Background Image

...

Dear Rulers ... I Maintain That The Civil Authorities Are Under Obligation To Compel The People To Send Their Children To School. ... If The Government Can Compel Such Citizens As Are Fit For Military Service To Bear Spear And Rifle, To Mount Ramparts, And Perform Other Martial Duties In Time Of War, How Much More Has It A Right To Compel The People To Send Their Children To School, Because In This Case We Are Warring With The Devil, Whose Object It Is Secretly To Exhaust Our Cities And Principalities Of Their Strong Men.

-Martin Luther

...

Please Wait....
Translating....

Dear Rulers ... I

Martin Luther

...

Dear Rulers ... I Maintain That The Civil Authorities Are Under Obligation To Compel The People To Send Their Children To School. ... If The Government Can Compel Such Citizens As Are Fit For Military Service To Bear Spear And Rifle, To Mount Ramparts, And Perform Other Martial Duties In Time Of War, How Much More Has It A Right To Compel The People To Send Their Children To School, Because In This Case We Are Warring With The Devil, Whose Object It Is Secretly To Exhaust Our Cities And Principalities Of Their Strong Men.

Views: 7

Topic

More From Martin Luther

The Devil And Temptations Also Do Give Occasion Unto Us Somewhat To Learn And Understand The Scriptures, By Experience And Practice. Without Trials And Temptations We Should Never Understand Anything Thereof; No, Not Although We Diligently Read And Heard The Same.

Human Nature Is Like A Drunk Peasant. Lift Him Into The Saddle On One Side, Over He Topples On The Other Side.

God's Mark Is On Everything That Obeys Him.

The Devil Flees Before The Sound Of Music Almost As Much As Before The Word Of God.

We Are Beginning To Regain A Knowledge Of Creation, A Knowledge Forfeited By The Fall Of Adam. By God's Mercy We Can Begin To Recognize His Wonderful Works And Wonders Also In Flowers When We Ponder His Might And Goodness. Therefore We Laud, Magnify And Thank Him.

After Theology I Give To Music The Highest Place And The Greatest Honor.

Music Is A Fair And Glorious Gift Of God. I Am Strongly Persuaded That After Theology, There Is No Art Which Can Be Placed On The Level With Music.

We Ought First To Know That There Are No Good Works Except Those Which God Has Commanded, Even As There Is No Sin Except That Which God Has Forbidden.

To Preach Christ Is To Feed The Soul, To Justify It, To Set It Free, And To Save It, If It Believes The Preaching.

Be A Sinner, And Let Your Sins Be Strong, But Let Your Trust In Christ Be Stronger, And Rejoice In Christ Who Is The Victor Over Sin, Death, And The World.

Beer Is Made By Men, Wine By God.

Scripture Is The Manger In Which We Find The Christ Child.

One Book Is Enough, But A Thousand Books Is Not Too Many!

Maternity Is A Glorious Thing, Since All Mankind Has Been Conceived, Born, And Nourished Of Women. All Human Laws Should Encourage The Multiplication Of Families.

The Deceiver Can Magnify A Little Sin For The Purpose Of Causing One To Worry, Torture, And Kill Oneself With It. This Is Why A Christian Should Learn Not To Let Anyone Easily Create An Evil Conscience In Him. Rather Let Him Say, "this Error And This Failing Pass Away With My Other Imperfections And Sins, Which I Must Include In The Article Of Faith: I Believe In The Forgiveness Of Sins.

Take A Look At Your Own Heart, And You Will Soon Find Out What Has Stuck To It And Where Your Treasure Is. It Is Easy To Determine Whether Hearing The Word Of God, Living According To It, And Achieving Such A Life Gives You As Much Enjoyment And Calls Forth As Much Diligence From You As Does Accumulating And Saving Money And Property.

Antichrist Is The Pope And The Turk [muslim] Together. A Beast Full Of Life Must Have A Body And Soul. The Spirit Or Soul Of Antichrist Is The Pope, His Flesh Or Body The Turk.

The Heart Of Religion Lies In Its Personal Pronouns.

Accordingly If The Devil Should Say, 'do Not Drink,' You Should Reply To Him, 'on This Very Account, Because You Forbid It, I Shall Drink, And What Is More, I Shall Drink A Generous Amount. Thus One Must Always Do The Opposite Of That Which Satan Prohibits. What Do You Think Is My Reason For Drinking Wine Undiluted, Talking Freely, And Eating More Often, If It Is Not To Torment And Vex The Devil Who Made Up His Mind To Torment And Vex Me.

The Dog Is The Most Faithful Of Animals And Would Be Much Esteemed Were It Not So Common. Our Lord God Has Made His Greatest Gifts The Commonest.

