What Martin Luther says about Faith
“It is the nature of faith to deal with possessions which it neither sees nor feels but handles just as if they were present, though it has no other assurance than the knowledge that God neither lies nor deceives. Faith acts like this in all sorts of relations.
For example, when I am to die and death faces me, I must go on; but I do not know where I should place my foot first… Faith things thus: I know not where I am going. Go I must. I see and feel nothing; but I will commend myself to Him who has said in the psalm: ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. Psalm 55:23)’ In reliance on these words I pass on, for I know that He will not lie. In this way faith has life but does not see it, nay, sees nothing but the opposite… So sharp are the eyes of faith.
Faith can see in the dark, where nothing whatever is visible; it feels where nothing is to be felt. Thus we also believe in the Lord Christ- believe that He is sitting at the right hand of the Almighty Father above and so rules that He has all creatures in His hand and works everything in us. We do not see this, nor do we feel it; yet through faith the heart sees it as surely as it were looking at it with bodily eyes.”
In the above words, Luther is stressing that faith holds on to the promises of God, even when the evidence seems contrary. Faith is the assurance of things not seen. We believe in the forgiveness of sins, even though at times we may not feel like we are forgiven. But faith does not rely on our feelings, it relies on the Gospel, that Jesus Christ has died and rose again for us. In short, faith relies on God’s Word and His promises, which cannot deceive us.
In Christ,
Rev. David L. Putz, Pastor
Holy Cross Lutheran Church (LCMS)
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Good things are happening at Holy Cross! Praise God for that. When we keep Word and Sacrament ministry at the heart of what we do, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is sown. As we share the Word, God gives the growth and we rejoice as humble stewards of the God who changes lives and hearts. Help us always, Lord, to keep Your Word at the center of our life together under your Holy Cross!
Please continue to pray for our congregation and each other. Don’t forget to visit our church website www.holycross-crawfordsville.org to find links for all our services on YouTube.