The peculiar duty of bishops and pastors

Genesis 45:15. And he (Joseph) kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

AELW 8:54

"Accordingly, the example of Joseph is a true and clear picture of the resurrection of Christ. And such things happen daily in the church. For it is the peculiar duty of bishops and pastors to teach, buoy up, and comfort, not hardened and foolish persons who cannot be set right with words and should rather be left to the executioner and hangman, but tO apply the balsam of Holy Scripture to the afflicted and the distressed. “Do not fear! Have confidence, my son! Your sins are forgiven you!” (Cf. Matt. 9:2.) But how difficult this application is both my own experience and that of others testifies. I have read the Bible with the greatest zeal and diligence for about 30 years, but I have not yet been cured in such a way that I could with full confidence find rest in the remedies shown by God. I would desire to be stouter and stronger in faith and prouder in Christ, but I cannot be.

Therefore the wound is healed in the inn after oil and wine have been poured on it (cf. Luke 10:30–35). For the churches are nothing else than lodging places of this kind in which the people who feel sin, death, and the terrors and vexations of an afflicted and wounded conscience are healed. There, to be sure, faithful and diligent care must be exercised by the ministers by pouring on oil and wine. For sin is a very cruel disease, and conscience is a very delicate thing and a most tender wood grub, so to speak, as the old translator said about David in 2 Sam. 23:8. For this grub is destroyed even by a slight injury to the skin.

And a good little line teaches the same thing: “Reputation, faith, and the eye allow no jesting.” For just as faith, that is, conscience, is offended in a very brief moment, so the eye and reputation are most delicate things that can very easily be injured. From one little word imprudently uttered or wrongly understood, innumerable calumnies and slanders often arise. Thus, therefore, a reconciliation and healing of these brothers took place, even though they were not yet completely restored. And this is a clear example of the healing which customarily takes place in the church through ministers and teachers."

The Law and the Word of promise

AELW 8:40-41

"Wrath and judgment are shown through the Law to keep us from sinning. But when we have fallen, we have the Word of promise by which we are taught not to despair but to bear in mind that the goodness and mercy of God are boundless. He gave His Son for us that He should be our satisfaction and that by His blood our sin should be devoured and destroyed.

God should not be tempted. Nor should one be presumptuous with regard to His mercy. No, one should ask and hope for the remission of sins in faith and in the humility of repentance. Thus when Joseph praises the wonderful governance of God, he does not adduce merits or crimes and the impudence of the brothers; he adduces the mercy of God, who does not want sinners to perish but wants all to be saved."

Let God rule

AELW 8:36-37

"we are in the midst of death, and the world gives signs of falling in ruins. But the Lord lives. Everything belongs to the Creator, who is the almighty Father. Therefore we should have no regard for the magnitude of the disasters and for the power of those who persecute us. Nor should our own dangers or those of our wives and children terrify us. Thus Joseph does not look at prison, disgrace, death, and the very sad and horrible things that befell him. No, he clings to the Word and believes in the almighty Father. But if the Turk or the pope swallow us alive, what are they doing? They are swallowing our death, miseries, and troubles, and are exchanging this unhappy life for eternal life, provided that we believe in the almighty Father.

“Meanwhile, however, religion is being destroyed,” you will say. What will happen then? What of it? Let God rule. Let Him take care of this. The Lord will see to it that the church and a holy seed are preserved on earth. Certainly Joseph was sent to the Egyptians, a barbarous and godless nation with no knowledge of God, where there was great danger that his tender heart would be seduced after being imbued with perverse dogmas and with superstition. But the outcome bears witness that that very mission and danger led to many blessings. Thus it is possible for God also to preserve some of us to be a nursery for the church when the Turk and the enemies of God have been destroyed. For He allows them to rave and rage with no other end in view than that they may be destroyed and perish. In the meantime, however, the light of the Gospel is gradually being propagated more and more. Only let us keep on believing, teaching, suffering, and dying; for they, too, will have to perish.

“But you are being slaughtered in spite of this,” you will say. What then? I know that I must depart from this life. Therefore I do not care, no matter whether I am killed by the pope or the Turk. I believe in Christ. Him I confess and invoke. Anyone who wants to may be angry or laugh.

In this manner the very saintly fathers placed all trust and hope in Christ, and with this faith they conquered death, hell, and Satan with great strength of heart and obtained the eternal glory which is laid up for them and for us in heaven. If Joseph had remained at home and in the household of his father, he would have lived there as a private individual and would have benefited only a few. But after the seed has fallen into the ground (of. John 12:24), it becomes the physical and spiritual salvation of many lands."

Absolution

AELW 8:24-26

Genesis 45:5. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here.

"There is no heavier grief than sorrow of heart, for it is death and hell itself. Therefore it must be counteracted, whether it disturbs you or someone else. Let anyone who can do so close hell and open heaven. Then heaven must be opened, and hell must be closed lest the sick heart be consumed by awareness of sin and grief over it.

Thus Joseph deals here in a most kindly and friendly manner with his brothers to give them more courage. For he was a wise man. He had an understanding of the struggles of conscience. Therefore he applies remedies which soothe the grief. He applies them at the right time. “Let there be no anger in your eyes. Do not think that I am angry. All has been pardoned, forgiven, and consigned to oblivion. I love you heartily and like a brother.”

This indeed is what it means to forgive a brother his fault from the whole heart (cf. Matt. 18:35), especially when he is distressed and grieving. So far Joseph has aimed at humbling his brothers, in order that they might despair completely of their safety and of returning to their father and might have certain and perpetual slavery before their eyes. But when they have been disturbed and terrified, he pardons them with such great clemency and affability that he even weeps with them as they weep.

