Teaching about the certainty that the Lord provided to Pharaoh through his double dreams (Genesis 41:13), Martin Luther gives his students a little meditation on certainty. He contrasts evangelical faith with the monster of uncertainty afflicted through the teaching of the Pope. It’s wonderful. (Luther’s Works 7:153-155)
“God will not leave you in doubt and uncertainty.”
נָכוֹן means “certain,” “firm,” “solid,” as in Ps. 51:10: “Put a new and right spirit within me”; and Ps. 5:9: “There is no truth in their mouth”; that is, they do not have a sure doctrine but have opinions, doubts, superstitions, and unsettled meanings; they are stammerers, babblers, and teach nothing firm or definite on which the conscience could rely.
Accordingly, it is a right and sure Spirit who makes us sure concerning the will of God, who does not allow us to doubt but carries out what Paul admonishes: “Let everyone be fully convinced in his own mind” (Rom. 14:5). Likewise in 1 Thess. 1:5: “For our Gospel came to you not only in word but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” This certitude is necessary in every kind of teaching, especially in sacred teaching. For I must be certain what I am to think about God, or rather what He thinks about me. It was a horrible error of the papal doctrine which caused men to become doubtful of the forgiveness of sins and grace. “You should acknowledge that you are a sinner,” they said, “and a sinner of such a kind that you cannot be certain of your salvation.” Thus the whole world was submerged in doubt and in erroneous opinions about God.
Therefore one must learn that God is not uncertain, ambiguous, equivocal, and slippery like a wavering reed, but that He is unequivocal and certain. He says: “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; I absolve you of your sins, etc.” Here the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit make no mistake; they are not tossed about by the wind but are rocks and Selah, as God is often named in the Psalms because He is absolutely firm. You may rely solidly on Him and say: “I am holy and saved; I am God’s son and heir, because I have been baptized.”
Monastic doubts must be moved far away, and one must not say: “Behold, I have done my duty; but whether it pleases God or not, I do not know.” One must not rush into uncertainty or be like those who beat the air, as Paul says in 1 Cor. 9:26. Our steps should be firm and certain, in order that we may say with confidence: “I sleep in the name of the Lord, and I know that my sleep is pleasing to God. But if I am awake and discharge the usual duties of my calling by writing, reading, meditating, and praying, I do not doubt that they are acceptable to God. If I knew that they are displeasing to Him, I would rather abstain from them. But I am certain that I am pleasing God with all my actions, not because of myself, who am doing this, but because of God, who pities, pardons, loves, and leads me by the Holy Spirit.”
This certainty and full conviction must be retained; for otherwise Baptism would be useless, and absolution and the use of the Lord’s Supper would be in vain. Thus under the papacy the same thing Paul mentions happened to us. He speaks of those who always learn and never arrive at a knowledge of the truth (cf. 2 Tim. 3:7). For it was a horrible blindness and an error which must be execrated by all means, even if there had been nothing else in the papal doctrine than the fact that they taught us to be unsure and to waver in indecision and doubt about our salvation. For this uncertainty removes from me my Baptism and grace. I am a Christian in vain; I labor and live in vain.
Accordingly, the prophet prays: “Renew a right spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10); that is, give me a sure and firm faith, which does not “limp with two different opinions” (1 Kings 18:21), as did the prophets of Baal, who were equivocal in their worship, toiled, sacrificed, tormented and crucified their flesh, and yet were uncertain whether they pleased God. Above all, then, learn the lesson and habituate your hearts in such a way that your whole life becomes certain and steadfast, according to the statement of Heb. 12:12: “Lift your drooping hands, and strengthen your weak knees.” And in 2 Peter 1:10 we read: “Confirm your call and election.” Remain in your calling. And conclude as follows: “I have been baptized; I have received the body and blood of Christ; I have been absolved; God will not deceive me. Why, then, would I be mistaken or doubt, since I know that the works of God are good and sure? Whatever I do later, concerning this I can affirm that it is a good work and undoubtedly pleases God, because faith does not doubt.” On the other hand, “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23). If you doubt, you will sin without intermission, because you do not believe that you are pleasing God. It would be much better to cease from all works until you become certain than to rush and labor in vain. For we must become נְכוֹנִים certain, solid, and firm.
