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November --- 2005 --- December
| News and Notes - CONVENTION REMINDER |
| A Portion of Luther's Christmas Sermon of 1525 |
| "ANGELS" - first installment - m.e.l. |
| "SINCERE" - r.w.s. |
| Concerning Despising of God's Word - Luther |
NEWS and NOTES
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~ FOR YOUR NOTICE ~
THE 2006 ILC DELEGATE CONVENTION
is to be hosted by
Trinity Lutheran Church
of Ballwin, Missouri
June 22 & 23, 2006
{{{{{ V.B.S. for the children is planned }}}}}
Please make early arrangements to attend.
We pray we will see you and your family there !
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JOURNAL MISTAKE
It has come to our attention that the last 50 run of the Jul-2005-Oct ILC Journal issue had a printing mistake --- some double/missing pages (7,8,21,22) due to an error while running the copies. If you received one of these defected copies, please let us know and we will send you a correct copy promptly.
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ILC WEBSITE
If you noticed a few "glitches" on the ILC Website mid-November, it was due to a server malfunction of our sites ISP.
Please keep watching for our FAQ page which should be operable soon.
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TLH Hymn #68
The advent of our King
Our prayers must now employ,
And we must hymns of welcome sing
In strains of holy joy.
The everlasting Son
Incarnate deigns to be;
Himself a servant's form puts on
To set His servants free.
O Zion's Daughter, rise
To meet thy lowly King,
Nor let thy faithless heart despise
The peace He comes to bring.
As Judge, on clouds of light,
He soon will come again
And His true members all unite
With Him in heav'n to reign.
Before the dawning day
Let sin's dark deeds be gone,
The old man all be put away,
The new man all put on.
All glory to the Son,
Who comes to set us free,
With Father, Spirit, ever One,
Through all eternity. Amen.
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A PORTION OF
LUTHER'S CHRISTMAS SERMON OF 1525
Translated from St. L. XII, 120-125 by R.W. Shekner
(Reprinted from Nov./Dec. 1993 ILC Journal issue)
Luke 2:6-9
Just look how plainly and simply the things take place on earth which are lauded and praised in heaven. On earth it goes this way: At Nazareth there is a poor, young wife who amounts to nothing in the community. No one at all is aware of the great Miracle she is carrying and she herself keeps quiet about it, doesn't put on airs, and counts herself to be the lowliest person in town. She sets out on a journey with her husband, Joseph, accompanied, most likely, by neither man-servant nor maid-sevant. He is the servant as well as the master of the house, and she, the wife and maid. They leave the house vacant or else ask some one to watch it while they're gone.
Now, it may be that they have a donkey on which Mary could ride, although the Gospel says nothing about it. It is more probable that she and Joseph are traveling on foot. Imagine how she is looked down on in the inns along the way, she who is worthy enough to be carried in a golden carriage with all the trappings. How well off and highly honored are the wives and daughters of the great lords while this mother of God, heavy with Child, trudges across the countryside, on foot, and in the middle of winter! How unequal the whole thing seems! It's certainly more than a day's journey from Nazareth of Galilee to Bethlehem of Judea. They have to travel through or around Jerusalem, since Bethlehem lies to the south of Jerusalem and Nazareth to the north.
When they finally arrive in [Bethlehem], the evangelist tells us how they are the lowliest and most despised people in the city. They have to give place to everybody until they find themselves directed to a stall where they are obliged to share shelter, table, bedroom and bed with cattle. Meanwhile, many a wicked man sits upstairs in the inn letting himself be treated as a great lord. Nobody considers at all, yes, hasn't the slightest inkling of what God is bringing to pass in the stall. He leaves the big mansions and costly apartments empty and lets the residents eat, drink, and live it up, but this comfort and treasure is hid from them. What thick darkness has settled upon Bethlehem that no one is aware of such a great light! How clearly God shows that He considers whatever the world is, has, and does to be absolutely nothing, and how clearly the world shows that it considers everything God is, has and does to be nothing.
