Luther: Law and Gospel - from Thy Strong Word

J-914

"A penitent heart is a rare thing and a great grace; one cannot produce it by thinking about sin and hell. Only the Holy Spirit can impart it."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1212.



J-915

"Now God drives us to this by holding the law before us, in order that through the law we may come to a knowledge of ourselves. For where there is not this knowledge, one can never be saved. He that is well needs no physician; but if a man is sick and desires to become well, he must know that he is weak and sick, otherwise he cannot be helped."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 370. Second Sunday after Easter, Second Sermon John 20:19-31.

J-916

"For the heart is ever hostile to the law and resists it with inward disobedience."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 140. Fourth Sunday after Easter, Third Sermon John 16:5-15.

J-917

"Therefore the Holy Spirit rightly and justly convicts, as sinful and condemned, all who have not faith in Christ. For where this is wanting, other sins in abundance must follow: God is despised and hated, and the entire first table is treated with disobedience."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 141. Fourth Sunday after Easter, Third Sermon John 16:5-15.

J-918

"It breaks in not piecemeal on certain works and actions, but reduces to nothing and condemns everything that reason and worldly wisdom propose. In short, He convicts and censures them in and for the very things they do not wish to be convicted in, but rather praised and lauded, as teaching and doing well and right."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 138. Fourth Sunday after Easter, Third Sermon. John 16:5-15.

The Law Always Condemns

J-919

"I have often told you, dearly beloved, that the entire Scriptures consist of two parts, of the law and the Gospel. It is the law that teaches us what we are required to do; the Gospel teaches where we shall receive what the law demands. For it is quite a different thing to know what we should have, and to know where to get it. Just as when I am given into the hands of the physicians, where it is quite a different art to tell what my disease is than to tell what medicine I must take so as to recover. Thus it is likewise here. The law discovers the disease, the Gospel ministers the medicine."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 31. Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 10:23-37.

J-920

"This is the situation with him: the greater his external restraint from evil, the greater his inward hatred of him who restrains. His character is in the scales; when one side goes up, the other goes down. While outward sin decreases, inward sin increases. We know from experience that those youths most strictly reared are, when given liberty, more wicked than young men less rigidly brought up. So impossible it is to improve human nature with commandments and punishments; something else is necessary."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 268. New Year's Day, Galatians 3:23-29.

The Law is the work of the Holy Spirit, but it is limited to condemnation and threats. For that reason, the Law can never provide the perfection it demands. Lutherans should be especially aware of this limitation, because the Reformed solutions provided by mission boards, evangelism experts, and synodical officials are all Law, but man-made law at best. Luther’s analogy, comparing Law and Gospel to diagnosis and treatment, is still good to use today. I was waiting with a family while the head of the household was in surgery. A former Roman Catholic began talking about her change from the Church of Rome to Pentecostalism. She was much happier as a Pentecostal. I knew that my chance to say something was quite limited, so I pointed out that the Law was the same as getting an x-ray, but all the x-rays in the world would not cure an ailment. Only the Gospel of forgiveness could provide healing. She brightened up when she heard this and I hope paid more attention to the Gospel in the future. Many people I know would have said, “You have to quit the Pentecostals and join my synod.” That would be a Law solution and the wrong one, as far as the immediate problem was concerned.

Because the Law always condemns, it can bear no fruit. The Law can be enforced on anyone and often produces comical results. For instance, mission boards love mission reports but seldom read them. Two pastors tested this principle by sending in phony, inflated, and hilarious reports for months. They had the audacity to tell the mission executive that they would not send any more reports because he did not read them. “Of course I have!” They taunted him into opening the file and reading them, provoking an angry response unbecoming to a minister of the Gospel. The Law by itself produces guilt and moves people to obey, but they cannot love God’s Law through hearing the Law alone. Consequently, correct Lutheran teaching includes both Law and Gospel, with the Gospel predominating.

J-921

Luther: "The lawmonger compels by threats and punishments; the preacher of grace persuades and incites men by setting forth the goodness and mercy of God."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1950, I, p. 79.

J-922

"What is said there concerning the servant is true here concerning the pupil. Paul employs the two figures to teach us the office of the Law and what it profits. We must, therefore, again refer to the Law and its works, to the fact that works are of twofold origin. Some are extorted by fear of punishment or prompted by expectation of pleasure and gain; others are spontaneous, cheerful and gratuitous, not performed to escape punishment nor to gain reward, but inspired by pure kindness and a desire for what is good. The first class are the works of servants and pupils; the second class, of children and free heirs."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 267. New Year's Day, Galatians 3:23-29.

J-923

"As for example when we feel in our conscience that God rebukes us as sinners and judges us unworthy of the kingdom of heaven, then we experience hell, and we think we are lost forever. Now whoever understands here the actions of this poor woman and catches God in His own judgment, and says, Lord, it is true, I am a sinner and not worthy of Thy grace; but still Thou hast promised sinners forgiveness, and Thou art come not to call the righteous, but, as St. Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:15, 'to save sinners.' Behold, then must God according to His own judgment have mercy upon us."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 153. Matthew 15:21-28.

Eric Gritsch's books about Luther.