De caritate et spe

De caritate et spe

From this, it’s clear how love for God and love for our neighbor arise from faith, which is called charity. Knowledge of divine mercy makes it possible to love God in return, and it leads us to willingly submit ourselves to all creatures, who are our neighbors. Some gifts are certain habits that perfect a person, so that they may promptly follow the instinct and movement of the Holy Spirit. A man is made perfect by certain habits. However, these habits enable a person to promptly follow the command and movement of reason. The gifts of the Spirit are said to be the work of a person, like the fruit of the Holy Spirit, as if they come from some divine seed. Faith and hope are the work of the Spirit. For faith is what is believed through the word, and hope is what is expected based on the promise made through the word. In order that we may hope, faith in the word of God brings it about, according to that saying in the Psalms. IX: Let all who know your name hope in you. There's no reason to separate one from another. Certainly, Scripture uses the terms of hope and faith interchangeably, as well as the words of expectation and longing. Just as faith is trust in the mercy of God, which is given freely without regard to our works, so hope is the expectation of salvation, without regard to our merits. Hope indeed comes from God, unless it is based on merits. How can someone hope for mercy if they demand a reward based on their own merits? A troubled conscience rejoices, and a sinner who believes rejoices too; there’s no regard for merit. The hypocrite is indignant that Christ should be a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles, but to those who believe, He is salvation and wisdom. It is laid upon those who seek justice through faith, as stated earlier in the letter to the Corinthians. It is written, "If I have faith so great that I could move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing." But I ask you, Sophists, why, when you saw that the whole Scripture teaches that mercy is the work of justification, did you not notice how often Paul emphasizes this in unclear words in Romans? The just shall live by faith; and in Romans it says, 'To the one who believes in him who justifies the ungodly, faith is counted as righteousness'; and again, 'With the heart one believes and is justified.' Löscher. VgL H a r r i e s, S. Common places. Regarding justice and similar matters, you have opposed this one statement from the Corinthians against the entire teaching of Scripture, in all of Paul's letters everywhere, so that you might excuse the rest with glosses; why have you refused to temper this interpretation? We will express it in the simplest way possible, as it is simply stated, without any gloss. First of all, it’s clear that Paul is speaking here about love for one’s neighbor, which your schools do not attribute as the foundation of justification. For I don't dwell on that remark, that the love of God and neighbor is the same. Furthermore, it cannot be denied that here the term 'faith' is used to refer to a gift or ability for performing miracles, as is also testified in chapter XII, where it is written: 'To another, faith in the same Spirit.'^✦ However, it must be acknowledged that the ability to perform miracles can also be conferred upon the wicked, just as prophecy, the skill of languages, and eloquence can be. My view is that you should not separate the justifying faith from the gift of miracles, as Paul indicates here, and almost throughout that entire letter, that apart from faith, love is required, just as good works are required from believers and the justified in all the letters. Even if faith itself doesn't bear fruit, it still demands it because of our weak faith. And what he says is that there is nothing for the one who has faith without love; he rightly understands this. Although faith alone justifies, love is also required, which is the other part of the law according to Romans. The whole law is summed up in this: love your neighbor as yourself. Love does not justify, because no one loves as they ought. Faith justifies, which trusts in the mercy of God, not in its own merit. The second letter of James states: Faith without works is dead.^✦ Indeed, it is good. For he reproves them; the style of that letter is far below apostolic majesty, nor can it be compared in any way to Paul’s. III. , Digitized by Google Do caritate et spe. They indicated that the historical opinion is that faith in Christ is essential. Therefore, just as Paul calls one kind of faith fictitious and another true, James refers to one kind of faith as living and another as dead; the living faith is effective and fervent trust in God's mercy, never failing to bring forth good fruits. This is what it means when it says, 'Faith is made complete by works.' Moreover, since the works declare that Abraham had a living faith, the Scripture was fulfilled, saying, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness."