Background Image

...

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.

-Martin Luther

...

Please Wait....
Translating....

I Cannot Choose But

Martin Luther

...

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.

Views: 8

Topic

More From Martin Luther

False Preachers Are Worse Than Deflowerers Of Virgins.

Know That No One Can Have Indulged In The Holy Writers Sufficiently, Unless He Has Governed Churches For A Hundred Years With The Prophets, Such As Elijah And Elisha, John The Baptist, Christ And The Apostles... We Are Beggars: This Is True.

Either Sin Is With You, Lying On Your Shoulders, Or It Is Lying On Christ, The Lamb Of God.

When God Contemplates Some Great Work, He Begins It By The Hand Of Some Poor, Weak, Human Creature, To Whom He Afterwards Gives Aid.

I Think These Things [firearms] Were Invented By Satan Himself, For They Can't Be Defended Against With (ordinary) Weapons And Fists. All Human Strength Vanishes When Confronted With Firearms. A Man Is Dead Before He Sees What's Coming.

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

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.

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.

The Human Heart Is Like A Millstone In A Mill: When You Put Wheat Under It, It Turns And Grinds And Bruises The Wheat To Flour; If You Put No Wheat, It Still Grinds On, But Then 'tis Itself It Grinds And Wears Away.

All Which Happens Through The Whole World Happens Through Hope. No Husbandman Would Sow A Grain Of Corn If He Did Not Hope It Would Spring Up And Bring Forth The Ear; How Much More We Are Helped On By Hope In The Eternal Life.

Indeed, To Spur Your Baal To Action, I Will Taunt And Challenge You ... To Create As Much As A Single Frog In The Name And By The Power Of Free Choice, Though The Heathen And Ungodly Magicians In Egypt Were Able To Create Many.... I Will Not Set You The Heavy Task Of Creating Lice, Which They Could Not Produce Either

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

We Come To The New Testament, Where Again A Host Of Imperative Verbs Is Mustered In Support Of That Miserable Bondage Of Free-choice, And The Aid Of Carnal Reason With Her Inferences And Similes Is Called In, Just As In A Picture Or A Dream You Might See The King Of The Flies With His Lances Of Straw And Shields Of Hay Arrayed Against A Real And Regular Army Of Seasoned Human Troops. That Is How The Human Dreams Of Diatribe Go To War With The Battalions Of Divine Words.

The Devil Should Not Be Allowed To Keep All The Best Tunes For Himself.

The Offering Of [the Body] Is Called A Spiritual Sacrifice Because It Is Freely Sacrificed Through The Spirit, The Christian Being Uninfluenced By The Constrainst Of The Low Or The Fear Of Hell.

A Fiery Shield Is God's Word; Of More Substance And Purer Than Gold, Which, Tried In The Fire, Loses Nought Of Its Substance, But Resists And Overcomes All The Fury Of The Fiery Heat; Even So, He That Believes God's Word Overcomes All, And Remains Secure Everlastingly, Against All Misfortunes; For This Shield Fears Nothing, Neither Hell Nor The Devil.

Let Whatsoever Will Or Can Befall Me, I Will Surely Cleave By My Sweet Savior Christ Jesus, For In Him Am I Baptized; I Can Neither Do Nor Know Anything But Only What He Has Taught Me.

... We Must Drive Them [jews] Out Like Mad Dogs, So That We Do Not Become Partakers Of Their Abominable Blasphemy And All The Their Other Vices And Thus Merit God's Wrath And Be Damned With Them.

One Learns More Of Christ In Being Married And Rearing Children Than In Several Lifetimes Spent In Study In A Monastery.

Music Is To Be Praised As Second Only To The Word Of God Because By Her All The Emotions Are Swayed. That Is Why There Are So Many Songs And Psalms. This Precious Gift Has Been Bestowed On Men Alone To Remind Them That They Are Created To Praise And Magnify The Lord.

Mary Was Not Only Holy. She Was Also The Mother Of The Lord.

There Is No Rustic So Rude But That, If He Dreams Or Fancies Anything, It Must Be The Whisper Of The Holy Ghost, And He Himself A Prophet.

