This concludes from Part EC14 (Table of Contents in Part EC1), a series restoring availability of English translations of several of Walther's convention essays that have seemingly been abandoned by Concordia Publishing House. — What Christian would not want to be certain of their salvation? In the report of the 1879 Illinois District convention, there were nearly 70 pages devoted to this essay of Walther on a most important topic. This essay is Walther at his finest! — The Foreword from the 1992 CPH translation said this:
"…as noted in the opening paragraphs of this essay, it is related to the issue of the election controversy and its implications, even though little reference is made to predestination throughout the essay. … Walther begins by demonstrating the importance of being certain of one’s salvation, proceeds to show how neither personal works nor individual feelings can provide that certainty, and then leads the reader to the true foundation of certainty along with showing how to obtain it.… Walther’s essay provides many examples and suggestions for dealing with a variety of spiritual issues and problems encountered by the pastor as he seeks to lead his people toward a firmer faith".
Notable Quotes:
25: "The certainty of this is of the highest importance and full of the most glorious and sweetest consolation."
25: "the Scriptures …teaches us on almost every page that a man should be certain of God's grace and rejoice in it".
26: "Our dear Lord Christ also confirms His promises on oath. He says in John 5:24: "Verily, verily…"
29: "the most blessed task of the holy ministry of preaching is to bring…firm assurance of their state of grace"
30: "The doctrine of the papists that no man can be completely certain of his state of grace"
31: "the papists have put a stamp on their whole theology… a theology of doubt."
33: "…the whole doctrinal edifice of popery aims at leaving the sinner in doubt…they claim that man is not justified by an external righteousness imputed to him, but by a righteousness that is inherent and innate in him."
36: Augustine: "say to thy God, I am holy, because thou hast sanctified me; because I have received, not because I have had; because thou hast given, not because I have earned."
39: "The real reason why the papists do not believe the doctrine of the certainty of the state of grace is because they are dominated by the spirit of Antichrist".
42: "in general almost all church parties that have arisen from the Reformed Church, teach that the certainty of the state of grace consists only in a sweet feeling… They refer people to their own feelings".
44: "But woe to him who builds on this feeling the certainty of his state of grace!"
48: "this peace [of God] is primarily in God; it consists in the fact that God … is reconciled with you."
51: "these feelings [of enthusiasts] are caused by nervous stimulation or sympathetic influence".
52: "the enthusiasts [Pentecostal, etc.] turn many people into hypocrites with their emotional Christianity."
53: "the fanatical sects do not base their faith on the Word alone…they basically subscribe to the Calvinist doctrine of election."
54: "…the right solid foundation of this certainty. These are the means of grace."
55: "God's mercy…is only preached to us by the Holy Spirit…through the word of the gospel."
59: "…when we base our faith on the sacraments, we also base it on the Word itself."
60: "By this witness of the Holy Spirit, however, nothing else is to be understood than the Word made alive in us by the Holy Spirit".
62: Holy Communion: "that I may be sure …for the forgiveness of my sins".
66: "Just as no one can come to true faith without the Holy Spirit, neither can he come to the certainty of his state of grace".
67: "Those who have…gradually fallen away from Christ inwardly…entertain the false hope that they are in grace with God…they are lost." [This was me in 1973.]
69: "The certainty of the state of grace can therefore be shaken, even destroyed."
70: "since we are talking about the certainty of the state of grace, it can only be shaken by deliberate sins."
73: "The certainty of the state of grace stands and falls with faith."
77: "certainty of the state of grace also exists in the doubts of the repentant, as long as man fights against it"
79: "Romanists teach, as we saw in the first thesis, that one must doubt the certainty of the state of grace".
80: most serious temptation of Satan is…when he tries to fill our hearts with doubts about the grace of God".
82: In sanctification, the Christian "has evidence by his love and good works that he is in favor with God".
86: "Luther shows where it comes from that man becomes willing to practice love, namely because he knows for certain that God is reconciled with him".
In the following, underlining follows Walther's emphasis, which is sometimes missing in the 1992 CPH translation. Paragraph breaks follow the 1992 translation, many hyperlinks added:
May the renewed access to these important essays of Walther aid the reader in their knowledge of true Christian doctrine, and in the certainty of their own salvation as they have it in the Lutheran Doctrine of Justification (EC11). Amen!
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