The Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude Preached and ExplainedLuther, Martin
ReligionChristian
The Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude Preached and Explained
Luther, Martin
Bible. Jude; Bible. Jude -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.; Bible. Peter; Bible. Peter -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
So says St. Peter: Ye have through faith hereunto attained, that ye
are the children of God, and He is your Father. And ye have obtained
an incorruptible inheritance in heaven, (as has been already said.)
Thus nothing more now remains, except that the veil be taken away,
and that be uncovered which is now concealed, for which ye are still
to wait until ye shall behold it. Though ye are now arrived at that
state in which ye may joyfully call God your Father, yet is He so
righteous that he will reward every man according to his works, and
respect not persons. Wherefore thou art not to imagine, although thou
hast that great name so that thou art called a Christian or a child
of God, that He will therefore continue thine if thou livest without
fear, and thinkest that it is enough that thou dost glory in such a
name. The world indeed judges by the person, since it does not punish
all alike, and respects those who are friendly, rich, reputable,
learned, wise, and powerful. But God regards nothing of this kind; it
is all alike to him, be the person as great as he may. Thus in Egypt
he struck the son of King Pharaoh dead, as well as the son of the
poor miller.
Therefore the Apostle would have us expect such judgment from God,
and stand in fear, so that we do not glory in our title that we are
Christian, and thereupon become negligent, as though he would for
this reason pass us over more readily than others. For in this the
Jews were formerly deceived, who boasted that they were Abraham's
seed and God's people. Scripture makes no difference in respect to
the flesh, but in respect to the spirit. It is true that Christ was
to be born of Abraham's seed and that a holy people should spring
from him, but it does not therefore follow that all who are born of
Abraham are the children of God. He also promised that the Gentiles
should be saved, but he has not said that he would save _all_ the
Gentiles.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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