"....Luther was right to speak of the Christian as one who is at once righteous and sinful (simul justus et peccator). In this Luther was merely restating the teaching of Paul: "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). "To the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness" (Rom. 4:4-5).
It is not that Luther wanted to give the Christian a ready-made excuse for his or her shortcomings in the realm of sanctification. Indeed we must lament an easy believism which gives the impression that following Christ is unnecessary, that as long as you "prayed the sinner's prayer" you are eternally secure no matter how you live.
But let us be careful here. In our godly zeal to combat antinomianism let us not downplay the wonder of God's grace. God justifies the ungodly. If justification is conditional on achieving a certain degree of sanctification, then grace is no longer grace. Luther's slogan is intended to remind us that no matter how godly we may become through progressive sanctification, we are still sinful in the blazing light of God's holy Law, and yet in Christ we are the very righteousness of God (1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9)...."
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