No Other Way

In short, it is written, “be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). What should we do but glorify and bear in our bodies him who gained the victory over the world, the devil, sin, death, flesh, sickness, and all evils. His yoke is easy, and his burden is light (Mt 11:30). The yolk and the burden which he bore for us was the devil—indeed, the wrath of God. May God defend us from these. In fact, he has already freed us from them, and in their place we bear his easy yoke and his light burden. We must continue to do so. The exchange is to be accepted cheerfully. He is a good merchant and a gracious tradesman who sells us life for death, righteousness for sin, and lays a momentary sickness or two upon us by way of interest and as a token that he sells more reasonably and borrows at more favorable rates than the Fuggers [The Fugger family controlled banking in Augsburg] and the tradesmen on earth. Well, then, our Lord Jesus Christ is the valiant man who fights for us, conquers for us, triumphs for us. He is in must be the man, and we must be with him and in him. There is no other way, no matter how much the gates of hell rage. Letters of Spiritual Counsel, Martin Luther. P. 39.