Lutheran Community of Grace

Untitled document

“For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment,
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14)

Martin Luther quotes...
... Christmas Eternal death and God's wrath take us by the throat; we are never at peace but constantly plagued in body and soul here on earth, making it an enormous, woeful, fear-ridden kingdom of the devil. If we rightly think about it, however, such pitiful, heart-rending calamity in no way compares with the glory of this precious treasure and joy of a Savior.... And with this message the angel wants earnestly to divert our eyes and hearts from our devil-induced grief and sorry condition to this child.... When this joyous image reigns in a person's heart, then the evil launched by the devil becomes as nothing, though indeed always still very real and damaging. Whoever, therefore, desires to...be safe from the devil's poison...must rivet his attention on these wonderfully comforting words...'unto you a Savior is born'. Luther's House Postils, ed. E. Klug (Baker, 1996) 1.110-111 ... church The church is the daughter who is born from the Word; she is not the mother of the Word. LW 2:101 ... church In our time, whenever the pope does not have the authority of the scriptures on his side, he always uses this same single argument against us: 'The church, the church!'.... With might and main he insists that the church can never be destroyed or overthrown. This argument persuades many people. With these and similar arguments these false apostles impressed the Galatians, so that Paul lost his authority among them and his doctrine came under suspicion. LW 26:15 ... church Doctrine directs us and shows the way to heaven.... We can be saved without love...but not without pure doctrine and faith.... The evil would dearly love to corrupt and overthrew these; that is why it attacks us so cleverly with this specious argument about not offending against love and the harmony among the churches. LW 27:41-2 ... church For the church was born by the word of promise through faith, and by this same word is nourished and preserved. That is to say, it is the promises of God that make the church, and not the church that makes the promise of God. For the Word of God is incomparably superior to the church, and in the Word the church, being a creature, has nothing to decree, ordain, or make, but only to be decreed, ordained, and made. For who begets his own parent? Who first brings forth his own maker? LW 36:107 ... church We are presented here with an example that enables us to know for a certainty it is an accursed like that the pope is the arbiter of Scripture or that the church has authority over scripture. This is what the canonists and commentators on the Sentences have wickedly declared, on the following basis: 'The church has approved only four gospels, and therefore there are only four. For if it had approved more, there would have been more. Since the church has the right to accept and approve as many gospels as it wishes, it follows that the church is superior to the gospels.' What a splendid argument! I approve scripture. Therefore I am superior to scripture. John the Baptist acknowledges and confesses Christ. He points to him with his finger. Therefore he is superior to Christ. The church approves Christian faith and doctrine. Therefore the church is superior to them. LW 26:57 ... church “There are now some despicable, vexatious people who in a very scornful way reproach holy Christendom because so much discord, so many sects, so much error, heresy, and offense are to be found in it, as if, for that reason, teaching the gospel could properly be deemed false and wrong (inasmuch as Christendom ought to be harmonious and peaceful). These are wise, excellent people indeed, since they are able to teach the Holy Spirit how he ought to rule the Christian Church! Yes, how much better it would be if the devil did not insist on biting Christ’s heel, or if he was made to desist from doing that! Then a quiet, peaceful church could easily become a reality. But since the devil is at present Christ’s enemy and never stops creating strife, sects, and rebellions in the church, one is doing violence to the dear church by blaming it for this discord and undisciplined state of affairs. It does not cause them, but, on the contrary, is obliged to suffer them.” LW 34 III-212 ... kingdom of God “These things are, I think, sufficiently established by that one saying of Christ I have just quoted from Matthew 25[:34]: ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ How can they merit that which is already theirs and is prepared for them before they are born? We could more truly say that the Kingdom of God merits us as its possessors rather, and thus place merit where they place reward and reward where they place merit. For the Kingdom is not being prepared, but has been prepared, while the sons of the Kingdom are being prepared, not preparing the Kingdom; that is to say, the Kingdom merits the sons, not the sons the Kingdom.” LW 31:352 ... salvation as total exchange Is not this a joyous exchange...the rich, noble, pious bridegroom Christ takes this poor, despised, wicked little harlot in marriage, redeems her of all evil and adorns her with all his goods? LW 31:352 ... salvation as total exchange Therefore Paul would like to draw us away completely from looking at the law, sin, and death, and other evil things, and to transfer us to Christ, in order that there we might see this very joyous duel: the law battling against the law, in order to become liberty to me; sin battling against sin, in order to become righteousness to me; death battling against death, in order that I might have life. For Christ is my devil against the devil, that I might be a son of God; he destroys hell, that I might have the kingdom of heaven. LW 26:24 ... salvation as total exchange John the Baptist called Christ 'the Lamb of God' (John1:29). He is, of course, innocent because he is the Lamb of God without spot or blemish. But because he bears the sins of the world, his innocence is pressed down with the sins and the guilt of the entire world. Whatever sins I, you, and all of us have committed or may commit in the future, they are as much Christ's own as if he himself had committed them. In short, our sin must be Christ's own sin, or we shall perish eternally... Isaiah 53:6 speaks the same way about Christ. It says: 'God has laid on him the iniquity of us all.' These words must not be diluted but must be left in their precise and serious sense. For God is not joking in the words of the prophet; he is speaking seriously and out of great love, namely, that this Lamb of God, Christ, should bear the iniquity of us all. LW 26:278-79	... salvation as total exchange Our comfort is that we must not suppose Christ to be an idle king, raised again and glorified for his own sake alone. But we should learn he is the fountain of justice and the head of truth, life, and all good things--and the kind of fountain that causes life to flow in those who are marked by death, and righteousness in those who are oppressed by sin. LW 12:147 ... salvation as total exchange Beware of striving after such purity that you are not willing to appear as or even to be the sinner you are.... Only in him, with complete despair in yourselves and your works, will you find peace; learn above all from this that he takes on you and your sins and gives to you his righteousness. WA Br 1:35; 24-27 ... salvation as total exchange A testament...is a promise made by one about to die in which he designates his bequest and appoints his heirs.... If you have a letter and seal and believe, desire, and seek it [your inheritance], it must be given to you even though you were scaly, scabby, stinking, and most filthy. LW 35:88 ... salvation as total exchange Just as the patient who is too anxious to recover can surely have a serious relapse, we must also be healed gradually and for a while put up with certain weaknesses.... For Christ carries all our sins, and thus they are no longer ours but his, and his righteousness in turn is ours. LW 25:254 ... scripture Here [in the Old Testament] you will find the swaddling cloths and the manger in which Christ lies, and to which the angel points the shepherds. Simple and lowly are these swaddling cloths, but dear is the treasure, Christ, who lies in them. LW 35:236 ... scripture The Holy Spirit is no skeptic, and it is not doubts and opinions that he has written on our hearts but assertions more sure and certain than life itself and all experience. LW 33:24 ... scripture Take Christ out of the scriptures, and what will you find left in them? LW 33:26 ... scripture Whoever wants to read the Bible must make sure he is not wrong, for the scriptures can easily be stretched and guided, but no one should guide them according to his emotions; he should lead them to the well, that is to the cross of Christ, then he will certainly be right and cannot fail. WA 1.52, 15-18 ... scripture All upright sacred books agree on one thing, that they all collectively preach and promote Christ. Likewise, the true criterion for criticizing all books is to see whether they promote Christ or not, since all scripture manifests Christ. Whatever does not teach Christ is not apostolic, even if Peter and Paul should teach it. On the other hand, whatever preaches Christ is apostolic, even if Judas, Annas, Pilate, and Herod should do it! LW 35:396 ... scripture Scripture is not to be understood as against, but for Christ, hence it either refers to him, or is not to be reckoned true scripture.... For if opponents have pleaded scripture against Christ, let us plead Christ against scripture. LW 34:112