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, A Bulwark Never Failing: Our Helper He Amid The Flood Of Mortal Ills Prevailing.

A Dairymaid Can Milk Cows To The Glory Of God

Even If I Knew That Tomorrow The World Would Go To Pieces, I Would Still Plant My Apple Tree.

But What Will Happen Even If We Do Burn Down The Jews Synagogues And Forbid Them Publicly To Praise God, To Pray, To Teach, To Utter God's Name? They Will Still Keep Doing It In Secret. If We Know That They Are Doing This In Secret, It Is The Same As If They Were Doing It Publicly. For Our Knowledge Of Their Secret Doings And Our Toleration Of Them Implies That They Are Not Secret After All And Thus Our Conscience Is Encumbered With It Before God.

I Must Remain A Child And Pupil Of The Catechism, And Am Glad So To Remain.

But Know That To Serve God Is Nothing Else Than To Serve Your Neighbor And Do Good To Him In Love, Be It A Child, Wife, Servant, Enemy, Friend....if You Do Not Find Yourself Among The Needy And The Poor, Where The Gospel Shows Us Christ, Then You May Know That Your Faith Is Not Right, And That You Have Not Yet Tasted Of Christ's Benevolence And Work For You.

It Is Necessary To Understand That Black Power Is A Cry Of Disappointment. The Black Power Slogan Did Not Spring Full Grown From The Head Of Some Philosophical Zeus. It Was Born From The Wounds Of Despair And Disappointment. It Is A Cry Of Daily Hurt And Persistent Pain.

They [rulers] Must Act Like A Good Physician Who, When Gangrene Has Set In Proceeds Without Mercy To Cut, Saw, And Burn Flesh, Veins, Bone, And Marrow. Such A Procedure Must Also Be Followed In This Instance. Burn Down Their Synagogues, Forbid All That I Enumerated Earlier, Force Them To Work, And Deal Harshly With Them, As Moses Did... If This Does Not Help We Must Drive Them Out Like Mad Dogs.

They Are Trying To Make Me Into A Fixed Star. I Am An Irregular Planet.

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.

Cannons And Fire-arms Are Cruel And Damnable Machines; I Believe Them To Have Been The Direct Suggestion Of The Devil. If Adam Had Seen In A Vision The Horrible Instruments His Children Were To Invent, He Would Have Died Of Grief.

Isaiah Calls The Church Barren Because Her Children Are Born Without Effort By The Word Of Faith Through The Spirit Of God. It Is A Matter Of Birth, Not Of Exertion.

Blessed Is The Man That Hath Not Walked In The Way Of The Sacramentarians, Nor Sat In The Seat Of The Zwinglians, Nor Followed The Council Of The Zurichers.

Daily There Have To Be Many Troubles And Trials In Every House, City, And Country. No Station In Life Is Free Of Suffering And Pain, Both From Your Own, Like Your Wife Or Children Or Household Help Or Subjects, And From The Outside, From Your Neighbors And All Sorts Of Accidental Trouble.

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

Divinity Consists In Use And Practice, Not In Speculation.

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

The Less I Pray, The Harder It Gets; The More I Pray, The Better It Goes.

Christians Fight Best On Their Knees. Whatever Good May Be Done Is Done And Brought About By Prayer.

Faith Is A Living, Bold Trust In God's Grace, So Certain Of God's Favour That It Would Risk Death A Thousand Times Trusting In It. Such Confidence And Knowledge Of God's Grace Makes You Happy, Joyful And Bold In Your Relationship To God And All Creatures. The Holy Spirit Makes This Happen Through Faith. Because Of It, You Freely, Willingly And Joyfully Do Good To Everyone, Serve Everyone, Suffer All Kinds Of Things, Love And Praise The God Who Has Shown You Such Grace.

All Laws And Philosophy Merely Tell Us What Should Be Done, But They Do Not Provide The Strength To Do It.

Justice Is A Temporary Thing That Must At Last Come To An End; But The Conscience Is Eternal And Will Never Die.

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

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.

Pray, And Let God Worry.

People Give Ear To An Upstart Astrologer [copernicus]...this Fool Wishes To Reverse The Entire Science Of Astronomy

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.

