an open letter on translating-第4节

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and　resurrection；　without　any　works；　and　that　his　death　and



resurrection　are　our　life　and　righteousness？　As　this　fact　is　so



obvious；　that　faith　alone　gives；　brings；　and　takes　a　hold　of　this



life　and　righteousness　…　why　should　we　not　say　so？　It　is　not



heretical　that　faith　alone　holds　on　to　Christ　and　gives　life；　and



yet　it　seems　to　be　heresy　if　someone　mentions　it。　Are　they　not



insane；　foolish　and　ridiculous？　They　will　say　that　one　thing　is



right　but　brand　the　telling　of　this　right　thing　as　wrong　…　even



though　something　cannot　be　simultaneously　right　and　wrong。







Furthermore；　I　am　not　the　only　one；　nor　the　first；　to　say　that



faith　alone　makes　one　righteous。　There　was　Ambrose；　Augustine　and



many　others　who　said　it　before　me。　And　if　one　is　to　read　and



understand　St。　Paul；　the　same　thing　must　be　said　and　not　anything



else。　His　words；　as　well；　are　blunt　…　〃no　works〃　…　none　at　all！



If　it　is　not　works；　it　must　be　faith　alone。　Oh　what　a　marvelous；



constructive　and　inoffensive　teaching　that　would　be；　to　be　taught



that　one　can　be　saved　by　works　as　well　as　by　faith。　That　would　be



like　saying　that　it　is　not　Christ's　death　alone　that　takes　away



our　sin　but　that　our　works　have　something　to　do　with　it。　Now　that



would　be　a　fine　way　of　honoring　Christ's　death；　saying　that　it　is



helped　by　our　works；　and　that　whatever　it　does　our　works　can　also



do　…　that　we　are　his　equal　in　goodness　and　power。　This　is　the



devil　itself　for　he　cannot　ever　stop　abusing　the　blood　of　Christ。







Therefore　the　matter　itself；　at　its　very　core；　necessitates　that　one



say：　〃Faith　alone　makes　one　righteous。〃　The　nature　of　the　German



tongue　teaches　us　to　say　it　in　the　same　way。　In　addition；　I　have



the　examples　of　the　holy　fathers。　The　dangers　confronting　the



people　also　compel　it　so　they　do　not　continue　to　hang　onto　works



and　wander　away　from　faith；　losing　Christ；　especially　at　this　time



when　they　have　been　so　accustomed　to　works　they　have　to　be　pulled



away　from　them　by　force。　It　is　for　these　reasons　that　it　is　not



only　right　but　also　necessary　to　say　it　as　plainly　and　forcefully



as　possible：　〃Faith　alone　saves　without　works！〃　I　am　only　sorry　I



did　not　add　〃alle〃　and　〃aller〃；　and　said　〃without　any　（alle）　works



or　any　（aller）　laws。〃　That　would　have　stated　it　most　effectively。



Therefore；　it　will　remain　in　the　New　Testament；　and　though　all　the



papal　asses　rant　and　rave　at　me；　they　shall　not　take　it　away　from



me。　Let　this　be　enough　for　now。　I　will　have　to　speak　more　about



this　in　the　treatise　〃On　Justification〃　（if　God　grants　me　grace）。







On　the　other　question　as　to　whether　the　departed　saints　intercede



for　us。　For　the　present　I　am　only　going　to　give　a　brief　answer　as



I　am　considering　publishing　a　sermon　on　the　beloved　angels　in



which　I　will　respond　more　fully　on　this　matter　（God　willing）。







First；　you　know　that　under　the　papacy　it　is　not　only　taught　that



the　saints　in　heaven　intercede　for　us　…　even　though　we　cannot　know



this　as　the　Scripture　does　not　tell　us　such　…　but　the　saints　have



been　made　into　gods；　and　that　they　are　to　be　our　patrons　to　whom



we　should　call。　Some　of　them　have　never　existed！　To　each　of　these



saints　a　particular　power　and　might　has　been　given　…　one　over



fire；　another　over　water；　another　over　pestilence；　fever　and　all



sorts　of　plagues。　Indeed；　God　must　have　been　altogether　idle　to



have　let　the　saints　work　in　his　place。　Of　this　atrocity　the



papists　themselves　are　aware；　as　they　quietly　take　up　their　pipes



and　preen　and　primp　themselves　over　this　doctrine　of　the



intercession　of　the　saints。　I　will　leave　this　subject　for　now　…



but　you　can　count　on　my　not　forgetting　it　and　allowing　this



primping　and　preening　to　continue　without　cost。







And　again；　you　know　that　there　is　not　a　single　passage　from　God



demanding　us　to　call　upon　either　saints　or　angels　to　intercede　for



us；　and　that　there　is　no　example　of　such　in　the　Scriptures。　One



finds　that　the　beloved　angels　spoke　with　the　fathers　and　the



prophets；　but　that　none　of　them　had　ever　been　asked　to　intercede



for　them。　Why　even　Jacob　the　patriarch　did　not　ask　the　angel　with



whom　he　wrestled　for　any　intercession。　Instead；　he　only　took　from



him　a　blessing。　In　fact；　one　finds　the　very　opposite　in　revelation



as　the　angel　will　not　allow　itself　to　be　worshipped　by　John。　＇Rev。



