Historical Church Writing Thursdays #1: Martin Chemnitz

This is the the start of Historical Church Writing Thursdays. Each Thursday will feature the writings of the church fathers, reformation fathers or other church writings. Today's Historical Church Writing is from Martin Chemnitz:

"The Gospel is properly the doctrine of the person and office or benefits of Christ. But this doctrine consists most of all in these chief parts:

      I. That the Son of God, before the world of time, was, by a wonderful decree made in the hidden counsel of the Trinity, appointed to be our Mediator, Redeemer, Reconciler, and Savior.

     II. That this decree was revealed by the word of promise immediately after the Fall, and the promise of the coming Messiah gradually renewed and repeated to the fathers during the whole time of the Old Testament.

     III. Likewise that the Son of God, according to the promise, was made man in the fullness of time and most perfectly completed the work of redemption and reconciliation by His obedience, passion, and death, and thus gained righteousness and life eternal, by His resurrection and ascension, for those who believe in Him.

     IV. The Gospel does not only set forth the account of Christ in the story form, but the proper doctrine of Him is the promise of grace, by which God, in the Word and the Sacraments, sets before and offers to miserable sinners -- thoroughly terrified by the knowledge of sins and of divine wrath and damnation -- grace, remission of sins, adoption, and the inheritance of life eternal freely and out of pure mercy or grace, without our merit, only for the sake of the obedience, passion, death, and merit of Christ.

     V. The Gospel teaches that these benefits of Christ the Mediator are to be apprehended and applied by faith.

     VI. The Gospel declares those who believe righteous and saved."

     -- Martin Chemnitz

Jesu Juva,
Soli Deo Gloria