Convinced of Grace

He who doubts the gracious will of God toward him and does not hold with certainty that he is in grace -- he cannot believe that he has forgiveness of sins, that God cares for him, and that he can be saved.

Augustine correctly and piously says: A man most assuredly sees his faith if he really has it. -- Our adversaries deny this. Far be it from me, say they, to hold with certainty that I am in grace, that I am holy, that I have the Holy Spirit, even if I live a holy life and do everything I should. This godless notion, on which the entire kingdom of the pope rests, you young people should flee and abhor as the deadliest pestilence, since you are not as yet imbued with it. We old folks have been trained in it from our youth and have imbibed it to such an extent that it is deeply implanted in our hearts. This is why it requires no less labor to unlearn it than to learn the true faith. We must therefore, by all means feel completely convinced hat we are in grace, that God is pleased with us for Christ's sake, and that we have the Holy Spirit.

Source: Quoted in Ewald M. Plass, What Luther Says, A Practical In-home Theology for the Active Christian. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House. 1959 Edition, 10th Printing (1994), p. 429