"In St. Paul’s epistles to the Romans, the Galatians,
and the Colossians we find many passages which declare that God has consummated
all the divine services in Judaism, and that Christ was to be the end of the
Law (Rom. 10:4). Christ was also to be the fulfillment of the Law and of time
(Gal. 4:4), and the fulfillment of all things. Christ was to be all in all and
to have all. Therefore he who takes hold of Him in faith will possess
forgiveness of sin, the Law will be fulfilled for him, death and the devil will
be conquered, and he will obtain the gift of eternal life. In this Man all
things are concluded and fulfilled.
Whoever accepts Him has everything. The
Colossians are also told (2:10): “You have been consummated in Him.” I feel the
terrors of hell and the nearness of death’s hour; but if I have Christ, I have
come to the consummation, and neither death nor sin nor devil can harm me. For
if I believe in Christ, I have fulfilled the Law, and it cannot accuse me. I
have conquered hell, and it cannot hold me. All that Christ has is mine.
Through Him we acquire all His goods and eternal life. Even if my faith is
feeble, I still have the selfsame treasure and the selfsame Christ that others
have. There is no difference. Faith in Him makes us all perfect, but works do
not." - Martin Luther [1]
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[1]
Luther, M. (1999). Luther's works, vol.
23: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John: Chapters 6-8 (J. J. Pelikan, H. C.
Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.) (Jn 6:29). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing
House. Emphasis mine.
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"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. " Hebrews 10:23-25