Easter, 1528? (Part 2)

Martin Luther preaches a sermon on the resurrection of Christ. Today’s Quotation is taken from the second part of the sermon. [1]

Quotation:

[continued from the previous post] What, then, is Christ’s inheritance? In his power are life and death, sin and grace, and all that is in heaven and on earth, his are eternal truth, strength, wisdom, and righteousness. All power is given to him, he rules over all things, over hunger and thirst, prosperity and adversity, etc. He reigns over everything that can be imagined, whether in heaven or on earth. In sum: all things are in his power, both things eternal and things temporal. Now, if I cling to him by faith, I will be made a partaker of all his good things, and will not obtain only a part of the inheritance, but I will possess, with him, everlasting wisdom and eternal strength. My belly will not be grieved with hunger, sin will not oppress me, neither will I be afraid in the face of death, nor will I dread the sight of Satan, nor will I lack anything that is good, even as he does not lack it. 

Hence we may easily understand the sayings uttered commonly in the prophets, and especially in the Psalms, as where David says, in Psalm 34:10, “The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” And in another place: “The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever; they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance.” [Ps. 37:18–19] And again, “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.” [Ps. 37:25] All this comes because we are, and are called, his brethren, not because of any merit on our part, but because of God’s pure grace. If we would imprint this on our hearts, that we might thoroughly experience it, then we would be saved — but, unfortunately, it usually goes in one ear and out the other. Nevertheless, it is what St. Paul so highly and strongly praised to the Romans: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (ESV).” [Rom. 8:14–17] [to be continued in the next post]

Note

[1] Our source is: Thirty-four Sermons on the Most Interesting Doctrines of the Gospel (London, 1816), a republication of Thirty-four Special and Chosen Sermons of Dr. Martin Luther: Discovering Most Clearly, Excellently, and Evidently to Every Ordinary Capacity Or Understanding the Difference Betwixt Faith and Workes, Law and Gospel, the Christian and Creature Opperations, Troubles and Consolations, and the Best Way to Make Christians, Keep Them So, and in Case of Relapses to Recover Them Again by Christ, the Onely Cure of All Soule Maladies (translated by William Gace and published by Tho. Paine in 1649). Our source does not specify the date on which this sermon was preached. It is very similar to Luther’s sermon on the Gospel for Easter (Mark 16:1-8) of April 21, 1527.