22＇　So　the　worship　of　saints　shows　itself　as　nothing　but　human



nonsense；　our　own　invention　separated　from　the　word　of　God　and　the



Scriptures。







As　it　is　not　proper　in　the　matter　of　divine　worship　for　us　to　do



anything　that　is　not　commanded　by　God　（and　that　whoever　does　is



putting　God　to　the　test）；　it　is　therefore　also　not　advisable　or



tolerable　for　one　to　call　upon　the　saints　for　intercession　or　to



teach　others　to　do　so。　In　fact；　it　is　to　be　condemned　and　people



taught　to　avoid　it。　Therefore；　I　also　will　not　advise　it　and



burden　my　conscience　with　the　iniquities　of　others。　It　was



difficult　for　me　to　stop　from　worshipping　the　saints　as　I　was　so



steeped　in　it　to　have　nearly　drowned。　But　the　light　of　the　gospel



is　now　shining　so　brightly　that　from　now　on　no　one　has　an　excuse



for　remaining　in　the　darkness。　We　all　very　well　know　what　we　are



to　do。







This　is　itself　a　very　risky　and　blasphemous　way　to　worship　for



people　are　easily　accustomed　to　turning　away　from　Christ。　They



learn　quickly　to　trust　more　in　the　saints　than　in　Christ　himself。



When　our　nature　is　already　all　too　prone　to　run　from　God　and



Christ；　and　trust　in　humanity；　it　is　indeed　difficult　to　learn　to



trust　in　God　and　Christ；　even　though　we　have　vowed　to　do　so　and



are　therefore　obligated　to　do　so。　Therefore；　this　offense　is　not



to　be　tolerated　whereby　those　who　are　weak　and　of　the　flesh



participate　in　idolatry；　against　the　first　commandment　and　our



baptism。　Even　if　one　tries　nothing　other　than　to　switch　their



trust　from　the　saints　to　Christ；　through　teaching　and　practice；　it



will　be　difficult　to　accomplish；　that　one　should　come　to　him　and



rightly　take　hold　of　him。　One　need　not　paint　the　Devil　on　the



door　…　he　will　already　be　present。







We　can　finally　be　certain　that　God　is　not　angry　with　us；　and　that



even　if　we　do　not　call　on　the　saints　for　intercession；　we　are



secure　for　God　has　never　commanded　it。　God　says　that　God　is　a



jealous　God　granting　their　iniquities　on　those　who　do　not　keep　his



commandments　＇Ex。20＇；　but　there　is　no　commandment　here　and；



therefore；　no　anger　to　be　feared。　Since；　then；　there　is　on　this



side　security　and　on　the　other　side　great　risk　and　offense　against



the　Word　of　God；　why　should　we　go　from　security　into　danger　where



we　do　not　have　the　Word　of　God　to　sustain；　comfort　and　save　us　in



the　times　of　trial？　For　it　is　written；　〃Whoever　loves　danger　will



perish　by　it〃　＇Ecclus。　3＇；　and　God's　commandment　says；　〃You　shall



not　put　the　Lord　your　God　to　the　test〃　＇Matt。　4＇。







〃But；〃　they　say；　〃this　way　you　condemn　all　of　Christendom　which



has　always　maintained　this　…　until　now。〃　I　answer：　I　know　very



well　that　the　priests　and　monks　seek　this　cloak　for　their



blasphemies。　They　want　to　give　to　Christendom　the　damage　caused



by　their　own　negligence。　Then；　when　we　say；　〃Christendom　does　not



err；〃　we　shall　also　be　saying　that　they　do　not　err；　since



Christendom　believes　it　to　be　so。　So　no　pilgrimage　can　be　wrong；



no　matter　how　obviously　the　Devil　is　a　participant　in　it。　No



indulgence　can　be　wrong；　regardless　of　how　horrible　the　lies



involved。　In　other　words；　there　is　nothing　there　but　holiness！



Therefore　to　this　you　reply；　〃It　is　not　a　question　of　who　is　and



who　is　not　condemned。〃　They　inject　this　irrelevant　idea　in　order



to　divert　us　from　the　topic　at　hand。　We　are　now　discussing　the



Word　of　God。　What　Christendom　is　or　does　belongs　somewhere



else。　The　question　here　is：　〃What　is　or　is　not　the　Word　of　God？



What　is　not　the　Word　of　God　does　not　make　Christendom。







We　read　that　in　the　days　of　Elijah　the　prophet　there　was



apparently　no　word　from　God　and　no　worship　of　God　in　Israel。　For



Elijah　says；　〃Lord；　they　have　killed　your　prophets　and　destroyed



your　altars；　and　I　am　left　totally　alone〃　＇I　Kings　19＇。　Here　King



Ahab　and　others　could　have　said；　〃Elijah；　with　talk　like　that　you



are　condemning　all　the　people　of　God。〃　However　God　had　at　the



same　time　kept　seven　thousand　＇I　Kings　19＇。　How？　Do　you　not　also



think　that　God　could　now；　under　the　papacy；　have　preserved　his



own；　even　though　the　priests　and　monks　of　Christendom　have　been



teachers　of　the　devil　and　gone　to　hell？　Many　children　and　young



people　have　died　in　Christ。　For　even　under　the　anti…Christ；



Christ　has　strongly　sustained　baptism；　the　bare　text　of　the　gospel



in　the　pulpit；　the　Lord's　Prayer；　and　the　Creed。　By　this　means　he



sustained　many　of　his　Christi