Faith An Art

[It] is a profound message and heavenly wisdom, that we believe that our righteousness, salvation, and comfort lie outside us; that we are righteous, pleasing, holy, and wise before God, while only sin, unrighteousness, and folly are within us.

My conscience only feels and only thinks of sin and the fear of death; but I should look elsewhere and believe that sin and death do not exist. He who does not see what he does see and does not feel what he does feel must be very thoroughly bewitched.... I feel that I have been, and still am, a bad fellow. Nevertheless, I must say: All my sins have been forgiven me; for this word has been spoken over me, Your sins are forgiven....

But, as stated, the trouble with flesh and blood is that it always wants to produce something on which it relies. Man cannot rid himself of the feeling of sin and grasp pure grace and the forgiveness of sins. After you have mastered this art, that you cannot see what you do see and cannot feel what you do feel, we intend to preach something more difficult to you. But I dare say you will still have to study this lesson for a while.

For to believe the forgiveness of sin is like saying it is nothing when someone points a loaded pistol at you and is about to discharge it.

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. 519.