Luther regarded the teaching that everything is subject to God's majesty
as being of service to His gracious will. We read: "Two things require
the preaching of these truths [concerning the infallibility of God's
foreknowledge, etc.]; the first is, the humbling of our pride and the
knowledge of the grace of God; the second, Christian faith itself.
First, God has certainly promised His grace to the humbled, _i.e._, to
those who deplore their sins and despair [of themselves]. But man cannot
be thoroughly humbled until he knows that his salvation is altogether
beyond his own powers, counsels, efforts, will, and works, and depends
altogether upon the decision, counsel, will, and work of another,
_i.e._, of God only. For as long as he is persuaded that he can do
anything toward gaining salvation, though it be ever so little, he
continues in self-confidence, and does not wholly despair of himself;
accordingly he is not humbled before God, but anticipates, or hopes for,
or at least wishes for, a place, a time, and some work by which he may
finally obtain salvation." (E. 153. 133; St. L. 1715. 1691.) "More than
once," says Luther, "I myself have been offended at it [the teaching
concerning God's majesty] to such an extent that I was at the brink of
despair, so that I even wished I had never been created a man,--until I
learned how salutary that despair was and how close to grace." (E. 268;
St. L. 1850.)
Of the manner in which, according to Luther, the truth concerning God's
majesty serves the Gospel, we read: "Moreover, I do not only wish to
speak of how true these things are,... but also how becoming to a
Christian, how pious, and how necessary it is to know them. For if these
things are not known, it is impossible for either faith or any worship
of God to be maintained. That would be ignorance of God indeed; and if
we do not know Him, we cannot obtain salvation, as is well known. For if
you doubt that God foreknows and wills all things, not contingently, but
necessarily and immutably, or if you scorn such knowledge, how will you
be able to believe His promises, and with full assurance trust and rely
upon them? When He promises, you ought to be sure that He knows what He
is promising, and is able and willing to accomplish it, else you will
account Him neither true nor faithful. That, however, is unbelief,
extreme impiety, and a denial of the most high God. But how will you be
confident and sure if you do not know that He certainly, infallibly,
unchangeably, and necessarily knows, and wills, and will perform what He
promises? Nor should we merely be certain that God necessarily and
immutably wills and will perform [what He has promised], but we should
even glory in this very thing, as Paul does, Rom. 3, 4: 'Let God be
true, but every man a liar.' And again, Rom. 9, 6; 4, 21; 1 Sam. 3, 19:
'Not that the Word of God hath taken none effect.' And in another place,
2 Tim. 2, 19: 'The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal,
The Lord knoweth them that are His.' And in Titus 1, 2: 'Which God, that
cannot lie, hath promised before the world began.' And in Heb. 11, 6:
'He that cometh to God must believe that God is, and that He is a
rewarder of them that hope in Him.' So, then, Christian faith is
altogether extinguished, the promises of God and the entire Gospel fall
absolutely to the ground, if we are taught and believe that we have no
need of knowing the foreknowledge of God to be necessary and the
necessity of all things that must be done. For this is the only and
highest possible consolation of Christians in all adversities to know
that God does not lie, but does all things immutably, and that His will
can neither be resisted, nor altered, nor hindered." (E. 137. 264; St.
L. 1695. 1845.)