The instrumental cause of the Gospel.
The instrumental cause of the Gospel.
§ 32. We assign the following to the instrumental causes. (1) The patriarchs of the Old Testament. For who would doubt that the promise of the Gospel about the woman’s Seed [Gen. 3:15] was handed down and repeated by Adam to his descendants? Let this judgment stand concerning Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As often as they are said to have built an altar to the Lord and to have sacrificed to God upon it, they looked in faith toward the promised Messiah and set forth to their hearers the promise of the Seed, in which all nations of the earth were going to be blessed [Gen. 22:18].
(2) The prophets and priests of the Old Testament. The former explained the promise of the Messiah and made it more clear along with the teaching of the Law while the latter, as it were, described the same in their sacrifices.
(3) The angel of the Lord who told the good news of Christ’s birth to the shepherds in Bethlehem (Luke 2:10[–11]): “I announce a great joy to you, for there is born to you today the Savior of the world.”
(4) John the Baptist, who pointed his finger at Christ and called Him “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29, 36) and with this very brief statement embraced the summary of the Gospel.
(5) The apostles who, on the basis of Christ’s command, “preached the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), “so that the preaching of the Gospel brought forth fruit throughout the world” (Col. 1:6, 23).
(6) All the faithful ministers of the Word and preachers of the Gospel, but especially blessed Luther, through whom in these most recent times God has cleansed the teaching of the Gospel and in great clemency restored it to its original apostolic splendor. For that reason we do not hesitate to refer the prophecy to him: “Then I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, with an eternal Gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people, saying with a loud voice: ‘Fear God and give Him honor, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth’ ” (Rev. 14:6–7). Funccius (commentary on Revelation) and Mathesius (De vita Luther.) provide the explanation and application of this prophecy.