^✦ Therefore, in summary, James teaches that a dead faith, which is a cold Parisian opinion, does not justify. I truly live when I pour myself out in good works. For it is said, 'Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.' But he doesn't say, 'I will show you my works without faith.' This perfectly aligns with my explanation of what was said: Faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead in itself, so that it may be clearly shown that faith is only half-alive in those who do not produce the fruits of faith, even though they may seem to believe outwardly. It won't be useless to remind you of this, about which I often see people confused: how can anyone know if they are in God's grace or not, and whether they can recognize it in their own heart by faith? It's a twofold question. For the earlier question concerns God's will toward us, not our own feelings, while the later question is about our feelings alone. And indeed, the Scholastics have taught that neither can be known due to a most foul error. So that this alone may clearly appear, there was nothing of the spirit in that whole kind. For when it comes to the flesh, since it is entirely ignorant of God in the world, how can it know the divine will toward itself? And how will the flesh judge spiritual matters, when it can't even manage its own feelings well? Common places. And it is inscrutable. Thus, the Scholastics claimed that there are certain qualities in the human soul that we ourselves would not know. Moreover, if God wishes us not to seek even this, then our conscience will continually waver in uncertainty before Him. What else could this be but teaching desperation? Indeed, I feel this way. First, concerning the divine will, faith is nothing other than a certain and steadfast trust in God's benevolence toward us. The will of God is known, but it is through faith that we understand it, based on the promise found in the Gospel. For you don't give glory to God in truth if you believe that God wants it to be as the Gospel has testified, but you don't believe. They know they are in God's grace, which means they have a benevolent God, those who believe in the word of God, who assess God's will based on His word, not based on our merits. Thus Paul writes to the Romans. In his fourth point, he teaches with many arguments that justification comes from faith, and he adds this as the most effective reason: If justification were based on our works rather than on faith, our conscience would never find peace, always desiring this or that in life and in our actions, longing for things that could not happen, and thus despairing. Thus, it is said in Romans. Therefore, it is not based on works, so that the promise may be firm according to grace. And how often do the prophets boast about their security? I will make them sleep securely. And Hierem. In those days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. But what do the words 'confidently' and 'trustingly' and similar terms really signify, except security? Micah beautifully expresses this security: A man will sit under his vine and under his fig tree.^✦ And nothing is obscure, as Isaiah 32 says: "The work of righteousness will be peace, and the service of righteousness will be quietness and security forever; my people will dwell in the beauty of peace, in the tents of trust, and in a rich rest."^✦ In this way, the prophets describe that the kingdom of Christ will be a kingdom of security. What kind of security will there be if our consciences are always uncertain about God's will? Therefore, it is necessary for us to be certain about grace and about God's goodwill toward us. This is what is said in Jeremiah. The Lord says: In this, let him glory. Whoever boasts, let them boast in knowing and understanding me. God wants His will to be known; He wants us to boast about His will. What could be more impious than to deny that one should or even can know God's will? So, has He expressed it in His word? And let’s ask the scholars whether they believe in what is stated in the Apostles' Creed, the forgiveness of sins. So, do they believe what the priest says when sins are forgiven? If they believe, it is necessary for them to acknowledge that they are in the grace of God. But if they don't believe, why do they confess? The wicked Rome and the author of the Roman bull, Eccius, condemned a certain article of Luther regarding faith, which teaches that one must believe in absolution. So they should respond to why they would listen to absolution unless they believe. This impiety is dark and more destructive than anyone might think. I have no doubt that many souls are destroyed by this carnal, sophistical, Parisian doctrine that drives them to despair. May the Lord destroy all lips that speak deceit! A Christian mind learns easily from experience that nothing is true Christianity except a life that is certain of God's mercy. To the Romans. So that you may learn what the will of God is—what is good, perfect, and pleasing. So, the sophists will ask, is there anything we should fear? Indeed, if fear is absent when one has faith, then that person is wicked. Moreover, whoever is joined to faith is not ignorant of mercy. But with Job IX, he said: I was afraid of everything, my deeds. The saints fear because of their own actions, but they trust in the mercy of God; the hypocrites trust in their works and are ignorant of God's mercy; in fact, they are also ignorant of the fear of God. As the Prophet said: The fear of God is not before their eyes. What appears in a hypocrite according to Luke. XYHI, ss. Scripture will teach us the relationship between fear and faith: for now, let this be enough to remind us to fear God in our actions. : ‘ E. XXIV. Our faith must be directed toward the mercy of God. The faith of holy fear is the source. Anyone who lacks trust in the goodness of God out of fear must be wicked. What comes from the Church is important. It is quoted: A person does not know whether they are worthy of love or hate, but all things are preserved for the future; it does not help to ignore whether God will forgive a person's sin or not. Otherwise, will I make it so that God is either unaware of sin or angry about it? I can't help but be amazed at the cunning of Satan in this matter, since I see that this passage of Scripture not only misuses faith but also removes fear from the hearts of men. What else could be said about this, as Paul calls it? Is it not a Parisian theology that so cleverly twists Scripture? In this regard, Solomon's book teaches that we shouldn't judge God's judgments based on human reasoning, and it refutes the impious philosophies that slander God's judgments. Oh, if only this pestilent philosophy could be set aside for the youth, so that their weak hearts might be strengthened in faith and fear of God. Now, through philosophical impiety, the impious sentiments of poets and orators stir up a natural impiety that should be restrained and uprooted by every means through the word of God. Thus Solomon says: There are just people, there are wise people, but there is nothing that either justice or wisdom can truly rely on.