Friday, April 28, 2006
old sins
All too often I dwell on my old failures, sins, and weaknesses. I need to remind myself that such dwellings are sinful; I need to banish them from my thoughts. I need to do this if I truly believe that Christ has forgiven my sins. I was thinking about this as I read the following from a letter by J.K. Wilhelm Loehe, a German Lutheran pastor who died in 1872:
How easily can the Evil One find in us a hundred thousand sins; ah, and how one must become anxious and afraid unto death if one cannot defend oneself and go quite poor and empty, to him who alone quickens the weary and heavy-laden. How different is he who gives himself completely, just as he is, to the Lord Christ, and says to him: "You are my righteousness and my joy!" If you have nothing left, but leave yourself to Jesus, who can drive you out of your fortress? As one who is tempted, you must throw off the remnant of Pietism and of your own righteousness, and as St. Peter admonishes, set your hope entirely upon grace. . . . Your healing lies in the righteousness by grace alone.
How easily can the Evil One find in us a hundred thousand sins; ah, and how one must become anxious and afraid unto death if one cannot defend oneself and go quite poor and empty, to him who alone quickens the weary and heavy-laden. How different is he who gives himself completely, just as he is, to the Lord Christ, and says to him: "You are my righteousness and my joy!" If you have nothing left, but leave yourself to Jesus, who can drive you out of your fortress? As one who is tempted, you must throw off the remnant of Pietism and of your own righteousness, and as St. Peter admonishes, set your hope entirely upon grace. . . . Your healing lies in the righteousness by grace alone.
