Eric W. King ~ TSW, "The Shepherds Way": Personal Troubles & the Christian

Personal Troubles & the Christian

Sections 151,152

1 Pet. 4:17: "For the time is come, that judgment must begin at the house of God." And although these afflictions are frequently penalties and punishments of sin, yet they are designed for a different purpose in the case of the Christian, namely, to urge and train him to see the weakness of his faith in temptations, and to teach him to turn to God for aid and consolation; as Paul says of himself: "That we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life; but we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God, which raiseth the dead," 2 Cor. 1:8-9.

Sections 158,159,160

And Isaiah (26:16,) says: "Lord, in trouble have they visited thee; they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them;" that is, affliction is the paternal discipline which God applies to the saints. [152(55)] Again, God sends afflictions upon us, to mortify and subdue the sins remaining in us, that we may be renewed in spirit, as Paul says, Rom. 8:10: "The body is dead because of sin;" that is, it will daily be more and more mortified on account of the sins remaining in the flesh; [153(56)] and death itself tends to put down our sinful flesh, and to raise us from the dead altogether holy and renewed.

The Scriptures excuse Job, as not being afflicted on account of any evil deed. Hence afflictions and trials are not always evidences of divine wrath; and men should be carefully taught to view them in a far different light, namely, as evidences of favor, and not to think that God has forsaken them, when they are afflicted. The other proper fruits of the cross should be considered, namely, that God lays his hand upon us, and performs a strange work, as Isaiah says, (28:21,) "that he may do his own work" in us,--as he shows in a long, consolatory discourse in his 28th chapter. [159(62)] So, when the disciples inquired concerning the blind man, John 9:3, Christ answered: "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." And Jeremiah, the prophet, says: "They whose judgment was not to drink of the cup, have assuredly drunken," Jer. 49:12. Thus the prophets were slain, thus John the Baptist, and other saints, were put to death.

[160(63)] Accordingly, afflictions are not always punishments for former sins, but works of God, designed for our benefit, that his power and strength may be more clearly seen in our weakness, and to show that he is able to help even in the midst of death. Thus says Paul, 2 Cor. 12:9: God's "strength is made perfect in weakness." We ought, therefore, to sacrifice our bodies to the will of God, in order to manifest our obedience and patience, and not to liberate ourselves from eternal death or everlasting punishment; because, for this purpose, God appointed another remedy, namely, the death of Christ, his Son, our Lord.

From: [Article XII(VI):] Of Confession and Expiation (Satisfaction)

Written in Latin by Philip Melanchthon (1531)