^✦ For their works are in the hands of God. Look how magnificently Solomon taught both fear and faith in a single verse, when he warned against trusting in our own justice or wisdom. Again, since the works of the righteous and the wise are in the hand of God, it is commanded to trust in Him who holds the spirit of the wise and the righteous in His power. There are those who are loved by God, and there are those whom God turns away; but this is evident from the writings of the Wartburg. They cannot be known by man, but all things are preserved for the future; that is, human reason judges that those are accepted by God whom He enriches with His gifts, abundance, wisdom, justice, and glory. Again: they are invisible to God, to whom those things are lacking. Yet reason judges falsely about him. For he loves especially those who are poor, suffering, worthless, and rejected; but he especially hates those whom he tends to accumulate excessively. You have an example of both in the children of Israel and Pharaoh. Therefore, it acts in such a way that it cannot distinguish between the righteous and the wicked based on external events, just as human reason judges. For if you interpret Solomon according to his own conscience, I don't see how anyone could ignore the sinner's hatred of God, since nothing is more certain than that sin offends God. Then, in order to give generously, you must understand that Solomon should be accepted according to the judgment of the saints' conscience; you will have achieved this only if the saints are not yet secure, except in so far as they believe, according to that passage in Romans. In hope, we have been saved. Indeed, faith is the sole security of the saints. But just as they know mercy through faith, so they allow themselves to be judged and condemned with a faithful fear of the divine will, in order to give glory to God. So we pray: Your will be done. You have the example of David. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me back and show me His dwelling; but if He says, 'You are not pleasing to me,' I am ready. : If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me back and show me His dwelling; but if He says, 'You are not pleasing to me,' I am ready. Let Him do what is good in His eyes. Fear cannot be separated from faith. Faith sees only the mercy of God; fear looks to the judgment of God and our actions. Thus Paul writes to the Romans. You stand firm in faith; don't let your spirit be lifted up, but fear. Moreover, since the entire book of Solomon is in it, it teaches that we should not judge divine matters, so that we may be separated from them and fear God and believe in Him; it seems to me that this can remind us of those whom God has chosen and those whom He has rejected, and that the saints should not be proud and sinners should not despair. Moreover, these are the words of Solomon, as far as I understand: Everyone ignores love and hate in the face of these things, because everything happens alike to the just and the unjust. Therefore, it is clear that Solomon is not speaking about his own conscience, but rather about the criteria for distinguishing the righteous from the wicked based on external judgment and from other sources. to speak. It is written in Latin: "All things are kept for the future," which seems to have been added by the interpreter for the sake of explanation. As far as I know, it doesn't exist in Hebrew texts or in Greek manuscripts; however, this requires a longer discussion somewhere. Let this be a certain truth: we must always be absolutely certain about the forgiveness of sins and about God's goodwill toward us, who have been justified. Therefore, the sacraments or signs of God's mercy have been added to the promises, so that later I can say what would most certainly testify to us having received God's goodwill. Just as a lender is certain that he will receive money from someone whose promise is secured, so Christians are certain that their sins are forgiven, with the signs of baptism and participation in the Lord's table added to the promises of Christ. And indeed, the saints know with certainty through faith that they are in grace and that their sins are forgiven. God does not fail, for He has promised to forgive the sins of those who believe, even if they are uncertain whether they will persevere. So far, I've said that we must be certain about God's goodwill toward us. But what about the works of God in us? Can we truly say that we have received the Spirit of God in our hearts? I respond: the fruits of the Holy Spirit testify to us that He dwells in our hearts, as Paul says to the Galatians. