Carl Trueman on Luther


"TO THE ONE who has been told that he is under the damning wrath of God because of his failure to fulfill God’s law, grace comes as a serious thing, with serious consequences. He receives it with joy and gladness and revels in his subsequent freedom, a freedom shaped at a deep level by his
understanding of God’s holiness. To the one who has not been told that he is first of all damned in God’s sight because God is holy and he is filthy, grace breeds presumption and a lack of concern for a truly Christian response. It should be redundant to say this, but I will say it anyway : we live in an age where the fear of a holy and righteous God is not something that one finds in the wider world. Western culture, particularly affluent Western culture, is self-absorbed and overindulged."

Trueman, Carl R. (2015-02-28). Luther on the Christian Life: Cross and Freedom (Theologians on the Christian Life) (p. 173). Crossway. Kindle Edition.