28 February
The kingdom of God does not consist of words, but of power. 1 Corinthians 4:20.
It [the kingdom of God] should not remain in the words of [about] the resurrection and Christ therefore has nothing to do with it that one hear or speak about it, instead it should be perceived [to take place] in our [personal] lives. For what does it help a dead person whether one preaches a lot about life if he does not also become alive from it? Or to a sinner about righteousness, if still remains in sin? Or to one who errs from the truth if he does not let go of error and darkness? So then it is also not only in vain, but also harmful and damnable, to hear about the glorious and blessed comfort of the resurrection, if the heart never experiences such, but instead there only remains the sound in the ears and the foam on the tongue and nothing more comes of it than it does with those who never heard anything about it.
Please Lord, grant that I with this ‘sloppy wire-untangling translation’ captured into English what Luther here wrote in German! Above all else, May He grant that His Holy Spirit transfer the “foam on the tongue” and “the sound in the ears” into people’s hearts. The Gospel is God’s power (dynamis = Greek word from which we get ‘dynamite’) to save everyone who believes it! (cf. Rom 1:16).
Joining in being one of Jesus’ witnesses,
Elmer H.
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