"I will not make God a liar"
Luther on faith, Worldwide Bible Class preview...
Luther on faith, and the God who cannot lie.
(I’m getting ready for Wordlwide Bible Class. If you can, join us live at 10a central. Find the link to join the zoom here.)
One learns and feels in the agony of death above all whether it is a formless faith or a true and living faith. For a Christian dies, is buried, and is consumed by worms. In short, he is reduced to nothing. This is certainly contrary to all the divine promises. What, then, should he do? Then he surely finds out that faith is not a meaningless quality, since it overcomes the terrors of death and says: “Even if you were to bear on your neck the burden not only of death but also of a thousand devils and of hell itself, yet I will not make God a liar.” For in such agony the hearts of the godly are disposed to say: “Even though hell were to pour out all its flames and spew out every evil on me, yet I remain in that faith. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son. Lord God, preserve me through Christ, lest that blasphemy which says ‘Thou art a liar’ arise. To be sure, I feel the contrary; but I have Thy Word, which does not deceive. Indeed, it is all in all to me.” (LW 5:206)
More?
…there is no other doctrine in the world beside Holy Scripture which teaches that faith alone conquers the world (cf. 1 John 5:4). This faith consists in having the Word in our hearts and having no doubt about the Word. Meanwhile it simply suffers the opposite, is not crushed, and is not wearied to the end, that is, until the promise comes. (LW 5:206)
And:
But where the ministry of the Word is, there the church is. Conversely, where the true church is, there the Word is. (LW 5:209)
See you in an hour.
Okay, one more:
Indeed, the more spiritual he was, the more the wickedness of very evil men, likewise his own sins and troubles, affected and tormented his heart. For saintly men are very tender and are moved more deeply than those stocks and logs, the monks and the self-righteous. (LW 5:210)
Christ is Risen!
PrBW