Did
the Law ever love me? Did the Law ever sacrifice itself for me? Did the
Law ever die for me? On the contrary, it accuses me, it frightens me,
and it drives me crazy. Somebody else saved me from the Law, from sin
and death unto eternal life. That somebody is the Son of God (Who loved
me and gave Himself for me). Hence, Christ is no Moses, no tyrant, no
lawgiver, but the Giver of grace, the Savior,
full of mercy….. Visualize Christ in these His true colors. I do not
say that it is easy. Even in the present diffusion of the Gospel light, I
have much trouble to see Christ as Paul portrays Him. So deeply has the
diseased opinion that Christ is a lawgiver sunk into my bones. You
younger men are a good deal better off than we who are old. You have
never become infected with the nefarious errors on which I suckled all
my youth, until at the mention of the name of Christ I shivered with
fear. You, I say, who are young may learn to know Christ in all His
sweetness. For Christ is Joy and Sweetness to a broken heart. Christ is a
Lover of poor sinners and such a Lover that He gave Himself for us. Now
if this is true, and it is true, then are we never justified by our own
righteousness.
–Martin Luther
To anyone who is stuck on
the law and on your own personal performance I ask you to think about
this until Christ becomes joy and sweetness to your soul.
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