The Best Way To Drive Out The Devil, If He Will Not Yield To Texts Of Scripture, Is To Jeer And Flout Him, For He Cannot Bear Scorn.

It Is Better To Think Of Church In The Ale-house Than To Think Of The Ale-house In Church.

Some Plague The People With Too Long Sermons; For The Faculty Of Listening Is A Tender Thing, And Soon Becomes Weary And Satiated.

Heavy Thoughts Bring On Physical Maladies; When The Soul Is Oppressed So Is The Body.

What Is Sought By Means Of Free Choice Is To Make Room For Merits.

If Any Earthly Institution Or Custom Conflicts With God's Will, It Is Your Christian Duty To Oppose It. You Must Never Allow The Transitory, Evanescent Demands Of Man-made Institutions To Take Precedence Over The Eternal Demands Of The Almighty God.

Obedience Is The Crown And Honour Of All Virtue.

The Holy Spirit Is No Skeptic, & The Things He Has Written In Our Hearts Are Not Doubts Or Opinions, But Assertions - Surer & More Certain Than Sense & Life Itself.

Peace Is More Important Than All Justice; And Peace Was Not Made For The Sake Of Justice, But Justice For The Sake Of Peace.

Peace If Possible, Truth At All Costs.

Forgive Us Our Trespasses As We Forgive Them That Trespass Against Us.

If You Could Understand A Single Grain Of Wheat You Would Die Of Wonder.

Rest In The Lord; Wait Patiently For Him. In Hebrew, "be Silent In God, And Let Him Mould Thee." Keep Still, And He Will Mould Thee To The Right Shape.

I Simply Taught, Preached, Wrote God's Word: Otherwise I Did Nothing. The Word Of God Did It All.

Anyone Who Can Be Proved To Be A Seditious Person Is An Outlaw Before God And The Emperor; And Whoever Is The First To Put Him To Death Does Right And Well. Therefore Let Everyone Who Can, Smite, Slay And Stab, Secretly Or Openly, Remembering That Nothing Can Be More Poisonous, Hurtful, Or Devilish Than A Rebel.

The Highest And Most Precious Treasure We Receive Of God Is, That We Can Speak, Hear, See, Etc.; But How Few Acknowledge These As God's Special Gifts, Much Less Give God Thanks For Them.

A Christian Is Free And Independent In Every Respect, A Bond Servant To None. A Christian Is A Dutiful Servant In Every Respect, Owing A Duty To Everyone.

I Am Afraid That The Schools Will Prove The Very Gates Of Hell, Unless They Diligently Labor In Explaining The Holy Scriptures And Engraving Them In The Heart Of The Youth.

Faith Is Permitting Ourselves To Be Seized By The Things That We Do Not See.

A Good Servant Is A Real Godsend, But Truly This Is A Rare Bird In The Land.

God Is A Blank Sheet Upon Which Nothing Is Found But What You Yourself Have Written.

Reason Is The Greatest Enemy That Faith Has: It Never Comes To The Aid Of Spiritual Things.

When We Hear That Christ Was Made A Curse For Us, Let Us Believe It With Joy And Assurance. By Faith Christ Changes Places With Us. He Gets Our Sins, We Get His Holiness.

Nothing On Earth Is So Well-suited To Make The Sad Merry, The Merry Sad, To Give Courage To The Despairing, To Make The Proud Humble, To Lessen Envy And Hate, As Music.

God May Delay, But He Always Comes.

I Hate Myself, That I Cannot Believe It So Constantly And Surely As I Should; But No Human Creature Can Rightly Know How Mercifully God Is Inclined Toward Those That Steadfastly Believe In Christ.

He Who Is Well Acquainted With The Text Of Scripture, Is A Distinguished Theologian. For A Bible Passage Or Text Is Of More Value Than The Comments Of Four Authors.

Prayer Is A Powerful Thing; For God Has Bound And Tied Himself Thereunto.

Our Loving God Wills That We Eat, Drink And Be Merry.

So Preach That Those Who Do Not Fall Out With Their Sins May Fall Out With Thee.

We May Search Long To Find Where God Is, But We Shall Find Him In Those Who Keep The Words Of Christ. For The Lord Christ Saith, " If Any Man Love Me, He Will Keep My Words; And We Will Make Our Abode With Him.

I Often Laugh At Satan, And There Is Nothing That Makes Him So Angry As When I Attack Him To His Face, And Tell Him That Through God I Am More Than A Match For Him

Those Who Love Music Are Gentle And Honest In Their Tempers. I Always Loved Music, And Would Not, For A Great Matter, Be Without The Little Skill Which I Possess In The Art.

