Throughout history there have been men and women whose devotion to the preservation and proclamation of truth have echoed from century to century. Martin Luther was such a man. By no stretch of the mind was he perfect but this formerly Augustinian monk would shake the foundations of organized religion, and cry out that the bride of Christ be reformed and purified. Luther would live 62 years, he would initiate protestantism, translate the bible, call for change within the Church, and help ignite a flame that continues to burn brilliantly to this day.
His last written words came two days before his death. They are a clear summation of the protestant humility which he hoped to portray. Lying on his death bed he asked for a slip of paper, on it he wrote the words "Wir sind bettler. Hoc est verum": a mixture of tongues the first part written in German meaning "We are beggars" and the second written in Latin "this is true". Luther understood, that the greatest of man is as nothing before the throne of him who dwells in unapproachable light. That no matter the accomplishment or the prestige all of us are under his sovereign and merciful grace. Rescued and transferred from one kingdom to the next, made alive in Christ Jesus by no doings of our own. We are beggars, its true. But our begging has turned into dancing, laughing, and rejoicing. He has rescued us from sin and breaking the chains it held upon us.
There is no more fitting title for this blog, the two of us proudly proclaim that "We are Beggars, This is True".
No comments:
Post a Comment