When I awoke last night, the Devil came and wanted to debate with me; he rebuked me and reproached me, arguing that I was a sinner. To this replied: Tell me something new, Devil! I already know that perfectly well; I have committed many a solid and real sin. Indeed there must be good honest sins--not fabricated and invented ones--for God to forgive his beloved Son's sake, who took all my sins upon Him so that now the sins I have committed are no longer mine but belong to Christ. This wonderful gift of God I am not prepared to deny (in my response to the Devil), but want to acknowledge and confess.
--Martin Luther, as quoted in Mark Tranvik's new translation of Luther's classic, The Freedom of a Christian, which I read for the first time today and rejoiced in
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