Part 1 (2/2)

In the first place, it must be understood that all the Apostles present one and the same doctrine; and it is not correct to speak of[2] four Evangelists and four Gospels for all which the Apostles wrote is one Gospel. But _Gospel_ means nothing but a proclamation and heralding of the grace and mercy of G.o.d through Jesus Christ, merited and procured through his death. And it is not properly that which is contained in books, and is comprehended in the letter, but rather an oral proclamation and living word, and a voice which echoes through the whole world, and is publicly uttered that it may universally be heard. Neither is it a book of laws, containing in itself many excellent doctrines, as has. .h.i.therto been held. For it does not bid us do works whereby we may become righteous, but proclaims to us the grace of G.o.d, bestowed freely, and apart from any merit of our own; and it tells how Christ has taken our place, and rendered satisfaction for our sins, and canceled them, and by His own works justifies and saves us.

[Footnote 2: Count.]

Whoever sets forth this, by preaching or writing, _he_ teaches the true Gospel, as all the Apostles did, especially St. Paul and St.

Peter, in their Epistles. So that all, whatever it be, that sets forth Christ, is one and the same Gospel, although one may use a different method, and speak of it in different language from another, for it may perhaps be a brief or extended address, or a brief or extended writing. But yet, if it tends to this point, that Christ is our Saviour, and we through faith on Him, apart from works of our own, are justified and saved, it is still the same Word, and but one Gospel, just as there is also but one faith and one baptism in the whole Christian world.

So, also, one Apostle has written the same [Gospel] that is contained in another's writings; but they who insist most largely and emphatically on this, that faith on Christ alone justifies, are the best Evangelists. Therefore St. Paul's Epistles are more a Gospel than Matthew, Mark and Luke, for the latter give little more than the history of the works and miracles of Christ; but of the grace which we have through Christ, none write so emphatically as St. Paul, especially in his Epistle to the Romans. And yet, since more importance by far belongs to the word than to the works and deeds of Christ, and where we are to be deprived of one it were better that we should want the works and the history than the word and the doctrine; those books are to be most highly esteemed which most largely treat of the doctrine and words of the Lord Christ; for though the miracles of Christ had never been, and we had no knowledge of them, we should yet have had enough in the _word_, without which we could not have had life.

Thus this Epistle of St. Peter is one of the n.o.blest books in the New Testament, and contains indeed the pure Gospel; for he takes the same course as St. Paul and all the Evangelists, in inculcating the true doctrine of faith,--as that Christ has been given us, who takes away our sin and saves us, as we shall hear.

Hence you may judge of all books and doctrines, what is Gospel or not; for what is not set forth or written of in this manner, you may safely decide to be false, however excellent in appearance. This power to decide is one that all Christians possess,--not the Pope or Councils, who boast that they only have the power to determine.--This is sufficient introduction and preface. Let us now listen to the Epistle.

THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF ST. PETER.

CHAPTER I.

V. 1, 2. _Peter an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Capadocia, Asia and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of G.o.d the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ._

That is the superscription and subscription. Here you quickly perceive that it is the Gospel. He calls himself an Apostle--that is, one sent to declare a message; therefore it is correctly rendered in Dutch, a messenger, or a twelfth-messenger,[1] because they were twelve. But since it is generally understood what Apostle (the Greek word) means, I have not rendered it in Dutch. But its peculiar meaning is, one who bears a message by word of mouth; not one who carries letters, but a capable man who presents a matter orally, and advocates it,--of the cla.s.s that in the Latin are called _Oratores_.

So he would now say, I am an Apostle of Jesus Christ,--that is, I have a command from Jesus Christ that I, from Christ, am to proclaim.

[Footnote 1: _Tswolffbott_ in the original, for which we have no equivalent English word.]

Observe, here, how promptly all those who teach human doctrine are excluded. For _he_ is a messenger of Jesus Christ who presents that which Christ has commanded; should he preach otherwise, he is not a messenger of Christ, and therefore should not be listened to. But if he does this, it is just as important as though you heard Christ himself present.

_To the strangers scattered abroad._ This epistle was written to lands which were formerly Christian but are now subject to the Turk, yet it is possible some Christians might be found there even at this day. Pontus is a large, broad region, lying on the sea. Capadocia is in the same neighborhood, and borders on it. Galatia lies back of them. Asia and Bithynia border on the sea--extending eastward--and are extensive regions. Paul also preached in Galatia, and in Asia; whether in Bithynia also, I do not know. In the other two he did not preach. _Strangers_ are such as we call foreigners. He names them so because they were Gentiles; and it is a thing to surprise us, that St. Peter, inasmuch as he was an Apostle to the Jews, should still write to the Gentiles. The Jews called these (of whom we speak) Proselytes,--that is, a.s.sociated Jews, such as adopted their law, but were not of a Jewish family or the blood of Abraham. Thus he writes to those who had previously been heathen (of the Gentiles), but were now converted to the faith, and had joined the believing Jews, and he calls them _elect strangers_, who certainly are Christians, to whom alone he writes. This is a point worthy of observation, as we shall hear.

_According to the foreknowledge of G.o.d the Father._ They are elect, he says. How? Not of themselves, but according to G.o.d's purpose: for we should be unable to raise ourselves to heaven, or create faith within ourselves. G.o.d will not permit all men to enter heaven; those who are his own he will receive with all readiness. The human doctrine of free-will, and of our own ability, is futile. The matter does not lie in our wills, but in the will and election of G.o.d.

_Through sanctification of the Spirit._ G.o.d has predestinated us that we should be holy, and, moreover, that we should be spiritually holy.

Those precious words, Holy and Spiritual, have been perverted for us through the greed of the preachers, in that they have denominated the state of priests and monks holy and spiritual, and have thus scandalously robbed us of these n.o.ble, precious words, as also of the word Church, since with _them_ the Pope and Bishops are the Church, while they do according to their own pleasure whatever they choose, in virtue of the declaration, ”The Church has forbidden it.” Holiness is not that which consists in the estate of monks, priests and nuns,--the wearing of the tonsure and cowl; it is a spiritual word, meaning that there is an inward holiness in the spirit before G.o.d.

And this is the reason specially why he said this, in order to show that there is nothing holy but that holiness which G.o.d produces within us.

For although the Jews had much outward or ceremonial holiness, there was yet in this no genuine holiness. Peter would say here, G.o.d has predestinated you to this end, that ye should be truly holy; as Paul also says, in Eph. iv., ”In righteousness and true holiness”--that is, in a genuine and well-founded holiness,--for outward holiness, such as the Jews had, is of no value before G.o.d.

Thus the Scripture calls us holy, while we yet live on earth, if we believe. But the Papists have taken the name from us, and say, we are not to be holy; the saints in Heaven alone are holy. Thus we are compelled to reclaim the n.o.ble name. You must be holy, but you must also beware against imagining that you are holy through yourself or by your own merit, but only that you have G.o.d's word, that Heaven is yours, that you are truly pious and made holy by Christ.

This you must confess if you would be a Christian. For it would be the greatest affront and reviling of the name of Christ, if we took from the honor due to Christ's blood, in that it is this that washes away our sins, or from the faith that this blood sanctifies us.

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