“According to Luther, the justification of a sinner before God for Christ’s sake is not only the principal doctrine of Christianity, but also the very essence of it. Furthermore, it is really the essence of the gospel itself and of all Christian faith, the Leitmotiv of the Christian life and the reason for all that exists. It is the only doctrine or message which can offer a poor sinner hope, salvation, and life and fellowship with God.” That is what Robert Preus said and he was the preeminent scholar of Justification.
God sent Jesus to save sinners. Recognizing our sin is vital. We bind the word when we get wishy washy with the Law. We really do act sometimes as if they are the 10 suggestions and we tend to use them more as guides, than as what they are – messengers of a hangman. Without getting into the arguments about the uses of the Law, the primary task of the Law is to kill us. We have to die before we can rise to new life in Christ.
In a world where there is no such thing as sin except calling someone a sinner, we can get to a point where we shy away from the Law in its severity and the Gospel is bound. If Christ came to die for sinners and there is no sin the entire operation of preaching is pointless.
