Three Biblical Ways to Honor the Saints
Our Confession approves honors to the saints. For here a threefold honor is to be approved. Thefirst is thanksgiving. For we ought to give thanks to God because He has shown examples of mercy ; because He has shown that He wishes to save men; because He has given teachers or other gifts to the Church. And these gifts, as they are the greatest, should be amplified, and the saints themselves should be praised, who have faith fully used these gifts, just as Christ praises faithful business-men, Matt. 25, 21. 23. The second service is the strengthening of our faith; when we see the denial forgiven Peter, we also are encouraged to believe the more that grace truly superabounds over sin, Rom. 5, 20. The third honor is the imita tion, first, of faith, then of the other virtues, which every one should imitate according to his ealling. These true honors the adversaries «do mot require. They dispute only concerning invocation, which, even though it would have no danger, nevertheless is not necessary. Apology to the Augsburg Confession, 21.4 World-Wide Wolfmueller http://www.wolfmueller.co For weekly doses of theological curiosities to comfort and encourage, subscribe to the Wednesday What-Not: http://www.wolfmueller.co/wednesday The Bookstore where (almost) everything is free: http://www.wolfmueller.co/books
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