Gerhard and Walther

Earthly wealth is an outstandingly unreliable thing. Anyone who relies on them is acting very foolishly. Within the hour there can come a burning fire or a flood or also an army or a thief and take everything away. Where, then, are the riches on which such a fool has relied? And even when neither fire nor water nor warlords nor thief take away the temporal things, we still will have to forsake them when we die.—Johann Gerhard, Schola Pietatis III:140, 141.

Those who long for His grace cannot be lost no matter how poor they are in spiritual things. Even if they are still great, miserable, and shameful sinners, who are rejected by all and comforted by none, the invitation to enter Christ’s kingdom of grace remains open to them. All who by God’s grace recognize that they are completely unworthy sinners and who long to be received into Christ’s kingdom should rejoice, for Christ calls, “Come, for everything is now ready!”—C. F. W. Walther, God Grant It!, p. 504.