The Smalcald Articles – part 76
Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Romans 13:11
Series: Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Click for a recording of today's lesson.
From the Confessions: The Smalcald Articles
This, then, is the thunderbolt of God that devastates open sinners and false saints alike, tolerating no one to be righteous, but driving all to terror and despair. This is the hammer that Jeremiah speaks of: “Is not my word…like a hammer which breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29). This is not activa contritio or manufactured repentance, but passiva contritio — true sorrow of the heart, suffering, and threat of death.
Pulling It Together: God uses his law to demolish the false righteousness of so-called saints and sinners too. He uses his Word to awaken us from the death of spiritual sleep. The effect is not that of a gentle alarm clock but rather, a jackhammer that jolts us into consciousness. It wakes up the conscience and causes us to sense who we truly are: wholly unrighteous beings standing before the holiness of God. The religious are no more exempt from this sudden terror of conscience than are arrogant sinners. Even original sin must be repented of daily; it is an act of wakefulness, of awareness. When God’s Word, his hammer, brings a person to this place of contrition, salvation is nearer than they suspect.
Prayer: Bring the hammer of your Word, Lord, and awaken me. Amen
Share this post
Author
Rev. Dr. Mark E. Ryman has served as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC, since 2021. Previously, Pastor Ryman served congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
Click Here For Content Archives