Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians

Chapter 5

IN this chapter the Apostle Paul presents the doctrine of Christian liberty

in a final effort to persuade the Galatians to give up the nefarious doctrine

of the false apostles. To accomplish his purpose he adduces threats and

promises, trying in every way possible to keep them in the liberty which

Christ purchased for them.

What liberty does Paul mean? Not civil liberty (for which we have the

government to thank), but the liberty which Christ has procured for us.

At one time the emperor was compelled to grant to the bishop of Rome

certain immunities and privileges. This is civil liberty. That liberty

exempts the clergy from certain public charges. Then there is also another

kind of "liberty," when people obey neither the laws of God nor the laws

of men, but do as they please. This carnal liberty the people want in our

day. We are not now speaking of this liberty. Neither are we speaking of

civil liberty.

Paul is speaking of a far better liberty, the liberty "wherewith Christ hath

made us free," not from material bonds, not from the Babylonian

captivity, not from the tyranny of the Turks, but from the eternal wrath of

God.

Where is this liberty?

In the conscience.

Our conscience is free and quiet because it no longer has to fear the wrath

of God. This is real liberty, compared with which every other kind of

liberty is not worth mentioning. Who can adequately express the boon

that comes to a person when he has the heart-assurance that God will

nevermore be angry with him, but will forever be merciful to him for

Christ's sake? This is indeed a marvelous liberty, to have the sovereign

God for our Friend and Father who will defend, maintain, and save us in

this life and in the life to come.

As an outgrowth of this liberty, we are at the same time free from the Law,

sin, death, the power of the devil, hell, etc. Since the wrath of God has

been assuaged by Christ no Law, sin, or death may now accuse and

condemn us. These foes of ours will continue to frighten us, but not too

much. The worth of our Christian liberty cannot be exaggerated.

Our conscience must he trained to fall back on the freedom purchased for

us by Christ. Though the fears of the Law, the terrors of sin, the horror of

death assail us occasionally, we know that these feelings shall not endure,

because the prophet quotes God as saying: "In a little wrath I hid my face

from thee for a moment: but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy

on thee." (Isa. 54:8.)

We shall appreciate this liberty all the more when we bear in mind that it

was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who purchased it with His own blood.

Hence, Christ's liberty is given us not by the Law, or for our own

righteousness, but freely for Christ's sake. In the eighth chapter of the

Gospel of St. John, Jesus declares: "If the Son shall make you free, ye shall

be free indeed." He only stands between us and the evils which trouble

and afflict us and which He has overcome for us.

Reason cannot properly evaluate this gift. Who can fully appreciate the

blessing of the forgiveness of sins and of everlasting life? Our opponents

claim that they also possess this liberty. But they do not. When they are

put to the test all their self-confidence slips from them. What else can they

expect when they trust in works and not in the Word of God?

Our liberty is founded on Christ Himself, who sits at the right hand of God

and intercedes for us. Therefore our liberty is sure and valid as long as we

believe in Christ. As long as we cling to Him with a steadfast faith we

possess His priceless gifts. But if we are careless and indifferent we shall

lose them. It is not without good reason that Paul urges us to watch and to

stand fast. He knew that the devil delights in taking this liberty away from

us.

In this passage Paul again disparages the pernicious notion that the Law is

able to make men righteous before God, a notion deeply rooted in man's

reason. All mankind is so wrapped up in this idea that it is hard to drag it

out of people. Paul compares those who seek to be justified by the Law to

oxen that are hitched to the yoke. Like oxen that toil in the yoke all day,

and in the evening are turned out to graze along the dusty road, and at last

are marked for slaughter when they no longer can draw the burden, so

those who seek to be justified by the Law are "entangled with the yoke of

bondage," and when they have grown old and broken-down in the service

of the Law they have earned for their perpetual reward God's wrath and

everlasting torment.

We are not now treating of an unimportant matter. It is a matter that

involves everlasting liberty or everlasting slavery. For as a liberation from

God's wrath through the kind office of Christ is not a passing boon, but a

permanent blessing, so also the yoke of the Law is not a temporary but an

everlasting affliction.

Rightly are the doers of the Law called devil's martyrs. They take more

pains to earn hell than the martyrs of Christ to obtain heaven. Theirs is a

double misfortune. First they torture themselves on earth with self-

inflicted penances and finally when they die they gain the reward of eternal

damnation.

This passage is an indictment of the whole papacy. All priests, monks, and

nuns--and I am now speaking of the best of them--who repose their

hope for salvation in their own works, and not in Christ, whom they

imagine to he an angry judge, hear this sentence pronounced against them

that Christ shall profit them nothing. If one can earn the forgiveness of

sins and everlasting life through one's own efforts to what purpose was

Christ born? What was the purpose of His suffering and death, His

resurrection, His victory over sin, death, and the devil, if men may

overcome these evils by their own endeavor? Tongue cannot express, nor

heart conceive what a terrible thing it is to make Christ worthless.

The person who is not moved by these considerations to leave the Law

and the confidence in his own righteousness for the liberty in Christ, has a

heart that is harder than stone and iron.

Paul does not condemn circumcision in itself. Circumcision is not

injurious to the person who does not ascribe any particular importance to

it. Neither are works injurious provided a person does not attach any

saving value to them. The Apostle does not say that works are

objectionable, but to build one's hopes for righteousness on works is

disastrous, for that makes Christ good for nothing.