For What God Gives I Thank Indeed; What He Withholds I Do Not Need

Then They Began To Say: 'yes, But How Can We Know What Is God's Word, And What Is Right Or Wrong? We Must Learn This From The Pope And The Councils.' Very Well Then, Let Them Conclude And Say What They Please, Yet I Will Reply, You Cannot Put Your Confidence In That Nor Thus Satisfy Your Conscience, For You Must Determine This Matter Yourself, For Your Very Life Depends Upon It. Therefore God Must Speak To Your Heart: This Is God's Word; Otherwise You Are Undecided.

We Do Not Become Righteous By Doing Righteous Deed But, Having Been Made Righteous, We Do Righteous Deeds.

Oh! How Great And Glorious A Thing It Is To Have Before One The Word Of God! With That We May At All Times Feel Joyous And Secure; We Need Never Be In Want Of Consolation, For We See Before Us, In All Its Brightness, The Pure And Right Way.

Even If All The World Were To Combine Forces, They Could Not Bring About The Conception Of A Single Child In Any Woman's Womb Nor Cause It To Be Born; That Is Wholly The Work Of God.

Where Faith Is Not Continually Kept In Motion And Exercised, It Weakens And Decreases, So That It Must Indeed Vanish; And Yet We Do Not See Nor Feel This Weakness Ourselves, Except In Times Of Need And Temptation, When Unbelief Rages Too Strongly; And Yet For That Very Reason Faith Must Have Temptations In Which It May Battle And Grow.

To Be A Christian, You Must Pluck Out The Eye Of Reason.

Also When It Is A Case Of Only Upholding Some Spiritual Tenet, Such As Infant Baptism, Original Sin, And Unnecessary Separation, Then . . . We Conclude That . . . The Stubborn Sectaries Must Be Put To Death.

A Person Whodoes Not Regard Music As A Marvelous Creation Of God, Must Be A Clodhopper Indeed And Does Not Deserve To Be Called A Human Being; He Should Be Permitted To Hear Nothing But The Braying Of Asses And The Grunting Of Hogs.

Astrology Is Framed By The Devil, To The End People May Be Scared From Entering Into The State Of Matrimony, And From Every Divine And Human Office And Calling.

I've Got So Much Work To Do Today, I'd Better Spend Two Hours In Prayer Instead Of One.

Reason Is The Greatest Enemy That Faith Has; It Never Comes To The Aid Of Spiritual Things, But More Frequently Than Not Struggles Against The Divine Word, Treating With Contempt All That Emanates From God.

The Forces Of Good And Evil Are Working Within And Around Me, I Must Choose, And In A Free Will Universe I Do Have A Choice.

The First Care Of Every Christian Ought To Be To Lay Aside All Reliance On Works, And Strengthen His Faith Alone More And More, And By It Grow In The Knowledge, Not Of Works, But Of Christ Jesus, Who Has Suffered And Risen Again For Him.

You See Then, That Diatribe Truly Possesses A Free Choice In Her Handling Of Scriptures, So That Words Of One And The Same Type Are For Her Obliged To Prove Endeavor In One Place And Freedom In Another, Exactly As She Pleases.

I Can't Keep The Sparrows From Flying Around My Head, But I Can Keep Them From Making A Nest In My Hair.

To Turn One's Eyes Away From Jesus Means To Turn Them To The Law.

The Law Is For The Proud And The Gospel For The Brokenhearted.

Either God Must Be Unjust, Or You, Jews, Wicked And Ungodly. You Have Been, About Fifteen Hundred Years, A Race Rejected Of God.

If Anywhere The Day Is Made Holy For The Mere Day's Sake - If Anyone Set Up Its Observance On A Jewish Foundation, Then I Order You To Work On It, To Ride On It, To Dance On It, To Feast On It, To Do Anything That Shall Remove This Encroachment On Christian Liberty.

I Do Not Deny That Medicine Is A Gift Of God, Nor Do I Refuse To Acknowledge Science In The Skill Of Many Physicians; But, Take The Best Of Them, How Far Are They From Perfection? A Sound Regimen Produces Excellent Effects. When I Feel Indisposed, By Observing A Strict Diet And Going To Bed Early, I Generally Manage To Get Round Again, That Is, If I Can Keep My Mind Tolerably At Rest. I Have No Objection To The Doctors Acting Upon Certain Theories, But, At The Same Time, They Must Not Expect Us To Be The Slaves Of Their Fancies.

But The Jews Are So Hardened That They Listen To Nothing; Though Overcome By Testimonies They Yield Not An Inch. It Is A Pernicious Race, Oppressing All Men By Their Usury And Rapine. If They Give A Prince Or Magistrate A Thousand Florins, They Extort Twenty Thousand From The Subjects In Payment. We Must Ever Keep On Guard Against Them.