God Wants Us To Pray, And He Wants To Hear Our Prayers-not Because We Are Worthy, But Because He Is Merciful.

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.

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

All Our Work In The Field, In The Garden, In The City, In The Home, In Struggle, In Government-to What Does It All Amount Before God Except Child's Play, By Means Of Which God Is Pleased To Give His Gifts In The Field, At Home, And Everywhere? These Are The Masks Of Our Lord God, Behind Which He Wants To Be Hidden And To Do All Things.

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.

So It Is With Human Reason, Which Strives Not Against Faith, When Enlightened, But Rather Furthers And Advances It.

So Tenaciously Should We Cling To The World Revealed By The Gospel, That Were I To See All The Angels Of Heaven Coming Down To Me To Tell Me Something Different, Not Only Would I Not Be Tempted To Doubt A Single Syllable, But I Would Shut My Eyes And Stop My Ears, For They Would Not Deserve To Be Either Seen Or Heard.

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.

Men Are So Delving Into The Mysteries Of Things That Today A Boy Of Twenty Knows More Than Twenty Doctors Formerly Knew.

I Put The Scriptures Above All The Sayings Of The Fathers, Angels, Men And Devils. Here I Take My Stand.

Whoever Does Not Know God Hidden In Suffering Does Not Know God At All.

We Are At Fault For Not Slaying The Jews.

The Son Of God Did Not Want To Be Seen And Found In Heaven. Therefore He Descended From Heaven Into This Humility And Came To Us In Our Flesh, Laid Himself Into The Womb Of His Mother And Into The Manger And Went On To The Cross. This Was The Ladder That He Placed On Earth So That We Might Ascend To God On It. This Is The Way You Must Take.

Where The Battle Rages, There The Loyalty Of The Soldier Is Proved; And To Be Steady On All The Battlefield Besides, Is Mere Flight And Disgrace If He Flinches At That Point.

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 God Whom We Worship Is Not A Weak And Incompetent God. He Is Able To Beat Back Gigantic Waves Of Opposition And To Bring Low Prodigious Mountains Of Evil. The Ringing Testimony Of The Christian Faith Is That God Is Able.

Christian Living Does Not Mean To Be Good But To Become Good; Not To Be Well, But To Get Well; Not Being But Becoming; Nor Rest But Training. We Are Not Yet, But We Shall Be. It Has Not Yet Happened, But It Is The Way. Not Everything Shines And Sparkles As Yet, But Everything Is Getting Better.

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.

Original Sin Is In Us Like Our Beard. We Are Shaved Today And Look Clean; Tomorrow Our Beard Has Grown Again, Nor Does It Cease Growing While We Remain On Earth. In Like Manner Original Sin Cannot Be Extirpated From Us; It Springs Up In Us As Long As We Live.

Someone Asked Luther, "do You Feel That You've Been Forgiven?" He Answered, "no, But I'm As Sure As There's A God In Heaven!"

It Is Impossible To Separate Works From Faith- Yea, Just As Impossible As To Separate Burning And Shining From Fire.

The Winds Are Nothing Else But Good Or Bad Spirits. Hark! How The Devil Is Puffing And Blowing.

God Foreknows Nothing By Contingency, But That He Foresees, Purposes, And Does All Things According To His Immutable, Eternal, And Infallible Will. By This Thunderbolt, "free-will" Is Thrown Prostrate, And Utterly Dashed To Pieces.

No Gown Worse Becomes A Woman Than The Desire To Be Wise.

We Must Make A Great Difference Between God's Word And The Word Of Man. A Man's Word Is A Little Sound, That Flies Into The Air, And Soon Vanishes; But The Word Of God Is Greater Than Heaven And Earth, Yea, Greater Than Death And Hell, For It Forms Part Of The Power Of God, And Endures Everlastingly.

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

The Article Of Justification Is Fragile. Not In Itself, Of Course, But In Us. I Know How Quickly A Person Can Forfeit The Joy Of The Gospel.

The Great Event On Calvary . . . Is An Eternal Reminder To A Power Drunk Generation That Love Is The Most Durable Power In The World, And That It Is At Bottom The Heartbeat Of The Moral Cosmos. Only Through Achieving This Love Can You Expect To Matriculate Into The University Of Eternal Life.