Therefore this is an outstanding passage and one that is worthy of accurate observation. For one cannot say or believe how difficult it is to buoy up and revive a heart in despair and a conscience overwhelmed by sadness. Those who are not being tried are easily gladdened, but it requires toil and labor to bring a man who lies oppressed by spiritual grief and sorrow back to a knowledge of and faith in the goodness and mercy of God."

More Medicine

Dr. Just, beloved professor at Concordia Theological Seminary, stated it this way (from fading memory not an exact quote)..."Christ came into this world to make right all that has gone wrong..."

And here's Luther....

AELW 8:16

"the Holy Spirit and grace are a medicine, so to speak, for nature—a medicine by which what had been ruined or destroyed in the original corruption through sin is set to right and restored."

I have been baptized

AELW 8:8

"Those who are afflicted feel and complain that they are perishing and dying. Nor can nature think anything else when it is being mortified. It can say nothing else than “I am lost.” But oh, how happy and blessed the voice of Christians is if they can cling to the Word and say: “I have been baptized. I believe in God the Father. I believe in Jesus Christ”! Let only this remain firmly fixed in the heart. Then all will be well."

The medicine of God

AELW 8:7

"we must be troubled and humbled, if not by bloodshed and imprisonment, as the saintly martyrs suffered, at least through spiritual trials, sorrow, grief, and anguish of heart. Otherwise we shall perish in our sins. For the flesh is corrupt, filled with poison, leprous, and has need of a physician to counteract that rottenness by means of cross, martyrdom, sadness, confusion, and disgrace. These, you see, are the medicines with which God purges away sin."

Volume 8, Luther's prophecy

AELW 8:x

“Dr. Luther, the man of God, concluded his lectures on Genesis on November 17, 1545. He had begun them in the year 1535, when he said in his preface: ‘I shall linger over the exposition of this book and shall die in the process of doing so [immorabor et immoriar].’ In accordance with this prophecy concerning himself, he died piously, with earnest prayer to God, in his homeland, at Eisleben, on February 18, 1546.

Thus it seems certain that most or all of the lectures on which these transcripts were based were delivered during the calendar year 1545, and that Luther’s lecture on the last verses of the Last chapter of the Book of Genesis was delivered on Tuesday, November 17, 1545. It was to be not only the last lecture of his most massive work of Biblical exposition but the last lecture of his professorial career. Three months and one day later he died."

AELW Volume 8 - Genisis 45- 50

LUTHER’S
WORKS

VOLUME 8

LECTURES ON GENESIS

Chapters 45–50

Of God and State

AELW 7:348-349

"today the world stands and empires are preserved for no other reason than that God gathers a church for Himself in the midst of a perverse nation. The existence of a state and its administration must not be credited to princes or kings, who are generally ungodly and the very worst of men; but all things are preserved on account of the Word, Baptism, and the holy seed that is left in the church. For if the world were without godly men and those who are to be saved, it would not stand; and when the last saints are living, the Last Day will soon come. For God has no concern for the state and the household except for the sake of the church."

What do I care if only I have a gracious God?

AELW 7:335-336

"an evil conscience can in no way be satisfied or converted to God unless it has died. Otherwise it always flees from God, from whom it should neither flee nor shrink, since God is such a good God that He should be the sole Refuge of all those who despair and are destitute of the help and comfort of all creatures. But a heart conscious of its guilt would rather be changed into a thousand forms and sooner rush through rocks, fires, bronze mountains, and finally to the devil himself than approach God.

Is it not great and deplorable wretchedness that we fear and shun Him concerning whom Holy Scripture so often asserts that He has become our Refuge from generation to generation? Indeed, if father and mother forsook us and east us off, He would receive those who have been east off, as Ps. 27:10 states: “My father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me up.” Therefore if all creation were to declare nothing else than that you are lost, cursed, and damned, you would nevertheless have to say with Ps. 73:25–26: “Just as long as I have Thee, my flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” What do I care if only I have a gracious God?"

Afraid of a sausage?

AELW 7:335

"The same thing happens to us that formerly happened to me in my boyhood and to my companions with whom I used to gather contributions for our support during our student days. For when at the time of the celebration of Christs birthday in the church we were singing in four voices from door to door in the villages the usual songs about the boy Jesus who was born in Bethlehem, it happened by chance that we came to a country house situated in a lonely spot on the outermost borders of a village. When the farmer had heard us singing, he came out of the house and asked in a boorish voice where we were. “Where are you, you rascals?” he asked. At the same time he brought out sausages which he intended to give us. But at the sound of these words we became so terrified that we all scattered, although we knew no reason at all for our terror, and the farmer was offering the sausages with the greatest goodwill. It is possible, of course, that our hearts, beaten down as they were by the constant threats and the cruelty with which teachers were accustomed to rage against their pupils, were more likely to be upset by sudden fright. Finally, however, he called us back from our flight; and we laid our fear aside, ran up, and took the contribution he was handing us.

We are accustomed to tremble and flee in the same manner when our conscience is guilty and perturbed. We are afraid of a sausage, and we even fear those who wish us the best."

"God is not angry with you..."

AELW 7:332, notes that the first statement in bold below, "God is not angry with you..." is elsewhere attributed to Staupitz. And as a side note this particular quote is also reflected in "Luther - The Movie."

