That is why we should never be offended by the fact that the Bible presents even the holiest of people as sinners. We must recognize God’s wisdom in portraying them in this way. By revealing the sins that have flourished among people from the beginning of the world, God shows us that human righteousness and worthiness are nothing but an empty dream, that every person is a sinner, that even the most godly cannot stand before the heavenly Father in their own righteousness, that free grace is man’s only refuge, and that there is no salvation and no blessedness outside of Christ.—C. F. W. Walther, God Grant It!, p. 626,7.
Regarding the Walther quote, I have long suspected that one reason why Scripture tells us of the extraordinary sins of some of the heroes of the faith is to keep us, who are more ordinary in our faith, from becoming discouraged, because we continue to sin, and we repeat our sins. Knowing that God has forgiven the atrocious sins of the great, lends credibility to the grace and mercy of God, to which the Scriptures testify.
ReplyDeletePeace and Joy!
George A. Marquart