A Theologian Is Born By Living, Nay Dying And Being Damned, Not By Thinking, Reading, Or Speculating.

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.

When I Am Angry I Can Pray Well And Preach Well.

I [i.e., God] Have Given You Baptism As A Gift For The Forgiveness Of Sins, And Preach To You Unceasingly By Word Of Mouth Concerning This Treasure, Sealing It With The Sacrament Of My Body And Blood, So That You Need Never Doubt. True, It Seems Little And Insignificant That By The Washing Of Water, The Word, And The Sacrament This Should All Be Effected. But Don't Let Your Eyes Deceive You.

He That Will Maintain That Man's Free Will Is Able To Do Or Work Anything In Spiritual Cases, Be They Never So Small, Denies Christ.

Faith Is The Yes Of The Heart.

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

Our Lord Has Written The Promise Of Resurrection, Not In Books Alone, But In Every Leaf In Springtime.

The State Of Matrimony Is The Chief In The World After Religion; But People Shun It Because Of Its Inconveniences, Like One Who, Running Out Of The Rain, Falls Into The River.

Ultimately, However, Conflict Lies Not In Objective Reality, But In People's Heads. Truth Is Simple One Argument - Perhaps A Good One, Perhaps Not - For Dealing With The Difference. The Difference Itself Exists Because It Exists In Their Thinking.

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.

The Faith Towards God In Christ Must Be Sure And Steadfast, That It May Solace And Make Glad The Conscience, And Put It To Rest. When A Man Has This Certainty, He Has Overcome The Serpent; But If He Be Doubtful Of The Doctrine, It Is For Him Very Dangerous To Dispute With The Devil.

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

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.

My Heart, Which Is So Full To Overflowing, Has Often Been Solaced And Refreshed By Music When Sick And Weary.

We Believe That The Very Beginning And End Of Salvation, And The Sum Of Christianity, Consists Of Faith In Christ, Who By His Blood Alone, And Not By Any Works Of Ours, Has Put Away Sin, And Destroyed The Power Of Death.

Beginnings And Ends

Like The Early Christians, We Must Move Into A Sometime Hostile World Armed With The Revolutionary Gospel Of Jesus Christ. With This Powerful Gospel We Shall Boldly Challenge The Status Quo.

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.

Forgiveness Is God's Command.

The Mass Is The Greatest Blasphemy Of God, And The Highest Idolatry Upon Earth, An Abomination The Like Of Which Has Never Been In Christendom Since The Time Of The Apostles.

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.

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

I Am Bound By The Texts Of The Bible, My Conscience Is Captive To The Word Of God, I Neither Can Nor Will Recant Anything, Since It Is Neither Right Nor Safe To Act Against My Conscience.

Peter Erred In Life And In Doctrine. Paul Might Have Dismissed Peter's Error As A Matter Of No Consequence. But Paul Saw That Peter's Error Would Lead To The Damage Of The Whole Church Unless It Were Corrected. Therefore He Withstood Peter To His Face. The Church, Peter, The Apostles, Angels From Heaven, Are Not To Be Heard Unless They Teach The Genuine Word Of God.

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.

Our Lord God Doesn't Do Great Things Except By Violence, As They Say

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.

This Is The Reason Why Our Theology Is Certain: Because It Seizes Us From Ourselves And Places Us Outside Ourselves.

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

Be Thou Comforted, Little Dog, Thou Too In Resurrection Shall Have A Little Golden Tail.

Resurrection Of Jesus Christ

When We Are Inclined To Boast Of Our Position [as Christians] We Should Remember That We Are But Gentiles, While The Jews Are Of The Lineage Of Christ. We Are Aliens And In-laws; They Are Blood Relatives, Cousins, And Brothers Of Our Lord. Therefore, If One Is To Boast Of Flesh And Blood The Jews Are Actually Nearer To Christ Than We Are.

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.

Our Office...subjects Us To Great Burdens And Labors, Dangers And Temptations, With Little Reward Or Gratitude From The World. But Christ Himself Will Be Our Reward If We Labor Faithfully.

We Are Nothing With All Our Gifts Be They Ever So Great, Except God Assist Us.