The second bolded text, "If the devil..." I highlighted because I liked the statement ;-)

And the sentence beginning with, "But a heart..." is similar to a later writing of Shakespeare, Richard III, Act V, scene 3, lines 193-195...

"My Conscience hath a thousand several tongues
And every tongue brings in a several tale,
And every tale condemns me for a villain."

AELW 7:332-333

"the conscience is affected toward God; for when He smiles and is most favorable toward us, it fears His wrath in spite of this and thinks that He is hostile and angry. Therefore it was an extraordinary statement on the part of a certain brother in our monastery who used to say to those who were afflicted and disturbed: “God is not angry with you. Do not be angry with Him. For you are more likely to be in a rage against Him.” This is really the feeling of hearts alarmed by fear, because an impure heart cannot see God, as Christ says: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). Accordingly, those who do not have a pure heart are by far the most unhappy of all; for they do not see God but think that they are looking at or listening to Satan when they think, speak, or hear about God.

Nothing so salutary, so good and pleasant, is offered to an evil conscience in the hour of trial that it does not turn to fear, pain, and terror. It can do nothing else than testify and fight against us. And when it finally lies prostrate, the whole world does not suffice to raise it up. For it is the death of the soul, and to raise up and arouse consciences is nothing else than raising the dead. Therefore the church quickens more through the spoken Word which it has than Christ Himself did during His ministry. Thus He says in John 14:12: “He who believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do.” Accordingly, many great miracles are performed daily—works which we do not see and to which the world gives no heed.

Conscience is something greater than heaven and earth. It is killed by sin and quickened through the Word of Christ. Therefore we should make efforts to be freed from this exceedingly evil beast from hell. For without it hell would have no fire or any tortures. But this beast inflames and strengthens death and hell; it arms all creation against us. For all things are angry and are sad, fierce, and gloomy; they are against us. And this is not the fault of the creature, which is good and neither threatens nor harms us. No, we, who are afraid and flee, are to blame for this.

On the other hand, a joyful and untroubled conscience breaks through, triumphs, and despises death and the devil, as is excellently described in Ps. 112:7–8: “He is not afraid of evil tidings; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady, he will not be afraid.” No matter whether the devil and the world laugh or are angry, it does not care. If the devil does not want to laugh, then let him be angry. But a heart conscious of guilt is terrified even at a good report; for conscience, as is commonly said, is a thousand witnesses, yes, a thousand armies, against us. But how these terrors are overcome is taught elsewhere, in the doctrine of the Gospel."

Conscience is an evil beast...

AELW 7:331

“Conscience is an evil beast which makes a man take a stand against himself.” The Italians also have a common saying: “It is necessary to kill one’s conscience and to say that it is nothing.” But how long will this evil be lulled to sleep? Until the Law comes. When it accuses and terrifies, I am killed; and I persecute, attack, and torture myself with vain thoughts that amount to nothing. Thus over and above the fact that we sin gravely against God, we also afflict ourselves; we take a stand against ourselves and fight until a brother comes up to console and buoy us up with the Word and say: “Why are you insane? Why are you imagining things in your dreams? You are mistaken. God is not angry with you; He has taken away your sin, etc.” For a heart that tortures itself needs such a remedy and the comfort of a brother."

Comfort in the Resurrection not Introspection

AELW 7:329

In Augustine’s Confessions we find this memorable and excellent statement: “Thou hast commanded, O Lord, and so it has come about that every disordered heart is its own punishment."[Augustine, Confession, I,12, 19]

This life is just a dream

AELW 7:319-320

"we, too, pass this life in dreams. But it is not yet clear that we are sleeping. We have not yet been freed from sleep. But there will come a time when we shall be aroused and our eyes will be opened, provided that we can believe the Word of God. But if we cannot lay hold of the great confidence in our hearts which the truth and strength of God’s promises requires, at least we should believe in our feeble way, as the fathers did, and not murmur or become weary in our praying and crying out to God. Thus Jacob undoubtedly prayed; for where prayer remains, there the promise and faith must be. Although it is a dimly burning wick (Is. 42:3), yet it does not rage against God. No, it sobs, and with this unutterable groaning the Holy Spirit is joined (cf. Rom. 8:26). He does not let you murmur and be broken by impatience. Therefore if you cannot believe, praise, and pray as you were accustomed to do in prosperity, at least do so as is customary and can be done in adversity. Trust and pray, as is written: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you” (Ps. 50:15).

These things must be set before the church for the strengthening of our faith, lest we fall away from God when we are tried and plagued somewhat harshly. For finally we shall see that our life, no matter how troublesome, has been like a sleep. And although we seemed to be in hell, we shall soon be awakened and shall realize that we have been carried into heaven. We shall wonder at that sudden elevation—an elevation which formerly we were not able even to dream of."

A propitious God

AELW 7:304

"This is what we often say and what Scripture bears out, namely, that we are still in the flesh, although we are righteous and have the Holy Spirit and the remission of sins, since we confess Christ, which would be impossible if the Holy Spirit, who glorifies Christ, were not in us. Accordingly, he who seriously honors Christ and does so with a good conscience has a propitious God, as Scripture and the words of the apostles and of the Son of God Himself bear witness. They cannot deceive us or lie. Why, then, are we mournful and sad? Why does Jacob, who also has the promises and yet forgets them, still mourn? He is wholly carnal; sin not only fights in his members (Rom. 7:23) but makes war on him and takes him captive. Or is it not unbecoming for us to be plagued and weakened in this way by our flesh? On top of this, the devil approaches, takes the opportunity offered by the flesh, and increases disbelief, mistrust, and forgetfulness of God."

pro•pi•tious \prə-ˈpi-shəs\ adjective

[Middle English propicious, from Latin propitius, probably from pro- for + petere to seek — more at pro-, feather]

(15th century)

1 : favorably disposed : benevolent

2 : being of good omen : auspicious 〈propitious sign〉

3 : tending to favor : advantageous

Inc Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. (Includes index.;, 10th ed.; Springfield, Mass., U.S.A.: Merriam-Webster, 1996, c1993).

