Luther On God's Purpose For Us
by Rev. Jack Cascione

As we approach Reformation 1999 we focus on a favorite topic of Martin Luther, God's purpose for us in wrath, mercy, and tribulation. We observe in Luther's writing his gift for seeing God's grace in the Scripture and how He applies it to the Christian.

Observations on Luther's magnificent analysis of Romans 5:3-5:5 in comparison with efforts to make contemporary worship as enjoyable as possible.

In his examination of Romans 5:3-5 Luther discovers that tribulation and suffering sent from God separate the true Christian from those calling themselves Christians.

True Christians seek Christ by faith and seek salvation through faith in Christ whereas those who call themselves Christians seek heaven through Christ but without faith in Him. The true Christian seeks Christ while those who merely bear the name of Christ use Him as an excuse to seek their own desires. The 5,000 wanted to make Christ their King after He fed them, but rejected Him when His teaching was too difficult for them.

Rather than presenting an over- simplification of the text, Luther revels in the apparent and difficult contradictions or paradox in the following verses. He discovers two simultaneous and apparently contradictory purposes for God's wrath and mercy and tribulation. He searches the mysteries of God and discovers that the Christian must suffer tribulation for a different reason than the world, and, yet, at the same time. In his explanation to God's purpose for Christian suffering, Luther states "Holy Scripture calls tribulation the cross of Christ in a special sense, as in Matthew 10:38: "He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."

Huge crowds now being gathered through entertainment evangelism in contemporary worship promoted by the Church Growth Movement are not given a true presentation of the Christian faith. They are taught to glory in the exhilaration of victorious emotionalism and triumphalism rather than the tribulation sent by God into their lives according to Roman 5:3. When the tribulation comes they will scatter.

As you read Luther, notice how he divides the concepts of wrath, mercy, and tribulation into two parts. God's wrath, mercy, and tribulation have an entirely different purpose for the world than for the Christian. The world views God's wrath and tribulation as punishment, but for the Christian their intended purpose comes from God's goodness.

The world takes God's undeserved mercy for granted whether it be rain, crops, shelter, and life, but for the Christian these material gifts come from a loving Creator and are only shadows in comparison to the overwhelming mercy God has shown us in the cross of Christ.

The text for Luther's discourse reads as follows:

Rom 5:3 And not only [so], but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Luther's Commentary on Romans 5:3-5

Again, the Apostle directs himself against those who are secure through Christ, but without faith, just as though they could be saved through Christ, but without faith. Both must be together: "by faith" and "through our Lord Jesus Christ," so that by faith in Christ we accomplish and endure all things. Yet despite all this we should acknowledge ourselves unprofitable servants and should be sure that we have access to God solely through Christ. In all works of faith our main concern must be that we become worthy of Christ and His favor which gives us His righteousness.

We glory in tribulations also (5:3). From this verse appears the distinction between a twofold wrath of God, a twofold divine mercy and a twofold tribulation; for there is a tribulation which comes to us from severity (divine wrath), and another which comes from divine goodness. The tribulation which comes from divine love can work only that which is good (for us) as it is here described, even though it accidentally results in something else. This is the fault not of the tribulation, but of the weakness of him who endures the tribulation. In that case he fails to understand the nature, power and operation (purpose) of tribulation and judges it only according to its outward appearance. He thinks wrongly about it, though it should be reverenced as the very Cross of Christ.

Knowing that tribulation worketh patience (5:3). He who has faith indeed has all the excellent things (which are mentioned in the text), but in a hidden way. Through tribulation they are tried and purified to the highest degree. Whatever (virtues) tribulation finds in us, it develops more fully. If anyone is carnal, weak, blind, wicked, irascible, haughty, and so forth, tribulation will make him more carnal, weak, blind, wicked and irritable. On the other hand, if one is spiritual, strong, wise, pious, gentle and humble, he will become more spiritual, powerful, wise, pious, gentle and humble, as the Psalmist says in Psalm 4:1: "Thou has enlarged me when I was in distress."

Those speak foolishly who ascribe their anger or their impatience to such as offend them or to tribulation. Tribulation does not make people impatient, but proves that they are impatient. So everyone may learn from tribulation how his heart is constituted.