Earth Has Nothing More Tender Than A Woman's Heart When It Is The Abode Of Piety.

This Error Of Free Will Is A Special Doctrine Of The Antichrist.

There Can Be No Be No Better Instruction... Than That Every Man Who Is To Deal With His Neighbor To Follow These Commandments. 'whatsoever Ye Would That Others Should Do Unto You, Do Ye Also Unto Them,' And 'love Thy Neighbor As Thyself.' If These Were Always Followed, Then Everything Would Instruct And Arrange Itself; Then No Law Books Nor Courts Nor Judicial Actions Would Be Required. All Things Would Quietly And Simply Be Set To Rights, For Everyone's Heart And Conscience Would Guide Them.

In His Life Christ Is An Example Showing Us How To Live In His Death He Is A Sacrifice Satisfying Our Sins In His Resurrection A Conqueror In His Ascension A King In His Intercession A High Priest.

When My Heart Is Cold And I Cannot Pray As I Should I Scourge Myself With The Thought Of The Impiety And Ingratitude Of My Enemies, The Pope And His Accomplices And Vermin, And Zwingli, So That My Heart Swells With The Righteous Indignation And Hatred And I Can Say With Warmth And Vehemence: 'holy Be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done!' And The Hotter I Grow The More Ardent Do My Prayers Become.

Some People Need A Fig-leaf On Their Mouths.

If Obedience Is Not Rendered In The Homes, We Shall Never Have A Whole City, Country, Principality, Or Kingdom Well Governed. For This Order In The Homes Is The First Rule; It Is The Source Of All Other Rule And Government.

Jesus Christ Never Died For Our Good Works. They Were Not Worth Dying For. But He Gave Himself For Our Sins, According To The Scriptures.

Merit Is A Work For The Sake Of Which Christ Gives Rewards. But No Such Work Is To Be Found, For Christ Gives By Promise. Just As If A Prince Should Say To Me, "come To Me In My Castle, And I Will Give You A Hundred Florins." I Do A Work, Certainly, In Going To The Castle, But The Gift Is Not Given Me As The Reward Of My Work In Going, But Because The Prince Promised It To Me.

Those With Prodigious Skill In Music Are Better Suited For All Things.

A Simple Layman Armed With Scripture Is Greater Than The Mightiest Pope Without It

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

The Hair Is The Richest Ornament Of Women.

You May As Well Quit Reading And Hearing The Word Of God, And Give It To The Devil, If You Do Not Desire To Live According To It.

If I Had To Baptise A Jew, I Would Take Him To The Bridge Of The Elbe, Hang A Stone Around His Neck And Push Him Over With The Words 'i Baptise Thee In The Name Of Abraham'.

I Am Not Permitted To Let My Love Be So Merciful As To Tolerate And Endure False Doctrine. When Faith And Doctrine Are Concerned And Endangered, Neither Love Nor Patience Are In Order....when These Are Concerned, Neither Toleration Nor Mercy Are In Order, But Only Anger, Dispute, And Destruction - To Be Sure, Only With The Word Of God As Our Weapon.

Faith Cannot Be Inherited Or Gained By Being Baptized Into A Church. Faith Is A Matter Between The Individual And God.

Reason Should Be Destroyed In All Christians.

Undoubtedly They Do More And Viler Things Than Those Which We Know And Discover

The Devil, It Is True, Is Not Exactly A Doctor Who Has Taken Degrees, But He Is Very Learned, Very Expert For All That. He Has Not Been Carrying On His Business During Thousands Of Years For Nothing.

Christ Took Our Sins And The Sins Of The Whole World As Well As The Father's Wrath On His Shoulders, And He Has Drowned Them Both In Himself So That We Are Thereby Reconciled To God And Become Completely Righteous.

Look To It That You Do Not Try To Do All Of It, Do Not Try To Do Too Much, Lest Your Spirit Grow Weary. Besides, A Good Prayer Mustn't Be Too Long. Do Not Draw It Out. Prayer Ought To Be Frequent And Fervent.

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.

You Should Point To The Whole Man Jesus And Say, That Is God.

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!

