The Rev. Dr. Stephen J. Hultgren - Lutheran CORE

The Authority and Interpretation of the Bible in the Church

A wonderful teaching speaking against the movement that attempt to paint us against

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Lutheran CORE - Day 1

The theological conference started in worship which was opened by the Rev. Dr. Frank Senn with a great word setting the tone as we stand for the Word of God and the calling of all of us to be true to our callings as Christians baptized in Christ and as a part of the one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Throughout the night a common theme was that the ELCA is in err and that, though they may be a part of it, they do not constitute the one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. The Rev. Dr. Carl Braaten and the Rev. Dr. Paul Hinlicky both gave great presentations that spoke to the central err of the ELCA that began long before the CWA 2009 and though there were voices that were trying to correct the err of the direction in which the ELCA was heading, but many lacked the courage to stand long before this and stop the direction to which the Church of the ELCA was heading and gave in in places that should have been stopped yet were afraid to or gave in to avoid conflict for the sake of unity. Since August of 2009 what has occurred is instead of a continued open dialogue within the greater Church of the ELCA, for the most part all dailogue has been stopped and the undertone of things said and the continued lack of leadership when it comes to the spelling out of how the ELCA will respect bound conscience in the synods and the national body and much of the response has been contrary.
The greater issue as pointed out by Braaten and further commented on by Hinlicky is the widespread heresy of Gnosticism which places greater value on the 'secret' knowledge of the person and less on what is written in Scripture.
The tenor of the conference highlighted the frustration of many because of things that have occured since last August and how CORE has been continually misrepresented by the Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson and other leaders in the ELCA. It also highlighted our need as the body of Christ to be in repentance and not be in anger and that this is not anti-ELCA, but is a meeting of those that are coming to reclaim our Reformation heritage by being more diligent in our study and teaching within the churches we serve. We should not only be studying our Confessions and the writings of Luther and other Lutheran reformers, butg do as they did focusing on the Word of God and the teachings of the early Church Fathers of the first five centuries that we may strive to the reformation of the one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church as we return to our orthodox Christian faith that is still relevant in this day.

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The Events of July 4, 2010

On July 4, 2010 James "Jim" Hall made a threat against my life and the lives of my family. He waited for me in the sacristy to confront me and advised me that if Shepherd of the Hills was "his" church and if I preached on Sunday of July 11, 2010 he had a shotgun and would shoot me and my family and he again reiterated that when I brought it out to the congregation. As many may already know that Jim has Alzheimer's, but his actions are not excusable by the disease and are a sign of further mental illness that may be caused by the Alzheimer's. Jim Hall is a very ill man and we pray that he receive the help that he needs. The Pasco County Sheriff did confiscate the ammunition for his shotgun, but that can easily be replaced. So, for the protection of me and my family as well as everyone in the congregation I filed an injunction, aka restraining order, against Jim in which Jim is not to be in possession of firearms or ammunition and will be required to surrender any and all firearms in his possession to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office. This is temporary until the hearing to be held July 15, 2010 at the Dade City Courthouse.

These actions will hopefully begin the process of helping Jim get the help that he truly needs. These threats have moved from verbal to physical and are increasingly getting worse. Let us come together in pray to bind the evil in Jim's mind, to send a sense of peace into the families hearts that they will put Jim into a locked Alzheimer's care unit in which he can receive the treatment he needs. His memory is not yet gone, but reason is not something that one can truly do with him any longer, that is the threat. The evil of this disease is that it can create or bring out mental illness with those affected with it and, though he told the officer he was only trying to "scare me". Pray that there be a hedge around me, my family, and the church and let us be diligent in the Word and ask for God to keep Jim from harming anyone, including himself. Let us be ready to support June in the event that they do place Jim in a protective Alzheimer's care unit. God is our great provider and as we trust in Him whom shall we fear?

Should we stay or should we go?

The question of staying or leaving the ELCA is not one that I take lightly as pastor and is the greatest personal struggle that I have faced in the last year. It is not and has never been my desire to pull a congregation from the ELCA and since the vote last August, which has implications that are far greater than the question on sexuality, has created for many pastors a great struggle. We have been forced to face the challenge of to whom our loyalties lie. Personally, I still remember celebrating one of the first things I was able to do at the first annual meeting that I was eligible to vote in after I was confirmed and the congregation, which was ALC, decided to join in this new church body of the ELCA. In all the years that has been a reality which, at one time, I was very proud of being able to be a part of that history.

I have been criticized by pastors in my conference about my stance and my views. I have been challenged on my loyalty because some have said that I should be loyal to the Church that supported me in seminary. Ironically one pastor that criticized me was a pastor who he himself had come into the ELCA through the Seminex movement which was a break away from the LCMS Church. The reality that I have faced is that first I must be true to the calling that has come to me through my Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. That calling has been to serve the fold to which I have been called.

This year has been a distraction. It has distracted the Church and the church from the mission of Jesus Christ and the ministry to bring the Gospel to all people. The TRUE Gospel which is one that comes to us when we are fully convicted under the LAW of the sins that kill us so that we may rise to new life in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He did not die so that we could live as we feel happy living, He died that we could live lives that are transformed and that attract others to the reality that is much different under Him. The politics have taken over the Gospel in such a way that are voice is being marginalized and sidelined. Let us focus less upon Social Justice and more upon God's Justice which, though may appear to be the same and do work in similar areas, are quite different from one another.

