# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1851 04 15_S132
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

132

2, 11—18.) I now learn with the truth that my LORD Christ is a Saviour of all sinners without exception, He will be also a Saviour of the Gentiles; the Gentiles also are His sheep, for whom He laid down His life and whom He has purchased to be His own possession; they are the "other" sheep, which are not of the fold of Israel; them also He will and must bring, they shall also hear His voice. and there shall be one fold and one shepherd, (John 10, 15, 16.) Yes, now I learn by the deed that God — so Peter himself says later, — also "giveth the Holy Ghost to the Gentiles, even as unto us Jews, and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith." (Acts 15, 8, 9.)

Far from the Apostle meaning to say with those words that a man could be saved in any religion, that faith in the Saviour of the world was not first necessary for it; he means, on the contrary, to say that God, with the sending of the Saviour, has provided for the salvation of All men, that God in His dear Son has opened to all men a way to blessedness, that God grudges the reconciliation and redemption He has established to no one, but would let it come to the good of every man; that God also would have mercy on the Gentiles for Christ's sake, would not thrust them from Him as unclean, as not belonging to His people, but would even let a Gentile who has gone on in all idolatry and wickedness be acceptable to Him, if only he turn from his false gods to the living God, believe in the Saviour of all the world proclaimed to him, and thus manifest this faith by fearing God and working righteousness.

That this is the right interpretation of Peter's words we see plainly also from this, that Peter in the whole sermon following these words preaches Christ to Cornelius, as the one in whom salvation is to be found through faith, and indeed by faith alone. He says, among other things: "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." V. 43.

To this is added the following. Cornelius was indeed a Gentile, but not in the sense that he still lived in heathen idolatry and in heathen ignorance; but only in so far as he neither descended bodily from Abraham, nor had become a Jewish proselyte by accepting circumcision. Withal he knew the true God well, believed in Him, feared Him and served Him. The Old Testament also, and especially the Prophets, to whom the Apostle could therefore appeal in his sermon, he knew, and he believed them and the prophecies contained in them, of a Saviour of the world to be expected, from the heart. Cornelius stood, therefore, in a word, before Peter came to him, in faith, namely in the faith which all believers of the Old Covenant had and through which they were saved. Only one thing was lacking to the centurion, namely the knowledge that the Saviour, also expected and longed for by him, had already come, and that He is Jesus of Nazareth (v. 38), the Crucified and Risen One. And to reveal this to the aged God-fearing soldier, Peter had to come to him and preach to him, by a wonderful special arrangement of God.

"The dear reader sees from this that those words of Peter are precisely a proof of this, not only that no one at all can be saved without faith in a Saviour, but that, since the Saviour has appeared in Jesus Christ of Nazareth, faith is now especially necessary to salvation, that this Saviour is the Jesus of Nazareth who died on the cross on Golgotha and rose again from the dead on the third day. For, although Cornelius already, so to speak, stood in the faith of the Old Testament, yet the angel of the LORD had expressly to tell him: "Send for Simon, whose surname is Peter; who shall tell thee words, whereby thou shalt be saved." (Acts 11, 13, 14.)

But you say now, dear reader, perhaps: how? so then everything should really depend on faith alone? so then faith alone should really bring a man salvation? — Is not by such a doctrine all zeal in godliness and in good works smothered? Will not the people say, under such a doctrine: Well then! if everything depends on faith alone, and nothing on how one lives, then we will believe, and live meanwhile as we will, for heaven must surely be ours in any case! — To this we answer briefly as follows: Whoever thinks and speaks so, knows not at all what believing is and means; for to believe, according to Scripture, does not mean a mere dead assent and agreement with the lips to everything that stands in the Bible. O no! To believe in Christ means, according to Scripture, to comfort oneself heartily with Christ, so that one bears in his heart such a trust in Christ and His merit that he can overcome with it all doubt, all temptations, distress, death and the terrors of hell. Such a faith, however, God alone can give into a man's heart through His Holy Spirit; and God works it through the Gospel only in such hearts as have come to know their sin livingly from the Law and are thereby humbled, broken and crushed to the depths before God; and when in a man the heavenly light and fire of such a true faith has been kindled, then it shows itself to be a divine work also in this, that it transforms the man's heart, purifies it, and works therein hatred of sin, contempt of the vanity of the world, love to God and to all men, especially to his brethren and sisters in the faith, and desire and zeal for all good works. Hence it comes that the Holy Scripture, when it describes a believer, often says nothing of his faith, but speaks only of his good works; as, for example, Peter says: "He that feareth God, and worketh righteousness;" because these are, namely, fruits which necessarily and certainly follow faith and by which it is made manifest before the world.

Take no offense, therefore, dear reader, when you hear that according to the doctrine of the Holy Scripture faith alone makes righteous and saved before God; but rather take offense at yourself, that you do not yet know what believing means.

In conclusion, hear therefore what Luther writes about this, and follow his faithful counsel. This dear hero of faith and herald of faith writes namely in his preface to the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans as follows:

"Faith is not the human fancy and dream which some hold for faith; and when they see that no amendment of life nor good works follow, and yet can hear and talk much of faith, they fall into the error and say: faith is not enough, one must do works, if one is to be godly and saved. This comes about, when they hear the Gospel, they fall in with it and make for themselves out of their own powers a thought in the heart, which says: I believe. That they hold then for a right faith. But as it is a human invention and thought, which the ground of the heart never experiences: so it also does nothing, and no amendment follows after."

"But faith is a divine work in us, that changes us and bears us anew of God, John 1, 13, and kills the old Adam, makes us wholly other men in heart, spirit, mind and powers, and brings the Holy Ghost with it. O, it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, faith, so that it is impossible that it should not do good without ceasing! It does not ask whether good works are to be done; but before one asks, it has done them, and is always at work. But whoever does not do such works is a godless man, gropes and looks about him for faith and good works, and knows neither what faith nor good works are; prates and chatters much about faith and good works."

"Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure that it would die a thousand times for it. And such confidence and knowledge of divine grace makes joyful, bold and merry toward God and all creatures; which the Holy Ghost does in faith. Hence a man without constraint becomes willing and merry to do good to everyone, to serve everyone, to suffer all things, for love and praise of God, who has shown him such grace. So that it is impossible to separate works from faith, yea as impossible as burning and shining can be separated from fire. Therefore beware of your own false thoughts and of useless babblers, who want to be clever in judging of faith and good works, and are the greatest fools. Pray God that