The Lutheran Insulter
We leave you to your own devices, for nothing properly suits you except hypocrisy, flattery, and lies.
(From Against Latomus, pg. 143 of Luther's Works, Vol. 32)
This page also has a link for the Shakespearean Insulter.
Shakespeare. . . another person who had a way with words.
Showing posts with label Lutheran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lutheran. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Cast Your Sins onto Jesus
From today's writing portion of Pray Now app (Treasury of Daily Prayer):
After man has thus become aware of his sin and is terrified in his heart, he must watch that sin does not remain in his conscience, for this would lead to sheer despair. Just as [our knowledge of] sin flowed from Christ and was acknowledged by us, so we must pour this sin back on him and free our conscience of it. Therefore beware, lest you do as those perverse people who torture their hearts with their sins and strive to do the impossible, mainly, get rid of their sins by running from one good work or penance to another, or by working their way out of this by means of indulgences. . . .
You cast your sins from yourself and onto Christ when you firmly believe that his wounds and sufferings are your sins, to be borne and paid for by him, as we read in Isaiah 53:6, "The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." St. Peter says, "in his body has he borne our sins on the wood of the cross" [1 Peter 2:24]. St. Paul says, "God has made him a sinner for us, so that through him we would be made just" [2 Cor. 5:21]. You must stake everything on these and similar verses. The more your conscience torments you, the more tenaciously must you cling to them. If you do not do that, but presume to still your conscience with your contrition and penance, you will never obtain peace of mind, but will have to despair in the end. If we allow sin to remain in our conscience and try to deal with it there, or if we look at sin in our heart, it will be much too strong for us and will live forever. But if we behold it resting on Christ and [see it] overcome by his resurrection, and then boldly believe this, even it is dead and nullified. Sin cannot remain on Christ, since it is swallowed up by his resurrection. Now you see no wounds, no pain in him, and no sign of sin. Thus St. Paul declares that "Christ died for our sin and rose for our justification" [Rom. 4:25]
-- Martin Luther
After man has thus become aware of his sin and is terrified in his heart, he must watch that sin does not remain in his conscience, for this would lead to sheer despair. Just as [our knowledge of] sin flowed from Christ and was acknowledged by us, so we must pour this sin back on him and free our conscience of it. Therefore beware, lest you do as those perverse people who torture their hearts with their sins and strive to do the impossible, mainly, get rid of their sins by running from one good work or penance to another, or by working their way out of this by means of indulgences. . . .
You cast your sins from yourself and onto Christ when you firmly believe that his wounds and sufferings are your sins, to be borne and paid for by him, as we read in Isaiah 53:6, "The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." St. Peter says, "in his body has he borne our sins on the wood of the cross" [1 Peter 2:24]. St. Paul says, "God has made him a sinner for us, so that through him we would be made just" [2 Cor. 5:21]. You must stake everything on these and similar verses. The more your conscience torments you, the more tenaciously must you cling to them. If you do not do that, but presume to still your conscience with your contrition and penance, you will never obtain peace of mind, but will have to despair in the end. If we allow sin to remain in our conscience and try to deal with it there, or if we look at sin in our heart, it will be much too strong for us and will live forever. But if we behold it resting on Christ and [see it] overcome by his resurrection, and then boldly believe this, even it is dead and nullified. Sin cannot remain on Christ, since it is swallowed up by his resurrection. Now you see no wounds, no pain in him, and no sign of sin. Thus St. Paul declares that "Christ died for our sin and rose for our justification" [Rom. 4:25]
-- Martin Luther
Saturday, September 18, 2010
All's Well That Ends Well
"The Lord shall be praised, that I have been delivered from evil, God dwells here. I did not think that all would end so well."
Okay, so this isn't really a line from Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well. But since we just saw that production at APT yesterday it really was a surprise to see that quote in today's reading from Martin Luther.
Here's the complete entry:
I also received the latest issue of Good News in the mail this week. The topic? Trials and Afflictions. Sub-titled: How God Blesses You Through Your Trials and Afflictions.
Side note: Good News IS NOT the magazine you find when you google "Good News". The magazine I'm referring to does not have a webpage (that I'm aware of anyway). But you can contact them at 1-800-778-1132. Issues, Etc. also has some links to samples of what is in their magazine here. Look for the ones that say "from Good News magazine ". If you don't want to sift through the list I'll give some direct links here and here and here and here. That's just some of them.
Side note of the side note: Issues Etc. is a great resource also. You can check out past shows here. The first week of July has an interesting segment on Glenn Beck. And some segments from Higher Things that was going on in Nashville that week...that's where we were at the time. Summer was very short and very busy.
Update: There's another Issues Etc episode on Sept 3rd after the "Restoring Honor" rally.
~
Okay, so this isn't really a line from Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well. But since we just saw that production at APT yesterday it really was a surprise to see that quote in today's reading from Martin Luther.
