Therefore my faithful request and admonition is that you join our company and associate with us, who are real, great, and hard-boiled sinners. You must by no means make Christ to seem paltry and trifling to us, as though He could be our Helper only when we want to be rid from imaginary, nominal, and childish sins. No, no! That would not be good for us. He must rather be a Savior and Redeemer from real, great, grievous, and damnable transgressions and iniquities, yea, from the very greatest and most shocking sins; to be brief, from all sins added together in a grand total.-from Martin Luther's letter to Spalatin.
Man Jack! Martin Luther didn't mince words did he? Your comments at the Gospel Coalition are
ReplyDeleteencouraging. I will be checking in on your blog. Many thanks.
ReplyDeleteFrom this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
Hebrews 6---Those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, became COMPANIONS WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, 5 tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age,6 and who have fallen away.... 9 Even though we are speaking this way, dear friends, in your case we are confident of the better things connected with salvation. 10 For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you showed for His name when you SERVED THE SAINTS
Hebrews 10: 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were COMPANIONS of those who were treated that way. 34 For you... accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession.[ 35 So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised.
37
For yet in a very little while,
the Coming One will come and not delay.
38 But My righteous one[j] will live by faith;
and F he draws back,
I have no pleasure in him.
39 But we are NOT those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have FAITH and OBTAIN LIFE.