THE following letter was written by Luther shortly after his conversion to instruct and encourage a brother monk who was in great darkness but whose soul was struggling towards gospel light. It may be useful to some:—
“Now, I should like to know how you are in your heart, whether you have grown to think but little of your own righteousness, and have learned how to rejoice and believe in the righteousness of Christ. To-day, then, is a great temptation to pride, especially among those who are straining all their powers to be righteous and good. They do not understand the righteousness of God which is given in such abundance in Christ, and without charge. They are struggling to do so much good on their own account in order to possess virtues and merits enough to make them believe they can face God. Yet that is just what cannot be done. When you were here you, too, were suffering from this delusion, nay, I may well say mad idea, of trusting in yourself. So was I. Even at the present time I am still continuing the struggle and am not yet through. Therefore, my dear brother, turn to Christ and Him crucified. Learn to sing His praises and distrusting your own self, say to Him, ‘Lord Jesus, Thou art my righteousness and I am Thy sin; Thou hast taken mine on Thyself and given me what is Thine; Thou hast accepted what Thou art not and given me what I was not.’ Be careful not to strive continually after such a purity that you may no longer seem to be a sinner. Christ lives among sinners. That is why He descended from heaven where He lived among the righteous, in order that He might Himself live where sinners were. Meditate without ceasing on His love and then you will experience the most gratifying comfort. Had we been meant to gain peace of heart through our own strivings and strugglings, what was the need of Christ to die? It follows that only in Him and with the most desperation about your own self and your works will you find peace. Nay, you will also learn from His very self that, just as He has accepted you and made your sins His own, so also He has made His righteousness your own in addition.”