1. We have before us the opening words of the Epistle to the
Corinthians, which Paul was moved to write because of unpleasant
conditions in the Church at Corinth after his departure. Divisions
had arisen and sad confusion prevailed in doctrine and life. Hence
the apostle was constrained to rebuke their wickedness and correct
their infirmities. Because of these wholesome admonitions, the
reading and heeding of this epistle is not only profitable but
essential to this day; for the devil takes no respite, but whenever
the Gospel is preached in its purity he mixes with the children of
God and sows his seed.
2. Paul intends to be rather severe--even caustic--but he begins very
leniently, showing them what they have received through the Gospel.
His purpose is to arouse their gratitude to God, and to induce them,
for his honor and glory, to be harmonious in doctrine and life,
avoiding divisions and other offenses.
"I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was
given you in Christ Jesus," etc.
3. In other words, Paul would say: Dear brethren, consider, I pray
you, what abundant grace and gifts have been given you of God. They
are bestowed not because of the Law, or because of your
righteousness, your merits and works; you are given no reason to
exalt yourselves above others, or to originate sects or schisms. Nay,
all these blessings have been freely given you in Christ and for his
sake, through the preaching of the Gospel. The Gospel is a grace
which brings to you all manner of gifts, by him enriching you in
everything. You lack nothing from God, but you await this one thing,
that blessed day when Christ will reveal himself to you with all
those heavenly gifts which you now possess in faith.
4. In this wise he extols to them the preaching of the Gospel (as
indeed he does on different occasions); his purpose is to induce them
to regard it most appreciatively. He gives them an example of his own
gratitude, thanking God on their behalf, for the purpose of calling
forth their especial gratitude when they should consider what they
formerly were and what they now had received through the Gospel. And
again, he would have them beware lest, forgetful of their former
misery and present grace, they relapse into their old blindness. A
sad beginning in such backsliding had been made by factions in their
midst, who, satiated with the Gospel and indifferent to the abundant
grace they enjoyed, began to cast about for something else.
5. Now observe: If the exalted apostle and venerable teacher of the
Gentiles in his day had to witness in his own parish such factions
and sects as those which, in sinful security and ingratitude toward
the Gospel, arose during his life, what wonder is it that today, when
we do not have the excellent preachers and pious Christians of those
times, there are similar sects? We are aware of the great benefits
bestowed upon us, but at the same time we see and realize that the
devil instigates divisions and scandals. And the cause of these evils
may be traced to our ingratitude; we have quickly forgotten the ills
we endured under the blindness of popery, and how miserably we were
deluded and tormented. Necessarily, where God's mercies are lightly
dismissed from the mind and disregarded, gratitude and regard for
God's Word cannot be the result; satiated, listless Christians go
their way fancying that spiritual conditions always were and always
will be as now.
6. The people, therefore, must be awakened to consider their former
destitution, the very wretchedness they were in. The apostle later on
vividly pictures such condition to his Corinthians, while here, in
the opening chapter, he intimates to them, in kind and courteous
words, to consider, in the light of the Gospel benefits they now
enjoy, what they lacked before and might be deprived of again.
7. Therefore he says, You now have received the grace whereby in
everything ye are enriched. Formerly you had not this grace and would
not have it today had not the Gospel been preached to you. You are
enriched in everything pertaining to yonder life, for it is not the
purpose of the Gospel to give earthly riches. But in spiritual
blessings ye come behind in no gift and have need of naught except
this one thing, that the Lord himself should come. This blessing you
are yet to have, and biding its advent you here live by the gifts and
grace with which you were enriched, until you are finally redeemed
from the sinful, wicked life of the world and from all its
oppressions. You must know, and must thank God for it, that you need
not seek after any higher calling or better gifts, thinking you have
not all that is essential, as the factious spirits would have you
believe.
