Nielsen’s Nook

“ We know God aright when we grasp him not in his might or wisdom (for then he proves terrifying), but in his kindness and  ... ”
Martin Luther, <i>Luther's Works, Vol. 42 : Devotional Writings I</i> ( ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan et al.;, Luther's WorksPhiladelphia: Fortress Press, 1999, c1969), 42:13.

Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount

justifying
Justification is an act of God's free grace unto sinners, in which he pardons all their sins, accepts and accounts their persons righteous in his sight; not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by God imputed to them, and received by faith alone.[1]
...the transgression of the commandment [not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden] was making them turn back again according to their nature; and as they had at the beginning come into being out of non-existence, so were they now on the way to returning, through corruption, to non-existence again.[2]
[Jesus] has come into our country and dwelt in one body amidst the many, and in consequence the designs of the enemy against mankind have been foiled, and the corruption of death, which formerly held them in its power, has simply ceased to be.[3]
And so Jesus presents to us that declaration of the New Covenant: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.[5]

[1] Westminster Larger Catechism, Question 70. I took the liberty to modernize the language a little bit here.

[2] St. Athanasius. On the Incarnation : The Treatise De Incarnatione Verbi Dei, trans. A Religious of C.S.M.V. (Crestwood, N.Y.: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1996), 29-30.

[3] St. Athanasius. On the Incarnation : The Treatise De Incarnatione Verbi Dei, trans. A Religious of C.S.M.V. (Crestwood, N.Y.: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1996), 35.

[4] N. T. Wright. Matthew for Everyone. 2 vols. 2nd ed. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004) v1, 37.

[5] Matthew 5:3-12 (ESV)