:9). Peter writes to the entire church that all who want to be Christians must confess and declare: "I am ready to live and to die on the basis of what I have heard in the proclamation."
What kind of wonderful deeds does he have in mind? I preach and you believe that you are redeemed by Baptism, not from pestilence and leprosy but from death, sin, and the power of the devil, and that Baptism works salvation and eternal life in me. It is a miracle that man, who is damned and lost, who died and is stinking in his grave, should still have this consolation: his sins are forgiven, grace and mercy will
- 219 surround, and shine on, him, and he will be blessed eternally. This is the message which is to be preached; whoever believes the message will surely have all it conveys, for further on we read: "He who believes in the Son has eternal life" (John 3:36). Those are the marvelous deeds God works in us through the ministry of oral preaching.
But I do not preach to myself; you must be drawn into this too, so that you may declare: "This was not said by my preacher; but it was a sermon from heaven, and it was sealed." If you believe, then you are called and numbered among those who believe and confess. Thus they give proof of their calling. They were, first of all, gathered into a Christian congregation through Baptism, and now they are in possession of the Sacraments and absolution. Thus we are the Christian Church, or a segment of it. This church has the power to engage pastors. The church selects such as are able and competent, not for their own sakes but for the welfare of the church. And in an emergency everyone must take care of his own needs. Yet not all are authorized to preach, but only one is to preach to the entire congregation. Thus the ministry is not mine; it belongs to all the others; it is a public office and confession. Therefore I say to the pope: "Who sent you? Prove to us that your doctrine is God's Word. See whether our doctrine is at variance with this
Word. See whether you can say: 'We are presenting God's Word to you.' Furthermore, see whether we baptize, whether we have absolution; see whether we have preachers and whether we have people who delight in listening to the Word of God. If we do, you must admit that we are sent and that we preach the Word of God." We have, in fact, witnessed it and it has come to this, that all our adversaries are constrained to admit that we preach the Word of God and are sent by God.168
Then where does the difficulty lie? If the Jews had conceded Christ's claim that He came from God, all would have been well; but they did to Him what the pope does to us. Yet they were supposed to be preaching God's Word at the same time. In this respect the pope is worse than the Jews. He admits that we have the Word of God and that we are baptized. At the same time, however, he insists that we adopt his decretals and bulls. This is like having a peasant come to me and say: "You proclaim God's Word, you preach about God the Creator and about Christ the Redeemer. But this is not enough for me. I want you to supplement your sermon with a pronouncement that ten groschen should be the price of a bushel of grain."
I would tell that peasant: "Go and consult the market about that." If he were to say: "If you refuse my request, I refuse to listen to you!" I would tell him: "Well, then don't!" The pope makes a similar demand, namely, that in addition to the message that Christ was sent into the world for our redemption—which he regards as a good message—we also preach that monasticism dare not be rejected. But this I cannot do. If wearing a cowl or anything else were left to my free choice outside the church, I could consent to do so. If it were not dragged into the Christian Church and if human teaching were not intermingled with the doctrine, I am sure we could all get along together. If the pope refrained from placing his doctrine beside the Word, sour vinegar beside malmsey wine, and if he did not insist that all this is necessary for salvation, I would gladly wear a cowl. I enjoy joking! In questions pertaining to buying, selling, and governing, reason alone must decide the issue. If a city decrees what a respectable matron must wear and that a virgin should put on a little wreath, that is fine. But one must not add that this would make them holy. No, he who would be justified before God must listen to Him who was sent from heaven; he must say: "I believe in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." Close your ears to him who preaches anything else as requisite for salvation. They will counter that all this is good and true and that they, too, preach the Catechism; but then they add that we must, in addition, accept their teaching. Yes, we should indeed be happy to do so, but only to the extent that it does not burden our conscience. Let the devil accept their claim that their doctrine is on a par with Christ! I will not. The pope must not invade the Creed and the Christian faith. I would rather lose life and limb than relinquish that.
The pope concedes that we have been called and that we have the Word of God. Since we refuse to include his ideas in our teaching, however, he denies that we are the church. In effect, this annuls our calling and denies that we have the Word of God; it invalidates our Word of God, our Baptism, and our
Communion. What does he himself preach? How many more guldens a canon should be paid than another priest, or how cowls and tonsures should be worn. What is this tomfoolery when compared with the blood of Christ? Yet we are accounted heretics because we reject this, although Christ and His apostles did not allude to it with a single syllable in the New Testament. I find no mention of cowls and tonsures there; but I do find the command to be baptized, to go to the Sacrament, and to be absolved. And all this centers in - 220 John is speaking here about calling or sending, particularly about the sending of Christ. I have decided to discourse on this topic at some length. There are two ways of sending. First, God sent His messengers, the prophets and apostles, like Moses and St. Paul, directly and without the help of an intermediary. These men were called by God's word of mouth and without human agency. Such sending was done only when
God wished to inaugurate something new, as was the case when He sent Moses and the prophets. This exalted method came to an end in the New Testament with the apostles, who were the last to be called directly by God.
The other way of sending is indeed also one by God, but it is done through the instrumentality of man.
It has been employed ever since God established the ministry with its preaching and its exercise of the Office of the Keys. This ministry will endure and is not to be replaced by any other. But the incumbents of this ministry do not remain; they die. This necessitates an ever-new supply of preachers, which calls for the employment of certain means. The ministry, that is, the Word of God, Baptism, and Holy Communion, came directly from Christ; but later Christ departed from this earth. Now a new way of sending was instituted, which works through man but is not of man. We were sent according to this method; according to it, we elect and send others, and we install them in their ministry to preach and to administer the Sacraments. This type of sending is also of God and commanded by God. Even though God resorts to our aid and to human agency, it is He Himself who sends laborers into His vineyard.
