Part 33 (1/2)

Let this suffice concerning works in general, and at the sa the works which a Christian does for his own body Lastly, ill also speak of the things which he does toward his neighbor A man does not live for himself alone in this mortal body, so as to work for it alone, but he lives also for all men on earth, nay, rather, lives only for others and not for his his body into subjection, that he may the more sincerely and freely serve others, as Paul says in Romans xiv, ”No one lives to himself, and no man dies to himself For he that liveth, liveth unto the Lord, and he that dieth, dieth unto the Lord” [Rom 14:7 f] Therefore, it is impossible that he should ever in this life be idle and without works toward his neighbors, for of necessity he will speak, deal with and converse withmade in the likeness of men, was found in form as a man, and conversed with men, as Baruch iii says [Bar 3:38]

[Sidenote: Do not Save]

[Sidenote: Grow out of Faith]

But none of these things does a hteousness and salvation Therefore, in all his works he should be guided by this thought and look to this one thing alone, that he ard to nothing except the need and the advantage of his neighbor Thus, the Apostle coive to hiht have said that we should work to support ourselves; he says, however, ”that he ive to him that needeth”

[Eph 4:28] And this is what h its health and comfort we may be able to work, to acquire and to lay by funds hich to aid those who are in need, that in this way the strong memberfor and working for the other, bearing one another's burdens, and so fulfilling the law of Christ [Gal 6:2] Lo, this is a truly Christian life, here faith is truly out effectual through love [Gal 5:6]; that is, it issues in works of the freest service cheerfully and lovingly done, hich a ly serves another without hope of reward, and for himself is satisfied with the fulness and wealth of his faith

So Paul after teaching the Philippians how rich they were s, proceeds i, ”If there be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowshi+p of the Spirit, fulfil yeof one accord, thinking nothing through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness each estee not every s of others” [Phil 2:1 ff] Here we see clearly that the Apostle has prescribed this rule for the life of Christians,--that we should devote all our works to the welfare of others, since each has such abundant riches in his faith, that all his other works and his whole He are a surplus hich he can by voluntary benevolence serve and do good to his neighbor

[Sidenote: The Example of Christ]

As an exa, ”Let thisin the forht it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the for found in fashi+on as a man, He became obedient unto death” [Phil 2:5 ff] This salutary word of the Apostle has been obscured for us by those who have not at all understood the Apostle's words, ”form of God,” ”form of a servant,”

”fashi+on,” ”likeness of men,” and have applied theh Christ was filled with the fors, so that He needed no work and no suffering to hteous and saved (for He had all this always fro), yet He was not puffed up by them, nor did He lift Hih He could rightly have done so; but, on the contrary, He so lived, labored, worked, suffered and died, that He ht be like otherelse than a s and had nothing of the form of God

But He did all this for our sake, that He s He accoht become ours

So a Christian, like Christ, his Head, is filled and made rich by faith, and should be content with this form of God which he has obtained by faith; only, as I have said, he ought to increase this faith until it be hteousness and his salvation: it saves his that are Christ's, as has been said above, and as Paul asserts in Gal ii, when he says, ”And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God” [Gal 2:20] Although the Christian is thus free froht in this liberty to empty himself, to take upon himself the form of a servant, to be made in the likeness of men, to be found in fashi+on as a hbor as he sees that God through Christ has dealt and still deals with hi except the divine approval He ought to think: ”Though I aiven hteousness and salvation without any merit on my part, out of pure, freewhatever except faith which believes that this is true Why should I not therefore freely, joyfully, with all s which I know are pleasing and acceptable to such a Father, Who has overwhelive hbor, just as Christ offered Hi in this life except what I see is necessary, profitable and salutary to ood things in Christ”

[Sidenote: Faith and Love]

Lo, thus from faith flow forth love and joy in the Lord, and frohbor willingly and takes no account of gratitude or ingratitude, of praise or blaain or loss For a ations, he does not distinguish between friends and enemies, nor does he anticipate their thankfulness or unthankfulness; but ly he spends himself and all that he has, whether he waste all on the thankless or whether he gain a reward For as his Father does, distributing all things to all ood and upon the evil [Matt