Here's the complete entry:
We know that tribulation worketh patience, and patience, experience, and experience, hope. Romans 5:3-4
When God wants to strengthen a man's faith He first weakens it by feigning to break faith with him. He thrusts him into many tribulations and makes him so weary that he is driven to despair, and yet He gives him strength to be still and persevere. Such quietness is patience and patience produces experience, so that when God returns to him and let His sun rise and shine again, and when the storm is over he opens his eyes in amazement and says: "The Lord shall be praised, that I have been delivered from evil. God dwells here. I did not think that all would end so well".
Within a day or two, within a week or a year, or even within the next hour, sin brings another cross to us: the loss of honour or possessions, bodily injury or some mishap which brings such trouble. Then it all begins again and the storm breaks out once more. But now we glory in our afflictions because we remember that on the former occasion God was gracious to us, and we know that it is His good will to chastise us, that we may have reason to run to Him and to cry, 'He who has helped me so often will help me now'. And that self same longing in your heart (which makes you cry, Oh that I were free! Oh that God would come! Oh that I might receive help!) is hope, which putteth not to shame, for God must help such a person.
In this way God hides life under death, heaven under hell, wisdom under folly, and grace under sin.
Sermons from the year 1527
Day by Day We Magnify Thee. Luther. p. 343.
I also received the latest issue of Good News in the mail this week. The topic? Trials and Afflictions. Sub-titled: How God Blesses You Through Your Trials and Afflictions.
Side note: Good News IS NOT the magazine you find when you google "Good News". The magazine I'm referring to does not have a webpage (that I'm aware of anyway). But you can contact them at 1-800-778-1132. Issues, Etc. also has some links to samples of what is in their magazine here. Look for the ones that say "from Good News magazine ". If you don't want to sift through the list I'll give some direct links here and here and here and here. That's just some of them.
Side note of the side note: Issues Etc. is a great resource also. You can check out past shows here. The first week of July has an interesting segment on Glenn Beck. And some segments from Higher Things that was going on in Nashville that week...that's where we were at the time. Summer was very short and very busy.
Update: There's another Issues Etc episode on Sept 3rd after the "Restoring Honor" rally.
~
Friday, May 22, 2009
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Hope
Today's excerpt from Day by Day We Magnify Thee by Martin Luther.
Wow! Looking up that link Amazon tells me that I purchased this book June 15, 2002. And I've been reading and rereading one little page per day for the last 6.5 years.
The hope of the righteous shall be gladness.
Proverbs 10:28
Although the world may impose on us all manner of plagues and sorrows, and pain our hearts and give us a bitter, sour drink, to say nothing of other daily troubles, such as accidents, or illness, disease, hard times, and war, which hurt the body or the outward man, we must endure it as though biting a sour apple and tasting a bitter draught, that the sweetness that follows may taste the better, and we be driven by this experience to yearn for that day with greater longing. Otherwise we should continue our way so cold and numb that in the end we should no longer feel our misery, like the confident and unrepentant world, till at last we should no longer take notice of the Word of God and should perish with the godless. But now, God in His grace maketh us weary and tired of this life and gives us the comfort of a better--that is, that He will soon appear in the clouds with great power and glory, and lift us up out of all misery to everlasting joy, so that as far as we are concerned nothing better or more to be desired could happen to us. But for the godless there will then be no such joyful sight.
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
And yesterday this beauty arrived!
Treasury of Daily Prayer is just hot off the presses.
It has everything...Old Testament readings, New Testament readings, Psalms, hymns, devotional readings from the church fathers, prayers, orders of services (more than one)...and more! See above link for links to excerpts.
I look forward to adding this to my morning routine. Day One...begun. I'd also like to add it to my night time routine. Here's to a future of "intentional" daily devotion! (The word "intentional" on the cardboard wrapping of this book made me giggle.)
Wow! Looking up that link Amazon tells me that I purchased this book June 15, 2002. And I've been reading and rereading one little page per day for the last 6.5 years.
The hope of the righteous shall be gladness.
Proverbs 10:28
Although the world may impose on us all manner of plagues and sorrows, and pain our hearts and give us a bitter, sour drink, to say nothing of other daily troubles, such as accidents, or illness, disease, hard times, and war, which hurt the body or the outward man, we must endure it as though biting a sour apple and tasting a bitter draught, that the sweetness that follows may taste the better, and we be driven by this experience to yearn for that day with greater longing. Otherwise we should continue our way so cold and numb that in the end we should no longer feel our misery, like the confident and unrepentant world, till at last we should no longer take notice of the Word of God and should perish with the godless. But now, God in His grace maketh us weary and tired of this life and gives us the comfort of a better--that is, that He will soon appear in the clouds with great power and glory, and lift us up out of all misery to everlasting joy, so that as far as we are concerned nothing better or more to be desired could happen to us. But for the godless there will then be no such joyful sight.
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
And yesterday this beauty arrived! Treasury of Daily Prayer is just hot off the presses.
It has everything...Old Testament readings, New Testament readings, Psalms, hymns, devotional readings from the church fathers, prayers, orders of services (more than one)...and more! See above link for links to excerpts.
I look forward to adding this to my morning routine. Day One...begun. I'd also like to add it to my night time routine. Here's to a future of "intentional" daily devotion! (The word "intentional" on the cardboard wrapping of this book made me giggle.)
Saturday, July 05, 2008
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