LDJ–Pt 30(p 87-89)—objective Word, not feelings; Justification the reason for Christology

     This continues from the previous Part 29 presenting a new translation of C.F.W. Walther's seminal essay in 1859 (see Part 1 for Table of Contents).  In this Part 30, Endnote [N] is concluded and takes up [O] and [P].
     While our modern world thinks it knows Luther inside out, Walther turns things around by saying:

Stroke by stroke Luther paints the Christianity of our time. ...Only then is the power of faith right when one feels that he lies completely under the devil, yet knows that he triumphs over him by faith in the Word.

How is that for true teaching about our feelings?  We can surely feel that we are under the power of the devil, but we cannot feel our way to overcome him, but rather must look away from our feelings to the Word and believe it.  This is what the objective Word means... and Luther and Walther bring us to it, and away from our feelings.
     Underlining follows Walther's emphasis in original.  Hypertext links have been copiously added for reference to original sources and on several subjects.  Highlighting is mine.

= = = = = = = = = = = =  Part 30: Pages 87-89 (1880)  = = = = = = = = = = = =

(cont'd from Part 29)

The Lutheran Doctrine of Justification.

[by C.F.W. Walther]

Why is there so [1880-87] little of it, except because of the false doctrine about faith? Whoever stands truly in the faith despises no sinner: once he confesses Christ and adheres to Him, he is dearer, higher, and more precious to him than all the emperors of the world, and even were he the least person of all; when one reckons others as fellow guests at the table of Christ's grace, there is true love.  Indeed, the believer will be without much complaint when put upon, because: “he to whom much is forgiven, he loveth much” [cf. Luke 7:47].  In contrast, the alleged love by the sects is nothing else than a bare complimenting [Essays1-60] of the holiness in each other.  We ourselves even see — unfortunately! — also only too often first the holiness and great works in the neighbor and bow before them.  So long as our heart has not become sure of the love of God, again it cannot love: it cannot burn with love so long as its fire has not been ignited through the Gospel.  All  modern Christianity does not want to believe God on His bare Word, — wanting only to believe if first one feels the grace within himself and thinks one can be certain by himself.  That is in fact nothing else than to suffer shipwreck of faith, and is glorified however as the highest humility and piety.

[O] Stroke by stroke Luther paints the Christianity of our time.  Only in himself does one want to look for Christ and will not rather be content until he allegedly finds him there.  It is customary only to ask,, “Do you have Christ in your heart? do you feel how he works in it?”  If he says the answer “Yes!” only then will there be comfort and hope, then one will believe, as indeed for example a Methodist comforts no one until he says that he feels Christ in the heart.  But what one thus calls faith is not faith, but a pure illusion or, at best, a fruit of faith.  Woe to him who trusts on that!  because this means making a false Christ for oneself [1880-88] and rejects the Christ who hung on the cross and gives himself to us in the Gospel.  A tree remains a tree, also in winter when it shows no fruit, indeed no blossoms or leaves, and seems quite dead: so a Christian remains a Christian so long as he seizes the merit of Christ by faith in the Gospel, even if he feels nothing of Christ, indeed nothing but death in the heart. — Incomparable is Luther's use of the word, that Christ is to be found only in that which is the Father’s, i.e., in the Word of God, is in direct opposition to such a Christianity whereby one wants to look for Him within oneself and, in contrast, condemns as literal and dead faith the faith in the Word, assent to the divine promises for the person of the individual Christian, despite all feelings of personal unworthiness.  Only then is the power of faith right when one feels that he lies completely under the devil, yet knows [W1859-61] that he triumphs over him by faith in the Word.  Only so is the First Commandment fulfilled and God given all glory, and precisely for this to be done, God does not take us to heaven right after Baptism, but lets us suffer crosses, tribulations, temptations from within and without, and finally also death, and yet withal bids us to firmly believe that Christ, righteousness, peace, life, and salvation are ours. This is then also the true holiness, if one can speak so in faith, “I am nothing but an accursed speck of dust: but my God gives me, in Christ, all in all.”

[P] The Reformed sects also overturn the doctrine of justification by their false doctrine on the person of Christ according to Zwingli’s shameful example.  How they deny to this day that God suffered for us, that God’s blood was shed for us!  Where Scripture expressly testifies to this, they only want to see a rhetorical figure, which would put it another way than it was meant.  So one stamps the language of Holy Scripture [1880-89] to that of a rogue language.  A mere man should have died for us on Golgotha. There is no telling how someone who wants to be a Christian, can come to such ungodly teaching.  Admittedly it is indeed true that God as such cannot die, but Christ, who is true God, could die because He had taken on human nature, so that now the divinity and humanity in him form one person.  The human soul as such can indeed also not die: yet the dies the whole person, consisting of body and soul,, and indeed the soul is thereby most affected.  So is it also for us the main thing that the One who died for us is true God.  Had not God not died for us, then no one would be redeemed. But while we now can sing to our great comfort in life and in death: “O great distress! God himself is dead. on the cross he has died,” [see The Lutheran Hymnal, No. 167 “O Darkest Woe”, verse 2, music here; or No. 122 in Lutheran Worship, music here)], so is just this hymn an abomination to the true Reformed. — Completely in accordance with the coarse rationalism of Zwingli, according to which he does not seriously believe that Christ was true God and man in one person, Calvin says it would help no one if he would simply hold up Christ before God, but that God accepts Christ’s work as fully valid only because of eternal election.  Also for him is only that a man died. “Christ is God’s Son and true God” means therefore even now nothing more to the Reformed Church nothing more than that God dwelt in the Lord Jesus in a higher measure than in other people, about how he dwelt with his glory particularly in the temple at Jerusalem.  But even if the Reformed say that the whole God dwelt in Jesus, so they still know of a God outside him.  Thank God! that there are simple-minded souls among the Reformed, who hold that it is seriously meant when still there the words are used, Christ is true God and man in one person, and faith be founded on it. [1880-90]

= = = = = = = = =  cont'd in Part 31  = = = = = = = = =

In contrast to the statement attributed to Prof. David Scaer, that "All Theology Is Christology", Walther attaches the head article of the Christian faith, the doctrine of Justification, to the importance of a proper understanding of the Person of Christ, or "Christology":

The Reformed sects also overturn the doctrine of justification by their false doctrine on the person of Christ according to Zwingli’s shameful example.... So is it also for us the main thing that the One who died for us is true God.

Now we have the true sword of the Spirit against the errors of the Reformed on Christology, and don't leave the teaching of the Person of Christ ("Christology") hanging on its own... it has to do with the question of "So what?".
In the next Part 31...