Jesus did not die to feed the hungry, He did not die to care for the sick, He did not die to care for the poor, He died to bring salvation to a world that was sick in sin, poor in faith, and dying of hunger for the Truth of our God. We are called as a fruit of that faith the feed the hungry, sick, dying and poor yet that is a fruit and not the sole purpose of who we are in faith. Yet that is what it seems to have become for many in leadership of the ELCA. This was apparent in listening to the speeches that were given at the Church Wide Assembly last August by many in Minneapolis, it was apparent this year at the Florida-Bahamas Synod Assembly, and continues to seem to be the case with much that I hear and read on the ELCA website and from others. We are focusing on a new gospel of love that sells a love that is false and shallow. It is a love that seeks not to offend. A love that seeks not to convict. A love that seeks not to correct.

In a conversation with Bishop Benoway on December 21, 2009 in which we met at a restaurant in Dade City he brought up his concern by what he read that we had voted on earlier in the month. He mentioned the bylaw change that we had approved that put us out of communion with those congregations and rostered leaders that were in full agreement with the changes in ministry standards and the blessings of same-gendered monogamous lifelong relationships. I expressed to him that my desire was not to leave the ELCA and that the changes we were proposing were ones in which we would stand apart from the changes. I expressed to him my unhappiness of the situation. I was honest in my position and clear in my stance. I was also very thankful for the conversation. In that conversation I spoke of my concern for the ELCA and the changes and even went so far as to speak to the main issue. The "teaching" document that was passed The Social Statement on Human Sexuality still said that we respect the traditional view of marriage as defined between a man and a woman and I went with that because if we still believe that marriage is between a man and a woman as the definition then how is that we as a body of faith can take and bless fornication since the biblical and dictionary definitions of fornication is any sexual activity outside the bonds of marriage and we still biblically define fornication as a sin. With this we can set aside any of the verses that constantly being argued about by theologians on both sides of this argument and, if we truly deal with this with integrity, it still creates a huge issue within the ELCA. Truthfully, the ELCA has a decision with this to make either to redefine marriage, which they were not willing to do in the Social Statement, or revisit the decisions, which I don't truly believe that they are willing to do either. Fornication is sin and it covers more than just same-gendered sexual relations, but that is something difficult to separate.

I am not opposed to the ELCA, I am not opposed to the Florida-Bahamas Synod, and there are many wonderful people that I have relationships with that are committed and staying within the ELCA. I pray for the members of Shepherd of the Hills to seek out in prayer God's guidance on this issue. This is not a decision that should be made out of fear or anger, it must be an honest decision on whether or not it is right or healthy for the congregation of Shepherd of the Hills to continue to be a part of the ELCA or could we be a better witness in our faith to our community and the world outside of the ELCA.

Either way it is decided let us focus on fulfilling our mission as His church and seek out to be Christ's hands and feet in our community and out into the world. Amen.

Carl Smalligan

Carl Smalligan
8/1/1929 to 6/16/2010

Most of the members of Shepherd of the Hills probably didn't know Carl and may know Grace slightly. Carl and Grace have been attending Shepherd of the Hills as winter residents, but last fall decided to make the full move from Michigan and stay in Florida full time with the hopes of being able to enjoy Florida together. Unfortunately on their way down complications occurred and Carl has been in and out of hospitals and nursing homes since last fall. Grace let me know and I began to visit Carl pretty regularly.

Getting to know Carl was a wonderful pleasure and the times we had together were enjoyable yet a reminder of how life can sometimes get in the way. Every time I would walk in to see Carl he would get a smile on his face and clap with glee. The only way I can describe it is being very similar to my son when he runs to me after being in daycare for the day. It was always uplifting. Carl had questions of faith and we would discuss those things and pray with one another. Then he would ask for communion and his favorite part was when we would begin with the brief order of confession and as I watched the words of absolution flow over him it was like heaven for him. I would have loved to spend much more time with him and I enjoyed opening up the Gospel to him and see his spirit lift. It was hard for Carl because he came down in the fall never to make it home, but going to the hospital and then a nursing home. His love was his wife and his family and he adored his wife Grace always commenting that she lived up to her name. He was heartbroken when his stepdaughter, Mary, passed after a long battle with cancer. He wanted to be able to enjoy his home, his wife, and all the comforts, but only was able to enjoy that briefly before having to go into a home again. My last time with him was when he was moved from a regular hospital room to ICU and since he couldn't really talk well with the mask and the labored breathing I read to him and went through Matins with him. Since he was unable to eat I offered him communion with the host and the blood on my finger brought to his tongue. It was what he so desired and so needed. I prayed over him and reminded him of his baptism and left not knowing that this would be the last chance I would have to commune him and pray with him. I don't know how many will miss him in the church, but I do know that I will miss him and I mourn with Grace in this time. There will not be a service for him, but I want to give this service for him as a memorial and a eulogy of a man who did mean something to me as all those that I have been called to serve do. My heart is heavy for the family and their loss, but I trust in the promises that Carl was given at his baptism and in the knowledge that he is with God and the step-daughter that was so precious to him, Mary. Carl, may you be at peace and until we meet again!

