Handbook, or Short Instruction

...[enter into] judgment with Your servant, for before You no living person is righteous. original: "richt mit deinem Knecht/denn für dir ist kein lebendiger Mensch gerecht" — a citation of Psalm 143:2. Even if I were as pious and holy as all the prophets, I still would not dare to step before Your Majesty for the sake of my own piety. If I wished to pray on account of my own piety, I would be a thief of honor, thief of honor: (German: Ehren-Dieb) a person who "steals" the glory and credit that belongs to God by claiming their own actions or goodness are the reason they are accepted. stealing from Christ His due honor and ascribing it to my own false piety—even though Christ is my piety, holiness, and righteousness, according to 1 Corinthians 1. Reference to 1 Corinthians 1:30: "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption."

Just as it is a great sin for someone to want to pray—and also to be heard—based on their own piety or holiness, it is also a great sin to postpone or neglect prayer on account of past sins. For on that side, to the right, A metaphorical reference to the "right-hand" temptation of spiritual pride. one would become a thief of Christ's honor, He who is meant to be our holiness. On this side, to the left, A reference to the "left-hand" temptation of despair and doubt. one becomes like a blasphemer, acting as if Christ's death had not taken away the sins of the whole world.

Therefore, I speak with the holy prophet in Psalm 130: Although there are many sins among us, with God there is much more grace; His helping hand has no limit, no matter how great the damage may be. original: "Ob bey uns ist der Sünden viel / bey GOTT ist viel mehr Gnade..." — This is a verse from Martin Luther’s 1524 hymn "Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir" (Out of the depths I cry to You), which is a paraphrase of Psalm 130. Where sin is powerful, there grace is much more powerful, Romans 5. Reference to Romans 5:20: "But where sin increased, grace increased all the more." For it is indeed a precious and worthy word, that Christ came into the world for the sake of sin—