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  AND WOULD PERVERT THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST.
  by Martin Luther
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Summary: Martin Luther warns against the false apostles who abolish
Christ's Gospel by mingling Law and Gospel.

Topics: "Law And Gospel", "False Apostles"
Scripture References: Romans 11:6, Galatians 1:7, Galatians 2:21, Ephesians 2:8

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Martin Luther emphasizes the danger of false apostles who distort the
Gospel by mixing Law and Gospel, leading to the elimination of Christ's
grace. He highlights the impossibility of coexisting grace and law in
the conscience, stressing that it is either one or the other. Luther
warns against the severe consequences of blending faith and works, as it
obscures the true knowledge of grace and removes Christ from the
equation.

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CONTENT
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To paraphrase this sentence: "These false apostles do not merely trouble
you, they abolish Christ's Gospel. They act as if they were the only
true Gospel-preachers. For all that they muddle Law and Gospel. As a
result they pervert the Gospel. Either Christ must live and the Law
perish, or the Law remains and Christ must perish; Christ and the Law
cannot dwell side by side in the conscience. It is either grace or law.
To muddle the two is to eliminate the Gospel of Christ entirely."

It seems a small matter to mingle the Law and Gospel, faith and works,
but it creates more mischief than man's brain can conceive. To mix Law
and Gospel not only clouds the knowledge of grace, it cuts out Christ
altogether.

The words of Paul, "and would pervert the gospel of Christ," also
indicate how arrogant these false apostles were. They were shameless
boasters. Paul simply had to exalt his own ministry and Gospel.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/martin-luther/and-would-pervert-the-gospel-of-christ/
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