Gehenna, Sheol, & Christ's descent into Hell

Genesis 4238. But he said: My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left. If harm should befall him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.

AELW 7:291-294

Finally, in this passage the Hebraists argue about the word שְׁאוֹלָה, which they understand to mean the grave and translate with “pit.” But they laugh at us for explaining it as Gehenna. But we care nothing about those unlearned asses; they have been given up to a base mind (Rom. 1:28) and outer darkness, so that they do not understand the language which is their own mother tongue.

But קֶבֶר has to mean one thing, and שְׁאוֹלָה has to mean something else. Just as the word “sepulcher,” קֶבֶר, is common to both the godly and ungodly, so is שְׁאוֹלָה. This is certain, and it is based on the usage of Holy Scripture, except that there is this difference: the sepulcher, קֶבֶר, properly speaking, is the earth which is dug out and in which the dead body is laid. For many die who are not interred, like those who are torn to pieces by wild beasts, are crucified, or are consumed by fire. To those a sepulcher is not granted, yet they are all said to descend from this life into the pit.

Therefore these words are correctly distinguished in such a way that the sepulcher is the place in which the body and bones of the dead are buried and where a definite time, person, and place are involved. But שְׁאוֹלָה is a kind of common receptacle not only for the bodies but also for the souls, where all the dead are gathered. In his Enchiridion to Laurentius Augustine mentions “secret shelters for souls.” Therefore this is that chaos in which, although it is unknown to us, there is no difference of places, times, and persons. Thither even those who lack sepulchers descend. It is a common place—provided that it can be called a place—not for the body but for the soul.

In the Apostles’ Creed we say that Christ died, suffered, was buried, and descended into hell. Here, according to the Hebrew way of speaking, these two things, the sepulcher and the descent into hell, are distinguished. And in Ps. 16:10 Christ says: “Thou wilt not leave My soul in Sheol.”

Properly and definitively speaking, therefore, שְׁאוֹלָה is shelter for the souls. But of what nature that place is has led to countless disputes and questions on the part of the ancients. For us this difference should suffice, that just as the body is kept in the earth, so the soul, when freed, comes into its own שְׁאוֹלָה. Nor is mention made of one שְׁאוֹלָה for the godly and another for the ungodly. Others, to be sure, engage in sharp disputes, and there are various arguments on both sides—arguments that do not particularly impress me.

In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus it is said that the rich man was buried in Hades (Luke 16:22–23), which is a sepulcher for the soul, not for the body. Nevertheless, we must think otherwise of the godly than of the ungodly, who are in the same שְׁאוֹלָה.

Thus Jacob says here and also above: “I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning” (Gen. 37:35). Likewise: “You would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol” (Gen. 42:38). Concerning the death of the godly there is a sure and very clear passage in Isaiah, when he says: “The godly enter into peace; they rest in their beds” (Is. 57:2). Likewise in Gen. 15:15: “As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.” In Gen. 25:8 we read: “Abraham was gathered to his people.” This is שְׁאוֹלָה, that is, a certain place into which the godly are gathered. Is. 57:2 calls it peace, saying: “He enters into peace; they rest in their beds who walk in their uprightness.” Here, of course he is speaking of the dead. Thus to Josiah it is said in 2 Chron. 34:28: “I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants.”

All these passages from Holy Scripture are plain and certain, namely, that the saints, according to the body, go into their קֶבֶר, just as Abraham is buried in the field of Ephron, east of Mamre (Gen. 25:9). According to the soul, however, they enter into their chambers of rest, into שְׁאוֹלָה, where they are gathered with their fathers. The godly indeed have a pit into which they descend, but they do so in order to rest in it. And although they descend with grief, nevertheless they pass over to rest and peace. Therefore this descent of the godly is nothing else than the changing of this life into another state, where one no longer lives under the sun and on the earth. But after leaving this life the godly enter their chamber or bed, in which they sleep and rest until body and soul are again united in the future and eternal life.

Therefore Scripture contains nothing at all about purgatory but says that the saints and righteous men pass over into their שְׁאוֹלָה, where they enjoy the sweetest peace and rest.

But that man is righteous who, although he is a sinner, nevertheless believes in God’s Son, receives absolution from sins through the ministry of the Word, has been baptized, and has partaken of the Sacrament of the Altar. He is truly absolved and righteous. For this man no purgatory has been prepared; but there is a sepulcher for his soul, the שְׁאוֹלָה of the godly, peace and rest in his chamber."

Raca

Genesis 42:35, " And as they emptied their sacks, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed."

