# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1851 08 19_S205
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

205

it is imputed to the believer, so that the righteousness of the believer before God and all the angels is always a perfect one, and can no longer grow and increase. Thus justification, as the work of God alone, is perfect. But that the sanctification of man in this life is not perfect comes from this, that sanctification is not merely God's work, but in part also our work, inasmuch as the will of the regenerate man co-operates in all the works of the Holy Ghost which He does through us, and so also in the mortification of the old Adam. Now since our co-operation is at no moment a completed one, on account of the sin that always cleaves to us, our sanctification also can become no perfect one in this life.

This the Methodist preachers deny, and assert that man can attain even in this life to sinless holiness. But God's Word refutes this error with countless clear passages. Thus it is said in 1 John 1:8, 9: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." With these words the holy Apostle confesses himself to be a poor sinner, confesses that there is still sin in him, and calls him a liar and deceiver who boasts of being a sinless saint. But Mr. M. asks me: "If God thus cleanses us from all unrighteousness, and unrighteousness according to 1 John 5:17 is sin, I should like to know from the learned gentleman how much sin may still remain in the heart after the cleansing through Christ." With this question Mr. M. only proves that he knows neither what justification is, nor what sanctification is. The words: "Christ cleanseth us from all unrighteousness," are an explanatory addition to: "He forgives us our sins," just as justification is very often described as a cleansing and washing from sin with the blood of Christ. God cleanses us from all unrighteousness in that He takes away the filth of all our unrighteousness through Christ's holy blood, that is, in that He imputes to us Christ's righteousness and therefore forgives us all sin. Therefore there remains in us after justification no damnable sin, no guilt of sin any more; even the sins which we commit daily out of weakness do not condemn us, if only we abide through faith in Christ; for the Apostle says: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." Rom. 8:1. But if anyone wished to refer these words to sanctification, then, according to the context of Holy Scripture, this would be the sense: God cleanses us from all unrighteousness, in that by His Holy Spirit He mortifies sin in us, which mortification of sin in this life indeed still remains imperfect, but in that world will be completed. But these words: God cleanses us from all unrighteousness — can by no means have the sense which Mr. M. wants, namely: God makes us already in this life into perfect saints, in whom no sin remains any more. For whoever, blinded by his pride, so misunderstands this passage and says: I have no sin any more, — he is, according to the preceding verse, a liar and deceiver.

The holy Apostle John, who was surely converted, as Mr. M. also will admit, knows nothing of the Methodist grace of sanctification; he confesses himself a poor sinner; yea, he rebukes him as a liar and deceiver who says that he has no sin. But let us hear the holy Apostle Paul, who surely was also converted, whether he perhaps says something of the grace of sanctification, of which the Methodist preachers make so much boasting. The Apostle says in 1 Tim. 1:15: "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." If any one of the holy Apostles had the Methodist grace of sanctification, one should expect that the holy Paul must have it, who could say of himself in truth: "I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." 1 Cor. 15:10. But what does the Apostle say? Does he say perhaps: I was once, many years ago, the chief among sinners, but now, since I have obtained the grace of sanctification, I shine in the splendour of spotless holiness.? Then indeed Mr. M. would be right with his grace of sanctification. But the holy Apostle says precisely the opposite; he says: I am the chief of sinners —, whereby he testifies in the clearest manner that he not merely committed many great sins formerly, but that he is a sinner even now, in that even now he still has sin in himself and daily sins much out of weakness, as all the regenerate confess with David: "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults." Ps. 19:13.

But Mr. M. raises the following objection: "Further I found that St. Paul prays in 1 Thess. 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. Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it." Now I should like to have instruction from the gentleman who sent the article on the following three points: 1st, whether the Apostle prayed this prayer by inspiration of the Holy Ghost; 2d, whether he was heard, and 3d, when he was heard."

We give Mr. M. with joy the instruction he desires; would that he would only faithfully receive it, since it is the truth. To his first two questions we answer of course with Yes, to the third: At the second coming of Christ the Apostle will be heard. The Apostle prescribes to God no definite time; he does not say, within 4 weeks or within a year sanctify you God wholly, but he prays first in general that God would sanctify them wholly. And this prayer God has certainly heard. He will have enlightened those Christians by His Holy Spirit from day to day more and more, so that they recognized their sinful corruption ever more penitently, guarded themselves as against the devil himself from the error as though they had no sin, and in faith in Christ became ever richer in all Christian virtues and good works. When the Apostle then continues: "and your whole spirit with soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ," he thereby reveals when the sanctification of believers will come to completion, namely on the last day at the second coming of Christ. For then also the last consequence of the Fall, death, will be abolished, then the souls of believers in the resurrection will again unite with their bodies, then believers will be, in body, soul and spirit, wholly holy, perfect and blameless.

To be concluded.

(Communicated).

Touching Charity of the Free Men.

No. 19 of the "Freie Blätter" contains the constitution of the Benevolent Society of the Free Men. Therein § 9 reads literally thus: "Should one and the same illness of a member last longer than usual, the society pays, during the first three months, the full weekly support, during the next three months the half thereof, and after six months the support ceases entirely. Now since according to § 7 the full weekly support amounts to four dollars, the total support which the society of the free men grants to a sick fellow-member during six months amounts to 80 dollars at the most. Then it ceases; though the member may then still continue sick, though he may with his family languish in hunger and misery: — the support ceases. According to the constitution of this society, therefore, a free man is valued at 80 dollars, as much as a middling horse costs. Touching self-abasement, touching love, which gives for the sick fellow-member only 80, say eighty dollars, and then leaves him to his misery.

This inhuman hardheartedness, which every friend of man abhors, be he heathen or Turk, follows moreover quite consistently from the new precious religion of Mr. Schmidt, who, as is well known, denies the existence of God and the continuance of the soul after death.