Let us bear this in mind when the devil accuses our conscience. When that

dragon accuses us of having done no good at all, but only evil, say to him:

"You trouble me with the remembrance of my past sins; you remind me

that I have done no good. But this does not bother me, because if I were to

trust in my own good deeds, or despair because I have done no good deeds,

Christ would profit me neither way. I am not going to make him

unprofitable to me. This I would do, if I should presume to purchase for

myself the favor of God and everlasting life by my good deeds, or if I

should despair of my salvation because of my sins."

The truth of this I have experienced in myself and in others. I have seen

many work themselves down to the bones in their hungry effort to obtain

peace of conscience. But the harder they tried the more they worried.

Especially in the presence of death they were so uneasy that I have seen

murderers die with better grace and courage.

This holds true also in regard to the church regulations. When I was a

monk I tried ever so hard to live up to the strict rules of my order. I used

to make a list of my sins, and I was always on the way to confession, and

whatever penances were enjoined upon me I performed religiously. In

spite of it all, my conscience was always in a fever of doubt. The more I

sought to help my poor stricken conscience the worse it got. The more I

paid attention to the regulations the more I transgressed them.

Hence those that seek to be justified by the Law are much further away

from the righteousness of life than the publicans, sinners, and harlots.

They know better than to trust in their own works. They know that they

cannot ever hope to obtain forgiveness by their sins.

Paul's statement in this verse may be taken to mean that those who

submit to circumcision are thereby submitting to the whole Law. To obey

Moses in one point requires obedience to him in all points. It does no good

to say that only circumcision is necessary, and not the rest of Moses' laws.

The same reasons that obligate a person to accept circumcision also

obligate a person to accept the whole Law. Thus to acknowledge the Law is

tantamount to declaring that Christ is not yet come. And if Christ is not

yet come, then all the Jewish ceremonies and laws concerning meats,

places, and times are still in force, and Christ must be awaited as one who

is still to come. The whole Scripture, however, testifies that Christ has

come, that by His death He has abolished the Law, and that He has fulfilled

all things which the prophets have foretold about Him.

Some would like to subjugate us to certain parts of the Mosaic Law. But

this is not to be permitted under any circumstances. If we permit Moses to

rule over us in one thing, we must obey him in all things.

The words, "Ye are fallen from grace," must not be taken lightly. They are

important. To fall from grace means to lose the atonement, the

forgiveness of sins, the righteousness, liberty, and life which Jesus has

merited for us by His death and resurrection. To lose the grace of God

means to gain the wrath and judgment of God, death, the bondage of the

devil, and everlasting condemnation.

Holy Writ speaks of hope in two ways: as the object of the emotion, and

hope as the emotion itself. In the first chapter of the Epistle to the

Colossians we have an instance of its first use: "For the hope which is laid

up for you in heaven," i.e., the thing hoped for. In the sense of emotion

we quote the passage from the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans:

"For we are saved by hope." As Paul uses the term "hope" here in writing

to the Galatians, we may take it in either of its two meanings. We may

understand Paul to say, "We wait in spirit, through faith, for the

righteousness that we hope for, which in due time will be revealed to us."

Or we may understand Paul to say: "We wait in Spirit, by faith for

righteousness with great hope and desire." True, we are righteous, but our

righteousness is not yet revealed; as long as we live here sin stays with us,

not to forget the law in our members striving against the law of our mind.

When sin rages in our body and we through the Spirit wrestle against it,

then we have cause for hope. We are not yet perfectly righteous. Perfect

righteousness is still to be attained. Hence we hope for it.

This is sweet comfort for us. And we are to make use of it in comforting

the afflicted. We are to say to them: "Brother, you would like to feel God's

favor as you feel your sin. But you are asking too much. Your righteousness

rests on something much better than feelings. Wait and hope until it will

be revealed to you in the Lord's own time. Don't go by your feelings, but go

by the doctrine of faith, which pledges Christ to you."

The question occurs to us, What difference is there between faith and

hope? We find it difficult to see any difference. Faith and hope are so

closely linked that they cannot be separated. Still there is a difference

between them.

This passage contains excellent doctrine and much comfort. It declares that

we are justified not by works, sacrifices, or ceremonies, but by Christ alone.

The world may judge certain things to be ever so good; without Christ

they are all wrong. Circumcision and the law and good works are carnal.

"We," says Paul, "are above such things. We possess Christ by faith and in

the midst of our afflictions we hopefully wait for the consummation of

our righteousness."

You may say, "The trouble is I don't feel as if I am righteous." You must

not feel, but believe. Unless you believe that you are righteous, you do

Christ a great wrong, for He has cleansed you by the washing of

regeneration, He died for you so that through Him you may obtain

righteousness and everlasting life.

The devil is a cunning persuader. He knows how to enlarge the smallest

sin into a mountain until we think we have committed the worst crime

ever committed on earth. Such stricken consciences must be comforted

and set straight as Paul corrected the Galatians by showing them that their

opinion is not of Christ because it runs counter to the Gospel, which

describes Christ as a meek and merciful Savior.

Satan will circumvent the Gospel and explain Christ in this his own

diabolical way: "Indeed Christ is meek, gentle, and merciful, but only to

those who are holy and righteous. If you are a sinner you stand no chance.

Did not Christ say that unbelievers are already damned? And did not

Christ perform many good deeds, and suffer many evils patiently, bidding

us to follow His example? You do not mean to say that your life is in

accord with Christ's precepts or example? You are a sinner. You are no

good at all."

