Johann Arndt · 50 of 177
Book II. · Chapter III.
Our Before God, Consists Solely In The Perfect Obedience And Merit Of Christ Jesus, And In The Remission Of Sin Apprehended By Faith.
As by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.—Rom. 5:19.
As a skilful builder, when he is about to raise a lofty structure, takes care to lay first a deep and solid foundation, so the merciful and compassionate God, when he was to erect the high and everlasting palace of our salvation and , thought fit to lay the foundation thereof, in the depth of his mercy, upon the Person and office of his dear Son Christ Jesus, as on the true rock of salvation. This is the promise recorded by the prophet: “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” Isa. 28:16. This stone was indicated by Christ, when he declared to Peter, that “thereon he would build his church;” a church so firmly and surely sustained, that “the very gates of hell should not prevail against it.” Matt. 16:18.
2. This was the rock and corner-stone, which was preached by the apostles Peter and Paul. 1 Pet. 2:4; 2 Tim. 2:19. This is that marvellous corner-stone celebrated by the Psalmist, and upon which the 118th Psalm is grounded. Upon this foundation, God has been pleased to raise the whole structure of our , faith, and eternal salvation. But as God, our merciful Heavenly Father, has, on his side, placed the groundwork of our salvation and in the unsearchable depth of his mercy and everlasting love; nay, even in his beloved Son, and the paternal affection of his own heart; so he wills that on our side also the same be laid in the depth of our heart, and in the centre of our soul; in order that, through the divine light and power of faith alone (and even faith is solely the work of the Divine Spirit), the of Christ may be apprehended, and without any respect of our own works, whether antecedent or consequent, be freely and appropriated to us. The reasons of this way of proceeding are as follows.
3. In the first place, that God by this means might cleanse and a man from within, and in the inmost centre of his soul: for as man is inwardly corrupted by Satan, and infected in all the interior powers of his soul, so it is but fit that his cure should be wrought from within, and that all the faculties of his soul should be restored to their former integrity and soundness.
4. Secondly, that our proceeds from faith only. This faith is wrought by God himself, and it stands entirely in his power (1 Cor. 2:5), being supported by it, and not by any human performance, or hypocritical action of men. Of this latter sort was the of the (Matt. 5:20), who made indeed a show of outward performances, but were little concerned about the reformation of the heart, and the inward recesses of the mind.
5. Thirdly, that our heart, soul, and spirit, renouncing human power and strength (upon which, through the temptation of the Devil, and the snares of self-love, ambition, and pride, they too much rely), might wholly depend upon Christ alone, and upon his precious merit and satisfaction. For from him alone flow the gracious remission of all our sins, and the whole train of graces consequent on it; Jesus Christ having abundantly satisfied for the sins of the whole world, and the Father to mankind.
6. Fourthly, that the of Christ, by faith, might be made our own. In order to the same end he also by his Word and Spirit begets this faith in our hearts, that thereby we may become actually possessed of this inestimable treasure. For this is the highest, the unspeakable, and inconceivably great consolation, that our is not the of a man, nor even of a or angel, but of Christ, and of God himself; “It is God that .” Rom. 8:33. Therefore if the whole world were overflowed with the sins of one man, yet would the of Christ be still more extensive and overflowing. For , he is “the Lord our ” (Jer. 33:16), and how can sin be more powerful than the Lord Jehovah? Would it be an insufficient satisfaction, thinkest thou, if instead of a penny which thou owest thy creditor, thou shouldest return ten thousand pounds? But such a price, nay, one infinitely greater, is paid with the blood of Christ, which therefore is called by St. Paul, “God's own blood.” Acts 20:28. So great and immense is the of Christ, conferred on us by faith, that thereby we are not only made righteous, but also itself. 2 Cor. 5:21. For, as it is not enough that a defiled infant be washed from its uncleanness, but it must also be wrapped up in clean apparel (Ezek. 6:10), so Christ not only cleanses us with his blood, but clothes us also with the garment of salvation, and covers us with the robe of (Isa. 61:10): which we have received from the hand of the Lord. This garment is called by the prophet, priestly or holy apparel; by David, “the beauty of ” (Ps. 29:2); by St. John, “fine linen clean and white, which is the of ” (Rev. 19:8); by the prophet Amos, “rivers of ” (Amos 5:24); by St. Paul, “superabounding ” (Rom. 5:20); and “exceeding riches of .” Eph. 2:7. All these expressions set forth that the bestowed on a soul, is as great as God himself, and therefore beyond all human comprehension. Though in the state of innocency, our first parents had a complete in its kind, yet was it not so full and exuberant as that which we have obtained in Christ: for this and , which we apply to ourselves by faith, is far more excellent than that which Adam would have left us, had he continued in his original innocency. So, too, the humility and obedience of Christ, as it was more perfect, so it was more acceptable to God, than the obedience and innocency of Adam; nay, a thousand such