Wilhelm's space

Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. (Rom 6:19 NIV)

Let’s consider these words some more. Impurity stands in contrast to that holy discipline of both internal and external life modes, which are well known even to pagans. The focus is mainly on sins against the 6^th commandment: “Thou shall not commit adultery!” and that at the various levels – in thought, word and deed. However they are just one aspect of all those pagan vices, which come from an uncontrolled way of life, which has no conscientious objections or limitations. What does marriage mean to a pagan? What does the honour of a girl or woman really entail? What the innocence of an adolescent or youth? St. Paul knew the abominations practiced in his age and writes about them in the epistle to the Romans in the first chapters. Purity was something considered utopian. There were certain laws and commandments in place yes, but since the divine law and will was veiled in darkness – the ways of life and traditional customs did not amount to much in the ways of pure and chaste life styles. Egoism and self-centred self-realization held sway and were of highest priority in society and popular culture.  The measure of all was that which seemed desirable and pleasurable: Just do it! Just read what the popular writers of that time pen down and you’ll learn that there was lots of uncontrollable vice. It becomes very clear to the observant reader that the pagans were both voluntary and involuntary slaves of sin.

Holy Lord and God! You know where we people land up, if we leave you behind and go our own ways. The old evil foe delivers them into the power of injustice and impurity, so that they are lost and can’t free themselves from this slavery and captivity. Oh Lord, behold this calamity and this terrible bondage of vice and break the fetters of sin of all those caught um in this imprisonment. Especially we request you to look favourably on the people of our nation and continent, that they would not devote their energies and capacities to evil and its reign and thus bring shame and sin onto our people, that are suffering in so many appalling ways. Grant us a Youth that lives purely and follows your ways sincerely into a future under your guidance and blessing. Lord, hear our calling and let your grace count more than our guilt and sinful error. Amen.

Lord God, who gladly and freely forgives all sin by grace and who practices benefaction even in punishment of those fallen children, we fall down prostrate before you and praise your Name for we are all members of your kingdom and belong together and to you alone! (Max von Schenkendorf, 1783-1817)

This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Monday after the seventh Sunday after the high holiday and festival of the Holy Trinity. It is found on Pg. 265 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu!   (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and published in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.