Satan is to be answered in this way: The Scriptures present Christ in a

twofold aspect. First, as a gift. "He of God is made unto us wisdom, and

righteousness, and sanctification and redemption." (I Cor. 1:30.) Hence my

many and grievous sins are nullified if I believe in Him. Secondly, the

Scriptures present Christ for our example. As an exemplar He is to be

placed before me only at certain times. In times of joy and gladness that l

may have Him as a mirror to reflect upon my shortcomings. But in the

day of trouble I will have Christ only as a gift. I will not listen to

anything else, except that Christ died for my sins.

To those that are cast down on account of their sins Christ must be

introduced as a Savior and Gift, and not as an example. But to sinners who

live in a false assurance, Christ must be introduced as an example. The

hard sayings of Scripture and the awful judgments of God upon sin must

be impressed upon them. Defy Satan in times of despair. Say: "O cursed

Satan, you choose a nice time to talk to me about doing and working when

you know very well that I am in trouble over my sins. I will not listen to

you. I will listen to Christ, who says that He came into the world to save

sinners. This is the true Christ and there is none other. I can find plenty of

examples for a holy life in Abraham, Isaiah, John the Baptist, Paul, and

other saints. But they cannot forgive my sins. They cannot save me. They

cannot procure for me everlasting life. Therefore I will not have you for

my teacher, O Satan."

Others of the Galatians perhaps saw no harm in deviating a trifle from the

doctrine of justification and faith. When they noticed that Paul made so

much ado about a matter that seemed of no particular importance to them

they raised their eyebrows and thought within themselves: "What if we

did deviate a little from the doctrine of Paul? What if we are a little to

blame? He ought to overlook the whole matter, and not make such an

issue out of it, lest the unity of the churches be disturbed." To this Paul

replies: "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump."

Our opponents record the same complaints about us. They put us down as

contentious, ill-tempered faultfinders. But these are the crafty passes of the

devil, with which he seeks to overthrow our faith. We answer with Paul:

"A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump."

Small faults grow into big faults. To tolerate a trifling error inevitably

leads to crass heresy. The doctrine of the Bible is not ours to take or to

allow liberties with. We have no right to change even a tittle of it. When

it comes to life we are ready to do, to suffer, to forgive anything our

opponents demand as long as faith and doctrine remain pure and

uncorrupt. The Apostle James says, "For whosoever shall keep the whole

law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." This passage supports

us over against our critics who claim that we disregard all charity to the

great injury of the churches. We protest we desire nothing more than

peace with all men. If they would only permit us to keep our doctrine of

faith! The pure doctrine takes precedence before charity, apostles, or an

angel from heaven.

Let others praise charity and concord to the skies; we magnify the

authority of the Word and faith. Charity may be neglected at times

without peril, but not the Word and faith. Charity suffers all things, it

gives in. Faith suffers nothing; it never yields. Charity is often deceived

but is never put out because it lies nothing to lose; it continues to do well

even to the ungrateful. When it comes to faith and salvation in the midst

of lies and errors that parade as truth and deceive many, charity has no

voice or vote. Let us not be influenced by the popular cry for charity and

unity. If we do not love God and His Word what difference does it make if

we love anything at all?

Paul, therefore, admonishes both teachers and hearers not to esteem

lightly the doctrine of faith as if it were a toy with which to amuse

oneself in idle hours.

The question occurs to us whether Paul did well to trust the Galatians.

Does not Holy Writ forbid us to trust in men? Faith trusts in God and is

never wrong. Charity trusts in men and is often wrong. This charitable

trust in man is necessary to life. Without it life would be impossible in the

world. What kind of life would ours be if nobody could trust anybody else?

True Christians are more ready to believe in men than the children of this

world. Such charitable confidence is the fruit of the Spirit. Paul had such

trust in the Galatians although they had forsaken his doctrine. He trusts

them "through the Lord," insofar as they were in Christ and Christ in

them. Once they had forsaken Christ altogether, the Apostle will trust the

Galatians no longer.

The clause, "whosoever he be," seems to indicate that the false apostles in

outward appearance at least were very good and devout men. It may be

that among them was some outstanding disciple of the apostles, a man of

fame and authority. The Apostle must have been faced by this very

situation, otherwise his vehemence would have been uncalled for. No

doubt many of the Galatians were taken back with the vehemency of the

Apostle. They perhaps thought: why should he be so stubborn in such

small matters? Why is he so quick to pronounce damnation upon his

brethren in the ministry?

I cannot say it often enough, that we must carefully differentiate between

doctrine and life. Doctrine is a piece of heaven, life is a piece of earth.

Life is sin, error, uncleanness, misery, and charity must forbear, believe,

hope, and suffer all things. Forgiveness of sins must be continuous so

that sin and error may not be defended and sustained. But with doctrine

there must be no error, no need of pardon. There can be no comparison

between doctrine and life. The least little point of doctrine is of greater

importance than heaven and earth. Therefore we cannot allow the least

jot of doctrine to be corrupted. We may overlook the offenses and errors of

life, for we daily sin much. Even the saints sin, as they themselves confess

in the Lord's Prayer and in the Creed. But our doctrine, God be praised, is

pure, because all the articles of our faith are grounded on the Holy

Scriptures.

Here someone may be tempted to call the Christians crazy. Deliberately to

court danger by preaching and confessing the truth, and thus to bring

upon ourselves the hatred and enmity of the whole world, is this not

madness? But Paul does not mind the enmity of the world. It made him

all the bolder to confess Christ. The enmity of the world in his estimation

augurs well for the success and growth of the Church, which fares best in

times of persecution. When the offense of the Cross ceases, when the rage

of the enemies of the Cross abates, when everything is quiet, it is a sign

that the devil is the door-keeper of the Church and that the pure doctrine

of God's Word has been lost.