8. For in your own judgment, what better thing could you have than is
the Christian's in his Gospel and his faith? He has assurance of sins
forgiven and washed away in holy baptism, of justification and
holiness before God, and of the fact that he is God's child and heir
to eternal life. Furthermore, although the Christian is conscious of
remaining weakness and sin, yea, although he be overcome by a fault,
he may avail himself of absolution, comfort and strength through his
fellow Christians and by the aid of the sacraments; and he has daily
guidance for his conduct and faith in all the walks of life. Again,
he can call upon God in prayer in the day of trouble, and the firm
assurance is his that God will hear and help him. What further can
one desire, or what more does he need, than the knowledge that he is
God's child through baptism and has God's Word at hand for comfort
and strength in weakness and sin? Do you consider it slight
enrichment to have assurance of the fact that God himself is speaking
to you and, by means of the office of the ministry, is effective in
you, teaching, admonishing, comforting, sustaining you, yea, granting
you victory over the devil, death and all evil influences on earth?
9. Formerly what would we not gladly have given and done for but a
single Gospel truth in our distress and trials of conscience! True,
when one was discouraged or perplexed he was advised to seek and
follow the counsel of some intelligent and judicious mind; but such
judicious one who might assist with his counsel was nowhere to be
found. For a wise man's counsel does not answer in such case. The
Word of God alone suffices, and you are to rely on it as if God
himself revealed his counsel to you from heaven.
10. As Paul says, it is great riches, a precious treasure, to possess
in very fact the Word of God and not to doubt that it is the Word of
God. It is this that will answer; this can comfort your heart and
support it. Of spiritual benefits you know we had none under the
tyranny and darkness of the Pope. At that time we suffered ourselves
to be led and driven by his commandments, vain human baubles, by
bulls, lies, invocation of saints, indulgences, masses, monkery. And
we did whatever was enjoined in the name of the Church, solely to
gain comfort and help, that we might not despair of God's grace. But
instead of comforting us, these things led us to the devil and thrust
us into greater anguish and terror; for there was nothing in the
doctrine of the papists that could give us certainty. Indeed, they
themselves had to confess that by its teachings no man could or
should be certain of his state of grace.
11. Yea, they forced poor, timid, tempted hearts to dread and fear
Christ more than the devil even, as I myself experienced full well. I
resorted to the dead--St. Barbara, St. Ann and other departed
saints--regarding them as mediators between me and Christ's wrath.
But this availed me nothing, nor did it free me from a fearful and
fugitive conscience. There was not one among us all--and we were
called very learned doctors of Holy Writ--who could have given true
comfort from God's Word, saying: This is God's Word; this one thing
God asks of you, that you honor him by accepting comfort; believe and
know that he forgives your transgressions and has no wrath against
you. If someone could have told me this, I would have given all I
possessed for the knowledge; yea, for such word of comfort I would
not have taken in exchange the glory and the crowns of all kings, for
it would have restored my soul, it would have refreshed and sustained
my body and life.
12. All this we should bear in mind, by no means should we forget it;
that we may return thanks to God, recounting the superior and
wonderful gifts which have enriched us in all things. We have besides
the Word, free prayer and the Lord's Prayer, knowing what to pray for
and how to pray--knowledge common to the very children today, thank
God. In former times, all men, especially we monks, tormented
themselves with lengthy repetitions in reading and singing; yet our
prayers were but chattering, as the noise of geese over their food,
or of monks repeating a psalm.
13. I, too, wanted to be a pious and godly monk and I prepared with
earnest devotion for mass and for prayers. But when most devout I
went to the altar a doubter and left the altar a doubter. When I had
rendered my confession I still doubted, and I doubted when I did not
render it. For we were wholly wrapped up in the erroneous idea that
we could not pray and would not be heard unless we were absolutely
clean and without sin, like the saints in heaven. It would have been
much better not to pray at all and to have done something else, than
thus to take God's name in vain. Still, we monks--in fact all the
ecclesiastics--deluded the people, promising them our prayers for
their money and possessions, actually selling our prayers, though we
did not even know that we prayed in a manner acceptable to God. But
today, thank God, we do know and understand, not only what to pray
for and how to approach God "nothing doubting," but we can also add a
hearty Amen, believing that according to his promise he will
certainly hear us.