Those are ignorant, childish and indeed hypocritical who outwardly venerate the relics of the holy Cross, yet flee and detest tribulation and affliction. Holy Scripture calls tribulation the cross of Christ in a special sense, as in Matthew 10:38: "He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."

Let everyone be sure that he is no Christian but a Turk and an enemy of Christ who refuses to bear this cross; for here the Apostle speaks of all (believers) when he says: "We glory in tribulations." And in Acts 14:22 we read: "We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." "Must" does not mean that tribulation comes by chance, or that it is a matter of choice for us, or that we may take it or leave it. In many Scripture passages our Lord is called a "Saviour" and a "Helper in need," and this means that all who do not desire to endure tribulation, rob Him of his titles and names of honor. To such people our Lord will never become a Saviour, because they do not admit that they are under condemnation. To them God is never mighty, wise and gracious, because they do not desire to honor Him as creatures that are weak, foolish and subject to punishment.

Experience (worketh) hope (5:4). Experience must here be understood in a good sense as the object of tribulation, or the good which tribulation is to effect. God accepts no one as righteous whom He has not first tried. But He tries us through the fire of affliction, as we read in Psalm 11:5: "The Lord trieth the righteous." God tries us in this way, in order that we may know whether we really love God for His own sake. We thus read in Psalm 139:23, 24: "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." If God would not try us by tribulation, it would be impossible for us to be saved.

Hope maketh not ashamed (5:5). Tribulation takes from man everything (in which he trusts) and leaves him naked and destitute. It also prevents him from seeking help and salvation in his own temporal and spiritual good works. Finally, it causes him to despair of every creature, to look away from himself, and, apart from himself and everything else, to seek help alone from God (the Creator), as the Psalmist says in Psalm 3:3: "But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head." That is what "hope" means, and through the experience (of tribulation) such hope is confirmed in us. On the other hand, the wicked, who trust in their virtues and do not endure tribulation with patience, and so do not allow themselves to be tried by it, never discover that we must put our trust alone in God. Therefore when the last trial (affliction) will come and all their virtues and merits will disappear, then, when they sink into a hopeless eternity, they will cry out to the mountains: "Fall on us" (Luke 23:30). Their assumed hope was no hope at all, but only a perverse, arrogant trust in their own works and righteousness.

Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts 5:5. Hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God, that is, the love which is of God and works in us an unshakable adherence to Him, is shed abroad in our hearts. This love we receive by grace and not on account of our merits; and it makes us willing to endure tribulation. If men are unwilling and of an unstable mind, they do not endure it by the Holy Ghost. St. Augustine remarks on this passage: "Step by step he, (the Apostle), leads us toward love, which, as he says, we have as a gift from the Holy Spirit. He shows us thereby that we must ascribe all that we might claim for ourselves to God who by grace grants us His Holy Spirit."

We must understand these words as an added motivation or instruction of the Holy Spirit, showing why we can glory in tribulation, though this is impossible by our own strength. It is not the effect of our own power, but it comes from the divine love which is given us by the Holy Ghost.

Let us note:
1. It is shed abroad, hence not born in us or originated by us.
2. It is by the Holy Ghost, therefore it is not acquired by our virtuous efforts as we may acquire good habits which lie on a merely moral plane.
3. In our hearts, that is, it is in the innermost core of our being, not merely on the surface, as foam is swimming on the top of the water. Such (superficial) love is that of the hypocrites who imagine and pretend to love.
4. Which is given unto us, that is, which is not merited, for we deserve the very opposite.
5. It is called love (caritas) in contradistinction to the inert and lower form of love with which we love creatures. It is a precious and worthy love, by which we most highly esteem that which we love, as we esteem God above all things, or as we love Him with highest esteem. He who loves God merely for the sake of His gifts or the sake of any advantage, loves Him with the lowest form of love, that is, with sinful desire. Such (earthly) love means to use God, but not to delight in God.
6. Of God, because only God is so loved. The neighbor is loved for God's sake, that is, because God wills this.

Reproduced from "Commentary on Romans" by Martin Luther, Published by Northwestern Publishing House, Pages 90-93.

October 9, 1999