Saint Bernard observed that the Church is in best shape when Satan

assaults it on every side by trickery and violence; and in worst shape when

it is at peace. In support of his statement he quotes the passage from the

song of Hezekiah: "Behold, for peace I had great bitterness." Paul looks

with suspicion upon any doctrine that does not provoke antagonism.

Persecution always follows on the heels of the Word of God as the

Psalmist experienced. "I believe, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly

afflicted." (Ps. 116:10.) The Christians are accused and slandered without

mercy. Murderers and thieves receive better treatment than Christians.

The world regards true Christians as the worst offenders, for whom no

punishment can be too severe. The world hates the Christians with

amazing brutality, and without compunction commits them to the most

shameful death, congratulating itself that it has rendered God and the

cause of peace a distinct service by ridding the world of the undesired

presence of these Christians. We are not to let such treatment cause us to

falter in our adherence to Christ. As long as we experience such

persecutions we know all is well with the Gospel.

Jesus held out the same comfort to His disciples in the fifth chapter of St.

Matthew. "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you and persecute you,

and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice,

and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven." The Church

must not come short of this joy. I would not want to be at peace with the

pope, the bishops, the princes, and the sectarians, unless they consent to

our doctrine. Unity with them would be an unmistakable sign that we

have lost the true doctrine. Briefly, as long as the Church proclaims the

doctrine she must suffer persecution, because the Gospel declares the

mercy and glory of God. This in turn stirs up the devil, because the Gospel

shows him up for what he is, the devil, and not God. Therefore as long as

the Gospel holds sway persecution plays the accompaniment, or else there

is something the matter with the devil. When he is hit you will know it

by the havoc he raises everywhere.

So do not be surprised or offended when hell breaks loose. Look upon it as

a happy indication that all is well with the Gospel of the Cross. God forbid

that the offense of the Cross should ever be removed. This would be the

case if we were to preach what the prince of this world and his followers

would be only too glad to hear, the righteousness of works. You would

never know the devil could be so gentle, the world so sweet, the Pope so

gracious, and the princes so charming. But because we seek the advantage

and honor of Christ, they persecute us all around.

We had better answer at once the question, whether it is right for

Christians to curse. Certainly not always, nor for every little cause. But

when things have come to such a pass that God and His Word are openly

blasphemed, then we must say: "Blessed be God and His Word, and cursed

be everything that is contrary to God and His Word, even though it

should be an apostle, or an angel from heaven."

This goes to show again how much importance Paul attached to the least

points of Christian doctrine, that he dared to curse the false apostles,

evidently men of great popularity and influence. What right, then, have

we to make little of doctrine? No matter how nonessential a point of

doctrine may seem, if slighted it may prove the gradual disintegration of

the truths of our salvation.

Let us do everything to advance the glory and authority of God's Word.

Every tittle of it is greater than heaven and earth. Christian charity and

unity have nothing to do with the Word of God. We are bold to curse and

condemn all men who in the least point corrupt the Word of God, "for a

little leaven leaveneth the whole lump."

Paul does right to curse these troublers of the Galatians, wishing that they

were cut off and rooted out of the Church of God and that their doctrine

might perish forever. Such cursing is the gift of the Holy Ghost. Thus

Peter cursed Simon the sorcerer, "Thy money perish with thee." Many

instances of this holy cursing are recorded in the sacred Scriptures,

especially in the Psalms, e.g., "Let death seize upon them, and let them go

down quick into hell." (Ps. 55:15.)

Satan likes to turn this liberty which Christ has gotten for us into

licentiousness. Already the Apostle Jude complained in his day: "There

are certain men crept in unawares. . .turning the grace of our God into

lasciviousness." (Jude 4.) The flesh reasons: "If we are without the law, we

may as well indulge ourselves. Why do good, why give alms, why suffer

evil when there is no law to force us to do so?"

This attitude is common enough. People talk about Christian liberty and

then go and cater to the desires of covetousness, pleasure, pride, envy, and

other vices. Nobody wants to fulfill his duties. Nobody wants to help out a

brother in distress. This sort of thing makes me so impatient at times that I

wish the swine who trampled precious pearls under foot were back once

again under the tyranny of the Pope. You cannot wake up the people of

Gomorrah with the gospel of peace.

Even we creatures of the world do not perform our duties as zealously in

the light of the Gospel as we did before in the darkness of ignorance,

because the surer we are of the liberty purchased for us by Christ, the more

we neglect the Word, prayer, well-doing, and suffering. If Satan were not

continually molesting us with trials, with the persecution of our enemies,

and the ingratitude of our brethren, we would become so careless and

indifferent to all good works that in time we would lose our faith in

Christ, resign the ministry of the Word, and look for an easier life. Many

of our ministers are beginning to do that very thing. They complain about

the ministry, they maintain they cannot live on their salaries, they

whimper about the miserable treatment they receive at the hand of those

whom they delivered from the servitude of the law by the preaching of

the Gospel. These ministers desert our poor and maligned Christ, involve

themselves in the affairs of the world, seek advantages for themselves and

not for Christ. With what results they shall presently find out.