Therefore everyone must realize that he has to be sent. That is, he must know that he has been called; he dare not venture to sneak into the office furtively and without authorization. It must be done in the open. The sending is done through man, for example, when a city, a prince, or a congregation calls someone into office. But at the same time this person is sent by God.
Here we may feel prompted to ask: Although this text declares that he who is sent by God utters the Word of God, it often happens that many preach nothing but lies. How is this to be explained? In view of the many devils' heads170 who do not speak the Word of God, our text must be mistaken. Take Judas, for instance. He was called directly by Christ, and yet he betrayed Him. In the Old Testament we find many similar false prophets. Caiaphas and Annas were also called directly, as it were, by God, since the priesthood was instituted by Him. They were not merely false teachers, but they even crucified Christ. At present the bishops and popes are occupying the seats of the apostles, but their acts run counter to those of the apostles. This would suggest the query whether it is true that he whom God sends utters the Word of God simply because he whom God sends has an office entrusted to him by God. Does John, with these words, wish to persuade and force me to hear and believe all that the pope or someone else who is sent says or claims? Then Christ Himself and the apostles would have been obliged to heed Caiaphas' words.
And Isaiah and Jeremiah would have been bound to admit that the chief priests taught correctly because they were sent.
To begin with, we must know that those who are sent speak the Word of God provided that they adhere to their office and administer it as they received it. In that event, they surely speak the Word of God. Christ said of the Pharisees: They "sit on Moses' seat" (Matt. 23:2). Those who occupy the seat of Moses are sent, and you must listen to them if they preach what Moses taught. But if their preaching is at variance with Moses, if they digress from Moses and violate the command given them and do not comply with it, then you should not follow them. A king's ambassador or emissary discharges his duty when he abides by his master's order and instruction. If he fails in this, the king has him beheaded. Thus it may well be that a person is called into an office and occupies this office, but still is a scoundrel. A king demands that his order be executed and that one neither add to it nor subtract from it. We see that when a person is called, he is invested with an office. If such a person preaches in conformity with the duties of his office, that is, if he preaches the Word of God, on which the office rests, all is well; if not, then the words apply to him: "Beware of false prophets!" (Matt. 7:15). If he is faithful to his office and preaches the message of his office, then all is proper. Previously John had also said that man can do nothing unless it is given him from above (John 3:27).
Now John says: "He whom God has sent." This means that God's Word is not thought of otherwise than as having been sent. Let no one suppose that God's Word comes to earth through human zeal. If it is
God's Word, it must be sent. It is impossible to understand and to interpret Holy Scripture of oneself or arbitrarily. It will not do to speak unless one is called; God's Word comes only when it is sent by God. If God had not sent it, the whole world would be ignorant about redemption from sin and comfort for the conscience. If God had not sent the Word and the ministry, we would have nothing. For this reason it is
- 221 imperative that we neither speak nor hear anything but the Word of God. Avoid whatever had its origin in man's mind and zeal. The Word of God does not come unless it is sent from heaven. Anyone associating with the monks should inquire of them whether their system is also the Word of God. You will hear them allege that it stemmed from good intentions and that its purpose is to honor God. From this they conclude that it is a worship of God and that it is the Word of God. But for anyone to worship God aright and to atone for sin more is necessary than good intentions! All that flows from your heart is zeal and your own opinion. Tell me whether God sent it from heaven and whether He commanded it. "But," they will reply,
"it was all done to glorify God!" All the worse; it is twofold blasphemy that you call that the Word of God and the worship of God which you yourself have fabricated. That is the way the pope deceived the world as he hid under the name and title of the church. No Word of God comes to the world unless it is sent by Him. If it has grown from my heart, if I pattern myself after Chrysostom, Augustine, and Ambrose, then it is not the Word of God. There is an enormous difference between the Word that was sent from heaven and that which is born of my own zeal and opinion. Holy Scripture did not spring from the soil of the earth.
Thus John says: "He who is of the earth speaks of the earth" (John 3:31). Therefore we must base our salvation firmly on the power of God's Word, not on our own zeal and imagination.
St. John is thinking particularly of Christ when he proclaims and says: "For He whom God has sent utters the Word of God." The Law of Moses was given, and the prophets were sent; but it was all directed toward Christ. All this was to cease with His advent. Therefore they said: "He will come, and when He comes, all this will end." Whoever proclaims today that He is still to come denies that He who was born of Mary is the Messiah. All the prophets declared that the Messiah would come one day. But the Jews quote these declarations as still pertaining to the future, although they have been fulfilled long ago. The prophets did not lie; they spoke the truth. He was born in Bethlehem and dwelt in Nazareth. When I hear this, then it is time that I believe it; to close my ears to this message means to lose Him. This announcement of John is related to the statement found in the eighteenth chapter of Deuteronomy: "The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among you, from your brethren. Him you shall heed. And He will put
His words in His mouth, and He shall speak to you. And whatever soul will not listen to Him, of that soul will He require it and punish it" (Deut. 18:15–19). Moses wants to say: "I, Moses, am preaching to you now. But from the midst of your brethren a Preacher will be raised into whose mouth God will put His
Word. Make sure that you heed Him. Do not say that you are Moses' disciples. I am pointing out to you a Prophet who is not to come from foreign lands. No, He is to be born from your brethren, and He will bring you God's Word. It will come to pass that the Law will be abrogated and the promise fulfilled; then no other message than that of the Messiah will have validity." Now He has been sent in accord with the testimony of all the prophets. He is present, John says, whom God wanted to send and now has sent, whose coming God foretold long ago. And it is He alone who now "utters the Word of God." Anyone who deviates from Him in his message, whether he appeared before or after the prophets, counts for nothing; for it is not the Word of God. No other has been sent than He who proclaims the Word of God.