But the circumstances of the birth are even more lamentable. Nobody has any pity on such a young wife who is about to bear her first child. No one takes her condition to heart or makes any attempt to understand that, being in a strange place, she does not have the least things necessary for child-birth but is there all alone - without preparation, without light, without fire, in the darkness and in the middle of the night. No one offers to help her as people generally do with parturient women. There in the inn everybody is carousing around, a veritable swarm of guests from different places, enjoying themselves so much that no one pays the slightest attention to this wife. I think that if she would have realized her time was so close she would have stayed back in Nazareth.
Furthermore, consider, what can she use for birth cloths in which to wrap Him? Perhaps her veil or some other garment she might be able to spare. It certainly was not Joseph's breeches which are now on exhibition at Aachen. There's enough of that lying superstition around which degrades and debases the facts. Isn't it sad enough that Christ is born in such despicable and poor circumstances, in the cold winter and in a strange place?
But what takes place in heaven at this birth? Be it ever so despised on earth, it is honored by heaven to the highest degree. If an angel from heaven were to praise you and your work, isn't it true that you would prize that higher than all earthly praise and honor? What tremendous honor must it be, then, when all the angels in heaven cannot restrain themselves for joy but must break out of heaven and appear to the shepherds preaching, praising, singing, and pouring out their overflowing joy and admiration? What does the sum total of the joy and honor in all of Bethlehem, yes, of all kings and princes amount to in comparison with this joy and honor? Why, all such worldly joy and honor is nothing but abomination and filth, unworthy even to be mentioned in the same breath with this - if you really stop to consider it.
Observe how abundantly God honors those whom men despise. Here you notice where God's eyes are accustomed to looking - way down in the deep and lowly places, as it is written: He sits above the cherubim, and looks into the deep or abyss. Even the angels could not find a single prince or leader to whom they might announce this birth, only unlearned laymen and the most worthless appearing people on earth. Couldn't they at least announce the news to the high priest and scholars in Jerusalem, men who know how to discourse a great deal about God and the angels? No, only the poor shepherds, who amount to nothing on earth, are worthy enough.
How completely God rejects that which is high and mighty! And yet we rush about and fret and fume striving after nothing but the big name and top honors, as ones who are bent on not being honored by heaven. Time and again we step right out from under God's view because we are convinced that He cannot possibly see us way down there in the deep - which is the very place He alone looks for us.
r.w.s.
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[Following are parts 1&2 of the paper on "Angels" which
was presented at the Summer 2005 Delegate conference.
Parts 3&4 shall be printed in the next ILC Journal issue.
Introduction and bibliography will be repeated]
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ANGELS
The subject of "angels" is one that has been misunderstood by many folks for many years. Artists often depict angels in ways that the Bible never describes them looking. Hollywood has put out several movies and television series regarding angels which are totally inaccurate and all-to-often poke fun at them. And, many teachers of religion misrepresent what angels are and what they do. The fact of the matter is that we must go to the Holy Bible if we are to learn the truth concerning angels, for the Bible is the only totally accurate and trustworthy source of information on the subject, and therefore Scripture will be quoted throughout this paper.
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I. THE TERM "ANGEL"
The English word "angel" actually comes from the Biblical Greek word "aggelos" which has the following lexical definition:
32 a;ggeloj aggelos {ang'-el-os} aggelov
Meaning: 1) a messenger, envoy, one who is sent, an angel, a messenger from God
Origin: from aggello [probably derived from 71, cf 34] (to bring tidings); TDNT - 1:74,12; n m
Usage: AV - angel 179, messenger 7; 186
Thus, we see that "angel" is synonymous with "messenger" both from its lexical definition and its New Testament usage in the KJV Holy Bible. Consequently, the term "angel" is a title, which describes an activity. In the Old Testament, "angel" is a translation of the Hebrew "malak," which is lexically defined as follows:
4397 %a'l.m; mal'ak {mal-awk'} Kalm
Meaning: 1) messenger, representative 1a) messenger 1b) angel 1c) the theophanic angel
Origin: from an unused root meaning to despatch as a deputy; TWOT - 1068a; n m
Usage: AV - angel 111, messenger 98, ambassadors 4, variant 1; 214
Again, we see that "angel" is synonymous with "messenger," and also with "ambassador" or "representative," both from its lexical definition and its Old Testament usage in KJV Holy Bible.
The term "angel" or "messenger" is applied in Scripture predominantly to "spirit beings," as we learn from Psalm 104:1 & 4, "Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who maketh his angels [Hebrew "malak"] spirits; his ministers a flaming fire."