The Fool Will Upset The Whole Science Of Astronomy, But As The Holy Scripture Shows, It Was The Sun And Not The Earth Which Joshua Ordered To Stand Still.

Whenever The Word Is Rightly Preached, And Attentively Heard, It Never Fails To Bring Forth Fruit.

This Is That Mystery Which Is Rich In Divine Grace Unto Sinners: Wherein By A Wonderful Exchange, Our Sins Are No Longer Ours But Christ's; And The Righteousness Of Christ Is Not Christ's But Ours. He Has Emptied Himself Of His Righteousness That He Might Clothe Us In It, And Fill Us With It: And He Has Taken Our Evils Upon Himself That He Might Deliver Us From Them.

From The Beginning Of My Reformation I Have Asked God To Send Me Neither Dreams, Nor Visions, Nor Angels, But To Give Me The Right Understanding Of His Word, The Holy Scriptures; For As Long As I Have God's Word, I Know That I Am Walking In His Way And That I Shall Not Fall Into Any Error Or Delusion.

Ah, If I Could Only Pray The Way That Dog Looks At Meat.

What Shall We Christians Do Now With This Depraved And Damned People Of The Jews? ... I Will Give My Faithful Advice: First, That One Should Set Fire To Their Synagogues. . . . Then That One Should Also Break Down And Destroy Their Houses. . . . That One Should Drive Them Out The Country.

It Is Not I That Smite, Stab, And Slay, But God And My Prince, For My Hand And My Body Are Now Their Servants.

A Gospel That Doesn't Deal With The Issues Of The Day Is Not The Gospel At All.

I Greatly Fear That The Universities, Unless They Teach The Holy Scriptures Diligently And Impress Them On The Young Students, Are Wide Gates To Hell.

To Be A Christian Without Prayer Is No More Possible Than To Be Alive Without Breathing.

Those Who Turn Proud When Their Praise Is Sounded, Who Seek Their Own Glory, Not Christ's, Or Those Who Are Moved By Slanders And By Infamy, Had Better Leave The Ministry Of The Word.

A Great Variety Of Reading Confuses And Does Not Teach. It Makes The Student Like A Man Who Dwells Everywhere And, Therefore, Nowhere In Particular.

Christ Is No Moses, No Exactor, No Giver Of Laws, But A Giver Of Grace, A Savior; He Is Infinite Mercy And Goodness, Freely And Bountifully Given To Us.

Personally I Declare That I Owe The Pope No Other Obedience Than That To Antichrist.

To Pray Well Is The Better Half Of Study.

The Great Unthankfulness, Contempt Of God's Word, And Wilfulness Of The World, Make Me Fear That The Divine Light Will Soon Cease To Shine On Man, For God's Word Has Ever Had Its Certain Course.

Christians Are To Be Taught That The Pope Would And Should Wish To Give Of His Own Money, Even Though He Had To Sell The Basilica Of St. Peter, To Many Of Those From Whom Certain Hawkers Of Indulgences Cajole Money.

How Often Have Not The Demons Called 'nix,' Drawn Women And Girls Into The Water, And There Had Commerce With Them, With Fearful Consequences.

Great God, What Do I See And Hear! The End Of Things Created! The Judge Of Mankind Doth Appear On Clouds Of Glory Seated! The Trumpet Sounds; The Graves Restore, The Dead Which They Contained Before; Prepare, My Soul, To Meet Him!

If I Should Neglect Prayer But A Single Day, I Should Lose A Great Deal Of The Fire Of Faith.

Truly Speech Has Wonderful Strength And Power, That Through A Mere Word, Proceeding Out Of The Mouth Of A Poor Human Creature, The Devil, That So Proud And Powerful Spirit, Should Be Driven Away, Shamed And Confounded.

Of Whom Shall I Be Afraid? One With God Is A Majority.

When Satan Tells Me I Am A Sinner He Comforts Me Immeasurably, Since Christ Died For Sinners.

There Is No Wisdom Save In Truth.

As Long As We Live There Is Never Enough Singing.

God Created Adam Lord Of All Living Creatures, But Eve Spoiled It All.

Many Demons Are In Woods, In Waters, In Wildernesses, And In Dark Poolly Places Ready To Hurt...people.

One Drop Of Christ's Blood Is Worth More Than Heaven And Earth.

No Greater Mischief Can Happen To A Christian People, Than To Have God's Word Taken From Them, Or Falsified, So That They No Longer Have It Pure And Clear. God Grant We And Our Descendants Be Not Witness To Such A Calamity.

Not Only The Adoration Of Images Is Idolatry, But Also Trust In One's Own Righteousness, Works And Merits, And Putting Confidence In Riches And Power. As The Latter Is The Commonest, So It Also Is The Most Noxious.

