Now comes the question: Since Christ has died and taken away our sins, how does it come that we still feel that sin and death are
within us? For sin gnaws at the conscience, and an evil conscience causes us to fear the judgment. Answer: I have already said that it
is one thing to feel, and quite another thing to believe. Faith clings to the Word in despite of feelings and reason. Feeling operates
against faith, and faith against feeling. For this reason you must set reason aside and listen only to the Word, permit the Spirit to inscribe
the Word upon your heart and believe it. Hold to the Word, even though you have no feeling that your sins are forgiven, and even despite
the fact that you feel the power of sin in you. You must not go by your feelings. You must hold fast the truth that sin, death and the devil
are conquered, even though you feel that you are held back by sin, death and the devil. For though there still is in you a feeling of the
strength of sin, that should drive you all the more to faith and make you strong in faith. Disregard your feeling of sin and guilt before God
and take Him at His word. Then let your heart and conscience rest in Christ. Thus faith leads us, in spite of our feeling and the
strictures of reason, through sin, death, and hell. As a consequence, you shall see God’s redemption. You shall realize thoroughly what
you formerly believed, namely, that sin, death and all evil have been taken away from you…Sin still clings to us, in spite of our faith and
trust in the promises of the Word of God. Pride, avarice, anger, and other sins, still torment us, but only to drive us to faith, in order that
faith may increase and grow stronger every day.
within us? For sin gnaws at the conscience, and an evil conscience causes us to fear the judgment. Answer: I have already said that it
is one thing to feel, and quite another thing to believe. Faith clings to the Word in despite of feelings and reason. Feeling operates
against faith, and faith against feeling. For this reason you must set reason aside and listen only to the Word, permit the Spirit to inscribe
the Word upon your heart and believe it. Hold to the Word, even though you have no feeling that your sins are forgiven, and even despite
the fact that you feel the power of sin in you. You must not go by your feelings. You must hold fast the truth that sin, death and the devil
are conquered, even though you feel that you are held back by sin, death and the devil. For though there still is in you a feeling of the
strength of sin, that should drive you all the more to faith and make you strong in faith. Disregard your feeling of sin and guilt before God
and take Him at His word. Then let your heart and conscience rest in Christ. Thus faith leads us, in spite of our feeling and the
strictures of reason, through sin, death, and hell. As a consequence, you shall see God’s redemption. You shall realize thoroughly what
you formerly believed, namely, that sin, death and all evil have been taken away from you…Sin still clings to us, in spite of our faith and
trust in the promises of the Word of God. Pride, avarice, anger, and other sins, still torment us, but only to drive us to faith, in order that
faith may increase and grow stronger every day.
| Christian Writings: Written by or Recommended by Christian Friends |
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| Simul iustus et peccator - simultaneously justified and sinful An excerpt from an Easter sermon by Martin Luther received from Pastor Don Baron |
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