The term "angel" or "messenger" is also used at times in Holy Writ to refer to men, such as John the Baptist and the pastors of the seven churches of Asia Minor. Of John the Baptist we read in Matthew 11:7-11, "...Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger [Greek "aggelos"] before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." And, concerning the pastors of the seven churches of Asia Minor we read of Jesus saying to Saint John in Revelation 1:11, "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea." And, in Revelation chapters two and three we typically read, "unto the angel [Greek "aggelos"] of the church... write" – thus indicating a letter written to the pastor (the messenger) of each of the seven congregations, for letters are not written to the spirit-being type of angels, because God communicates directly with His holy angels seeing that they always behold His face (cf. Matthew 18:10).
There is one more use of the term "angel" in Holy Scripture and that is when it is applied to God the Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Angelus increatus or uncreated Angel. For example, Malachi prophesied, chapter 3:1, "Behold, I will send my messenger [Hebrew "malak"; here referring to John the Baptist], and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger [Hebrew "malak"; here referring to the Lord Jesus] of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts." Yes, Jesus is the great Messenger sent of God to speak His Words, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him" (John 3:17 & 34). Also, regarding the term "angel of the Lord" as used throughout the Old Testament, the Lutheran theologian Gerhard writes: "When either the name Jehovah or divine works or divine worship is attributed in Scripture to an angel, then this Angel must be understood to be the Son of God." (Quoted from Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, vol. 1, pg. 499) For instance, when Abraham, under testing from God, was about to slay his son Isaac and offer him as a burnt offering to the Lord, we read in Genesis 22:11 & 12, "And the angel [Hebrew "malak"] of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me." So, in this instance we see that the Angel of the Lord IS indeed the LORD Himself, the pre-incarnate Christ, for the offering was to made to the Lord.
Therefore, in the Holy Bible, the term "angel" is applied three ways: 1) to the Lord Jesus, 2) to certain men who proclaimed God's Word, and 3) to spirit-beings; it is the third use of the term "angel" that the remainder of this paper will focus on.
II. ANGELS ARE CREATED BEINGS
Scripture clearly differentiates between the "uncreated Angel" – Jesus Christ – and the created angels, the spirit-beings. Hebrews 1:1-8 informs us: "1 ¶ God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4 ¶ Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. 7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. 8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom." Note from verse five that Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God, the Holy One who is eternally generated of the Father, and who is identified in verse eight as God Himself! Furthermore, verse six reports that the angels worship the Lord Jesus. Finally, verse seven teaches us that the angels are spirits made and preserved by God, because the word "maketh" is a present tense verb which properly reflects the original Greek.
The Bible teaches us that God made the angels during the six days of creation, for Genesis 2:1-3 states: "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."
The angels could not have existed before the first day of God's creative work, because John 1:1-3 declares: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." Only God – the true Triune God – existed before creation; therefore, angels were made sometime during the six days of creation, for Exodus 20:11 relates, "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." Thus, it is evident that the angels, the ministering spirits, were called into being by God's omnipotent Word. [Jesus Christ IS the WORD– cf. John 1:1-3, 14-18]
Both Psalm 104 and Hebrews 1 state that angels are "spirits." Spirits are immaterial beings, as our Lord Jesus tells us in Luke 24:39, "...a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." Remember though, that while God is a spirit (John 4:24), He is eternal, uncreated, and infinite; while the angels are created, finite beings. Angels are indeed spirit-beings, even though they have at times assumed a human appearance, as was the case when two of them appeared to Lot, for example, when the homosexuals of Sodom wanted to rape them, as we read in Genesis 19:1-5, "And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them." So, it is evident that angels can at times look like men when the Lord desires them to appear in such a form.
Angels are personal beings that are conscious of their existence and identity, as we can see from part of the conversation between John the Baptist's father Zacharias and an angel, in Luke 1:18-19, which reads, "And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings." Thus, we see that the angel Gabriel was aware of himself and his honorable duties.