Since the devil lies in ambush for those in particular who hate the world,

and seeks to deprive us of our liberty of the spirit or to brutalize it into

the liberty of the flesh, we plead with our brethren after the manner of

Paul, that they may never use this liberty of the spirit purchased for us by

Christ as an excuse for carnal living, or as Peter expresses it, I Peter 2:16,

"for a cloak of maliciousness."

In order that Christians may not abuse their liberty the Apostle encumbers

them with the rule of mutual love that they should serve each other in

love. Let everybody perform the duties of his station and vocation

diligently and help his neighbor to the limit of his capacity.

Christians are glad to hear and obey this teaching of love. When others

hear about this Christian liberty of ours they at once infer, "If I am free, I

may do what I like. If salvation is not a matter of doing why should we do

anything for the poor?" In this crude manner they turn the liberty of the

spirit into wantonness and licentiousness. We want them to know,

however, that if they use their lives and possessions after their own

pleasure, if they do not help the poor, if they cheat their fellow-men in

business and snatch and scrape by hook and by crook everything they can

lay their hands on, we want to tell them that they are not free, no matter

how much they think they are, but they are the dirty slaves of the devil,

and are seven times worse than they ever were as the slaves of the Pope.

As for us, we are obliged to preach the Gospel which offers to all men

liberty from the Law, sin, death, and God's wrath. We have no right to

conceal or revoke this liberty proclaimed by the Gospel. And so we cannot

do anything with the swine who dive headlong into the filth of

licentiousness. We do what we can, we diligently admonish them to love

and to help their fellow-men. If our admonitions bear no fruit, we leave

them to God, who will in His own good time take care of these

disrespecters of His goodness. In the meanwhile we comfort ourselves

with the thought that our labors are not lost upon the true believers. They

appreciate this spiritual liberty and stand ready to serve others in love and,

though their number is small, the satisfaction they give us far outweighs

the discouragement which we receive at the hands of the large number of

those who misuse this liberty.

Paul cannot possibly be misunderstood for he says: "Brethren, ye have been

called unto liberty." In order that nobody might mistake the liberty of

which he speaks for the liberty of the flesh, the Apostle adds the

explanatory note, "only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by

love serve one another." Paul now explains at the hand of the Ten

Commandments what it means to serve one another in love.

In adding such precepts of love the Apostle embarrasses the false apostles

very much, as if he were saying to the Galatians: "I have described to you

what spiritual life is. Now I will also teach you what truly good works are.

I am doing this in order that you may understand that the silly ceremonies

of which the false apostles make so much are far inferior to the works of

Christian love." This is the hall-mark of all false teachers, that they not

only pervert the pure doctrine but also fail in doing good. Their

foundation vitiated, they can only build wood, hay, and stubble. Oddly

enough, the false apostles who were such earnest champions of good

works never required the work of charity, such as Christian love and the

practical charity of a helpful tongue, hand, and heart. Their only

requirement was that circumcision, days, months, years, and times should

be observed. They could not think of any other good works.

The Apostle exhorts all Christians to practice good works after they have

embraced the pure doctrine of faith, because even though they have been

justified they still have the old flesh to refrain them from doing good.

Therefore it becomes necessary that sincere preachers cultivate the

doctrine of good works as diligently as the doctrine of faith, for Satan is a

deadly enemy of both. Nevertheless faith must come first because without

faith it is impossible to know what a God-pleasing deed is.

Let nobody think that he knows all about this commandment, "Thou

shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." It sounds short and easy, but show me

the man who can teach, learn, and do this commandment perfectly. None

of us heed, or urge, or practice this commandment properly. Though the

conscience hurts when we fail to fulfill this commandment in every

respect we are not overwhelmed by our failure to bear our neighbor

sincere and brotherly love.

The words, "for all the law is fulfilled in one word," entail a criticism of

the Galatians. "You are so taken up by your superstitions and ceremonies

that serve no good purpose, that you neglect the most important thing,

love." St. Jerome says: "We wear our bodies out with watching, fasting,

and labor and neglect charity, the queen of all good works." Look at the

monks, who meticulously fast, watch, etc. To skip the least requirement of

their order would be a crime of the first magnitude. At the same time they

blithely ignored the duties of charity and hated each other to death. That is

no sin, they think.

The Old Testament is replete with examples that indicate how much God

prizes charity. When David and his companions had no food with which

to still their hunger they ate the showbread which lay-people were

forbidden to eat. Christ's disciples broke the Sabbath law when they

plucked the ears of corn. Christ himself broke the Sabbath (as the Jews

claimed) by healing the sick on the Sabbath. These incidents indicate that

love ought to be given consideration above all laws and ceremonies.

Paul knows how to explain the law of God. He condenses all the laws of Moses

into one brief sentence. Reason takes offense at the brevity with which Paul

treats the Law. Therefore reason looks down upon the doctrine of faith and

its truly good works. To serve one another in love, i.e., to instruct the

erring, to comfort the afflicted, to raise the fallen, to help one's neighbor

in every possible way, to bear with his infirmities, to endure hardships,

toil, ingratitude in the Church and in the world, and on the other hand to

obey government, to honor one's parents, to be patient at home with a nagging

wife and an unruly family, these things are not at all regarded as good

works. The fact is, they are such excellent works that the world cannot

possibly estimate them at their true value.

It is tersely spoken: "Love thy neighbour as thyself." But what more needs

to be said? You cannot find a better or nearer example than your own. If

you want to know how you ought to love your neighbor, ask yourself how

much you love yourself. If you were to get into trouble or danger, you

would be glad to have the love and help of all men. You do not need any

book of instructions to teach you how to love your neighbor. All you have

to do is to look into your own heart, and it will tell you how you ought to

love your neighbor as yourself.

