This temptation is more necessary to you than food and drink. Let me remind you what happened to me when I was about your age. When I first entered the monastery it came to pass that I was sad and downcast, nor could I lay aside my melancholy. On this account I made confession to and took counsel with Dr. Staupitz and opened to him what horrible and terrible thoughts I had. Then said he: 'Don't you know, Martin, that this temptation is useful and necessary to you? God does not exercise you thus without reason. You will see that he intends to use you as his servant to accomplish great things.' And so it turned out. . . . although at the time when I suffered this temptation I never would have believed it possible. . . .
Whenever the devil pesters you . . . at once seek out the company of men, drink more, joke and jest, or engage in some other form of merriment. Sometimes it is necessary to drink a little more, play, jest, or even commit some sin in defiance and contempt of the devil in order not to give him an opportunity to make us scrupulous about trifles. . . .
When the devil throws our sins up to us and declares that we deserve death and hell, we ought to speak thus: 'I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? Does this mean that I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means. For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Where he is, there I shall be also.
Yours,
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
--quoted in Richard Marius, Martin Luther: The Christian between God and Death (Harvard University Press 2000), 122-23
A cold, sluggish heart will take this as encouragement to sin. One way this is mitigated is by remembering the kind of person to whom this letter was directed. Fundamentally, though: a heart sensitized to the gospel and to our own startling ongoing sin even as those who have been born again will find, with me, a world of gospel wisdom and sanity here.
"Whenever the devil pesters you, at once seek out the company of men..."
ReplyDeleteOf men? Or of God?
'Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him" -Psalm 34:8
"A cold, sluggish heart" Dane? Is it not rather, a cold sluggish heart, that does not run to it's Father, the Only One Who can help? Or one who knows, "in Him" is our only hope? That the way through...is not found in men, nor in consolations of sin...(shall I sin more that grace may abound? God forbid!)...but in Christ alone?
"This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?—
32 the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
Psalms 18:30-33 (ESV)
Hi Martha, I think what Pastor Ortlund failed to mention in his responses to your post is that no one would dispute the fact that God alone is our ultimate hope. However, in His wisdom and grace He gave us biblical community to support us here on earth when life gets hard. Luther’s advice to this young man lines up with what Scripture says about relying on our brothers and sisters in Christ when our spiritual disciplines are unable to encourage us and restore our faith. See Romans 1:11-12, Hebrews 10:24-25, Ephesians 4: 14-16, and many more. I think the really shocking bit in this letter is that he actually encourages this man to sin. But, as Pastor Ortlund points out, what he’s really saying is that this guy just needs to “live a little.” Probably because he’s been really legalistic about his faith and he’s lost all joy in the gospel. In a bizarre way, sin can be a gift to us, a reminder of our position before God: broken sinners saved by grace alone. Our sin has no real power because of Jesus, and when we forget that, it might be in the best interest of our understanding of the gospel to go and sin a little so we can remember that truth and restore the joy of our salvation (Psalm 51:12, written by David when the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband Uriah)
DeleteIt's a matter of basic internet integrity to provide a full name when leaving a comment, esp when disagreeing. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteSo you judge me. sad smile
ReplyDeleteSpoken gently...You want integrity? I asked my husband how to post a comment on your blog, and he said, "You don't have a URL or google account...just post as anonymous."
And, since he is not at home to help me jump through the hoops that you demand...you will have to ask your father who I am. Just blogged to his site this morning, and mentioned reading yours. In integrity.
Thanks for the follow-up.
ReplyDeleteThere are no hoops to jump thru. Just leave your name at the end of your comment.
Not sure what you mean by 'blogged to' my dad's site.
Blessings.
Hello again,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Martha. And though I apparently do not understand even "basic internet integrity" (:-)) it would seem that you are side-stepping grappling with the truths of Psalm 18.
BTW-Have long loved Martin Luther, yet he is, after all, as are all, simply men, and flawed. His statement, "My conscience is captive to the Word of God... to go against conscience is neither right nor safe," a personal favorite.
Thanks for the comment Martha.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome, Dane. :-)
ReplyDeleteGod be with you. :-)
Martha