Christ and the Church

As a youth I struggled with the difference between Christ and the Church/church. I am an idealist by nature and when I see and hear that some say they believe something I expect that they also live it. Now we all know how well that is lived out in the Church and churches all over. People are fallen, selfish, and sinful. That is the greatest struggle we face. We like things to be our way and we like to be comfortable, but does that fit what the biblical image of a follower of Christ? Did Christ guarantee for us comfort and ease in our journey with Him? I think with careful reading of Scripture you'd find that the journey of faith is one of struggle, heartache, and deep soul searching. Jesus didn't say pick up you backpack and follow me, but take up your cross and follow me. The cross is a burden, the cross is a sign of suffering and pain, the cross is what kills us that we may be raised to new life.

The church is not a place of righteous people that have it all together, the church is full of bereft people fallen in sin, burdened by their own shortcomings, needing to hear the message of salvation that our Lord and Savior can bring us. It is a place in which the Holy Spirit strives to bring us to that newness and understanding as we listen to the message and hear the Gospel proclaimed. It isn't a place in which we can be self-righteous, but we must be turned to understand our own unrighteousness that we can let Christ's righteousness fill us.

The success of the church does not depend on us, but is dependent on our full reliance on God. When we try to do it ourselves and in our own way we miss out on the great blessings that God can give us. We miss the opportunity to see God's glorious work in the midst of us. We lose the chance of being renewed in the hope and the love that is Jesus the Christ. We must all be first aware of our fallenness that necessitates the cross on which Jesus gave His body and shed His blood for each and every one of us. Then we can come before that cross, lay our burdens down, step up on that cross, and let our old Adam die that the new Adam can be raised, our daily walk in baptism.

The Church is not the same as the church and neither are they truly representative of Christ, but the Church and the church are the bride and Christ is the bridegroom who is washing us in His blood and cleansing us that we may be that bride to which He is forever joined.

Luther's Preface to Romans

Preface to the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans¹⁵
1546 (1522)

This epistle is really the chief part of the New Testament, and is truly the purest gospel. It is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but also that he should occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul. We can never read it or ponder over it too much; for the more we deal with it, the more precious it becomes and the better it tastes.

Therefore I too will do my best, so far as God has given me power, to open the way into it through this preface, so that it may be the better understood by everyone. Heretofore it has been badly obscured by glosses¹⁶ and all kinds of idle talk, though in itself it is a bright light, almost sufficient to illuminate the entire holy Scriptures.

To begin with we must have knowledge of its language and know what St. Paul means by the words: “law,” “sin,” “grace,” “faith,” “righteousness,” “flesh,” “spirit,” and the like. Otherwise no reading of the book has any value.

The little word “law” you must here not take in human fashion as a teaching about what works are to be done or not done. That is the way with human laws; a law is fulfilled by works, even though there is no heart in the doing of them. But God judges according to what is in the depths of the heart. For this reason, his law too makes its demands on the inmost heart; it cannot be satisfied with works, but rather punishes as hypocrisy and lies the works not done from the bottom of the heart. Hence all men are called liars in Psalm 116[:11],¹⁷ because no one keeps or can keep God’s law from the bottom of the heart. For everyone finds in himself displeasure in what is good and pleasure in what is bad. If, now, there is no willing pleasure in the good, then the inmost heart is not set on the law of God. Then, too, there is surely sin, and God’s wrath is deserved, even though outwardly there seem to be many good deeds and an honorable life.

Hence St. Paul concludes, in chapter 2[:13], that the Jews are all sinners, saying that only the doers of the law are righteous before God. He means by this that no one, in terms of his works, is a doer of the law. Rather, he speaks to them thus, “You teach one must not commit adultery, but you yourself commit adultery” [2:22]; and again, “In passing judgment upon another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things” [2:1]. This is as if to say, “You live a fine outward life in the works of the law, and you pass judgment on those who do not so live. You know how to teach everyone; you see the speck that is in the eye of another, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye” [Matt. 7:3].

For even though you keep the law outwardly, with works, from fear of punishment or love of reward, nevertheless you do all this unwillingly, without pleasure in and love for the law, but with reluctance and under compulsion. For if the law were not there, you would prefer to act otherwise. The conclusion is that from the bottom of your heart you hate the law. What point is there then in your teaching others not to steal, if you yourself are a thief at heart, and would gladly be one outwardly if you dared? Though, to be sure, the outward work does not lag far behind among such hypocrites! So you teach others, but not yourself; nor do you yourself know what you are teaching—you have never yet understood the law correctly. Moreover the law increases sin, as St. Paul says in chapter 5[:20], because the more the law demands of men what they cannot do, the more they hate the law.

For this reason he says, in chapter 7[:14], “The law is spiritual.” What does that mean? If the law were for the body, it could be satisfied with works; but since it is spiritual, no one can satisfy it—unless all that you do is done from the bottom of your heart. But such a heart is given only by God’s Spirit, who fashions a man after the law, so that he acquires a desire for the law in his heart, doing nothing henceforth out of fear and compulsion but out of a willing heart. The law is thus spiritual in that it will be loved and fulfilled with such a spiritual heart, and requires such a spirit. Where that spirit is not in the heart, there sin remains, also displeasure with the law and hostility toward it even though the law itself is good and just and holy.

Accustom yourself, then, to this language, that doing the works of the law and fulfilling the law are two very different things. The work of the law is everything that one does, or can do, toward keeping the law of his own free will or by his own powers. But since in the midst of all these works and along with them there remains in the heart a dislike of the law and compulsion with respect to it, these works are all wasted and have no value. That is what St. Paul means in chapter 3[:20], when he says, “By works of the law will no man be justified in God’s sight.” Hence you see that the wranglers and sophists practice deception when they teach men to prepare themselves for grace by means of works.¹⁸ How can a man prepare himself for good by means of works, if he does good works only with aversion and unwillingness in his heart? How shall a work please God if it proceeds from a reluctant and resisting heart?

