Friday, February 22, 2013

"Luther  Quotations": #9

"But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his son in me..."  (1:15-17)

Hear Luther's personal yet biblical opinion of his religious efforts before he trusted Christ alone for justification:

" (before I came to faith in Christ) I crucified Christ daily in my monastic (RELIGIOUS) life and blasphemed God through my false faith (RELIGIOUS MERITS) in which I lived all the time...I practiced poverty, charity, and obedience (TO EARN GODS FAVOR)...I was only given to fasting, watching, praying, saying masses, and so on (TO MAKE MYSELF ACCEPTABLE TO GOD). Yet underneath this cloak of holiness and trust in my OWN righteousness, I fostered continual mistrust, doubting, fear, hatred, and blasphemy against God. MY righteousness was nothing but a filthy puddle and the very kingdom of the Devil. Such 'saints' are the Devils slaves..."

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