# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Januar 1857_S13
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

On the Efficacy of the Sacraments.                    13

ness nor does it remain in them, for they lack the faith through which Christ dwells in our hearts, Ephesians 3:17, and lives in us, Galatians 2:20. In the unworthy, the purity of so great a grace makes itself no dwelling, says Cyprian in his sermon on the Supper." John Gerhard's Loci, de sacra coena, cap. XXII. — They therefore reasoned thus: Christ's flesh is, according to John 6:54, a life-giving food; but now the unworthy do not have eternal life, nor are they made alive through the partaking of the holy Supper: therefore they do not eat Christ's flesh — to which our fathers replied: "that Christ's flesh is life-giving is to be understood in a twofold way: first, absolutely and with regard to itself; in this way it is and always remains life-giving; secondly, relatively and with regard to men; in this way it is called life-giving either with regard to its power or with regard to its actual effect. With regard to its power, Christ can and will make all alive, namely according to his absolute might and according to his antecedent will. With regard to its actual effect, he makes alive only the believers. The unworthy, since they lack the organ of receiving, namely faith, therefore do not receive life from the life-giving flesh of Christ. Thus the flesh of Christ is and remains, in and of itself, always life-giving; meanwhile, however, it suffices for this that we receive through it the spiritual and heavenly life — not the sacramental eating and drinking as such, but rather there is further required for it that spiritual eating and drinking of which John 6 treats at length. In short, that we may draw life and grace out of this ever-flowing fountain of life and grace, the drawing-vessel of faith is required for this. For one must distinguish between things that work naturally and things that work freely. The making-alive worked on the flesh of Christ is by no means a natural effect like the burning of fire, but a free one, John 5:21: 'the Son makes alive whom he will' — but he wills to make alive those who lay hold of him in true faith, according to the testimony of the whole of Scripture." John Gerhard, loc. cit.

Compare on this point also the excellent piece: "Questions concerning the Efficacy of the Holy Supper, together with Answers," in Lehre und Wehre, Volume II, May issue, p. 144, etc.

In short, far be from us every and any view of the efficacy of the sacraments which amounts to the pernicious doctrine of the Romanists concerning the opus operatum, as one which is diametrically opposed to the cardinal doctrine of the justification of the poor sinner before God through faith alone, and through which the impenitent are only strengthened in their false security. Let us, then, to this end, call to mind the irrefutable arguments which John Gerhard, in his Conf. cath., loc. cit., sets against this harmful delusion:

"We prove our position: 1. by the fact that Scripture requires faith for the salutary partaking of the sacraments, both expressly: Mark