"Therefore we should not boast of our zeal, that we are disciples of the prophets or children of the patriarchs.171 That will never be, for the Father has taken everything out of the hands of Moses and entrusted it to the Son. Therefore forget about your zeal and your own opinion, also about Moses and all the prophets; their time is past. Our zeal and the figment of our own thoughts dare find no voice in our message, but only He who was to come and who is above all. If you fail to do this, you are lost. The prophets do not side with you; for they all testify of Him and then cease their preaching. They all say: 'He is the One we desire. It is He.' Next to Him, Jeremiah and Isaiah pale into insignificance; for they merely announced that the Messiah would appear." The prophets' work is ended, as is John's, with the proclamation: "He is present." Therefore the ears of all the world are now glued to the mouth of this Man who is sent, of whom John says that He is to be known as the One who is sent. Thus He alone is to be acknowledged in heaven, on earth, and in hell as the One who is effective against sin and death. Now John uses all diligence to point to Him in his sermons, so that He may increase and all the prophets may decrease. Now all must lend an ear, for to hear Him is to hear God Himself. This is of the greatest moment, for the devil sows discord and the world is ever eager for something novel and something more perfect. It turns its back on this Man. The Turk forsook Him, saying: "The Messiah died long ago. I have another now; don't speak to me about Him. I have studied the matter thoroughly." The Jews are still waiting for the Messiah and hoping that He will appear. The pope is like the Turk. He says: "To be sure, you obtain forgiveness of sin in Baptism. But since you have committed sin after your Baptism, Christ can
- 222 do you no good. Therefore you must enter the cloister." He puts an obstacle in your way, just as the Turk does. Thus they all pass the Man by and either strike Him down or hope for something else. But do not let anyone deceive you and supplant this Preacher with another who lays claim to a method of ridding you of your sin. Do not say: "He lived long ago, and He died long ago." No, say: "He was yesterday, He is today, and He remains my Savior into the grave and from the grave. He remains my Savior until the Last Day and in eternity."
Therefore John continually repeats that the Father sent Him, yes, sent Him. He emphasizes that Christ was the One truly sent, that no other has been sent in this way, and that His Word is to be accounted valid.
Our belief, our trust, our hope must conform to His teaching. John plays the role of a faithful forerunner; he warns and admonishes that no Word but His and no Ambassador but Him are to be recognized.
Furthermore, His death was not like that of Jeremiah, Isaiah, Moses, or others. Therefore His Gospel is in force forever and ever. The Word was initiated by Him and also remains eternally; by it we are saved.
Augustine declares that the sayings about Christ were not properly understood in times past, but that a better understanding was achieved later, when the Law was abrogated and prophecy was fulfilled.172 Now no other must be heeded than Christ alone. Be on your guard against all others. If you do hear another, be aware of the fact that he was not sent and that you will not hear the Word of God from him. Give ear only to this Man, for He has God's Word.
34. For it is not by measure that God gives the Spirit.
This, too, sounds strange. It is John's urgent purpose to point out to us that we should see and hear nothing but Christ alone. He alone suffices, for Moses and the prophets must cease. All others are denied the honor due the Messiah; and whoever relies on his own holiness, as the pope and the Turk do, is damned. It would be an immeasurable boon if the pope and the Turk also taught thus.173 John's emphasis on the fact that Christ alone works all is supported, as already stated, by the passage in Deut. 18, where we read: "I will put My words in His mouth" (18:18). To hear it spells your salvation; to disregard it means your doom. This implies that Moses' reign was limited. Anyone who depends on the Ten Commandments, good works, etc., is in the position of a pent-up rabbit. He is without the freedom of which St. Paul says:
"Where the Spirit is, there is freedom" (2 Cor. 3:17). The text teaches that the Holy Spirit will be imparted without measure. This Person does not possess just one gift or two from the Holy Spirit, as the prophets, the apostles, and we have. Of such gifts we read in 1 Cor. 12. There the Holy Spirit is given in part. Thus we also read in Moses: "Gather seventy-two men, six from each tribe" (Num. 11:16–17). This implies a divided Spirit, a Spirit split into a variety of gifts; here all gifts are not imparted to one person. But Christ possesses the Holy Spirit without measure. You must not imagine that He owns only a fraction of the Holy
Spirit; no, He is an altogether different and a more wonderful Preacher and Teacher. In Him the Holy Spirit does not dwell piecemeal, as He does in others. The Colossians were told that in Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom, life, salvation, grace and mercy; "for in Him the whole fullness of the Deity dwells bodily" (Col. 2:3, 9). Thus the Holy Spirit is present in Christ in His entirety and without measure, for Christ is the only-begotten Son of the Father. To be sure, we, too, are children of God; but we are not He who has all and of whose fullness we all receive (John 1:16). He was given to us to be Wisdom and Righteousness, and to be over all. Therefore no other was sent; He alone brings us the Word which contains all. This is what is meant by not having the Spirit "by measure."
