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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from The Smalcald Articles by Dr. Martin Luther: wishes, the Holy Ghost and faith are [certainly] not present.
For St. John says, 1 Ep. 3, 9: Whosoever is born of God doth
not commit sin,... and he cannot sin. And yet it is also the
truth when the same St. John says, 1 Ep. 1, 8: If we say that
we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in
us.
IV. Of the Gospel.
We will now return to the Gospel, which not merely in one way
gives us counsel and aid against sin; for God is
superabundantly rich [and liberal] in His grace [and
goodness]. First, through the spoken Word by which the
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