Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

So because of our sins we poor souls had no Paradise, nor a tree of life, nor a tree of knowledge of good and evil.  But the Lord Jesus went through great pains to win back Paradise for us.  He had Himself lifted up on a tree, that by His bloody death we might have a tree of life.  He had His Gospel proclaimed throughout the world, that we might have a true knowledge of good and evil.  For when we hear, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life", we have knowledge of the good.  But when we hear, "whoever does not believe is condemned already", we have knowledge of the evil.  And this is the sum and substance of the whole Gospel.  -- Valerius Herberger, The Great Works of God, p. 147.