My neighbor is every person, especially those who need my help, as Christ

explained in the tenth chapter of Luke. Even if a person has done me

some wrong, or has hurt me in any way, he is still a human being with

flesh and blood. As long as a person remains a human being, so long is he

to be an object of our love.

Paul therefore urges his Galatians and, incidentally, all believers to serve

each other in love. "You Galatians do not have to accept circumcision. If

you are so anxious to do good works, I will tell you in one word how you

can fulfill all laws. 'By love serve one another.' You will never lack people

to whom you may do good. The world is full of people who need your

help."

For the avoidance of discord Paul lays down the principle: "Let every

person do his duty in the station of life into which God has called him. No

person is to vaunt himself above others or find fault with the efforts of

others while lauding his own. Let everybody serve in love."

It is not an easy matter to teach faith without works, and still to require

works. Unless the ministers of Christ are wise in handling the mysteries of

God and rightly divide the word, faith and good works may easily be

confused. Both the doctrine of faith and the doctrine of good works must

be diligently taught, and yet in such a way that both the doctrines stay

within their God-given sphere. If we only teach works, as our opponents

do, we shall lose the faith. If we only teach faith people will come to think

that good works are superfluous.

With this verse Paul explains how he wants this sentence to be understood:

By love serve one another. When I bid you to love one another, this is what

I mean and require, 'Walk in the Spirit.' I know very well you will not

fulfill the Law, because you are sinners as long as you live. Nevertheless,

you should endeavor to walk in the spirit, i.e., fight against the flesh and

follow the leads of the Holy Ghost."

It is quite apparent that Paul had not forgotten the doctrine of

justification, for in bidding the Galatians to walk in the Spirit he at the

same time denies that good works can justify. "When I speak of the fulfilling

of the Law I do not mean to say that you are justified by the Law. All I mean

to say is that you should take the Spirit for your guide and resist the

flesh. That is the most you shall ever be able to do. Obey the Spirit and

fight against the flesh."

Therefore the Apostle establishes this rule of love for the believers. Serve

one another in love. Bear the infirmities of your brother. Forgive one

another. Without such bearing and forbearing, giving and forgiving, there

can be no unity because to give and to take offense are unavoidably

human.

Whenever you are angry with your brother for any cause, repress your

violent emotions through the Spirit. Bear with his weakness and love

him. He does not cease to be your neighbor or brother because he offended

you. On the contrary, he now more than ever before requires your loving

attention.

The scholastics take the lust of the flesh to mean carnal lust. True,

believers too are tempted with carnal lust. Even the married are not

immune to carnal lusts. Men set little value upon that which they have

and covet what they have not, as the poet says:

The scholastics are at a loss to understand this confession of Paul and feel

obliged to save his honor. That the chosen vessel of Christ should have

had the law of sin in his members seems to them incredible and absurd.

They circumvent the plain-spoken statement of the Apostle by saying that

he was speaking for the wicked. But the wicked never complain of inner

conflicts, or of the captivity of sin. Sin has its unrestricted way with them.

This is Paul's very own complaint and the identical complaint of all

believers.

Paul never denied that he felt the lust of the flesh. It is likely that at

times he felt even the stirrings of carnal lust, but there is no doubt that he

quickly suppressed them. And if at any time he felt angry or impatient, he

resisted these feelings by the Spirit. We are not going to stand by idly and

see such a comforting statement as this explained away. The scholastics,

monks, and others of their ilk fought only against carnal lust and were

proud of a victory which they never obtained. In the meanwhile they

harbored within their breasts pride, hatred, disdain, self-trust, contempt of

the Word of God, disloyalty, blasphemy, and other lusts of the flesh.

Against these sins they never fought because they never took them for

sins.

Christ alone can supply us with perfect righteousness. Therefore we must

always believe and always hope in Christ. "Whosoever believeth shall not

be ashamed." (Rom. 9:33.)

Do not despair if you feel the flesh battling against the Spirit or if you

cannot make it behave. For you to follow the guidance of the Spirit in all

things without interference on the part of the flesh is impossible. You are

doing all you can if you resist the flesh and do not fulfill its demands.

When I was a monk I thought I was lost forever whenever I felt an evil

emotion, carnal lust, wrath, hatred, or envy. I tried to quiet my conscience

in many ways, but it did not work, because lust would always come back

and give me no rest. I told myself: "You have permitted this and that sin,

envy, impatience, and the like. Your joining this holy order has been in

vain, and all your good works are good for nothing." If at that time I had

understood this passage, "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the

Spirit against the flesh," I could have spared myself many a day of self-

torment. I would have said to myself: "Martin, you will never be without

sin, for you have flesh. Despair not, but resist the flesh."

I remember how Doctor Staupitz used to say to me: "I have promised God

a thousand times that I would become a better man, but I never kept my

promise. From now on I am not going to make any more vows.

Experience has taught me that I cannot keep them. Unless God is merciful

to me for Christ's sake and grants unto me a blessed departure, I shall not

be able to stand before Him." His was a God-pleasing despair. No true

believer trusts in his own righteousness, but says with David, "Enter not

into judgment with thy servant; for in thy sight shall no man living be

justified." (Ps. 143:2) Again, "If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O

Lord, who shall stand?" (Ps. 130:3.)