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh. Everyone feels whether they truly hate and abhor sin from the heart; for that is to crucify the flesh. Everyone feels whether they fear God or believe in Him. Hypocrisy is indeed a rival spirit to that of God; but temptation reveals where only the faithful endure. Even so, one cannot truly hate the faults of hypocrisy. Consider what you see in others, and let it be your first thought, so that you may believe. He wants to be touched; now Mel touches. What good is it to know where we can go if we don't know where we are? For God gives glory to the truth. Let's discuss this entire matter regarding the law, the gospel, and faith in several parts: I. The law is a teaching that prescribes what should be done and what should be avoided. The Gospel is the promise of God's grace. The law requires the impossible: to love God and your neighbor. VIII. Those who try to express the law through the powers of nature or free will only pretend to perform external actions; they do not express the affections that the law requires. Therefore, they do not satisfy the law, but are hypocrites, like whitewashed tombs, as Christ said. XXIII calls. And to the Galatians. Those who rely on the works of the law are under a curse. Therefore, it is not the work of the law to justify. But the proper work of the law is to reveal sin and thus to confuse the conscience. To the Romans. Through the law comes the knowledge of sin. The law reveals sin to the conscience that recognizes it and shows Christ to the confused. Thus, when John preaches repentance, he also reveals Christ: Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Faith, by which we believe the Gospel that reveals Christ, through which Christ is received for the one who has reconciled the Father, by whom grace is given, is our righteousness. To all who received him, he gave the power to become children of God. However, the beginning of justification is not complete; indeed, it is faith alone that justifies, and there is no regard at all for our works, but only for the merits of Christ. Faith brings peace to the heart and fills it with joy. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace. And so, because of such a great gift, God will be loved for forgiving sin through Christ; thus, the love of God is the fruit of faith. The same faith makes us ashamed to have offended such a kind and generous Father. Therefore, we should hate our flesh along with its desires. The human mind neither fears God nor believes in Him, but is utterly ignorant of God and contemptuous of Him, according to the Psalms. The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'^✦ And Luke. If they don't listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone rises from the dead. Where Christ is signified, the human heart does not believe the word of God. This madness of the human heart Solomon speaks of in the whole of Ecclesiastes. It is said that the judgment against the wicked is not quickly pronounced without any fear by the sons of men who commit evil. Those who are justified in spirit are inclined toward good. Because the human heart is completely ignorant of God, it turns to its own plans and desires and elevates itself as if it were God. When the human heart is confused by sin through the law, it does not yet know God; indeed, it does not recognize His goodness, and so it hates Him like a torturer. When the human heart is lifted up and comforted by God through the Gospel revealed in Christ, then it truly comes to know God, for it recognizes both His power and His goodness. This is what Jeremiah said. He said, "In this, let him boast, that he knows me." Whoever believes in the gospel and thus knows the goodness of God, their heart is already lifted up, so that they may trust in God and fear God, and so that they may abhor the plans of the human heart. Therefore, Peter said in the Acts: "By faith, your hearts are purified." XXII. Mercy is shown through promises. XXIH. Some things are promised in the physical realm, while others are promised in the spiritual realm. XXIV. In the law, there are physical things, like the land of Canaan, the kingdom, and so on. The promises are. The Gospel is the promise of grace. the forgiveness of sins through Christ. XXVI. All physical promises depend on the promise of Christ. XX YH. For the first promise was the promise of grace, or the promise of Christ. He will crush your head. That is, the seed of Eve will crush the head of the serpent, who lies in wait for us, that is, sin and death. XX V m. This was established in the promise made to Abraham: In your seed, all nations will be blessed.^✦ XXIX. Therefore, since it was necessary for Christ to be born from the lineage of Abraham, the promises that were added to the law concern the possession of the land, etc. The promises of Christ to come are obscure. These physical promises were made to the people so that they wouldn't perish while the promised seed was being born, and to show God's mercy through physical things and to strengthen the faith of the people. The places are uncertain. With the birth of Christ, the promises were fulfilled along with the people, and the forgiveness of sins was made evident, for which it was necessary for Christ to be born. XXXI. Promises V. There are signs that the grace promised by Christ will soon be revealed. The Gospel is the promise of grace that has now been made known. XXXII. Just as someone doesn't truly know God if they only know Him as existence, unless they also understand His power and mercy, so too does someone not truly believe who only acknowledges God as existence, unless they also believe in His power and mercy. XXXIII. Therefore, he truly believes who, beyond mere threats, also believes the Gospel, who fixes his gaze on the mercy of God or Christ, the pledge of divine mercy. So far, we've discussed faith; we'll add something about love shortly, where we'll clarify the distinction between the law and the gospel.