To fulfil the law, however, is to do its works with pleasure and love, to live a godly and good life of one’s own accord, without the compulsion of the law. This pleasure and love for the law is put into the heart by the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul says in chapter 5[:5]. But the Holy Spirit is not given except in, with, and by faith in Jesus Christ, as St. Paul says in the introduction. Faith, moreover, comes only through God’s Word or gospel, which preaches Christ, saying that he is God’s Son and a man, and has died and risen again for our sakes, as he says in chapters 3[:25], 4[:25], and 10[:9].

So it happens that faith alone makes a person righteous and fulfils the law. For out of the merit of Christ it brings forth the Spirit. And the Spirit makes the heart glad and free, as the law requires that it shall be. Thus good works emerge from faith itself. That is what St. Paul means in chapter 3[:31]; after he has rejected the works of the law, it sounds as if he would overthrow the law by this faith. “No,” he says, “we uphold the law by faith”; that is, we fulfil it by faith.

Sin, in the Scripture, means not only the outward works of the body but also all the activities that move men to do these works, namely, the inmost heart, with all its powers. Thus the little word “do”¹⁹ ought to mean that a man falls all the way and lives in sin. Even outward works of sin do not take place, unless a man plunges into it completely with body and soul. And the Scriptures look especially into the heart and single out the root and source of all sin, which is unbelief in the inmost heart. As, therefore, faith alone makes a person righteous, and brings the Spirit and pleasure in good outward works, so unbelief alone commits sin, and brings forth the flesh and pleasure in bad outward works, as happened to Adam and Eve in paradise, Genesis 3.

Hence Christ calls unbelief the only sin, when he says in John 16[:8–9], “The Spirit will convince the world of sin... because they do not believe in me.” For this reason too, before good or bad works take place, as the good or bad fruits, there must first be in the heart faith or unbelief. Unbelief is the root, the sap, and the chief power of all sin. For this reason, in the Scriptures it is called the serpent’s head and the head of the old dragon, which the seed of the woman, Christ, must tread under foot, as was promised to Adam, Genesis 3[:15].

Between grace and gift there is this difference. Grace actually means God’s favor, or the good will which in himself he bears toward us, by which he is disposed to give us Christ and to pour into us the Holy Spirit with his gifts. This is clear from chapter 5[:15], where St. Paul speaks of “the grace and gift in Christ,” etc. The gifts and the Spirit increase in us every day, but they are not yet perfect since there remain in us the evil desires and sins that war against the Spirit, as he says in Romans 7[:5ff.] and Galatians 5[:17], and the conflict between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, as foretold in Genesis 3[:15]. Nevertheless grace does so much that we are accounted completely righteous before God. For his grace is not divided or parceled out, as are the gifts, but takes us completely into favor for the sake of Christ our Intercessor and Mediator. And because of this, the gifts are begun in us.

In this sense, then, you can understand chapter 7. There St. Paul still calls himself a sinner; and yet he can say, in chapter 8[:1], that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, simply because of the incompleteness of the gifts and of the Spirit. Because the flesh is not yet slain, we are still sinners. But because we believe in Christ and have a beginning of the Spirit, God is so favorable and gracious to us that he will not count the sin against us or judge us because of it. Rather he deals with us according to our faith in Christ, until sin is slain.

Faith is not the human notion and dream that some people call faith. When they see that no improvement of life and no good works follow—although they can hear and say much about faith—they fall into the error of saying, “Faith is not enough; one must do works in order to be righteous and be saved.” This is due to the fact that when they hear the gospel, they get busy and by their own powers create an idea in their heart which says, “I believe”; they take this then to be a true faith. But, as it is a human figment and idea that never reaches the depths of the heart, nothing comes of it either, and no improvement follows.

Faith, however, is a divine work in us which changes us and makes us to be born anew of God, John 1[:12–13]. It kills the old Adam and makes us altogether different men, in heart and spirit and mind and powers; and it brings with it the Holy Spirit. O it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith. It is impossible for it not to be doing good works incessantly. It does not ask whether good works are to be done, but before the question is asked, it has already done them, and is constantly doing them. Whoever does not do such works, however, is an unbeliever. He gropes and looks around for faith and good works, but knows neither what faith is nor what good works are. Yet he talks and talks, with many words, about faith and good works.

Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that the believer would stake his life on it a thousand times. This knowledge of and confidence in God’s grace makes men glad and bold and happy in dealing with God and with all creatures. And this is the work which the Holy Spirit performs in faith. Because of it, without compulsion, a person is ready and glad to do good to everyone, to serve everyone, to suffer everything, out of love and praise to God who has shown him this grace. Thus it is impossible to separate works from faith, quite as impossible as to separate heat and light from fire. Beware, therefore, of your own false notions and of the idle talkers who imagine themselves wise enough to make decisions about faith and good works, and yet are the greatest fools. Pray God that he may work faith in you. Otherwise you will surely remain forever without faith, regardless of what you may think or do.