We are the beneficiaries of His possessing the Spirit without measure, for His fulfillment brings us Christian liberty. The others, who walk in the path of the Ten Commandments and live under the Law, are, as it were, confined in prison. But he who believes in Christ partakes of this immeasurable liberty in which the Spirit says: "You are delivered not only from the Law of Moses but also from its every accusation and condemnation." Thus we now own a Preacher who has all, while on others God bestowed the Spirit with measure. We who believe also receive from this illimitable Spirit; through faith we enjoy
Him as our chief Treasure.
Later, in the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel, John places Christ on a par with God (14:9). We have our being from Him, not from ourselves. Only in Him is our conscience free from all laws and all terrors.
Since the Spirit is in Christ perfectly, we also have the Spirit through Him. We have a Preacher from whose inexhaustible fullness we can draw. At this spring we drink, satisfying our thirst of body and soul through Him.
The reason for this is found in the words: "The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand" (John 3:35).174
"It is not by measure that He gives the Spirit" (John 3:34). These words refer particularly and exclusively to the Person of Christ. Of Him it is said that the-Holy Spirit is not meted out piecemeal, but that He possesses the Spirit entirely. To other saints the Holy Spirit was apportioned in part; no one possesses the Holy Spirit wholly, not even Moses. To Christ alone the Holy Spirit is given completely, for He is full of mercy and truth. St. Paul states that in Him dwell the treasures of wisdom; for outside Him there is sheer blindness, idolatry, and ignorance (Col. 2:3).
The purpose of this sermon, as of the entire Gospel of John, is to induce us to place our reliance on this Man, to seek salvation nowhere else, and to be immune to any other message, whether it be that of the pope or an imperial decree or even the Law of God. Anything else must be set aside, however wise, clever, and lofty it may be. Nothing else can help one attain eternal life. It is this doctrine alone which does that. If we had remained loyal to it, so many schisms would never have arisen. All fullness inheres in this Man; God dwells in Him bodily, and the Holy Spirit without measure. To the others the Holy Spirit was apportioned only in part, as we read in the Letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 12:4). But we become partakers of the Holy Spirit through Him and in Him, also of the grace which is called "immeasurable"
(Eph. 2:7). St. Paul said: To one has been given grace to be an apostle, to another to be a prophet, to a third to be an evangelist or to be endowed with the grit of interpreting Scripture (Eph. 4:11; 1 Cor. 12:28–
29). In the chief gift of grace, however, we all share in the fullness of our Lord God. God's grace and mercy have been poured out upon us so abundantly that they know no measure and bounds but will endure in all eternity. This grace and mercy surround us on all sides; they are without measure in their height, depth, and breadth. This is what is meant by "grace." In the government of the church we find a variety of gifts employed, but all these will one day cease. Grace and mercy, however, are eternal. Our remission of sin is not confined to a span of one or two thousand years; no, this is an eternal redemption, salvation, bliss, and life, a forgiveness without measure. All this we owe to Him; it is imparted to us by Him. It did not dwell in us originally, as it did in Him. Through Him we also enjoy the possession of grace and of the Holy Spirit without measure, not because of our merits but because we believe in Him.
35. The Father loves the Son.
The evangelist repeatedly stresses this thought from John the Baptist's sermon: that we should give ear to no other and turn to no other than Him. He wishes to say: "He is above all, for He comes from heaven and utters the Word of God and gives the Holy Spirit without measure." Now John the Baptist appends the reason for the preceding statements. He says: "The Father loves the Son." This explains why He came from heaven and is above all: He is the beloved Son, and whoever has the Son also has the Father. At Christ's Baptism the Father Himself said: "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him."175
Here we must distinguish between those who are from heaven and those who are down below on earth; for it has been decreed that all else, no matter what it is called, is under the wrath of God. No love and no mercy are to be found, nothing but wrath, if you are without this Man; for God the Father bestowed
His love on none but the Son. Now He also wants to gather us under this Clucking Hen, lest we go astray and fall prey to the hawk; only here may we look for grace. People torture themselves in vain; for no love is to be found anywhere else—only in and under the Son. Without Him there is nothing but wrath, disfavor, and displeasure. St. Paul says to the Philippians that He has called and sanctified us in His
Beloved [cf. Eph. 1:6]. Why does He not say: "In the beloved Son"? He wants to convey the thought that there is no love and no friendship other than in the beloved Son; all else lies under wrath. And now when I say that He loved us in the Beloved, I think of His Son, since there is nothing but disfavor without Him. It is unavailing to say: "I mean well; I am surely serving God; I call upon the Creator of heaven and earth."