5:45], so also the son does all things and suffers all things with that freely bestowing joy which is his delight when through Christ he sees it in God, the dispenser of such great benefits

Therefore, if we recognize the great and precious things which are given us, as Paul says [Rom 5:5], there will be shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost the love which hty workers and conquerors over all tribulations, servants of our neighbors and yet lords of all But for those who do not recognize the gifts bestowed upon theo their ith their works, and shall never cohbor is in need and lacks that in which we abound, so we also have been in need before God and have lacked His mercy Hence, as our heavenly Father has in Christ freely cohbor through our body and its works, and each should become as it were a Christ to the other, that we may be Christs to one another and Christ may be the same in all; that is, that we may be truly Christians

[Sidenote: The Christian Serves Freely]

Who then can colory of the Christian life? It can do all things, and has all things, and lacks nothing; it is lord over sin, death and hell, and yet at the same time it serves, ministers to and benefits all hout the world; it is neither preached about nor sought after; we are altogether ignorant of our own name and do not knoe are Christians or bear the name of Christians Surely we are so named after Christ, not because He is absent from us, but because He dwells in us, that is, because we believe on Hihbors as Christ does to us But in our day we are taught by the doctrine of s that are ours; of Christ we have made only a taskmaster far in]

Of such faith we have a pre-ein As is written in Luke ii, she was purified according to the law of Moses, after the custoh she was not bound by that law, and needed not to be purified But out of free and willing love she sub made like other women, lest she should offend or despise thehteous she did it freely and willingly So our works also should be done, not that wejustified beforehand by faith, we ought to do all things freely and joyfully for the sake of others

[Sidenote: St Paul]

St Paul also circumcised his disciple Tihteousness, but that he ht not offend or despise the Jeere weak in the faith and could not yet grasp the liberty of faith But on the other hand, when they despised the liberty of faith and insisted that circuhteousness, he withstood them and did not allow titus to be circu to offend for to despise any man's weak faith, and yielded to their will for the ti that the liberty of faith should be offended against or despised by stubborn work-righteousthe weak or a tiht convert all to the liberty of faith What we do should be done with the same zeal to sustain the weak in faith, as Romans xiv teaches [Rom 14:1 ff]; but we should firmly withstand the stubborn teachers of works Of this ill say more later

Christ also, in Matthew xvii, when the tribute ued with St Peter, Christ whether the sons of the king were not free from the payment of tribute, and Peter affiro to the sea, and said, ”Lest we should offend theo, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his ive unto them for me and thee”

[Matt 17:24 ff] This incident its beautifully to our subject, since Christ here calls Hi, who need nothing; and yet He freely submits and pays the tribute Just as necessary or helpful as this as to Christ's righteousness or salvation, just so much do all other works of His or of His followers avail for righteousness; since they all follow after righteousness and are free, and are done only to serve others and to give theood works

Of the saives, in Romans xiii [Rom 13:1 ff] and titus iii [tit 3:1], that Christians should be subject to the powers that be, and be ready to do every good work, not that they shall in this way be justified, since they already are righteous through faith, but that in the liberty of the Spirit they shall by so doing serve others and the powers themselves, and obey their will freely and out of love Of this nature should be the works of all colleges, monasteries and priests Each one should do the works of his profession and position, not that by theh them he may keep under his body, be an example to others, who also need to keep under their bodies, and finally that by such works he may submit his will to that of others in the freedoreat care ine that by such works he will be justified, or acquire merit or be saved; for this is the work of faith alone, as I have repeatedly said

[Sidenote: Church Precepts]

Any one knowing this could easily and without danger find his way a those numberless mandates and precepts of pope, bishops, istrates, upon which sohteousness and salvation, calling the of the kind For a Christian, as a free man, will say, ”I will fast, pray, do this and that as hteousness or salvation; but that I may show due respect to the pope, the bishop, the coive thes, just as Christ did and suffered farof it all or Hih He was not under the law” And although tyrants do violence or injustice inas they de contrary to God