meetings (which we label as diversions) where people have verbal battles
with each other. Their arguments sound this way from a distance. From
closer by they merely sound like arguing.”
I went to the place and saw huts made of rushes plastered together
with mud. I tried to look in a window [of one of the huts] but there was
none. (I was not allowed in the door, because light would have flowed in
from heaven and confused them.) Suddenly a window was created on the
right side of the hut. Then I heard the people complaining because they
were in the dark. Soon a window was created on the left side, and the
window on the right was closed over. It seemed to them that the darkness
gradually went away and that they were in their own light again. After
that I was given permission to go in the door and hear what was going on.
There was a table in the middle with benches around it for sitting,
but instead all the people seemed to me to be standing on the benches,
having a harsh dispute with each other about faith and goodwill.One side
was arguing that the essence of the church is faith; the other side was
arguing that the essence of the church is goodwill.
The people who saw faith as the essential thing said, “In the case of
faith, we are dealing with God. And in the case of goodwill we are deal-
ing with human beings. Therefore faith is heavenly and goodwill is
earthly. Surely we are saved by heavenly things, not by earthly things.
God is able to give us faith from heaven, because faith is heavenly, but
goodwill is something we have to give ourselves, because goodwill is
earthly. And what we give ourselves is not part of the church and there-
fore does not save us. Or do you think people could be justified before
God by doing things that are said to be part of goodwill? Believe us when
we tell you—by faith alone we are not only justified, we are also sancti-
fied, as long as our faith is not defiled by our desire to earn merit through
our acts of goodwill.” And many more points like these.
[ 2 ] On the other side, the people who saw goodwill as the essence of
the church had sharp retorts. They said, “Goodwill saves us, not faith.
Surely God holds all people as beloved and wants what is good for all.
How could God put this goodness into effect if not through other
human beings? Does God let us merely tell people points related to faith
but not perform acts of goodwill toward them? Don’t you see that what
you are saying about goodwill is absurd—calling it earthly? Goodwill is
heavenly. Since you don’t perform acts of goodwill, your faith is earthly.
You actually do receive this faith of yours in the way a log or a stone
singke
(singke)
#1