Every Week I Preach Justification By Faith To My People, Because Every Week They Forget It.

We Will Win Our Freedom Because The Sacred Heritage Of Our Nation And The Eternal Will Of God Are Embodied In Our Echoing Demands.

Sheep, Cattle, Men-servants Were All Possessions To Be Sold As It Pleased Their Masters. It Were A Good Thing Were It Still So. For Else No Man May Compel Nor Tame The Servile Folk.

When I Was Abandoned By Everybody, In My Greatest Weakness, Trembling And Afraid Of Death, When I Was Persecuted By This Wicked World, Then I Often Felt Most Surely The Divine Power In This Name, Jesus Christ... So, By God's Grace, I Will Live And Die For That Name.

There Is No Gown Or Garment That Worse Becomes A Woman Than When She Will Be Wise.

I Am Much Afraid That The Schools Will Prove The Very Gates Of Hell, Unless They Diligently Labour In Explaining The Holy Scriptures, And Engraving Them In The Hearts Of Youth. I Advise No One To Place His Child Where The Scriptures Do Not Reign Paramount. Every Institution In Which Means Are Not Unceasingly Occupied With The Word Of God Must Be Corrupt.

Faith Is A Free Surrenderand A Joyous Wager On The Unseen, Unknown, Untested Goodness Of God.

When Our Lord And Master Jesus Christ Said, 'repent,' He Willed The Entire Life Of Believers To Be One Of Repentance.

Let The Man Who Would Hear God Speak, Read Holy Scriptures.

A Preacher Should Have The Skill To Teach The Unlearned Simply Roundly, And Plainly; For Teaching Is Of More Importance Than Exhorting.

There Is No More Lovely, Friendly And Charming Relationship, Communion Or Company Than A Good Marriage.

Christianity Can Be Summed Up In The Two Terms Faith And Love...receiving From Above [faith] And Giving Out Below [love].

Our Lord God Doeth Work Like A Printer Who Setteth The Letters Backwards; We See And Feel Well His Setting, But We Shall See The Print Yonder - In The Life To Come.

In Human Affairs We Accomplish Everything Through Prayer. What Has Been Properly Arranged We Keep In Order, What Has Gone Amiss We Change And Improve, What Cannot Be Changed And Improved We Bear, Overcoming All The Trouble And Sustaining All The Good By Prayer. Against Force There Is No Help But Prayer Alone.

Poverty Hath Slain A Thousand, But Riches Have Slain Ten Thousand. They Are Very Uncertain, They Promise That Which They Cannot Perform, Neither Can They Afford A Contented Mind.

Our Works Do Not Generate Righteousness, Rather Our Righteousness In Christ Generates Works.

When Jesus Christ Utters A Word, He Opens His Mouth So Wide That It Embraces All Heaven And Earth, Even Though That Word Be But In A Whisper.

At The Center Of The Christian Faith Is The Affirmation That There Is A God In The Universe Who Is The Ground And Essence Of All Reality. A Being Of Infinite Love And Boundless Power, God Is The Creator, Sustainer, And Conserver Of Values....in Contrast To The Ethical Relativism Of [totalitarianism], Christianity Sets Forth A System Of Absolute Moral Values And Affirms That God Has Placed Within The Very Structure Of This Universe Certain Moral Principles That Are Fixed And Immutable.

In The Church, Great Wonders Daily Occur, Such As The Forgiveness Of Sins, Triumph Over Death . . . The Gift Of Righteousness And Eternal Life.

Christ Desires Nothing More Of Us Than That We Speak Of Him.

God Has Set The Type Of Marriage Through Creation. Each Creature Seeks Its Perfection In Another.

Adam Was Created, As It Were, Intoxicated With Rejoicing Toward God And Was Delighted Also With All The Other Creatures.

The Sin Underneath All Our Sins Is To Trust The Lie Of The Serpent That We Cannot Trust The Love And Grace Of Christ And Must Take Matters Into Our Own Hands

It's Not What I Don't Know That Bothers Me - It's What I Do Know And Don't Do!

The Mystery Of The Humanity Of Christ, That He Sunk Himself Into Our Flesh, Is Beyond All Human Understanding.

The Whole Being Of Any Christian Is Faith And Love. Faith Brings The Person To God, Love Brings The Person To People.

Let Us Not Lose The Bible, But With Diligence, In Fear And Invocation Of God, Read And Preach It. While That Remains And Flourishes, All Prospers With The State; 'tis Head And Empress Of All Arts And Faculties. Let But Divinity Fall, And I Would Not Give A Straw For The Rest.

When God's Righteousness Is Mentioned In The Gospel, It Is God's Action Of Declaring Righteous The Unrighteous Sinner Who Has Faith In Jesus Christ. The Righteousness By Which A Person Is Justified (declared Righteous) Is Not His Own But That Of Another, Christ.

