Why I Am a Lutheran, Chapter 5 Mount Zion and the Sacraments (Cup)--Daniel Preus
“Christians are sinners and saints at the same time. The old and new Adam coexist in us. Faith in Jesus is our only hope. We need grace and forgiveness, not new precepts and laws. In the Sacrament of the Altar, Jesus gives us pure Gospel without Law. It is a cup filled with grace and forgiveness, one that can never be emptied. No matter how much we drink, it remains full. God’s mercy and forgiveness never come to an end. No matter how often we fail Him and break His Law, God always stands ready to forgive. King David knew of such mercy and in Psalm 23 he demonstrates that though he had not seen the institution of Jesus’ cup of mercy in the Lord’s Supper, he truly understood the concept: ‘My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever (Psalm 23:5-6).”
“Christians are sinners and saints at the same time. The old and new Adam coexist in us. Faith in Jesus is our only hope. We need grace and forgiveness, not new precepts and laws. In the Sacrament of the Altar, Jesus gives us pure Gospel without Law. It is a cup filled with grace and forgiveness, one that can never be emptied. No matter how much we drink, it remains full. God’s mercy and forgiveness never come to an end. No matter how often we fail Him and break His Law, God always stands ready to forgive. King David knew of such mercy and in Psalm 23 he demonstrates that though he had not seen the institution of Jesus’ cup of mercy in the Lord’s Supper, he truly understood the concept: ‘My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever (Psalm 23:5-6).”
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