Wer Nicht Liebt Wein,weib Und Gesang, Der Bleibt Ein Narr Sein Leben Lang. Who Loves Not Woman, Wine And Song Remains A Fool His Whole Life Long.

The Heart Of Religion Lies In Its Personal Pronouns.

Lord God, I Thank Thee That Thou Hast Been Pleased To Make Me A Poor And Indigent Man Upon Earth. I Have Neither House Nor Land Nor Money, To Leave Behind Me. Thou Hast Given Me Wife And Children, Whom I Now Restore To Thee. Lord, Nourish, Teach, And Preserve Them As Thou Hast Me.

Christ Designed That The Day Of His Coming Should Be Hid From Us, That Being In Suspense, We Might Be As It Were Upon The Watch.

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.

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

Do Not Suppose That Abuses Are Eliminated By Destroying The Object Which Is Abused. Men Can Go Wrong With Wine And Women. Shall We Then Prohibit And Abolish Women? The Sun, The Moon, And The Stars Have Been Worshiped. Shall We Then Pluck Them Out Of The Sky? ...see How Much He [god] Has Been Able To Accomplish Through Me, Though I Did No More Than Pray And Preach. The Word Did It All. Had I Wished I Might Have Started A Conflagration At Worms. But While I Sat Still And Drank Beer With Philip And Amsdorf, God Dealt The Papacy A Mighty Blow.

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.

God Is Not A God Of Sadness, Death, Etc., But The Devil Is. Christ Is A God Of Joy, And So The Scriptures Often Say That We Should Rejoice ... A Christian Should And Must Be A Cheerful Person.

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

The Conscience Is Eternal And Never Dies. Peace If Possible, But Truth At Any Rate.

God Himself Will Milk The Cows Through Him Whose Vocation That Is.

An Angel Is A Spiritual Creature Created By God Without A Body, For The Service Of Christendom And Of The Church.

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.

Come, Let Us Sing A Psalm, And Drive Away The Devil.

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

The Saved Are Singled Out Not By Their Own Merits, But By The Grace Of The Mediator.

Next To Theology I Give To Music The Highest Place And Honor. And We See How David And All The Saints Have Wrought Their Godly Thoughts Into Verse, Rhyme, And Song.

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.

Nothing Is Easier Than Sinning.

Sin Cannot Tear You Away From Him [christ] Even Though You Commit Adultery A Hundred Times A Day And Commit As Many Murders.

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.

I Have Undertaken To Translate The Bible Into German. This Was Good For Me; Otherwise I Might Have Died In The Mistaken Notion That I Was A Learned Fellow.

Hereby We May Understand That God, Of His Special Grace, Maketh The Teachers Of The Gospel Subject To The Cross, And To All Kinds Of Afflicitons, For The Salvation Of Themselves And Of The People; For Otherwise They Could By No Means Beat Down This Beast Which Is Called Vain-glory.

Faith Is A Living, Daring, Confidence In God's Grace.

The Devil Can So Completely Assume The Human Form, When He Wants To Deceive Us, That We May Well Lie With What Seems To Be A Woman, Of Real Flesh And Blood, And Yet All The While 'tis Only The Devil In The Shape Of A Woman. 'tis The Same With Women, Who May Think That A Man Is In Bed With Them, Yet 'tis Only The Devil; And...the Result Of This Connection Is Oftentimes An Imp Of Darkness, Half Mortal, Half Devil.

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.

It Is The Nature Of All Hypocrites And False Prophets To Create A Conscience Where There Is None, And To Cause Conscience To Disappear Where It Does Exist.

For God Is Not Gracious And Merciful To Sinners To The End That They Might Not Keep His Law, Nor That They Should Remain As They Were Before They Received Grace And Mercy; But He Condones And Forgives Both Sin And Death For The Sake Of Christ, Who Has Fulfilled The Whole Law In Order Thereby To Make The Heart Sweet And Through The Holy Spirit To Kindle And Move The Heart To Begin To Love From Day To Day More And More.

When Questioned Whether The Blessed Will Not Be Saddened By Seeing Their Nearest And Dearest Tortured Answers, "not In The Least."

Peace If Possible, Truth At All Costs.