No man is to despair of salvation just because he is aware of the lust of the

flesh. Let him be aware of it so long as he does not yield to it. The passion

of lust, wrath, and other vices may shake him, but they are not to get him

down. Sin may assail him, but he is not to welcome it. Yes, the better

Christian a man is, the more he will experience the heat of the conflict.

This explains the many expressions of regret in the Psalms and in the

entire Bible.

Everybody is to determine his peculiar weakness and guard against it.

Watch and wrestle in spirit against your weakness. Even if you cannot

completely overcome it, at least you ought to fight against it.

According to this description a saint is not one who is made of wood and

never feels any lusts or desires of the flesh. A true saint confesses his

righteousness and prays that his sins may be forgiven. The whole Church

prays for the forgiveness of sins and confesses that it believes in the

forgiveness of sins. If our antagonists would read the Scriptures they

would soon discover that they cannot judge rightly of anything, either of

sin or of holiness.

But Paul says not to let it trouble us. As long as we are led by the Spirit,

and are willing to obey the Spirit who resists the flesh, we are not under

the Law. True believers are not under the Law. The Law cannot condemn

them although they feel sin and confess it.

Great then is the power of the Spirit. Led by the Spirit, the Law cannot

condemn the believer though he commits real sin. For Christ in whom

we believe is our righteousness. He is without sin, and the Law cannot

accuse Him. As long as we cling to Him we are led by the Spirit and are

free from the Law. Even as he teaches good works, the Apostle does not

lose sight of the doctrine of justification, but shows at every turn that it

is impossible for us to be justified by works.

The words, "If ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law," are replete

with comfort. It happens at times that anger, hatred, impatience, carnal

desire, fear, sorrow, or some other lust of the flesh so overwhelms a man

that he cannot shake them off, though he try ever so hard. What should

he do? Should he despair? God forbid. Let him say to himself: "My flesh

seems to be on a warpath against the Spirit again. Go to it, flesh, and rage

all you want to. But you are not going to have your way. I follow the

leading of the Spirit."

When the flesh begins to cut up the only remedy is to take the sword of

the Spirit, the word of salvation, and fight against the flesh. If you set the

Word out of sight, you are helpless against the flesh. I know this to be a

fact. I have been assailed by many violent passions, but as soon as I took

hold of some Scripture passage, my temptations left me. Without the

Word I could not have helped myself against the flesh.

There were many hypocrites among the Galatians, as there are also among

us, who pretend to be Christians and talk much about the Spirit, but they

walk not according to the Spirit; rather according to the flesh. Paul is out

to show them that they are not as holy as they like to have others think they

are.

Every period of life has its own peculiar temptations. Not one true believer

whom the flesh does not again and again incite to impatience, anger,

pride. But it is one thing to be tempted by the flesh, and another thing to

yield to the flesh, to do its bidding without fear or remorse, and to

continue in sin.

Christians also fall and perform the lusts of the flesh. David fell horribly

into adultery. Peter also fell grievously when he denied Christ. However

great these sins were, they were not committed to spite God, but from

weakness. When their sins were brought to their attention these men did

not obstinately continue in their sin, but repented. Those who sin through

weakness are not denied pardon as long as they rise again and cease to sin.

There is nothing worse than to continue in sin. If they do not repent, but

obstinately continue to fulfill the desires of the flesh, it is a sure sign

that they are not sincere.

No person is free from temptations. Some are tempted in one way, others

in another way. One person is more easily tempted to bitterness and

sorrow of spirit, blasphemy, distrust, and despair. Another is more easily

tempted to carnal lust, anger, envy, covetousness. But no matter to which

sins we are disposed, we are to walk in the Spirit and resist the flesh.

Those who are Christ's own crucify their flesh.

Some of the old saints labored so hard to attain perfection that they lost

the capacity to feel anything. When I was a monk I often wished I could

see a saint. I pictured him as living in the wilderness, abstaining from

meat and drink and living on roots and herbs and cold water. This weird

conception of those awesome saints I had gained out of the books of the

scholastics and church fathers. But we know now from the Scriptures who

the true saints are. Not those who live a single life, or make a fetish of

days, meats, clothes, and such things. The true saints are those who believe

that they are justified by the death of Christ. Whenever Paul writes to the

Christians here and there he calls them the holy children and heirs of

God. All who believe in Christ, whether male or female, bond or free, are

saints; not in view of their own works, but in view of the merits of God

which they appropriate by faith. Their holiness is a gift and not their own

personal achievement.

Ministers of the Gospel, public officials, parents, children, masters,

servants, etc., are true saints when they take Christ for their wisdom,

righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, and when they fulfill the

duties of their several vocations according to the standard of God's Word

and repress the lust and desires of the flesh by the Spirit. Not everybody

can resist temptations with equal facilities. Imperfections are bound to

show up. But this does not prevent them from being holy. Their

unintentional lapses are forgiven if they pull themselves together by faith

in Christ. God forbid that we should sit in hasty judgment on those who

are weak in faith and life, as long as they love the Word of God and make

use of the supper of the Lord.

I thank God that He has permitted me to see (what as a monk I so earnestly

desired to see) not one but many saints, whole multitudes of true saints. Not

the kind of saints the papists admire, but the kind of saints Christ wants. I

am sure I am one of Christ's true saints. I am baptized. I believe that

Christ my Lord has redeemed me from all my sins, and invested me with His own

eternal righteousness and holiness. To hide in caves and dens, to have a bony

body, to wear the hair long in the mistaken idea that such departures from

normalcy will obtain some special regard in heaven is not the holy life. A

holy life is to be baptized and to believe in Christ, and to subdue the flesh

with the Spirit.