Angels have been endowed by their Creator with some pretty amazing attributes. They are intelligent, rational, and have a will, as was displayed by Gabriel in his conversation with Zacharias, and as was displayed by the greatest of evil angels, the devil, when he tempted Eve. Additionally, God's holy angels display their intelligence and will by their great interest in God's wonderful plan of salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, of which things 1 Peter 1:12 relates that, "the angels desire to look into."
Angels are great in knowledge and yet they are not omniscient (all-knowing), for Jesus speaking of the last day in Matthew 24:36 relates, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." Only God is omniscient, as we gather from a portion of king Solomon's prayer found in 1 Kings 8:23 & 39: "...he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, ...for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men."
Angels are indivisible, being immaterial; and they are normally invisible to us, as is evident from the incident recorded in 2 Kings 6:17 where Elisha prayed that his servant could see the Lord's protective host around them: "And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." Only when the Lord opens one's eyes can angels be seen, unless He sends them in the form of men. In Scripture, when angels are seen by men they most often have an appearance similar to man, but note that in the instance with Elisha and his servant the appearance of the angels was that of horses and chariots of fire, as was also the case when Elijah was taken bodily to heaven: "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces" (2 Kings 2:11-12). At other times angels have appeared as creatures having a face, feet, and six wings: "...the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly" (Isaiah 6:2). The various appearances that angels can display, when God so wills, is another interesting characteristic of them.
Angels are not subject to physical changes, they do not procreate, as is clear from Matthew 22:30, "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." Consequently, angels neither increase or decrease in number, nor do they grow old or decay, being spirits, but are enduring, for "...the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day" (Jude 6).
Angels are immortal in that they cannot die, for speaking of the future resurrected saints, Luke 20:36 relates: "Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection."
Angels are illocal, because as spirit-beings they occupy no space although they are definitely present at a certain place and are not omnipresent (present everywhere), being that angels need to be sent to a specific location to do the Lord's bidding, as was the case with Daniel in the lion's den, for we read in Daniel 6:22, "My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt." Only God is omnipresent, as Jeremiah 23:24 indicates, "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD."
Angels are capable of great speed as they move from place to place, because at the time of the Savior's birth a great number of them appeared suddenly, as we read in Luke 2:13-14, "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Additionally, St. John relates the quick velocity of angels in Revelation 8:13, where he writes by inspiration of God, "And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!" Flying certainly indicates speed.
Finally, the angels have the attribute of great power, although they are not omnipotent. Psalm 103:20 declares: "Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word." And, 2 Thessalonians 1:7 reads, "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels." So, the angels excel in strength and they are mighty, and yet they are under the control of God who is omnipotent, as is demonstrated in Job 1:12 where Satan, the chief evil angel, is limited by the Lord: "And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD." Jesus, on the other hand, is God, and His power is infinite; in fact, Jesus is almighty according to His human nature too, for He says in Matthew 28:18, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." Yes, only God is omnipotent, for He says in Genesis 17:1, "I am the Almighty God."
We have seen from Holy Writ that angels are created spirit-beings with exceptional attributes; that being the case, it is foolish false doctrine when some teach that departed human beings become angels. Angels are spirit-beings that are complete as spirits; whereas human beings are complete only as body, soul, and spirit. (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:23: "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.")
[to be continued in next issue]
m.e.l.
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Bibliography
1) The Holy Bible, King James Version (God's Word in English), plus its underlying Hebrew and Greek texts (the Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Greek Textus Receptus)
2) Christian Dogmatics, F. Pieper, volume 1, pages 495-511
3) Christian Dogmatics, J. T. Mueller, pages 196-204
4) A Summary of Christian Doctrine, Edward W. A. Koehler, King James Edition, pages 44-47
5) Lexical information from the abridged Thayer's Greek Lexicon and the abridged B. D. B. Hebrew Lexicon, via Bible Works 5
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~ ONCE AGAIN FOR YOUR NOTICE ~
THE 2006 ILC DELEGATE CONVENTION
is to be hosted by
Trinity Lutheran Church
of Balwin, Missouri
June 22 & 23, 2006
{{{{{ V.B.S. for the children is planned }}}}}
Please make early arrangements to attend.
We pray we will see you and your family there !