The Best Way To Get Rid Of The Devil, If You Cannot Kill It With The Words Of Holy Scripture, Is To Rail At And Mock Him. Music, Too, Is Very Good; Music Is Hateful To Him, And Drives Him Far Away.

The Multitude Of Books Is A Great Evil. There Is No Limit To This Fever For Writing.

When Some Say That Good Works Are Forbidden When We Preach Faith Alone, It Is As If I Said To A Sick Man: "if You Had Health, You Would Have The Use Of All Your Limbs; But Without Health, The Works Of All Your Limbs Are Nothing"; And He Wanted To Infer That I Had Forbidden The Works Of All His Limbs.

What Shall We Do With...the Jews?...their Homes Also Should Be Razed And Destroyed.

Glory To God In Highest Heaven, Who Unto Man His Son Hath Given; While Angels Sing With Tender Mirth, A Glad New Year To All The Earth.

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.

This Doctrine (justification) Is The Head And The Cornerstone. It Alone Begets, Nourishes, Builds, Preserves, And Defends The Church Of God And Without It The Church Of God Cannot Exist For One Hour.

The God Of This World Is Riches, Pleasure And Pride.

If The Earth Is Fit For Laughter Then Surely Heaven Is Filled With It. Heaven Is The Birthplace Of Laughter.

For All Works And Things, Which Are Either Commanded Or Forbidden By God And Thus Have Been Instituted By The Supreme Majesty, Are 'musts.' Nevertheless, No One Should Be Dragged To Them Or Away From Them By The Hair, For I Can Drive No Man To Heaven Or Beat Him Into It With A Club.

It Is An Unsufferable Blasphemy To Reject The Public Ministry Or To Say That People Can Become Holy Without Sermons And Church. This Involves A Destruction Of The Church And Rebellion Against Ecclesiastical Order; Such Upheavals Must Be Warded Off And Punished Like All Other Revolts.

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.

Grace Was Not Given To Heal The Spiritually Sick But To Decorate Spiritual Heroes!

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.

The Gospel Is Nothing Less Than Laughter And Joy.

Laughter And Joy

Whoever Has Skill In Music Is Of Good Temperament And Fitted For All Things. We Must Teach Music In Schools.

...hope Endures And Overcomes Misfortune And Evil.

Each Betrayal Begins With Trust.

Betraying Friends

The Holy Spirit Has A Way Of His Own To Say Much In Few Words.

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

Blessed Is He Who Submits To The Will Of God; He Can Never Be Unhappy.

If I Had To Refute All The Other Articles Of The Jewish Faith, I Should Be Obliged To Write Against Them As Much And For As Long A Time As They Have Used For Inventing Their Lies - That Is, Longer Than Two Thousand Years.

Who Waits Until Circumstances Completely Favor His Undertaking, Will Never Accomplish Anything.

Procrastination

Faith Does Not Inquire Whether There Are Good Works To Be Done, But Even Before Asking Questions, Faith Has Done The Works Already.

Asking Questions

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

A Christian Has No Need Of Any Law In Order To Be Saved, Since Through Faith We Are Free From Every Law. Thus All The Acts Of A Christian Are Done Spontaneously, Out Of A Sense Of Pure Liberty.

We Need To Pledge Ourselves Anew To The Cause Of Christ. We Must Capture The Spirit Of The Early Church. Wherever The Early Christians Went, They Made A Triumphant Witness For Christ. Whether On The Village Streets Or In The City Jails, They Daringly Proclaimed The Good News Of The Gospel.

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

It Is Neither Safe Nor Prudent To Do Anything Against Conscience.

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

Albert Durer, The Famous Painter, Used To Say He Had No Pleasure In Pictures That Were Painted With Many Colors, But In Those Which Were Painted With A Choice Simplicity. So It Is With Me As To Sermons.

God Uses Lust To Impel Men To Marry, Ambition To Office, Avarice To Earning, And Fear To Faith. God Led Me Like An Old Blind Goat.

All The Passages In The Holy Scriptures That Mention Assistance Are They That Do Away With "free-will", And These Are Countless...for Grace Is Needed, And The Help Of Grace Is Given, Because "free-will" Can Do Nothing.

Trending Author

Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Category