persons as Adam, could not have come up to the perfection of Christ alone. Adam would have transmitted to us indeed an hereditary , and thereby united us with God; yet it cannot be denied, that our union, established with God in Christ, is much more noble and excellent than that which we should have derived from Adam: for Christ being made man, has in himself so cleansed and exalted human nature, that the primitive state of Adam is not at all to be compared with it. And as Christ retains his human nature to all eternity; so all believers continue in the same united to God; because Christ is wholly ours, and we are wholly his. Whatever purity the human nature hath obtained in general in His Person, is also transferred to the nature of each believer in particular. This will appear in the of our bodies at the last day, when “they shall be fashioned like unto the glorious body of Christ.” Phil. 3:21. Nay, even in this life, it is said in faith: “Behold, thou art fair, my love” (Cant. 1:15); “glorious, not having spot or wrinkle” (Eph. 5:27): “the king's daughter is all glorious within, her clothing is of wrought gold.” Ps. 45:13. In a word, our in Christ is no less immense than God himself; and if his depth may be found out, so will our . all creatures, finding nothing that can be reproved in man, must stand as it were astonished, and cry out with admiration: “Who is he that shall accuse or condemn man, whose is the Son of God himself?” And this is that of faith on which we rest, as on an eternal rock, and which is a foundation that cannot be shaken. Of this we glory, in this we rejoice in time and in eternity. By this we are conquerors, and triumph over sin, death, the devil, and hell. By this we tread upon the lion and adder, and trample under foot the young lion and the dragon. Ps. 91:13.
7. Fifthly, an angel (who never died for us) cannot be the foundation of our , much less any man. The of man is but weak and inconstant; and if he should fall, “all his that he hath done shall not be mentioned” (Ezek. 18:24; 33:13), and therefore whatever is built thereon falls soon to the ground and comes to nothing. For this reason, our must have another foundation; a foundation, namely, which is firm and constant, and not liable to be shattered to pieces, though the “mountains should depart, and the hills be removed.” Isa. 54:10. “An everlasting must be brought in” (Dan. 9:24), so that “the salvation of the Lord may be forever, and his be not abolished.” Isa. 51:6. A most excellent, eternal, and Person, must procure an eternal and infinite good, by an immense and infinite satisfaction offered for us.
8. The sixth cause why God will have our to be apprehended by faith, is found in his truth and promise, on which our faith entirely rests, and by which God declared and promised to Abraham, and to all his faithful seed. St. Paul argues, that “our must be of faith, that it might be by ; to the end that the promise might be sure.” Rom. 4: 16. Upon this promise of , fulfilled in Christ, has God established our and salvation, as the same apostle in another place more fully asserts: “Even as Abraham,” says he, “believed God, and it was accounted to him for . Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would the through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham: saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed (Gen. 12:3). “So then they which be of faith, are blessed with faithful Abraham.” Gal. 3:6-9. And thus “ and truth are come by Jesus Christ.” John 1:17.
9. Seventhly, God has made his , and the merit of Christ, the foundation of our , that Christ alone may have the honor of it. Isa. 45:22-24; 53:11. “In him alone is our help.” Hos. 13:9. He is the beginning, middle, and end of our and salvation, so that “every mouth may be stopped.” Rom. 3:19. For we are “saved by through faith; not of works, lest any man should boast.” Eph. 2:8, 9. But if our were founded on our own works and merits, there would then be no room for , nor should we have occasion for mercy or pardon of sin, “for which every one that is godly doth pray.” Ps. 32:6. Moreover, there would be no place for humility, nor for the fear of God; neither would faith and prayer turn to any great account; yea, we should have no need of a , Redeemer, and Saviour. Christ would have then died in vain; and we should be obliged, both by an external and an internal obedience, perfectly to fulfil the whole law. We should remain under the curse, have fallen from , and have lost Christ; as St. Paul expressly testifies in Gal. 5:3, 4. So that the doctrine of by works, in the sight of God, is altogether inconsistent with the whole Scripture, both of the Old Testament and the New, and with our holy Christian faith.
10. In short, our salvation and are founded entirely upon the eternal of God, and the eternal Person and office of Christ; and in Christ alone we are made righteous, holy, alive, blessed, sons and heirs of God. The of Christ is ours, his goodness ours, his ours; his life ours, his happiness ours, and lastly, the sonship and inheritance of Christ are ours; and so the whole Christ, both according to his divine and his human nature, is ours; (for God gives us the whole Christ for a Saviour, that he with his Person, office, , glory, and blessedness, may be wholly appropriated to us). That all this is our own, is our highest consolation, glory, praise, honor, love, joy, and peace before God and all the angels and ; it is our sublimest wisdom, strength, might, victory, and triumph over sin and death, the devil and hell, the world and all our enemies. For which God be praised to all eternity! Amen.