Genesis 42:35

וַיְהִ֗י הֵ֚ם מְרִיקִ֣ים שַׂקֵּיהֶ֔ם וְהִנֵּה־אִ֥ישׁ צְרֹור־כַּסְפֹּ֖ו בְּשַׂקֹּ֑ו וַיִּרְא֞וּ אֶת־צְרֹרֹ֧ות כַּסְפֵּיהֶ֛ם הֵ֥מָּה וַאֲבִיהֶ֖ם וַיִּירָֽאוּ׃

Matthew 5:22 "[Jesus said] But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. "

Matthew 5:22 ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πᾶς ὁ ὀργιζόμενος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ ἔνοχος ἔσται τῇ κρίσει· ὃς δʼ ἂν εἴπῃ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ· ῥακά, ἔνοχος ἔσται τῷ συνεδρίῳ· ὃς δʼ ἂν εἴπῃ· μωρέ, ἔνοχος ἔσται εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός.

AELW 7:286

"רִיק means “to empty.” “Raca,” in Matt. 5:22, is derived from this word. It means a vain, empty, or good-for-nothing man. Here they open all the sacks, for we said above that they had several but did not open all at the inn. But now each one of them empties his sacks, and the grain is put in the common storehouse in the control of their father, in order that he may take it out for their daily use."

Therefore learn carefully the article about original sin.

AELW7:281-282

"Therefore learn carefully the article about original sin. And you should not argue about why God has permitted what people with an inquisitive bent are accustomed to inquire into. No, you should rather ask how we are rescued and freed from this evil and know that God speaks with us to arouse us to acknowledge it. When it has been acknowledged, He says: “Your sins are forgiven you; take heart, My son (cf. Matt. 9:2), because I have given My Son as a Lamb that is spotless from the beginning. If you acknowledge and confess your iniquity and transgressions, then My Son will be the propitiation for your sins; He will be your sanctification, redemption, righteousness, and wisdom, 1 Cor. 1:30.”

Then Holy Scripture is open, and you will see that it teaches nothing else than the fact that God sets forth His Son, who was crucified, resurrected, and delivered for our sins. Yet this will not enter your heart, nor will you attain to the knowledge of what Christ is, unless you understand, with Scripture as your mentor, what you are before God. But you will learn this from Gen. 3:19, where it is taught that the punishment of death was inflicted on the whole human race on account of original sin, the fruits of which show how great its wickedness and perversity are. For what great rebellion and obstinacy there are in man’s earliest years! What ragings and flames of lusts, hatreds, greed, and envy there are in youth and throughout life! Although we are born without actual sins, later, as time goes on, an infinite multitude of vices bursts forth. What is the source of these foul monsters?

The philosophers Socrates and Cicero do not know. But Scripture says that we are born as children of wrath (Eph. 2:3) and subject to original corruption; and the healthier, more learned, and wiser we are, the more pride and other sins we have. For nature is vitiated. But the papists interpose that it has been healed through Baptism and that sins have been forgiven. True enough; but, as Augustine says, they have not yet been removed. Because the papists do not know this, they never penetrate to the true light of Scripture, of the kingdom of Christ, and of theology as a whole.

To be sure, the wounds of the half-dead man have been bound up, as the parable in Luke 10:34 states. Oil and wine have been poured on them, and the gift of the Holy Spirit has begun. Nevertheless, the wounds are still deadly. Care has been taken to heal him. But he has not yet been completely restored. If you should want to say that there is no wound, that there is no danger, find out whether a half-dead man can walk, work, and do what a healthy man can do. He is carried by the beast on which he has been placed. He does not work; he does not walk. Thus through Baptism we have been taken upon God’s beast, that is, the most precious sacrifice for us, or the humanity of Christ, by which we are carried. Although we have been accepted once, yet we are cared for and healed from day to day."

displays of weaknesses

AELW 7:221-222

"Jacob’s decision to keep Benjamin at home to prevent him from perishing is altogether human and foolish, as though Benjamin could not die at home or as though his welfare and life were placed in Jacob’s power. If such a great patriarch, a man provided with such great promises, displays such weakness, what courage do you think you or I will have in dangers and trials?

These things, then, are written to instruct and comfort us (Rom. 15:4), in order that we may learn to trust God steadfastly and nevertheless to be concerned about our descendants and the duties entrusted to us by God. For one should not think: “I am the pastor of a church about which I know that God is concerned. Therefore I shall do nothing and shall not be concerned about my ministry.” Thus the head of a household should not be lazy and slothful; but everyone must be vigilant and toil in his station. For God does not forbid toil and does not want us to be idle, even though He governs everything by His presence and will. But the flesh must be trained by dangers, trials, terrors, and uncertain events. Nevertheless, the promise and faith must be preserved. Faith must precede, and at the same time prayer and the works that one’s vocation requires must be practiced. Although works contribute nothing to the matter, still God wants us to eat our bread in the sweat of our faces (cf. Gen. 3:19)."

Ordered to believe...

Genesis 42:1-2,"1. When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons: Why do you look at one another? 2. And he said: Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live, and not die."

AELW 7:219

"I reply that we are ordered to believe, and to trust in the goodness of God, but not to tempt God. For we cannot live our life according to the rule which He Himself has, but we must live as opportunities and the times decide. Yet faith and hope must be preserved. Therefore Jacob does not say: “Remain. Wait. The Lord has the power to send bread from heaven. Perhaps He will cause grain to rain in this land and nourish us.” This is not what the promise means. Although there is no doubt that God is able and willing to nourish and defend you, you must not avoid the opportunities offered for help and protection. You can avail yourself of these without sin. Otherwise you will be tempting God."

"From this rottenness, these worms, this foulness, and this dust I will raise you."

Genesis 41:52. "The name of the second he called Ephraim. For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."