Righteousness, then, is such a faith. It is called “the righteousness of God” because God gives it, and counts it as righteousness for the sake of Christ our Mediator, and makes a man to fulfil his obligation to everybody. For through faith a man becomes free from sin²⁰ and comes to take pleasure in God’s commandments, thereby he gives God the honor due him, and pays him what he owes him. Likewise he serves his fellow-men willingly, by whatever means he can, and thus pays his debt to everyone. Nature, free will, and our own powers cannot bring this righteousness into being. For as no one can give himself faith, neither can he take away his own unbelief. How, then, will he take away a single sin, even the very smallest? Therefore all that is done apart from faith, or in unbelief, is false; it is hypocrisy and sin, Romans 14[:23], no matter how good a showing it makes.

Flesh and spirit you must not understand as though flesh is only that which has to do with unchastity and spirit is only that which has to do with what is inwardly in the heart. Rather, like Christ in John 3[:6], Paul calls everything “flesh” that is born of the flesh—the whole man, with body and soul, mind and senses—because everything about him longs for the flesh. Thus you should learn to call him “fleshly” too who thinks, teaches, and talks a great deal about lofty spiritual matters, yet does so without grace. From the “works of the flesh” in Galatians 5[:19–21], you can learn that Paul calls heresy and hatred “works of the flesh.” And in Romans 8[:3] he says that “the law is weakened by the flesh”; yet this is said not of unchastity, but of all sins, and above all of unbelief, which is the most spiritual of all vices.

On the contrary, you should call him “spiritual” who is occupied with the most external kind of works, as Christ was when he washed the disciples’ feet [John 13:1–14], and Peter when he steered his boat and fished. Thus “the flesh” is a man who lives and works, inwardly and outwardly, in the service of the flesh’s gain and of this temporal life. “The spirit” is the man who lives and works, inwardly and outwardly, in the service of the Spirit and of the future life.

Without such a grasp of these words, you will never understand this letter of St. Paul, nor any other book of Holy Scripture. Therefore beware of all teachers who use these words in a different sense, no matter who they are, even Origen, Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome, and others like them or even above them. And now we will take up the epistle.

It is right for a preacher of the gospel in the first place by revelation of the law and of sin to rebuke and to constitute as sin everything that is not the living fruit of the Spirit and of faith in Christ, in order that men should be led to know themselves and their own wretchedness, and to become humble and ask for help. This is therefore what St. Paul does. He begins in chapter 1 to rebuke the gross sins and unbelief that are plainly evident. These were, and still are, the sins of the heathen who live without God’s grace. He says: Through the gospel there shall be revealed the wrath of God from heaven against all men because of their godless lives and their unrighteousness. For even though they know and daily recognize that there is a God, nevertheless nature itself, without grace, is so bad that it neither thanks nor honors God. Instead it blinds itself, and goes steadily from bad to worse until, after idolatry, it blatantly commits the most shameful sins, along with all the vices, and also allows others to commit them unreprimanded.

In chapter 2 he extends his rebuke to include those who seem outwardly to be righteous and who commit their sins in secret. Such were the Jews and such are all the hypocrites who without desire or love for the law of God lead decent lives, but at heart hate God’s law, and yet are quick to judge other people. This is the nature of all hypocrites, to think of themselves as pure, and yet to be full of covetousness, hatred, pride, and all uncleanness, Matthew 23[:25–28]. These are they who despise God’s goodness, and in their hardheartedness heap wrath upon themselves. Thus St. Paul, as a true interpreter of the law, leaves no one without sin, but proclaims the wrath of God upon all who would live well simply by nature or of their own volition.²¹ He makes them to be no better than the obvious sinners; indeed, he says they are stubborn and unrepentant.

In chapter 3 he throws them all together in a heap, and says that one is like the other: they are all sinners before God. Only, the Jews have had the word of God. Though not many have believed that word, this does not mean that the faith and truth of God are exhausted. He quotes incidentally a verse from Psalm 51[:4], that God remains justified in his words. Afterward he comes back to this again and proves also by Scripture that all men are sinners, and that by the works of the law nobody is justified, but that the law was given only that sin might be known.

Then he begins to teach the right way by which men must be justified and saved. He says: They are all sinners making no boast of God; but they must be justified without merit [of their own] through faith in Christ, who has merited this for us by his blood, and has become for us a mercy-seat by God. God forgives all former sins to demonstrate that we are helped only by his righteousness, which he grants in faith, and which was revealed at that time through the gospel and was witnessed to beforehand by the law and the prophets. Thus the law is upheld by faith, though the works of the law are thereby put down, together with the boasting of them.

After the first three chapters, in which sin is revealed and faith’s way to righteousness is taught, St. Paul begins in chapter 4 to meet certain remonstrances and objections. First he takes up the one that all men commonly make when they hear that faith justifies without works. They say, “Are we, then, to do no good works?” Therefore he himself takes up the case of Abraham, and asks, “What did Abraham accomplish, then, with his good works? Were they all in vain? Were his works of no use?” He concludes that Abraham was justified by faith alone, without any works, so much so that the Scriptures in Genesis 15[:6] declare that he was justified by faith alone even before the work of circumcision. But if the work of circumcision contributed nothing to his righteousness, though God had commanded it and it was a good work of obedience, then surely no other good work will contribute anything to righteousness. Rather, as Abraham’s circumcision was an external sign by which he showed the righteousness that was already his in faith, so all good works are only external signs which follow out of faith; like good fruit, they demonstrate that a person is already inwardly righteous before God.

