Christ now further says:
“He shall bear witness of me."
[10] That is, if he is in the heart he speaks through you, and assures and confirms you in the belief that the Gospel is true.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
“…there is still one more thing here, that Christ says: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.
“If God permits us to be thus sorely tried, we should learn then not to follow our own opinion, or human counsel, which directs us hither and thither, nor to depend on ourselves and others, but we should consider that we must seek Christ in the things of his Father; that is, that we cling simply and alone to the Word of the Gospel, which directs us Christians in the right way and gives us correct knowledge.
One of the key teachings of the Bible – Old and New Testaments both – is the Fall, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. The penalty of that “original sin” was that death entered into the world.
You’re not the only Christian who’s found himself or herself the recipient of hatred or scorn. “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you,” says the Apostle John (1 John 3:13).
Whatever other signs may appear before Christ’s coming, I know that, according to Christ’s words, surfeiting and drunkenness, building and planting, buying and selling, marrying and giving in marriage and other cares of this life will be in evidence.
Some are found who know the gospel, but are offended at their own manner of life. They have a desire to walk in godliness, but they feel that they make no progress.
Luther held up his Sword and said, “You can get forgiveness of sins alone through the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ..Then all Germany was aflame, and all France, and Spain, and Holland, and England, and that flame came across the seas to America in the Mayflower, and with the followers of Luther himself, until today we have in all the world living seventy million Lutherans, to say nothing of the other Protestants who are living and enjoying the liberty which that man of God, by the help of his Master and the holy angels, brought into existence three hundred and eighty-seven years ago.
The origin and the content of this hymn emphasize its meaning and value.
“Rome boasts that she never changes; the Turk has not improved, new and diverse enemies have risen round about us, so that there are numerous occasions when sincere Christians, realizing their environment, can enter with appreciation into the singing of this old Luther hymn, recognizing that though some conditions vary, the real dangers are the same, and the need of every influence and protection and guidance of the Triune God prayed for in this remarkable Luther hymn is needed today and every day that the Christian lives.
Many people have opinions about Martin Luther, but few have actually read his words. This small volume includes the Address to the Nobility of the German Nation, Concerning Christian Liberty and On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church.