Listen and learn that it is sheer disfavor and wrath until you take hold of Christ. God wants to assemble the Christian Church under one Head, which is Christ. Then it will also be "beloved." This was not recorded for the sake of the Lord Christ but for our sakes, that we might learn that God's love reposes nowhere else than in this Person, and that we might remain united and beware of those who seek other mediators and helpers than Christ. The devil is very assiduous in trying to divert us from Christ. To invoke the Virgin Mary and the saints may make a beautiful show of holiness; but we must stay together under the Head, or we are eternally damned. What will become of those who rely on St. Barbara and St. George, or those who crawl for shelter under Mary's cloak? To be sure, such people present a fine semblance of worship, but they transform the Son and His love into a judge. Why, then, did God grant Him to us as Mediator and High Priest? The pope has definitely endorsed the invocation of the saints, and by means of - 224 false teachers and evil temptations the devil does not cease to rob us of consolation. Therefore we must say: "Let them all talk and preach! The fact remains that whatever is of the earth is earthly; but He who is from heaven utters the Word of God, and the Father loves the Son." That is, without Him you will never penetrate to the love of God. In order to remove all your doubt you must realize that He loved Him so much that He placed everything into His hands; that is, He made Him almighty. St. Paul confirms this, saying that all the treasures of wisdom repose in Him (Col. 2:3); that is, God's highest wisdom, righteousness, and truth have been deposited in the Son, and all has been given Him. Whoever aspires to be a Christian, dare take no other way, follow no wrong scent, or be misled by a will-o'-the-wisp. No, salvation, death, and sin are all collected on one heap and placed on this Person. If you wish to have God and be saved, you must take refuge under this Head, as we read in Ps. 8: "Thou hast put all things under His feet" (Ps. 8:6), nothing excepted in heaven or earth. He holds all angels, all men, leaves, fruits in His hand; He is the almighty God. As we read in Gen. 1 and in other chapters, God subjected all oxen and sheep and all things in general to the dominion of man; but we do not find it added that man is to be lord over everything. Adam never advanced to the point where he held absolute sway over all the birds, fish, and beasts. Even if he had really ruled over all these, still he was not appointed lord over heaven and earth, over life and death, over sin and righteousness. But to this Lord, Christ, all has been given without reservation. Whatever God has, Christ, too, possesses. Therefore since God gave Him all, He also placed
Him on His throne and invested Him with His majesty.
Now the question arises again: How do we harmonize these two facts: that He is Lord over all and that at the same time He is a human being? If He is God, how could God give Him all? If He is God, He has always possessed everything. From the mere fact of His possessing all we deduce that He must be God; for God does not give everything in heaven and on earth to anyone unless he is God. Now if He is God and owns all, how can it be given to Him? This subject has often been discussed before in order to enable us to cope with the fanatics. You know about the communication of properties: two natures dwell in the Lord Christ, and yet He is but one person. These two natures retain their properties, and each also communicates its properties to the other.176
The fact that this Man who is called Jesus Christ and who is Mary's Son is not older than 1,539 years has confused and perplexed many. One is quick to infer: "Well, if that is so, then He cannot be eternal."
This Man Christ suffered death on the cross when Pontius Pilate was governor in Judea. In view of this, one says rashly: "Well, then how can He have all things in His hands? And if He has all, He must have possessed this before His incarnation. How do you reconcile this?" In this way: The two natures, the human and the divine, are inseparable. They are so united in one Person that the properties of the one nature are also attributed to the other. For instance, mortality is peculiar to human nature; now that the human nature is united in one Person with the divine, death, exclusively the attribute of the human nature, is also ascribed to the divine. Now we can say: "God became man, God suffered, and God died." To attempt to separate humanity from divinity in any other way would be to lie; for God cannot die.
However, if you say that the two natures dwell together in one Person, you are expressing the truth. To be born and to be suckled are distinctive of human nature, for God does not drink milk. This would be inexplicable if man and God were not one Person. But the two natures are so united in one Person that it is correct to say: "The mother of God is a virgin; God is born." Since God and man are one Person, the properties characteristic of humanity alone are attributed to the deity; for the properties of the two natures are also united. Not to be born is also peculiar to the divine nature. In the Creed we pray and confess:
"Who was conceived and who was born"—that is human; and "sits at the right hand"—that partakes of the divine, although it may also be human. Thus the Child who drinks His mother's milk is eternal; He existed before the world's beginning, and He created heaven and earth. Since the two natures are united in one
Person, the effect is that the properties are also united. Admittedly, the properties of the divine nature have nothing in common with human nature. I shall go beyond this and say that there is still less relation between God and man. Yet these two natures are so united that there is only one God and Lord, that Mary suckles God with her breasts, bathes God, rocks Him, and carries Him; furthermore, that Pilate and Herod crucified and killed God. The two natures are so joined that the true deity and humanity are one. Now if the true God dwells in Christ, who was born of Mary, that is, the God who made and created all, we must say that the deity and the humanity joined not only their natures but also their properties, except for sin.
Consequently, whenever Holy Scripture refers to Christ as a human being, we always confess His deity as well. In Ps. 110:1 we read: "Sit at My right hand." This is addressed exclusively to the human
- 225 nature, but it is also to be applied to the divine nature; for Christ began to sit at the right hand after His ascension. His humanity had not occupied this place before this, but we cannot deduce from this that He had not previously sat there as God. Thus Christ, true man, is now called Lord over all; for He is true God.
One dare not claim with Arius: "If He is ascending into heaven now, it must follow that He was not there before."177 No, He was in heaven before; but then He was not yet a man. Since His incarnation the two natures are united; and the divine nature confers its properties on the human, and, vice versa, the human on the divine. Throughout his entire Gospel John speaks of Christ as a true and natural human being, and also as divine. Here he refers to Christ, who was born, was baptized, and has disciples, as a real human being; at the same time he declares that all that is God's alone was given into His hands. He employs the term "given to Him," which again applies to the human nature.