With this powerful illustration from the Scriptures, St. Paul confirms the doctrine of faith which he had set forth in chapter 3. He cites also another witness, David, who says in Psalm 32[:1–2] that a man is justified without works—although he does not remain without works when he has been justified. Then he gives the illustration a broader application, setting it over against all other works of the law. He concludes that the Jews cannot be Abraham’s heirs merely because of their blood, still less because of the works of the law; they must inherit Abraham’s faith, if they would be true heirs. For before the law—before the law of Moses and the law of circumcision—Abraham was justified by faith and called the father of all believers. Moreover the law brings about wrath rather than grace, because no one keeps the law out of love for it and pleasure in it. What comes by the works of the law is thus disfavor rather than grace. Therefore faith alone must obtain the grace promised to Abraham, for these examples too were written for our sakes [Rom. 15:4], that we too should believe.

In chapter 5 he comes to the fruits and works of faith, such as peace, joy, love to God and to every man, as well as confidence, assurance, boldness, courage, and hope amid tribulation and suffering. For all this follows, if faith be true, because of the superabundant goodness that God shows us in Christ, causing Christ to die for us before we could ask it of him, indeed, while we were still enemies. Thus we have it that faith justifies without any works; and yet it does not follow that men are therefore to do no good works, but rather that the genuine works will not be lacking. Of these the work-righteous saints know nothing. They dream up works of their own in which there is no peace, joy, confidence, love, hope, boldness, or any of the qualities of true Christian work and faith.

After this he digresses and makes a pleasant excursion, telling whence come sin and righteousness, death and life, and comparing Adam and Christ. He means to say that Christ had to come as a second Adam bequeathing his righteousness to us through a new spiritual birth in faith, just as the first Adam bequeathed sin to us through the old fleshly birth. Thus he declares and proves that no one by his own works can raise himself out of sin into righteousness, any more than he can prevent the birth of his own body. This is proved also by the fact that the divine law—which ought to assist toward righteousness, if anything can—has not only not helped, but has even increased sin. For the more the law forbids, the more our evil nature hates the law, and the more it wants to give reign to its own lust. Thus the law makes Christ all the more necessary, and more grace is needed to help our nature.

In chapter 6 he takes up the special work of faith, the conflict of the spirit with the flesh for the complete slaying of the sin and lust that remain after we are justified. He teaches us that we are not by faith so freed from sin that we can be idle, slack, and careless, as though there were no longer any sin in us. Sin is present; but it is no longer reckoned for our condemnation, because of the faith that is struggling against it. Therefore we have enough to do all our life long in taming the body, slaying its lusts, and compelling its members to obey the spirit and not the lusts. Thus we become like the death and resurrection of Christ, and complete our baptism—which signifies the death of sin and the new life of grace—until we are entirely purified of sin, and even our bodies rise again with Christ and live forever.

All this we can do, he says, because we are under²² grace and not under law. He himself explains what this means. To be without the law is not the same thing as to have no laws and to be able to do what one pleases. Rather we are under the law when, without grace, we occupy ourselves with the works of the law. Then sin certainly rules [us] through the law, for no one loves the law by nature; and that is great sin. Grace, however, makes the law dear to us; then sin is no longer present, and the law is no longer against us but one with us.

This is the true freedom from sin and from the law. He writes about this down to the end of the chapter, saying that it is a freedom only to do good with pleasure and to live well without the compulsion of the law. Therefore this freedom is a spiritual freedom, which does not overthrow the law but presents what the law demands, namely, pleasure [in the law] and love [for it] whereby the law is quieted and no longer drives men or makes demands of them. It is just as if you owed a debt to your overlord and could not pay it. There are two ways in which you could rid yourself of the debt: either he would take nothing from you and would tear up the account, or some good man would pay it for you and give you the means to satisfy the account. It is in this latter way that Christ has made us free from the law. Our freedom is, therefore, no carefree fleshly freedom which is not obligated to do anything, but a freedom that does many works of all kinds, and is free of the demands and obligations of the law.

In chapter 7 he supports this with an analogy from married life. When a man dies, his wife is also alone, and thus the one is released entirely from the other. Not that the wife cannot or ought not take another husband, but rather that she is now for the first time really free to take another—something which she could not do previously, before she was free from her husband. So our conscience is bound to the law, under the old man of sin; when he is slain by the Spirit, then the conscience is free, and the one is released from the other. Not that the conscience is to do nothing, but rather that it is now for the first time really free to hold fast to Christ, the second husband, and bring forth the fruit of life.

Then he depicts more fully the nature of sin and of the law, how by means of the law sin now stirs and becomes mighty. The old man comes to hate the law all the more because he cannot pay what the law demands. Sin is his nature and of himself he can do nothing but sin; therefore the law to him is death and torment. Not that the law is bad, but the old man’s evil nature cannot endure the good, and the law demands good of him; just as a sick man cannot stand it when he is required to run and jump and do the works of a well man.

Therefore St. Paul here concludes that the law, correctly understood and thoroughly grasped, does nothing more than to remind us of our sin, and to slay us by it, making us liable to eternal wrath. All this is fully learned²³ and experienced by our conscience, when it is really struck by the law. Therefore a person must have something other than the law, something more than the law, to make him righteous and save him. But they who do not correctly understand the law are blind. They go ahead in their presumption, thinking to satisfy the law by means of their deeds, not knowing how much the law demands, namely, a willing and happy heart. Therefore they do not see Moses clearly; the veil is put between them and him, and covers him [Exod. 34:29–35; II Cor. 3:12–16].