Faith Is The 'yes' Of The Heart, A Conviction On Which One Stakes One's Life.

In Truth You Cannot Read Too Much In Scripture; And What You Read You Cannot Read Too Carefully, And What You Read Carefully You Cannot Understand Too Well, And What You Understand Well You Cannot Teach Too Well, And What You Teach Well You Cannot Live Too Well.

I Have No Pleasure In Any Man Who Despises Music. It Is No Invention Of Ours: It Is A Gift Of God. I Place It Next To Theology. Satan Hates Music: He Knows How It Drives The Evil Spirit Out Of Us.

Whoever Teaches Differently From What I Have Taught, Or Whoever Condemns Me Therein, He Condemns God And Must Remain A Child Of Hell.

Superstition, Idolatry, And Hypocrisy Have Ample Wages, But Truth Goes A Begging.

For That Purpose Christ Instituted Holy Baptism, Thereby To Clothe You With His Righteousness. It Is Tantamount To His Saying, My Righteousness Shall Be Your Righteousness; My Innocence, Your Innocence. Your Sins Indeed Are Great, But By Baptism I Bestow On You My Righteousness; I Strip Death From You And Clothe You With My Life.

The Mad Mob Does Not Ask How It Could Be Better, Only That It Be Different. And When It Then Becomes Worse, It Must Change Again. Thus They Get Bees For Flies, And At Last Hornets For Bees.

If He Have Faith, The Believer Cannot Be Restrained. He Betrays Himself. He Breaks Out. He Confesses And Teaches This Gospel To The People At The Risk Of Life Itself.

I Frankly Confess That Even If It Were Possible I Should Not Wish To Have Free Choice Given To Me, Or To Have Anything Left In My Own Hands By Which I Might Strive For Salvation.

Here I Stand; I Can Do No Other.

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, A Bulwark Never Failing; Our Helper He, Amid The Flood Of Mortal Ills Prevailing: For Still Our Ancient Foe Doth Seek To Work Us Woe; His Craft And Power Are Great, And, Armed With Cruel Hate, On Earth Is Not His Equal.

God Does Not Save Those Who Are Only Imaginary Sinners. Be A Sinner, And Let Your Sins Be Strong (sin Boldly), But Let Your Trust In Christ Be Stronger, And Rejoice In Christ Who Is The Victor Over Sin, Death, And The World. We Will Commit Sins While We Are Here, For This Life Is Not A Place Where Justice Resides. We, However, ... Are Looking Forward To A New Heaven And A New Earth Where Justice Will Reign.

In Short, I Will Preach It [the Word], Teach It, Write It, But I Will Constrain No Man By Force, For Faith Must Come Freely Without Compulsion. Take Myself As An Example. I Opposed Indulgences And All The Papists, But Never With Force. I Simply Taught, Preached, And Wrote God's Word; Otherwise I Did Nothing. And While I Slept, Or Drank Wittenberg Beer With My Friends Philip And Amsdorf, The Word So Greatly Weakened The Papacy That No Prince Or Emperor Ever Inflicted Such Losses Upon It. I Did Nothing; The Word Did Everything.

The Fool Will Upset The Whole Science Of Astronomy.

I Am Not Of The Opinion That All The Arts Shall Be Crushed To Earth And Perish Through The Gospel, As Some Bigoted Persons Pretend, But Would Willingly See Them All, And Especially Music, Servants Of Him Who Gave And Created Them.

This Grace Of God Is A Very Great, Strong, Mighty And Active Thing. It Does Not Lie Asleep In The Soul. Grace Hears, Leads, Drives, Draws, Changes, Works All In Man, And Lets Itself Be Distinctly Felt And Experienced. It Is Hidden, But Its Works Are Evident.

For It Is A Horrible Blasphemy To Imagine That There Is Any Work By Which You Should Presume To Pacify God, Since You See That There Is Nothing Which Is Able To Pacify Him But This Inestimable Price, Even The Death And The Blood Of The Son Of God, One Drop Of Which Is More Precious Than The Whole World.

The Law Of God Cannot Be Fulfilled By External Obedience.

In Our Sad Condition Our Only Consolation Is The Expectancy Of Another Life. Here Below All Is Incomprehensible.

I Cannot Choose But Adhere To The Word Of God, Which Has Possession Of My Conscience; Nor Can I Possibly, Nor Will I Even Make Any Recantation, Since It Is Neither Safe Nor Honest To Act Contrary To Conscience! Here I Stand; I Cannot Do Otherwise, So Help Me God! Amen.

Music Is The Art Of The Prophets And The Gift Of God.

