The Monk Within

The Gospel lesson this past Sunday (Luke 7:36-8:3) exposes the Pharisee living in every one of us. Luther says the same thing, only using monastic imagery, in his comments on Ps. 45:10 (Luther's Works, 55 vols., Jaroslav Pelikan, ed. [St. Louis: Concordia, 1955] 12:274):

"Each one of us bears in his breast a great monk. That is, each would like to have a work in which he could glory: 'Behold, I have done this. Today I have satisfied God by my prayers, by my good works, so I can enjoy greater peace of mind.' It has happened to me, too, that when I have carried out a work of my calling I am much happier than if I had not done it. In itself, to be sure, it is not wrong to be happy, but this happiness is without faith and impure and is of the sort that would take the conscience captive and disturb a person. Because the conscience is a most delicate thing, it cannot be guarded sufficiently against the vice of presumption. For that reason let no one be secure. We who confess Christ should walk in fear and grow in faith, and acknowledge that we each bear in our breast a monstrous and disgusting monk, that is, a foolish and carnal delusion of works, the ruin of faith.

"Against this wicked delusion of works the Holy Spirit holds up to us here the absolute goal of purity, namely, that we first forget this righteousness, at least in the outward ministry of the Word. We should hold fast to what we have acquired here by God's grace and not preach the righteousness of works, but rather the pure righteousness of Christ, who suffered for us and rose again from the dead."

Here again we have the two kinds of righteousness. We always have to be careful of our active righteousness, the righteousness our neighbor can see, our own outward acts, because the moment we begin to trust in them, our faith is misdirected. That's the old Pharisee, monk, pietist, who dwells in every one of us, rearing his ugly head. It's not that we shouldn't do such outward works or strive for such outward righteousness. But we have to be careful not to make too much of them, not to trust in them. Instead we cling to Christ and His righteousness, by which God accounts us righteous. In Christ, there is certainty of forgiveness, life, salvation, and peace with God. This is our passive rightouesness. It doesn't depend on us. It is all a free gift of Christ.