AELW 7210-211

"this is the meaning of the word עָנְיִי. It is employed in the same meaning in Is. 53:3. “I was,” says Joseph, “a captive in prison, where I had given up all hope of life and liberation, so that I could have been called a dead trunk and log which would never sprout.” But just as Isaiah speaks of the branch that will come forth from the root of Jesse, so Joseph says of himself that descendants are arising from a sterile and dead trunk, and from an Egyptian woman at that. This is a wonderful God.

These examples serve to buoy up and strengthen faith. For if we, too, could persevere in trials, then we would certainly learn to know the name and nature of God, namely, that He not only brings it about that we forget our troubles but that those who have been reduced to nothing even grow and are multiplied.

And this was outstanding praise and glorification of God, whereby Joseph praised the wonderful works of God, namely, that He makes all things out of nothing. We should also acknowledge these works and exercise ourselves in them. For we must be humiliated and mortified, and the grain of wheat that has been thrown into the ground must die and rise again with manifold fruits (John 12:24). For He is the God of אֶפְרַיִם, that is, of fruits, but in the land of עָנְיִי, that is, of mortifications. And it is a perpetual and unparalleled rule of the works of God to make all things out of nothing.

For we are buried and committed to the earth, to rottenness and worms. We are sown (cf. 1 Cor. 15:42–44) in weakness, corruption, dishonor, and foulness, in such a mean and disgraceful form that it is almost more desirable not to have been born than to be gnawed and consumed so ignominiously by worms and rottenness. Thus we are reduced to nothing. But God says: “From this nothing and עָנְיִי, from this rottenness, these worms, this foulness, and this dust I will raise you and make you not only a Manasseh but also an Ephraim brighter than the sun.” Thus this will finally come about, for we have a most certain promise. Accordingly, although all things in this life do not flow according to our will and good pleasure, nevertheless in the future life we, too, will declare: “God has made me forget my father’s house and all my trouble.”

This forgetting should gradually come upon us even in this life. For although at the present time, while worms and rottenness are before our eyes, we cannot be unmindful of them, nevertheless there will be a time when God will wipe away every tear, as is stated in Rev. 7:17. Therefore faith should begin to forget tears and dishonor which it does not see. Although the eyes see the rottenness, the ears hear the complaints and sobs, and the noses smell the stench of the corpses, nevertheless it is the part of faith to say: “I do not know this. I see nothing. Indeed, I see a multiplication and a brightness surpassing the sun itself and the stars.”

Therefore such examples are set before us in order that we may learn that God is the Creator of all things, restores the dead to life and glorifies worms and the foulest rottenness. And He wants this to be acknowledged and celebrated by us in this life in faith. Later, however, in the future life, we shall experience it in actual fact."

Hmmm, what does this remind you of?

AELW 7:205

"in the functioning of the church faithful bishops and inspectors are required to keep watch earnestly over purity of doctrine and the true use of the sacraments, and to separate false and godless teachings from those that are true. And their watchfulness must increase in proportion to the greed with which rapacious wolves gape at the flock. Thus we see that the heretics and the pope are most watchful. They do not sleep in safety. Nor do they snore. But they are intent on all opportunities by which they may lure the hearts of the godly into deception."

God is NOT uncertain, ambiguous, equivocal, and slippery

AELW 7:154

"Accordingly, it is a right and sure Spirit who makes us sure concerning the will of God, who does not allow us to doubt but carries out what Paul admonishes: “Let everyone be fully convinced in his own mind” (Rom. 14:5). Likewise in 1 Thess. 1:5: “For our Gospel came to you not only in word but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” This certitude is necessary in every kind of teaching, especially in sacred teaching. For I must be certain what I am to think about God, or rather what He thinks about me. It was a horrible error of the papal doctrine which caused men to become doubtful of the forgiveness of sins and grace. “You should acknowledge that you are a sinner,” they said, “and a sinner of such a kind that you cannot be certain of your salvation.” Thus the whole world was submerged in doubt and in erroneous opinions about God.

Therefore one must learn that God is not uncertain, ambiguous, equivocal, and slippery like a wavering reed, but that He is unequivocal and certain. He says: “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; I absolve you of your sins, etc.” Here the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit make no mistake; they are not tossed about by the wind but are rocks and Selah, as God is often named in the Psalms because He is absolutely firm. You may rely solidly on Him and say: “I am holy and saved; I am God’s son and heir, because I have been baptized.”

He counts even our tears...

AELW 7:137-138

"He counts not only the hairs of our head (Matt. 10:30) but even our tears, and gathers them into a bottle, as Ps. 56:8 attests: “Thou hast kept count of my tossings; put Thou my tears in Thy bottle! Are they not in Thy book? (56:8.)” No little tear must be shed in vain; it is recorded with large, mighty letters in heaven.

Accordingly, we do not groan, weep, and suffer in vain. Everything is written and noted down in God’s commentaries. This means that He looks carefully at everything. God does not look at us from afar but is close to us. He counts my fancies and thoughts (cf. Ps. 94:11), my sorrow and griefs, even during the night; and He wants to remunerate me far more richly than I have asked for or understood (cf. Eph. 3:20). This is the source of Paul’s well-known statement (2 Cor. 4:17), which should always be kept in our hearts. What we suffer is exceedingly little and light, since we know that the glow and redemption will be greater than what we can attain by any thoughts or words. Nevertheless, God observes that light and little suffering.