Grace Remits Sin, And Peace Quiets The Conscience. Sin And Conscience Torment Us, But Christ Has Overcome These Fiends Now And Forever.

Unthankfulness Is Theft.

We Are But The Instruments Or Assistants, By Whom God Works.

The First Thing I Ask Is That People Should Not Make Use Of My Name, And Should Not Call Themselves Lutherans But Christians. What Is Luther? The Teaching Is Not Mine. Nor Was I Crucified For Anyone...how Did I, Poor Stinking Bag Of Maggots That I Am, Come To The Point Where People Call The Children Of Christ By My Evil Name?

The Slender Capacity Of Man's Heart Cannot Comprehend The Unfathomable Depth And Burning Zeal Of God's Love Toward Us.

Whenever The Devil Harasses You, Seek The Company Of Men Or Drink More, Or Joke And Talk Nonsense, Or Do Some Other Merry Thing. Sometimes We Must Drink More, Sport, Recreate Ourselves, And Even Sin A Little To Spite The Devil, So That We Leave Him No Place For Troubling Our Consciences With Trifles. We Are Conquered If We Try Too Conscientiously Not To Sin At All. So When The Devil Says To You: Do Not Drink, Answer Him: I Will Drink, And Right Freely, Just Because You Tell Me Not To.

Marriage Is A Civic Matter. It Is Really Not, Together With All Its Circumstances, The Business Of The Church.

Put Thou Thy Trust In God; In Duty's Path Go On; Fix On His Word Thy Steadfast Eye; So Shall Thy Work Be Done.

I More Fear What Is Within Me Than What Comes From Without.

And I'll Tell You, I've Seen The Lightning Flash. I've Heard The Thunder Roll. I Felt Sin-breakers Dashing, Trying To Conquer My Soul. But I Heard The Voice Of Jesus Saying Still To Fight On. He Promised Never To Leave Me, Never To Leave Me Alone. No, Never Alone. He Promised Never To Leave Me, Never To Leave Me Alone.

God Created Adam Master And Lord Of Living Creatures, But Eve Spoilt All, When She Persuaded Him To Set Himself Above God's Will. 'tis You Women, With Your Tricks And Artifices, That Lead Men Into Error.

Sacred Scripture Tells Us That Joshua Commanded The Sun To Stand Still, And Not The Earth.

Sacred Scripture

God Works By Contraries So That A Man Feels Himself To Be Lost In The Very Moment When He Is On The Point Of Being Saved.

The Works Of The Righteous Would Be Mortal Sins If They Would Not Be Feared As Mortal Sins By The Righteous Themselves Out Of Pious Fear Of God.

Faith Is The Yes Of The Heart.

The Confidence That God Is Mindful Of The Individual Is Of Tremendous Value In Dealing With The Disease Of Fear, For It Gives Us A Sense Of Worth, Of Belonging, And Of At Homeness In The Universe.

If We Wish To Wash Our Hands Of The Jews Blasphemy And Not Share In Their Guilt, We Have To Part Company With Them. They Must Be Driven From Our Country.

Without Images We Can Neither Think Nor Understand Anything.

We Cannot Attain To The Understanding Of Scripture Either By Study Or By The Intellect. Your First Duty Is To Begin By Prayer. Entreat The Lord To Grant You, Of His Great Mercy, The True Understanding Of His Word. There Is No Other Interpreter Of The Word Of God Than The Author Of This Word, As He Himself Has Said, "they Shall Be All Taught Of God" (john 6:45). Hope For Nothing From Your Own Labors, From Your Own Understanding: Trust Solely In God, And In The Influence Of His Spirit. Believe This On The Word Of A Man Who Has Experience.

O, When It Comes To Faith, What A Living, Creative, Active, Powerful Thing It Is. It Cannot Do Other Than Good At All Times. It Never Waits To Ask Whether There Is Some Good Work To Do.

When I Am Angry I Can Write, Pray, And Preach Well, For Then My Whole Temperament Is Quickened, My Understanding Sharpened, And All Mundane Vexations And Temptations Depart.

Heaven And Earth, All The Emperors, Kings, And Princes Of The World, Could Not Raise A Fit Dwelling-place For God; Yet, In A Weak Human Soul, That Keeps His Word, He Willingly Resides.

The Fatuous Idea That A Person Can Be Holy By Himself Denies God The Pleasure Of Saving Sinners. God Must Therefore First Take The Sledge-hammer Of The Law In His Fists And Smash The Beast Of Self-righteousness And Its Brood Of Self-confidence, Self Wisdom, And Self-help. When The Conscience Has Been Thoroughly Frightened By The Law It Welcomes The Gospel Of Grace With Its Message Of A Savior Who Came-not To Break The Bruised Reed Nor To Quench The Smoking Flax-but To Preach Glad Tidings To The Poor, To Heal The Broken-hearted, And To Grant Forgiveness Of Sins To All The Captives.

