# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Februar 1861_S47
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Referat on the Right Preaching of the Doctrine of Justification. 47

love toward God and toward one's neighbor, which alone is the doer of the divine commandments and the fulfilling of the Law, proceeds solely from this faith, as St. Paul also sums up the whole essence of a Christian in Galatians 5:6, where he says: "for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but faith working through love."

Again, it happens that faith, through love, cannot always express itself actively outward toward other people; for either the hardness and wickedness of unbelievers or hypocrites resists it, or God himself places the believer under the cross, whether this consists in outward affliction or inward temptation. In that case everything depends on the believer persevering in holding fast to God's gracious promise and showing himself patient. And precisely here, where not only the devil, the world, and the flesh — now separate, now joined — but also, in connection with them, conscience, Law, and death, run counter to justifying faith, and where Christ himself seems to hide his gracious countenance and to change into a cruel being — precisely here can this faith reveal its highest beauty and glory in the strength of grace and of the Gospel.

From what has just been said, even though only in hints and outlines, it is therefore sufficiently evident that and how the doctrine of justification is the kernel and the star of the whole Gospel, the strongest fortress and stronghold of the whole of Christian doctrine, and the sweetest and most comforting treasure of terrified consciences — in that no other article than this one brings into the poor sinner's heart, through faith, the Father's grace, the Son's merit, and the Holy Spirit's power so comfortingly, that righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit dwell therein.

Of this now — and of how, with the keeping pure or the falsifying of this article, all the other articles of Christian doctrine are likewise kept pure or falsified — the previous year's referat of the Western District has already cited many striking proofs and testimonies from Luther's writings; and it therefore does not seem necessary, in this introductory part toward an approximate solution of our task, to repeat some of them.

We now proceed to answer the question put to us, "what is the manner in which justification is to be rightly preached?"

But before we proceed to give this answer, positively and negatively, according to the ability God grants, it will not be superfluous to say a few words in advance about the preaching of the Law. For it is altogether impossible rightly to preach, according to God's Word, the evangelical doctrine of the sinner's justification before God, without first having brought people, through the right exposition of the Law, to a repentant knowledge of sin. Christ also commands his servants to preach in his name not only the forgiveness of sins, that is, the Gospel, but also repentance, that is, contrition, sorrow, terror before God's wrath;