Whose fault, therefore, is it that we are so wretchedly tormented and troubled? Who is to blame for the weakness of faith, hope, and the wickedness of the flesh? O slay me, dear Lord God! Am I worthy of having a God who is so careful that He guards me even during the night, when I am sleeping and dreaming? Is it not sufficient for Him to protect us and direct our steps while we are awake? Beyond this, does He trouble Himself even about our rest and our dreams? This certainly means having a propitious God, who guards us and does not permit a hair to fall from our head or the apple of the eye to drip—a God who surely has a record of every drop that falls from our eyes. If you weep, He has a golden basin or dish and catches the tears! But whose tears does he gather? The tears of sinners. Who gathers them? God, the Creator of all things. This, therefore, should often be reflected on, to awaken faith, hope, and love in us, since we have the Word, the examples, and the proper experience of the boundless goodness of God."

Depend on the Word

AELW 7:136-137

"Learn, therefore, to trust, believe, wait, and endure, and to depend on the Word and say with St. Paul: “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18). It is too little. “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17)."

"Ah, our God is a fine God, if only we could believe it!"

AELW 7:135

"But the wretchedness and weakness of our flesh, which does not allow us to believe what we teach, is to be deplored. For we have the Word, and we know that it is true and immovable. In use and practice, however, faith totters and trembles pitiably. Accordingly, it is a great favor on God’s part that He has shown us this consolation: “A dimly burning wick I will not quench” (cf. Is. 42:3). On the Last Day we will accuse ourselves, blame our impatience, and say: “If I were still permitted to live my former life, I would not refuse to suffer a thousand deaths and crosses.” But now is the time to stir up our heart to patience and obedience.

But the Lord takes pity on our weakness and loads us with countless favors beyond our merit and thought. Thus Augustine’s mother testifies that a greater abundance was given to her by God than she dared ask for.She prayed and sobbed for her son, only that he should be baptized. But after his baptism she was very glad to die, for she was content with this gift and the conversion of her son. She thought that satisfaction had been given to her prayer. But after her death Augustine became an illustrious and distinguished teacher of the church who freed countless souls from many errors and was second only to the apostles in conquering so many monstrous heretics. The tears and sobs of his mother undoubtedly achieved this. Ah, our God is a fine God, if only we could believe it!"

God sculpts the eternal body

AELW 132-133

"In this manner Holy Scripture awakens and strengthens faith in God, so that we say: “Lord God, Thou hast absolved me through a brother, hast baptized and fed me with Thy body and blood. Do as it pleases Thee with Thy servant. I shall not be angry or blaspheme, but I shall bear everything patiently. For I do not want Thy covenant with me, which was entered into in Baptism and in the Lord’s Supper, to become void.” Christ surely pronounces those who persevere in this way to the end blessed, but concerning the others Sirach says: “Woe unto those who have lost their endurance” (cf. Ecclus. 2:14); for although they hope and wait for a time, yet they soon waver and are broken by unbelief and despair. The wife of Tobias and the wife of Job are an example of this. Perhaps they did not immediately murmur at first; but afterwards, when they had been broken by the delay and by the magnitude of the misfortunes, they burst forth into the blasphemous words “Curse God, and die” (Job 2:9), as though they were saying: “You keep your patience and hope and are deceived; you are not using any wisdom or remedy; you keep on praising and blessing. Ah, keep on praising, and die in the devil’s name!” But Job replied: “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10.) “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

These examples should be carefully observed and should be inculcated in the minds of the godly. For carnal men despise them and do not perceive the inner qualities of the virtues recorded and set before the church for its consolation in order that we may learn that our afflictions are the surest argument and pledge that we are the sons of God. There is a saying of Tauler’s—although he does not speak in terms of Holy Scripture but employs a strange and foreign way of speaking—“Man should know that he has done great damage if he does not wait for God’s work,” namely, when God wants to crucify him, mortify him, and reduce the old man to nothing. This does not come about except through suffering and the cross; for then you are upholding the work of God, who forms you, planes you, and cuts off the rough branches. With ax, saw, and mattock He cuts down everything that hinders the eternal building, as David says: “Be still before God, and be formed for Him” (cf. Ps. 37:7)."

What more should I ask for?

AELW 7:131-132

"Thus today we are tormented and afflicted by Satan and the world in various ways. The pontiffs and cardinals persecute us; the heretics, the Sacramentarians, the Anabaptists, and others harass us. But what else should you do than wait for the Lord? You have the promise that God is your Father. Add faith and love to this, have no doubt about the promise, and wait, since what is promised is not shown immediately. For although “hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Prov. 13:12), nevertheless what the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews points out should be kept in mind: “God is treating you as sons” (12:7). Thereupon we should encourage and arouse ourselves by such examples to bear any difficulties, dangers, and griefs. But if we are killed, it is certain that by this means we are truly liberated and rescued from all evils, just as no evil at all befell the martyrs in former times, but they obtained the end of all their troubles. But if we are preserved, we should persevere and wait in hope and faith; for God does not hate us or turn us away in hostile fashion, no matter how He may conduct Himself toward us otherwise. Let us rather conclude: “I know that I have been baptized, that I have eaten the body and drunk the blood of the Son of God, that I have been absolved by divine authority, that all my sins have certainly been forgiven me, and that victory over the devil, death, and hell has been promised me. What more should I ask for?”"

Close your eyes

AELW 7:105

"Therefore close your eyes, and all disputations about heaven and earth will vanish. Indeed, just as heaven and earth were nothing 6,000 years ago, so now, if you close your eyes, as though they had been reduced to nothing, they will present no further obstacle to faith and the words of Christ. For the Word, which created all things, must be compared with the creature, which, in comparison with it, is nothing at all.

