Christ for you and for me

Yesterday a friend emailed me this selection from Martin Luther. I love having frinds who send me treasures like this . . . instead of email forwards.

"Returning to the subject which we had begun, I think it is made clear by these considerations that it is not sufficient, nor a Christian course, to preach the works, life, and words of Christ in a historic manner, as facts which it suffices to know as an example how to frame our life, as do those who are now held the best preachers, and much less so to keep silence altogether on these things and to teach in their stead the laws of men and the decrees of the Fathers. There are now not a few persons who preach and read about Christ with the object of moving the human affections to sympathise with Christ, to indignation against the Jews, and other childing and womanish absurdities of that kind.

Now preaching ought to have the object of promoting faith in Him, so that He may not only be Christ, but a Christ for you and for me, and that what is said of Him, and what He is called, may work in us. And this faith is produced and is maintained by preaching why Christ came, what He has brought us and given to us, and to what profit and advantage He is to be received. This is done when the Christian liberty which we have from Christ Himself is rightly taught, and we are shown in what manner all we Christians are kings and priests [by faith, which brings union with Christ the Priest and King], and how we are lords of all things, and may be confident that whatever we do in the presence of God is acceptable and pleasing to Him.

Whose heart would not rejoice in its inmost core at hearing these things? Whose heart, on receiving so great a consolation, would not become sweet with the love of Christ, a love to which it can never attain by any laws or works? Who can injure such a heart, or make it afraid? If the consciousness of sin or the horror of death rush in upon it, it is prepared to hope in the Lord, and is fearless of such evils, and undisturbed, until it shall look down upon its enemies. For it believes that the righteousness of Christ is its own, and that its sin is no longer its own, but that of Christ; but, on account of its faith in Christ, all its sin must needs be swallowed up from before the face of the righteousness of Christ, as I have said above. It learns, too, with the Apostle, to scoff at death and sin, and to say, 'O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ' (1 Cor 15:55-57). For death is swallowed up in victory, not only the victory of Christ, but ours also, since by faith it becomes ours, and in it we too conquer."
[The full text can be found at Project Wittenberg (http://www.ctsfw.edu/etext/luther/freedom/), or in John Dillenberger's Martin Luther : Selections From His Writings.]

What I think Luther captures beautifully is that Christ is "for you and for me." We proclaim not mere historical facts, but we proclaim Christ. The news is received personally as the work of Christ for that person by faith, not mere "facts which it suffices to know as an example how to frame our life." At the heart of the proclamation is a personal, real connection to and fellowship with the King who reigns over all things. Luther is right on: "Who can injure such a heart [joined to Christ], or make it afraid?"