# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1849 07 24_S191
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

191

, then surely every unprejudiced person ought to wish that such a spirit might become ever more general among the congregations here also.

That Many Men Are Saved Even Without Repentance and Faith, a Doctrine Recently Publicly Professed in the "Apologete."

As much as we were pleased, on the one hand, at the unaccustomed moderation with which Dr. Nast speaks in No. 548 of the "Apologete" about our article "Von der Seligkeit ohne Taufe sterbender Kinder," so dispiriting was it for us to read here the following confession of Dr. Nast:

"As regards the salvation of children who die baptized or unbaptized, we ascribe it to this, that by virtue of the blood shed by Christ for all men they are acquitted, or justified, of original sin. ''As by the offence of one condemnation came upon all men, so also by the righteousness of one the justification of life (that is: unto life, that it becomes possible to be made spiritually alive) came upon all men.'' Rom. 5, 18. This justification that has come upon all men consists in this, that no man is condemned on this account, because he has brought a sinful nature into the world.

"The children who die before they are capable of repentance toward God and of faith in JESUS Christ are nevertheless received into grace for the sake of the merit of Christ and, in a way not revealed to us, are regenerated and sanctified. Also the heathen, who have heard nothing of Christ and for that reason could not become believers in Him, are nevertheless so far enlightened by the light which lighteth every man that cometh into this world, by the Holy Ghost, who is the fruit of the suffering and dying of Christ, that they can be saved for the sake of the blood of JESUS Christ shed for them, if they faithfully follow the light given to them. . . Adam fell, and by his fall he lost, with all his posterity, spiritual life (the moral image of God in which he was created) and was made subject to temporal death; but according to the plan of redemption grace and a season of grace were offered to man, and although he is conceived in sins and begotten of sinful seed, original sin is nevertheless not imputed to him until, grown to accountability, he rejects in unbelief the remedy offered to him and dies in his sins without repentance and faith. If a human child dies before it makes itself guilty of actual, conscious sins, the Saviour, who shed His blood for it and adjudged to it the kingdom of God, will also know how to make it fit for heavenly blessedness."

With genuine horror have we read the proclamation of these principles in the Apologete. A new light has thereby dawned upon us concerning the true character of Methodism. We should never have believed that it harbored such things in its bosom. Such principles overthrow the whole foundation of the Christian doctrine. This teaches that on God's part the justification of all men has been fully accomplished, but that on the part of man faith must be added, if man is to come to the enjoyment of this benefit of grace; Mr. Nast teaches that with children and heathen the latter is not necessary because of the former, and so confounds the acquisition of salvation and its appropriation, the principal meritorious and the instrumental apprehending cause of salvation. The Holy Scripture teaches that faith wrought by God is the only means on the part of man whereby he is regenerated and sanctified (Acts 15, 9., Rom. 14, 23.); Mr. Nast teaches that many men are regenerated and sanctified even without repentance and faith. The Holy Scripture teaches that the Holy Ghost is received only through the preaching of faith (Gal. 3, 2.); Mr. Nast teaches, quite enthusiastically, that the heathen are enlightened by the Holy Ghost even without Word and Sacrament. The Holy Scripture teaches (and in the general public confession of the Methodists it stands also) that faith alone saves (Mark 16, 16., John 3, 18. 36., Gal. 3, 28., Heb. 11, 6.); Mr. Nast teaches that the heathen are saved even without faith through their obedience to the light given to them; hereby Mr. Nast publicly and solemnly renounces the material principle of Protestantism so often spoken of now. Finally the Holy Scripture teaches that all men are by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2, 3.) and that the wrath of God therefore abideth on those who believe not (John 3, 36.); Mr. Nast teaches that original sin is not imputed until man grows up to accountability and rejects in unbelief the remedy offered to him.

At present we lack the time to carry all this out further. Perhaps we shall later find the necessary leisure for it. For this time may these hints suffice to call the attention of the dear reader, by way of warning, to how Methodism also proves that the Christian doctrines hang together as in one chain; take away one link, and the chain is broken, and at last everything must be lost.

Luther on John 16, 10.

This word: that I go to the Father, comprehends the whole work of our redemption and salvation, for which God's Son was sent from heaven, and which He has done for us and still does unto the end; namely, His suffering, death, and resurrection, and entire kingdom in the church. For this going to the Father means nothing else than that He gives Himself thereto for a sacrifice, by His bloodshed and dying, to pay thereby for sin; and afterward again, by His resurrection, overcomes and brings under His power sin, death, and hell, and sets Himself alive at the right hand of the Father, where He invisibly reigneth over all things in heaven and on earth, and gathers and spreads abroad His Christendom by the preaching of the Gospel: and for those who believe, intercedes and prays with the Father as an eternal Mediator and High Priest, because they still have remaining weakness and sin; and to this end gives the power and strength of the Holy Ghost to overcome sin, devil, and death.

Behold, this is and means now the righteousness of Christians before God, that Christ goeth to the Father, that is, suffers for us, rises again, and thus reconciles us to the Father, so that for His sake we have forgiveness of sins and grace; that it is wholly not of our work or merit, but only of His going, which He does for our sakes. This is called an alien righteousness, for which we have done nothing, nor deserved, nor can deserve, given to us as a gift and made our own, that it shall be our righteousness, whereby we please God, and are His dear children and heirs.

The Conversation of Christians with the World.

Christ makes a Christian eloquent, so that he not only gives answer to him who asks him, but also himself draws speech from the people to whom he comes, if they do not begin to speak. He makes him prudent, so that he conducts himself according to the nature of the people, and does not begin at once directly to speak of purely spiritual things, whereby most people are frightened off and hold themselves back, or hypocritically dissemble: but He causes the Christian to adapt himself to the people as he finds them before him, to become all things to all men, and to begin to speak with them also of common and casual things: What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? What have ye been talking about? What good is there among men? What has happened? until he can reach his purpose from the side, and gets something out of the other's mouth into his hand, so as now to lead the conversation to something good, and often to catch the people before they have noticed that one was laying snares for them. "For in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird," Prov. 1, 17., they fly away. One must lay snares for them secretly, and catch them with guile, as Paul his Corinthians. Surely good souls have cause to let themselves be shown this by the Saviour.

Riegers Herzenspostille, Bielefelder Ausgabe, Seite 427.