“He commanded and they were created,” says Ps. 148:5. It is always God’s wonderful practice to make all things out of nothing and again to reduce all things to nothing. And one should accustom oneself to this practice and cling to the Word, in order that those things which disturb and hinder faith, no matter how great and splendid they are, may be removed from our eyes."

We do not prescribe means to God, God gives us the means of grace

AELW 7:104

"Therefore let us learn this rule and order which God is wont to employ in governing His saints. For I, too, have often attempted to prescribe to God definite methods He should use in the administration either of the church or of other matters. “Ah, Lord,” I have said, “I would like this to be done in this order, with this result!” But God would do the very opposite of what I had sought. Then the thought would come to me: “Nevertheless, my plan is not disadvantageous to the glory of God; but it will contribute very much toward the hallowing of Thy name, the gathering and increasing of Thy kingdom, and the propagation of the knowledge of Thy Word. In short, it is a very fine plan and excellently thought out.” But the Lord undoubtedly laughed at this wisdom and said: “Come now, I know that you are a wise and learned man; but it has never been My custom for Peter, Dr. Martin, or anyone else to teach, direct, govern, and lead Me. I am not a passive God. No, I am an active God who is accustomed to do the leading, ruling, and directing.”

Continued advice for Pastors

AELW 7:97-98

"Thus today many who at the beginning were aflame with boundless zeal for the Gospel now most bitterly hate its doctrine and those who teach it. Therefore our life will have to be set up in such a way that we prepare ourselves for this outcome and these fruits of our labors; and if anything happens contrary to our hope, let us reckon it all as gain. You will not change the world. But this is the way you must speak: “I must keep at it, because I have taken up this office for God’s sake, not for the sake of the ungrateful world.” Just as the vine provides wine in great supply and pleasantness to the worst of men, so also, since we are the sons of God, let us imitate the clemency and kindness of our Father, and also the examples of other creatures. And let us not bear this ingratitude with impatience, since we have been born and placed into this life and station by God to serve the world and to gather the elect for eternal salvation. If there are any good men who acknowledge our services, there is reason for self-congratulation on our part. But if the greater part curses, condemns, and slays us, we should know that this is our reward. And in this we should become like the Son of God and all the saints, who, in return for the greatest services, experienced the utmost ingratitude of men."

Interesting advice for Pastors

AELW 7:97
"In great part we serve, teach, admonish, suffer, give consolation, and do the things commanded by God for unworthy men. Here we gain nothing for our services but hatred, envy, and exile; and our whole life is nothing else than the loss of kindnesses.

Therefore you must never hope that the world will acknowledge and remunerate your faithfulness and diligence; for it does the opposite, as this example attests. Set another goal, therefore, for your service and your life than the thanks of the world. Its gratitude is suddenly changed into fury. Reflect as follows: “If I am a pastor or the director of the studies of young people or in any other position, I shall perform my duty diligently, not because I am expecting some reward from those whom I serve—for I am simply giving up all hope of gratitude—but I shall imitate the kindness of my heavenly Father, who scatters His blessings, gives gold, silver, fruits, peace, and good health even to the unthankful and the worst men. And I shall be mindful of the admonition of Christ, who says: ‘You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect’ (Matt. 5:48); that is, serve even the wicked, the unworthy, and the unthankful, and not only the worthy, the thankful, and the good.” There will be a few who will make acknowledgment and be grateful."

satan blows hot and cold from the same mouth

AELW 7:85

"for a married man or husband who has been joined to a woman for some time it is easier. Indeed, lasting and constant love in matrimony is even very rare. Thus among the things that are approved by God and men alike Ecclesiasticus enumerates a man and his wife who agree well with each other (Ecelus. 25:1). The Germans also praise a happy marriage as the highest good. “Ah, this is a good marriage!” they exclaim. For Satan commonly sows the seeds of hatreds and quarrels by which hearts are torn apart, with the result that they pollute themselves with adultteries and promiscuous lusts. In the beginning, before they contract matrimony, they burn inflamed with mutual ardor; but after they have entered the matrimonial compact, the devil, who tries to quench their ardor in various ways, is soon present. He can blow hot and cold from the same mouth. And when a youth is aflame with love and lust, this is not simple and natural love but the breath of the devil. Thus Job says: “Out of his mouth go flaming torches; sparks of fire leap forth” (Job 41:19). Accordingly, he blows into the blood of a harlot and a whoremonger and kindles a most vehement fire. On the other hand, he blows cold breath into the hearts of married people, and as a result of this the fervor of married love grows cold. Hence these and similar words of adulterers have arisen: “Wife is a name for respectability, but woman is a name for pleasure.” Among such people a wife’s passion for her husband ceases, and vice versa. For the devil blows a horrible cold and frost from the north. Accordingly, he who wants to take a wife should seek from God the grace to live with a woman in mutual love, in order that their hearts may not be drawn apart, and when concord remains between married people, that the devil may not butt in with his icicle. Then the blessing and gift of God are manifest."

Any man is a miracle

AELW 7:71

"Any man is a great miracle per se; and even if the whole world and the angels were to gather all their strength, they could not create even one hair on a human being. Thus we see that heaven is moved and that the sun shines, but we are not at all impressed by this. Yet when the Word of God teaches that these most beautiful bodies were created out of nothing, we can in some way estimate the greatness of the wonderful work, which is not perceived with the eyes, to be sure, but can be learned and grasped by hearing alone, when the Word of God points it out."