Today I read that Martin Luther referred to the clean white snow upon a pile of dung is similar to how we are before Christ. The righteousness of Christ covers us, and though we are poor, miserable sinners, we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ through faith. What a glorious picture! What a glorious Savior! And, as I look out at the 20 inches of snow that cover my front yard between two snow men, I can appreciate, not only the beauty of the creation, but the beauty of the re-creation we have in Jesus Christ.
While the snow / dung analogy makes a good point, its origins are spurious.
ReplyDeleteIt does seem to me like something Luther would've said: "Therefore let us embrace Christ, who was delivered for us, and His righteousness; but let us regard our righteousness as dung, so that we, having died to sins, may live to God alone" [LW 30:294]. "Explanation of Martin Luther: I said before that our righteousness is dung in the sight of God. Now if God chooses to adorn dung, he can do so. It does not hurt the sun, because it sends its rays into the sewer" [LW 34: 184].
There is though, no actually primary reference to Luther making the snow / dung analogy, at least none that I've ever found, and I've looked, for quite a long time.
James Swan (URC, Pompton Plains- and now... off to church!)