Then he shows how spirit and flesh struggle with one another in a man. He uses himself as an example, in order that we may learn how properly to understand the work of slaying sin within us. He calls both the spirit and the flesh “laws”; for just as it is in the nature of the divine law to drive men and make demands of them, so the flesh drives men and makes demands. It rages against the spirit, and will have its own way. The spirit, in turn, drives men and makes demands contrary to the flesh, and will have its own way. This tension lasts in us as long as we live; though in one person it is greater, in another less, according as the spirit or the flesh is stronger. Nevertheless the whole man is himself both spirit and flesh, and he fights with himself until he becomes wholly spiritual.

In chapter 8 he comforts these fighters, telling them that this flesh does not condemn them. He shows further what the nature of flesh and spirit is, and how the Spirit comes from Christ. Christ has given us his Holy Spirit; he makes us spiritual and subdues the flesh, and assures us that we are still God’s children, however hard sin may be raging within us, so long as we follow the spirit and resist sin to slay it. Since, however, nothing else is so good for the mortifying of the flesh as the cross and suffering, he comforts us in suffering with the support of the Spirit of love, and of the whole creation, namely, that the Spirit sighs within us and the creation longs with us that we may be rid of the flesh and of sin. So we see that these three chapters (6–8) drive home the one task of faith, which is to slay the old Adam and subdue the flesh.

In chapters 9, 10, and 11 he teaches of God’s eternal predestination—out of which originally proceeds who shall believe or not, who can or cannot get rid of sin—in order that our salvation may be taken entirely out of our hands and put in the hand of God alone. And this too is utterly necessary. For we are so weak and uncertain that if it depended on us, not even a single person would be saved; the devil would surely overpower us all. But since God is dependable—his predestination cannot fail, and no one can withstand him—we still have hope in the face of sin.

Here, now, for once we must put a stop to those wicked and high flying spirits who first apply their own reason to this matter. They begin at the top to search the abyss of divine predestination, and worry in vain about whether they are predestinated. They are bound to plunge to their own destruction, either through despair, or through throwing caution to the winds.²⁴

But you had better follow the order of this epistle. Worry first about Christ and the gospel, that you may recognize your sin and his grace. Then fight your sin, as the first eight chapters here have taught. Then, when you have reached the eighth chapter, and are under the cross and suffering, this will teach you correctly of predestination in chapters 9, 10, and 11, and how comforting it is. For in the absence of suffering and the cross and the perils of death, one cannot deal with predestination without harm and without secret anger against God. The old Adam must first die before he can tolerate this thing and drink the strong wine. Therefore beware that you do not drink wine while you are still a suckling. There is a limit, a time, and an age for every doctrine.

In chapter 12 he teaches what true worship is, and makes all Christians priests. They are to offer not money or cattle, as under the law, but their own bodies, with slaying of the lusts. Then he describes the outward conduct of Christians, under the spiritual government, telling how they are to teach, preach, rule, serve, give, suffer, love, live, and act toward friend, foe, and all men. These are the works that a Christian does; for, as has been said, faith takes no holidays.

In chapter 13 he teaches honor and obedience to worldly government. Although worldly government does not make people righteous before God, nevertheless it is instituted in order to accomplish at least this much, that the good may have outward peace and protection and the bad may not be free to do evil in peace and quietness, and without fear. Therefore the good too are to honor it even though they themselves do not need it. Finally, he comprehends it all in love, and sums it up in the example of Christ: as he has done for us, we are also to do, following in his footsteps.

In chapter 14 he teaches that consciences weak in faith are to be led gently, spared, so that we do not use our Christian freedom for doing harm, but for the assistance of the weak. For where that is not done, the result is discord and contempt for the gospel; and the gospel is the all-important thing. Thus it is better to yield a little to the weak in faith, until they grow stronger, than to have the teaching of the gospel come to nothing. And this work is a peculiar work of love, for which there is great need even now, when with the eating of meat and other liberties, men are rudely and roughly—and needlessly—shaking weak consciences, before they know the truth.

In chapter 15 he sets up Christ as an example: we are to tolerate also those other weak ones who fail in other ways, in open sins or in unpleasing habits. We are not to cast them off, but to bear with them until they too grow better. For so Christ has done with us, and still does every day; he bears with our many faults and bad habits, and with all our imperfections, and helps us constantly.

Then, at the end, he prays for them, praises them, and commends them to God. He speaks of his own office and of his preaching, and asks them kindly for a contribution to the poor at Jerusalem. All that he speaks of or deals with is pure love.

The last chapter is a chapter of greetings. But he mingles with them a noble warning against the doctrines of men,²⁵ which break in alongside the teaching of the gospel and cause offense. It is as if he had certainly foreseen that out of Rome and through the Romans would come the seductive and offensive canons and decretals and the whole squirming mass of human laws and commandments, which have now drowned the whole world and wiped out this epistle and all the Holy Scriptures, along with the Spirit and faith itself; so that nothing remains anymore except the idol, Belly,²⁶ whose servants St. Paul here rebukes. God save us from them. Amen.