To feel the lusts of the flesh is not without profit to us. It prevents us

from being vain and from being puffed up with the wicked opinion of our own

work-righteousness. The monks were so inflated with the opinion of their own

righteousness, they thought they had so much holiness that they could afford

to sell some of it to others, although their own hearts convinced them of

unholiness. The Christian feels the unholy condition of his heart, and it

makes him feel so low that he cannot trust in his good works. He therefore

goes to Christ to find perfect righteousness. This keeps a Christian humble.

They may think about God, Christ, and heavenly things, but they do it

after their own fashion and not after the Word of God. They have an idea

that their clothing, their mode of living, and their conduct are holy and

pleasing to Christ. They not only expect to pacify Christ by the strictness of

their life, but also expect to be rewarded by Him for their good deeds.

Hence their best "spiritual" thoughts are wicked thoughts. Any worship of

God, any religion without Christ is idolatry. In Christ alone is God well

pleased.

I have said before that the works of the flesh are manifest. But idolatry

puts on such a good front and acts so spiritual that the sham of it is

recognized only by true believers.

Witchcraft is a brand of idolatry. As witches used to bewitch cattle and

men, so idolaters, i.e., all the self-righteous, go around to bewitch God and

to make Him out as one who justifies men not by grace through faith in

Christ but by the works of men's own choosing. They bewitch and deceive

themselves. If they continue in their wicked thoughts of God they will die

in their idolatry.

To resist the flesh in this manner is to nail it to the Cross. Although the

flesh is still alive it cannot very well act upon its desires because it is

bound and nailed to the Cross.

Now vainglory has always been a common poison in the world. There is

no village too small to contain someone who wants to be considered wiser

or better than the rest. Those who have been bitten by pride usually stand

upon the reputation for learning and wisdom. Vainglory is not nearly so

bad in a private person or even in an official as it is in a minister.

When the poison of vainglory gets into the Church you have no idea

what havoc it can cause. You may argue about knowledge, art, money,

countries, and the like without doing particular harm. But you cannot

quarrel about salvation or damnation, about eternal life and eternal death

without grave damage to the Church. No wonder Paul exhorts all ministers

of the Word to guard against this poison. He writes: "If we live in the

Spirit." Where the Spirit is, men gain new attitudes. Where formerly

they were vainglorious, spiteful and envious, they now become humble,

gentle and patient. Such men seek not their own glory, but the glory

of God. They do not provoke each other to wrath or envy, but prefer

others to themselves.

As dangerous to the Church as this abominable pride is, yet there is

nothing more common. The trouble with the ministers of Satan is that

they look upon the ministry as a stepping-stone to fame and glory, and

right there you have the seed for all sorts of dissensions.

Because Paul knew that the vainglory of the false Apostles had caused the

churches of Galatia endless trouble, he makes it his business to suppress

this abominable vice. In his absence the false apostles went to work in

Galatia. They pretended that they had been on intimate terms with the

apostles, while Paul had never seen Christ in person or had much contact

with the rest of the apostles. Because of this they delivered him, rejected

his doctrine, and boosted their own. In this way they troubled the

Galatians and caused quarrels among them until they provoked and

envied each other; which goes to show that neither the false apostles nor

the Galatians walked after the Spirit, but after the flesh.

The Gospel is not there for us to aggrandize ourselves. The Gospel is to

aggrandize Christ and the mercy of God. It holds out to men eternal gifts

that are not gifts of our own manufacture. What right have we to receive

praise and glory for gifts that are not of our own making?

No wonder that God in His special grace subjects the ministers of the

Gospel to all kinds of afflictions, otherwise they could not cope with this

ugly beast called vainglory. If no persecution, no cross, or reproach trailed

the doctrine of the Gospel, but only praise and reputation, the ministers of

the Gospel would choke with pride. Paul had the Spirit of Christ.

Nevertheless there was given unto him the messenger of Satan to buffet

him in order that he should not come to exalt himself, because of the

grandeur of his revelations. St. Augustine's opinion is well taken: "If a

minister of the Gospel is praised, he is in danger; if he is despised, he is

also in danger."

The ministers of the Gospel should be men who are not too easily affected

by praise or criticism, but simply speak out the benefit and the glory of

Christ and seek the salvation of souls.

Whenever you are being praised, remember it is not you who is being

praised but Christ, to whom all praise belongs. When you preach the

Word of God in its purity and also live accordingly, it is not your own

doing, but God's doing. And when people praise you, they really mean to

praise God in you. When you understand this--and you should because

"what hast thou that thou didst not receive?"--you will not flatter

yourself on the one hand and on the other hand you will not carry

yourself with the thought of resigning from the ministry when you are

insulted, reproached, or persecuted.

It is really kind of God to send so much infamy, reproach, hatred, and

cursing our way to keep us from getting proud of the gifts of God in us.

We need a millstone around our neck to keep us humble. There are a few

on our side who love and revere us for the ministry of the Word, but for

every one of these there are a hundred on the other side who hate and

persecute us.

The Lord is our glory. Such gifts as we possess we acknowledge to be the

gifts of God, given to us for the good of the Church of Christ. Therefore we

are not proud because of them. We know that more is required of them to

whom much is given, than of such to whom little is given. We also know

that God is no respecter of persons. A plain factory hand who does his work

faithfully pleases God just as much as a minister of the Word.