Thus the two natures are united in one Person, and there are not two Christ's. Therefore, when you hear it said that God gave all things into Christ's hands and that He raised Him from the dead, remember that this is spoken of Christ as man. Then again, when we hear the expression: "He is seated at the right hand of God the Father," bear in mind that the human nature is united with the divine. To be in heaven and to be on earth are one thing, just as to be crucified and to live are one thing. We spoke of this before in chapter six.178 If you are perplexed by the statement that Christ died and that He is alive, you might find it still stranger to hear that Christ is God and man in one Person, that Christ died on the cross as a man, and that He nonetheless remains Christ in eternity.
You must learn to brush aside all such doubts and misgivings. We are also called Christians because we acknowledge Christ in His doctrine. How can anything be given to Him? According to His deity, He does not receive anything; but God gave all to Christ inasmuch as God and man are one Person. Since the Son was man, God imparted to the man what was God's. And now, since it is given to the man, it is simultaneously given to God. Whoever apprehends and worships this man, also worships God; for He is
God in essence. In the fourteenth chapter of John, Christ says to Philip: "He who beholds the Son also beholds the true God" (14:9). The Person whom Thomas beholds declares: "I am the Way" (John 14:6).
Thomas sees this Person, but he does not know that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Those are divine properties, for no man is a way to life. The fact that Christ is the way to life finds its explanation in this: that the Person of Christ is not only human but is also God in essence. Therefore whoever hears and sees Him also hears God. Thus we read here: "The Father has given all things into His hands." Well, to have everything in one's hands is the equivalent of being God; for God "gives His glory to no other," as we read in Isaiah (42:8). Here He gives all to the Son, born of Mary, so that He may have all in His hands.
How is that possible? Even before this He possessed everything. Previously He had not been man; but now, when He dies and rises again from the dead, the words apply that all things are given to the Son.
Now you may say: "He who hangs suspended on the cross is Lord over all. Not until now does He receive the dominion effected by the union of the two natures. It was not like this before. Now He is glorified, and the news goes out to all that He is Lord over everything."
Thus the human nature in Christ shares in the glory of all the properties which otherwise pertain to God. Since the human nature, which did not possess these properties formerly, now receives them, the text properly states that all things are given to Him. Therefore it is true and proper to say that the Son of God and of Mary was from eternity; that Christ, the Son of God and of Mary, is still Lord over all; and that Christ, the Son of God, received all from the Father. Outside this Man Christ, who was born of the Virgin
Mary and who suffered, you must not seek God or any salvation and help; for He is God Himself. The Jews are offended by this. They regard us as stupid people, and they cite the First Commandment against us (Ex. 20:3): "You shalt have no other gods." And the Turk says: "You are big fools, for you worship three gods." But we are not such stupid asses as to fabricate two or three gods. No, we worship only one
God, and He is very God. Yet in this one God there are three Persons, one of whom is Christ, of whom we heard earlier that the whole fullness of deity dwells in Him (Col. 2:9). "Of His fullness we all receive grace upon grace" (John 1:16). And "he who believes in the Son has eternal life" (John 3:36).179
35. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.
We want to preach about our dear Lord Christ as long as God grants us the time; for we observe that the more we preach, the viler and more ungrateful the world becomes. It seems to me that the world will not last much longer.180 As long as we have life, however, we shall preach and glorify God.
Here John the Baptist declares: "The Father loves the Son." Before this we heard that "God gives the Spirit not by measure, for the Father gives all things into His hand." He is, of course, referring to Christ,
- 226 whom we call our Savior, stressing that the Holy Spirit was not apportioned to Him in part, as He is to all other men. During His earthly sojourn He possessed no less of the Holy Spirit than He does now; for He is without sin and error, as no other saint is. There has never been a prophet, not even Moses, who did not feel the need to pray an Our Father. It is the exclusive glory of this Man Christ, the woman's Seed, that "He committed no sin" and that "there was no deceit in His mouth," as we are told in Is. 53:9 and in 1
Peter 2:22; for the Holy Spirit abounds in Him without measure. This pertains to His Person. We Christians, too, have the Holy Spirit, but only in part. Now Christ becomes our own and makes amends with His fullness for our insufficiency and shortcomings. Christ, however, lacks nothing; "for in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells" (Col. 2:9). This fullness also becomes ours, not in our person, as with Him, but by faith; thus we are enabled to amend our deficiency. Wherever the Lord is, there the Spirit is; yes, there is all.
"For the Father loves the Son." The evangelist speaks about this subject just as if he did not consider any other worth preaching about. He brushes all else aside and looks solely upon the Son of God. This is what we, too, must do, and with good reason; we should keep the great miracle in sight, regarding all else as chaff compared with the Son of God. He created heaven, earth, and all creatures; this might indeed impel us to sing and rejoice. But when God moves the Son into our vision, He includes all the creatures; for God gave Him everything on earth. God wishes to say: "I will show you the Head, under which all things are gathered; and this Head is My Son."
Now if I believe in God's Son and bear in mind that He became man, all creatures will appear a hundred times more beautiful to me than before. Then I will properly appreciate the sun, the moon, the stars, trees, apples, and pears, as I reflect that He is Lord over all and the Center of all things. Thus the Holy Spirit says of Him in Ps. 8:6: "Thou hast given Him dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou has put all things under His feet." To be sure, He was born of the Virgin Mary; but still He is sitting at the right hand of God. This is another way of saying that He rules over all, to be enthroned over the sun, the moon, and all creatures. We are very prone to brood over many things. If we fixed our thoughts on none but Jesus Christ, born of Mary, we would gladly lose our thalers, our barley, and our grain. But we turn our gaze from this beautiful view and concentrate our efforts on the poor creature, and we do not believe that He is Lord. If we kept Him before our eyes, we would not be so engrossed in acquiring thalers and grain. Flesh and blood decline to do this; they direct eyes and heart to granary and purse, saying: "Of what use is Christ?" Therefore we do not recognize Him or glorify Him as Lord over all, as John does here.