In this epistle we thus find most abundantly the things that a Christian ought to know, namely, what is law, gospel, sin, punishment, grace, faith, righteousness, Christ, God, good works, love, hope, and the cross; and also how we are to conduct ourselves toward everyone, be he righteous or sinner, strong or weak, friend or foe—and even toward our own selves. Moreover this is all ably supported with Scripture and proved by St. Paul’s own example and that of the prophets, so that one could not wish for anything more. Therefore it appears that he wanted in this one epistle to sum up briefly the whole Christian and evangelical doctrine, and to prepare an introduction to the entire Old Testament. For, without doubt, whoever has this epistle well in his heart, has with him the light and power of the Old Testament. Therefore let every Christian be familiar with it and exercise himself in it continually. To this end may God give his grace. Amen.²⁷

¹⁵

For the second part of the New Testament—designated in the 1546 separate version of the New Testament as “The Epistles of Paul: to the Revelation of St. John”—Luther had apparently planned from the outset to provide separate prefaces. He postponed until just prior to publication of his September Testament of 1522 the composition of this most important Preface to the Epistle to the Romans, envisioning it as a recapitulation and continuation of that comprehensive preface to the gospels (see above pp. 357–362). Back of this famous preface, in which Luther sets forth the basic concepts of Paul’s theology and of his own evangelical teaching, stands of course his thorough study of the epistle reflected in his 1515–1516 lectures on Romans (published in Latin by Johannes Ficker, Vorlesung über den Römerbrief [2nd ed.; Leipzig, 1923] and in German by Eduard Ellwein, MA³, Er 2 [München, 1957]), as well as the recently completed Loci communes of Melanchthon and the latter’s Annotations on Romans for which Luther was the instigator and also provided the foreword. This was the preface which was being read in John Wesley’s hearing when, by his own account, he felt his heart “strongly warmed” at the time of his conversion May 24, 1738. WA, DB 7, xxxi–xxxiv.

Our translation is based on the 1546 version appearing in the complete Bible of that year, as given in WA, DB 7, 3–27.

¹⁶ For an alphabetical listing of commentaries on Romans, including a considerable number from periods prior to the Reformation, see William P. Dickinson (trans.), H. A. W. Meyer’s Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Epistle to the Romans (New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1884), pp. xv–xxiii.

¹⁷ Vulgate version, Ps. 115:11; cf. KJV.

¹⁸

Two elements dominate the scholastic conception of grace: infusion and merit. By grace, Thomas (1225–1274) meant not God’s love, favor, or forgiveness but “a certain supernatural thing in man, coming into existence from God”—an infused condition, a supernatural ethical nature which makes man capable of good. Man’s free will is thereby moved to prepare itself for or dispose itself toward further grace. Thomas always referred grace, and with it everything good in man, back to the agency of God as Prime Mover. Despite his emphasis on divine causality, however, his conception of grace as an infused substantial gift required—in order that the personal element not be lost entirely—that the personal agency of man and his free will be constantly brought to the fore. Thus Bonaventura taught that the purpose of God’s infusing of grace is to make the sinner capable of merit; this merit can be attained, however, only through the free will.

The scholastics distinguished between two kinds of merit: the merit of worthiness (meritum de condigno—conduct insofar as it is purely a product of grace, and is deserving of eternal life) and the merit of fitness (meritum de congruo—conduct insofar as it results from the exercise of the free will, and merits from God a reward commensurate with its particular excellence). In the process of salvation God bestows initially a “grace gratuitously given.” The resultant movements of the human will merit (congruously, by fitness) through co-operation God’s next gift of the “grace which makes acceptable.” Again, the resultant movements of the human will merit (condignly, by worthiness) through co-operation the gift of eternal life.

Without grace, of course, no merit is possible. To the attainment of justification, however, man can nevertheless dispose or prepare himself by fitness. Thus Gabriel Biel (ca. 1425–1492) says, “Good works morally performed without love merit by fitness … the grace of justification.” So the idea of merit was made tolerable by the pious interpretation given to it in the appeal to prior grace; while into the conception of infused grace there was introduced through the scheme of merits that element which it otherwise lacked, namely, an element of personal relationship to God. Cf. Seeberg, History of Doctrines, II, 118–123.

¹⁹ Thun, i.e., “commit sin.”

²⁰ Wird on sünde.

²¹ Aus natur oder freiem willen.

²² Editions prior to 1546 read “in” rather than “under.” WA, DB 7, 19, n. 29/30.

²³ Leret may have been introduced for the sake of rhyming with the following word erferet; in editions prior to 1530 the word had been lernt. WA, DB 7, 21, n. 34.

²⁴ Sich in die freie schantz schlahen.

²⁵ Cf. Luther’s treatise Avoiding the Doctrines of Men (1522) in this volume, pp. 125–153.

²⁶ Phil. 3:19; cf. Rom. 16:18.

²⁷ In editions prior to 1539 the order of these last two paragraphs is exactly reversed, so that the one here given last comes before rather than after the one which here immediately precedes it.

Luther, Martin: Pelikan, Jaroslav Jan (Hrsg.) ; Oswald, Hilton C. (Hrsg.) ; Lehmann, Helmut T. (Hrsg.): Luther's Works, Vol. 35 : Word and Sacrament I. Philadelphia : Fortress Press, 1999, c1960 (Luther's Works 35), S. 35:365

2010

As we move into 2010 my hope is that this can be a good method in which to continue to communicate thoughts and things within our congregation. This site will be open to all members and those interested in the ministry of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Dade City, FL. My hope is to keep things posted on events and the like and to be able to best address issues surrounding the ministry of our faith family. Lift our ministry always up in your prayers and I look forward to seeing you in worship.