Given for our sins

 "...who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father..." (Galatians 1:4)

In commenting on this verse, Martin Luther wrote the following...

"Human reason wants sin to have no greater power than we imagine it has. That is why hypocrites, being ignorant of Christ, feel the remorse of sin but think they can easily get rid of it by their good works and merits. Secretly, in their hearts, they wish that these words, who gave himself for our sins, were words of overstatement; they want their sins not to be true and real sins but light and small matters. In short, human reason wants to present to God not a real sinner but a pretend one, unafraid of anything, without any feeling of sin. It wants to bring to God one who is well, not one who needs a physician; and when it feels no sin, then it wants to believe that Christ was given for our sins…

"True Christian wisdom regards these words of Paul as most true, effectual, and of great importance. Christ was given up to death not for our righteousness or holiness, but for our sins, which are true sins, great ones, infinitely many, and invincible. So do not think they are small and such as may be gotten rid of by your own works; and do not despair because of their greatness if you feel oppressed by them, either in life or in death. Rather, learn from Paul to believe that Christ was given, not for pretend sins, nor for small sins, but for great and huge sins; not for one or two, but for all of them; not for vanquished sins (for no one— not even any angel— is able to overcome the least sin that there is), but for invincible sins." 

-- Martin Luther, Commentary on Galatians (1531)


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