The Father loves Him. God loves His own, also the creatures; otherwise He would not have created them. All that He created was very good, as we read in Gen. 1:31. By way of contrast, all that the devil does is vile. God says to none of His creatures: "Be Lord over all!" And to none but the Son does He give the Holy Spirit without measure. He loves the Son so dearly that He says to Him: "Be Thou Lord over heaven and earth, also over the devil, over sin, life, righteousness; everything is placed in Thy hands."
This truly reflects a profound love. This has been recorded for our sakes that we may take cognizance of it and believe it; for the text continues: "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; He who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him."
We own a definite Lord, one whom we can touch. He lies in His mother's lap, and He hangs on the cross; as infinite God He became finite man. Our heart can feel assured that it possesses a true and genuine Lord in Him to whom all is subject in heaven and on earth, before whom angel and devil prostrate themselves, a Lord whom the Father loves as His only-begotten Son. When I have the assurance and conviction that He is Lord over all, over heaven and earth, over angels and all creatures; when I know that God takes delight in Him, that He places Him at His right hand, and that, consequently, this Man who was born of the Virgin Mary will also reign and rule there—then, I say, my heart has achieved a victory and can declare: "Lo, if He is favorably disposed toward me who is Lord over angels and devil, over death and life, not to mention gold, silver, barley, and grain, then I will not fear the world; then I can look to God with the assurance that no misfortune will befall me." Since God loves the Son, it was ordained that believers are also to be freed from God's wrath. In such circumstances the heart can be intrepid and exult:
"What can devil, death, and world do to me? This Lord, whom God has exalted and placed over all creatures, is favorably and graciously inclined toward me. In Him dwells the fullness of the Holy Spirit and of the majesty of God." The name of Christ thus inspires us with boldness and fearlessness, even under the tortures of Turk and devil. The only requisite is the firm faith that this Lord is gracious toward us.
- 227 Now do not think to yourself: "What does it benefit me that Christ loves me? What if the Father were angry with me?" No, the Father delegates all to the Son, saying: "If you are in the Sons favor and grace, then you need have no doubt regarding My own mercy. Then neither Turk nor devil and death will be able to seize and slay you. Nor will sword or fire or any power be able to separate you from Christ, for all has been entrusted to His hands" (Rom. 8:38–39). If He loves me and I believe this, then I have full assurance; and the certainty of my assurance will be in proportion to the strength of my faith.
This message is being proclaimed today. But the world does not show itself worthy of it; it also hates us for the sake of this light and this knowledge. Would to God that we could accustom our hearts to say whenever we behold a creature, no matter which: "This is a creature of my dear Lord, who died for me."
Then if wind or water encompassed me, I would say: "This is also a creature of my dear Lord." If He directs it to deal with me in a way different from what I like, I tell myself that He is the Lord and that this creature must do His bidding, that it remains subject to Him, as I do too; for the Father has placed all things in His hand.
In this message of the Christians there is a wisdom of which all but the godly are ignorant. The others do not care about this message; they busy themselves with usury and wantonness, and they will never acquire this wisdom. Therefore we should thank God and be willing to hear and learn this message; for we will never fully learn and understand that the Son of Mary, Christ, is Lord over all; nor will we ever discern this in all creatures. St. Paul declares that He fills all things (Eph. 1:23; 4:10). Where did St. Paul find this? In this text. God created all and placed it under the dominion of Christ. Wherever I turn my eyes, I see evidence of this. Thus the world is filled with records of Christ's presence, although very few people recognize them. They also divorce the Father from the Son and suppose that they must approach the Father with their own works, as the Turk and the pope do, imagining that Christ is asleep. Christ's dominion is too profound for us to comprehend, and we must simply believe it; for even if the world were full of devils, as it really is, Christ's Gospel and Baptism will endure nevertheless. Appearances to the contrary nothwithstanding, the Holy Spirit still declares that the whole world is nothing but Christ, the Son of God and of Mary. No sparrow can fly without His will. And remember that faith is pleasing to God, for He loves the Son. All this has been written for our instruction (Rom. 15:4).
Now the text proceeds to inform us why this was recorded and why it is still preached. Why? "He who believes in the Son has eternal life." The preceding statements—for instance, that Christ has the Holy
Spirit without measure, that He is Lord, and that everything is under His feet, as Ps. 8:6 and Ps. 110:1 testify—are proclaimed about Him for your benefit and for mine, that we might believe it and learn to know Him. If you hear this message and believe that it is true, even though appearances may contradict it, then you can declare: "Even if the whole world were full of devils, even if death and devil menaced, even if hunger and distress loomed, even if the future bore promise of good or evil days—I do not care. I close my eyes and valiantly pass through it all." Happy are you; eternal life is yours. For the Son has equal power with God the Father.
This is preached that you may believe that Christ the Lord became man because of sin, as the articles of the Christian Creed declare. There I am assured that I shall have eternal life, that the devil will not devour me, that death will not consume me, and also that the poverty which oppresses will work no harm.
What a consoling message this would be for the captive Christians in Turkey!181 They could believe it no matter how furiously the Turk may rant and rave. This was also a source of consolation for the martyrs.
