All those who do not at all times trust God and do not in all their works or sufferings, life
and death, trust in His favor, grace and good-will, but seek His favor in other things or in
themselves, do not keep this [First] Commandment, and practice real idolatry, even if
they were to do the works of all the other Commandments, and in addition had all the
prayers, obedience, patience, and chastity of all the saints combined. For the chief work
is not present, without which all the others are nothing but mere sham, show and
pretense, with nothing back of them... If we doubt or do not believe that God is gracious
to us and is pleased with us, or if we presumptuously expect to please Him only through
and after our works, then it is all pure deception, outwardly honoring God, but inwardly
setting up self as a false [savior].... (Part X. XI) Excerpts from Martin Luther, Treatise
Concerning Good Works (1520).
Here Luther says that failure to believe that God accepts us fully in Christ—and to look
to something else for our salvation—is a failure to keep the first commandment; namely,
having no other gods before him. To try to earn your own salvation through works righteousness
is breaking the first commandment. Then he says that we cannot truly
keep any of the other laws unless we keep the first law—against idolatry and works righteousness.
Thus beneath any particular sin is this sin of rejecting Christ-salvation
and indulging in self-salvation.
Amen Pastor Mark.
ReplyDeleteAnd there is no rest (of faith) in the false humility of self-salvation. Like Peter, we need to submit to getting our feet washed. Then after His Word washes us, It/He feeds us as the Bread of Life.
My favorite thing in life right now is being restored in the new mercies He provides, every morning.
He who has begun a good work in us will complete it until the Day of Christ.
He will perfect that which concerns us.
He will keep us as the apple of His Eye.
Bless His Holy, Wonderful, Matchless Name