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"SINCERE"
(Reprint from Nov./Dec. 1996 ILC Journal issue)
In this time of gross doctrinal indifference and ignorance how often we hear people say: "It does not matter what you believe or teach just as long as you are sincere." There was no more sincere man on earth than Saul of Tarsus, the Super-Pharisee. His sincerity in serving the God of Israel knew no bounds. Single-handedly he would, if he could, have wiped out God's Son's name and followers from the face of the earth and would have been convinced that he was right; just as a sincere Mohammedan believes with all his heart that when he dies blowing up the "great Satan"' Americans they end up in the lap of Allah instead of Fire Lake.
My dear friend, sincerity is admirable, desirable, commendable but only in the way of truth and particularly the truth of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The sincerity of Paul the Apostle and servant of Christ was every bit and more than the sincerity of Saul of Tarsus, the Persecuter. But the sincerity of Saul, the unbeliever, led straight to hell while the sincerity of one and the same man, Paul, the believer and Apostle, by the grace of God -- led to heaven. Thus Paul forever remains the exemplar, the paradigm, the touchstone, the epitome of the word "grace" in a man's life. No wonder he uses it some 90 times in his letters for he knows what it means and is living proof that God's grace, His unmerited favor, alone saves us and not our works no matter how sincere.
The devil is sincere -- sincere in his wickedness and mayhem. Let us all indeed laud and commend sincerity but let us first ask: Sincere in WHAT? The owners and builders of the Titanic in 1912, before she left on her maiden voyage to the United States, were very sincere, genuinely proud, when, overwhelmed by the magnificent strength, beauty and size of the vessel marveled that: "even God could not sink her!" Now do you suppose our God took kindly to such sincerity? Frozen H2O ripped through her steel plates and plunged her into the icy depths. So much for "just as long as you are sincere."
Let us rather ask our God indeed for that exquisite gift that only He can give us. And what is that? St. Paul puts it well when, reminiscing about Timothy and his mother and grandmother, he called their faith in Christ "unfeigned" (genuine, sincere, pure)
"The unfeigned faith...... (II Timothy 1:5)
There, dear son or daughter, father or mother, grandfather or grandmother you have the sincerity you should seek from God for your loved ones: unfeigned, that is, sincere faith in Christ, Ask for it TODAY. Scripture recommends it, God alone can command it, and He will also certainly commend it.
r.w.s.
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Concerning the loathing and despising
of God's Word
(From the book Luther: On God's Word)
(The first paragraph by Lauterbach, April 14, 1538)
During the day he admonished his wife diligently to read and hear the Word, especially the Psalms. But she boasted that she had read and heard quite a bit and knew all about it and wished to God that she could live according to it. With a sigh Luther answered: This is precisely the way the despising of God's Word begins. We delude ourselves with the opinion that we want to know it well when just the opposite is true - we don't want to be condemned by it. This leads to the disaster that God lets us go hungry for His Word. Nothing but new interpretations arrive on the scene and the Scripture is altogether neglected. Therefore I would prefer that my books would never have been printed - because of the future fanatics who will concoct all kinds of foolishness. In my first books I was far too easy on the Pope and I interpreted portions of the Scripture in too mild a manner - as I read and understood them at the time.
At another time Doctor Luther spoke of the disgust towards the divine Word and said: The world has become extremely self-satisfied and relies on the books it now has and is of the opinion that if the people read them they will know everything. And, he added, the devil almost brought me to the point where I became lazy and secure and thought: Here you have the books, all you have to do it just read them and you will understand. The Anabaptists (Re-baptizers) and Sacramentarians also dream that if they only read a tract or two they know everything. Against such security I pray every day and recite my catechism, point by point, the way my little Hans does. I pray daily that God would hold me fast to His holy and pure Word so that I never grow tired of it or arrive at the opinion that I've studied it out.
Moreover he said that the nobility, townfolk, farmers and practically every one high or low felt they knew the Gospel far better than he, Dr. Luther, or the apostle Paul himself. For they are all exceedingly brilliant and consider themselves to be wiser than all pastors. However, they are not despising the pastors but the Lord and Master of all pastors who has committed the preaching office to them. He, in turn, will despise them, become their enemy and grab them by the nape of the neck so that they really feel it - He, that is, the One who says (Luke 10:16) "He that heareth you, heareth Me", and He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of My eye. (Zech. 2:8)
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Psalm 19:7-14
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