When the sword was put to their necks or the faggots were ignited, they declared: "In spite of all I shall acclaim Him as my Lord." Often it would seem as though Christ cannot deliver us from sin, death, and tyrants, despite the assurance and conviction that we are loved by the Father and the Son. Would to God that we could preach this message to our brethren languishing under the tyranny of the pope and the Turk; for we are tired of this doctrine and surfeited with it and we show no interest in it any longer. Let us be prudent and not neglect our opportunity, because the Turk is eager to come and find such evil fellows.
Then you will see what good your thalers will do you! Yet the world will not believe this; it surrenders itself to thalers and to the lust of the world, although it is well aware that it must die. In the hour of death thalers, money, and good will profit you nothing. But they say: "It is a long time until then." How disgraceful! Why do you not turn to Christ, your Savior, of whom neither death, devil, nor Turk can rob you? Oh, what will be the fate of those who not only disbelieve but regard all this as a fairy tale? "Yes," says the world, "we do prize a chest filled with guldens, a granary bursting with grain, and a cellar stocked with wine. Why should we believe?" What will become of those who persecute and revile the Gospel?
- 228 Therefore we have ample reason for gratitude toward our God if He speaks to us and calls us into the kingdom of heaven. Rome did not always have the Gospel; in times past it was also preached in Turkey.
And if the Gospel departs from us, we shall never retrieve it. Rome and Jerusalem would not grant it admittance; therefore they forfeited it.
Permit Christ to be the only image in your heart, and say: "I believe in a Lord who is called Jesus Christ, who was born of a virgin, who is Lord over all, and who creates all." Then I can declare that I have such a Lord in Jesus Christ, who received all from God, the heavenly Father; this means that He is not only God but also man, and that this same Man, born of Mary, is Lord over all. And this Lord, who is God and man in one Person, we can find in all creatures. If we did this, we would not be so greedy and grasping but would say: "After all, I have a Lord who creates grain and wine and all the necessities of life.
If I own such a Lord, I will also possess all things with Him. On the other hand, if He takes it away, I shall also suffer this patiently." If you believe in Him, you are sure of eternal life, whether you are taken by death and are buried or fall prey to the pestilence. You will live even if you are ravaged by syphilis or pestilence, because Christ is Lord over all. If God permits the pestilence to take you, this is a chastisement.
But what kind of love does He manifest toward God? The Creed replies that He was born and that He suffered. That is an ineffable love.
"But he who does not believe in Him." It has been decreed that all is to be subject to Him. If this is so, then it follows that He must give it to you. Therefore it is necessary to believe in Him. If everything is in His hands, why do you want to seek it elsewhere? What do you suppose you will find if you forget Him and run after another? You will find hell-fire, for you are looking where nothing is to be found. Where are you headed? You are headed for the devil's behind! Christ is the only one whom the Father loves; and this
Son has nothing but love for us, because He died for us. Therefore it must be our concern to come and look here, for this is the only place where you will find anything. If you fail to search here, you will find nothing; for John says: "Whoever does not believe in Him is lost." Furthermore: "The wrath of God rests upon him"; he cannot extricate himself from the wrath of God, for our text says: "It remains upon him." If you believe in Him, however, you do not earn God's wrath, but you are in a state of grace. You were conceived and born in sin, and you live and die in sin unless you believe in the Son.
This is an impressive message. What did we not do in the papacy! What pains I took and how I slaved!
And what did I acquire with it? Hell-fire, if God had not granted me the knowledge of His dear Son! In the papacy I did not believe in Christ. I was indeed cognizant of the fact that He would come to judge the quick and the dead, the just and the unjust. And we called Him a blessed man, who rendered satisfaction for His own sins. But that He had died for my sin—this fact lay dead in my heart for a long time. We were also taught that each should see how he might be saved after Baptism. The Turkish faith has the same content: "If you are pious and just, and if you perform good works, you are saved." The work-righteous teach the same thing; they make everything dependent on ourselves. This means nothing else than to run to God and pray that He should be gracious to us in view of our good works. All this leaves Christ out of the reckoning; yet in His hands God has placed everything, with the stipulation that he who believes in Him will have a gracious God and eternal life. Yet we avoid Him and strive to get to heaven without Him.
That is what the Turk does; and the best people in the papacy all forget the Lord Christ, into whose hands the Father has entrusted everything, whom the Father loves, and in whom He wants us to believe.
Do not let it puzzle and surprise you that children and all Christians speak these words so naively and simply. You will never be able to learn this doctrine fully, for it involves a stone of offense, which hinders its acceptance. Would that the road to faith were free from all trials, offense, and obstruction! An adult of mature age experiences the opposite as he begins to reason. He feels sin, death, and the devil with all his scales.182 Therefore beware that you do not take offense at this, lest your faith be suppressed! A child183 is more adept at this than you, for it does not have such opposition and resistance to cope with. We, however, often experience such terrible things that we imagine that Christ has no kingdom at all.
Nevertheless, if the Turk were to succeed in his conquest of all kingdoms and kings, even then we would have to say that the Turk, too, is subject to Christ. If it were not for all the rebuffs, blows, and temptations, the exercise of faith would not be such an art. We must learn to surmount all obstacles, for the time is coming when heaven and earth will be transformed by fire,184 and God will create a new heaven. If you despise Christ and seek forgiveness of sin elsewhere or look for eternal life without Him, you will achieve nothing. God offered His only-begotten Son—not St. Peter or John the Baptist or an angel—for the