Self Confidence

Men Have Broad And Large Chests, And Small Narrow Hips, And More Understanding Than Women, Who Have But Small And Narrow Breasts, And Broad Hips, To The End They Should Remain At Home, Sit Still, Keep House, And Bear And Bring Up Children.

Some Will Object That The Law Is Divine And Holy. Let It Be Divine And Holy. The Law Has No Right To Tell Me That I Must Be Justified By It.

The Bible Is A Remarkable Fountain: The More One Draws And Drinks Of It, The More It Stimulates Thirst.

The Universities Only Ought To Turn Out Men Who Are Experts In The Holy Scriptures, Men Who Can Become Bishops And Priests, And Stand In The Front Line Against Heretics, The Devil, And All The World. But Where Do You Find That?

In The Midst Of The Affliction He Counsels, Strengthens Confirms, Nourishes, And Favors Us.... More Over, When We Have Repented, He Instantly Remits The Sins As Well As The Punishments. In The Same Manner Parents Ought To Handle Their Children.

Christ Is The Master; The Scriptures Are Only The Servant. The True Way To Test All The Books Is To See Whether They Work The Will Of Christ Or Not. No Book Which Does Not Preach Christ Can Be Apostolic, Though Peter Or Paul Were Its Author. And No Book Which Does Preach Christ Can Fail To Be Apostolic, Although Judas, Ananias, Pilate, Or Herod Were Its Author.

Oh, What Thoughts Man Might Have Had About The Fact That God Is In All Creatures, And So Might Have Reflected On The Power And The Wisdom Of God In Even The Smallest Flowers!

No Man Should Be Alone When He Opposes Satan. The Church And The Ministry Of The Word Were Instituted For This Purpose, That Hands May Be Joined Together And One May Help Another.

Whoever Drinks Beer, He Is Quick To Sleep; Whoever Sleeps Long, Does Not Sin; Whoever Does Not Sin, Enters Heaven! Thus, Let Us Drink Beer!

Let Us Not Flutter Too High, But Remain By The Manger And The Swaddling Clothes Of Christ, 'in Whom Dwelleth All The Fullness Of The Godhead Bodily.'

Even Like As St. Paul Was Converted, Just So Are All Others Converted; For We All Resist God, But The Holy Ghost Draws The Will Of Mankind, When He Pleases, Through Preaching.

It Is A Miracle How God Has So Long Preserved His Book! How Great And Glorious It Is To Have The Word Of God!

When Eve Was Brought Unto Adam, He Became Filled With The Holy Spirit, And Gave Her The Most Sanctified, The Most Glorious Of Appellations. He Called, Her Eva--that Is To Say, The Mother Of All. He Did Not Style Her Wife, But Simply Mother--mother Of All Living Creatures. In This Consists The Glory And The Most Precious Ornament Of Woman.

A Man Who Has No Part In The Grace Of God, Cannot Keep The Commandments Of God, Or Prepare Himself, Either Wholly Or In Part, To Receive Grace; But He Rests Of Necessity Under The Power Of Sin.

False Preachers Are Worse Than Deflowerers Of Virgins.

Christ And His Word Can Hardly Be Recognized Because Of The Great Vermin Of Human Ordinances. However, Let This Suffice For The Time Being On Their Lies Against Doctrine Or Faith.

Why Do You Rant And Brag With Such A Spate Of Words, As If You Wanted To Overwhelm Me With A Sort Of Tempest And Deluge Of Oratory-which Nevertheless Falls With The Greater Force On Your Own Head, While My Ark Rides Aloft In Safety?

Once Sure That The Doctrine We Teach Is God's Word, Once Certain Of This, We May Build Thereupon, And Know That This Cause Shall And Must Remain; The Devil Shall Not Be Able To Overthrow It, Much Less The World Be Able To Uproot It, How Fiercely Soever It Rage.

What Do We Older Folks Live For If Not For The Care Of The Young, To Teach And Train Them?

The Bible Is The Cradle Wherein Christ Is Laid.

Christian Inspirational

We Must Meet Hate With Love. We Must Meet Physical Force With Soul Force.

In This Revolution No Plans Have Been Written For Retreat.

May A Merciful God Preserve Me From A Christian Church In Which Everyone Is A Saint! I Want To Be And Remain In The Church And Little Flock Of The Fainthearted, The Feeble And The Ailing, Who Feel And Recognize The Wretchedness Of Their Sins, Who Sigh And Cry To God Incessantly For Comfort And Help, Who Believe In The Forgiveness Of Sins.

Trending Author

Martin Kippenberger

Category