Martin Luther quotes...

... Christmas
Eternal death and God's wrath take us by the throat; we are never at peace but constantly plagued in body and soul here on earth, making it an enormous, woeful, fear-ridden kingdom of the devil. If we rightly think about it, however, such pitiful, heart-rending calamity in no way compares with the glory of this precious treasure and joy of a Savior.... And with this message the angel wants earnestly to divert our eyes and hearts from our devil-induced grief and sorry condition to this child.... When this joyous image reigns in a person's heart, then the evil launched by the devil becomes as nothing, though indeed always still very real and damaging. Whoever, therefore, desires to...be safe from the devil's poison...must rivet his attention on these wonderfully comforting words...'unto you a Savior is born'.
Luther's House Postils, ed. E. Klug (Baker, 1996) 1.110-111

... church
The church is the daughter who is born from the Word; she is not the mother of the Word.
LW 2:101

... church
In our time, whenever the pope does not have the authority of the scriptures on his side, he always uses this same single argument against us: 'The church, the church!'.... With might and main he insists that the church can never be destroyed or overthrown. This argument persuades many people. With these and similar arguments these false apostles impressed the Galatians, so that Paul lost his authority among them and his doctrine came under suspicion.
LW 26:15

... church
Doctrine directs us and shows the way to heaven.... We can be saved without love...but not without pure doctrine and faith.... The evil would dearly love to corrupt and overthrew these; that is why it attacks us so cleverly with this specious argument about not offending against love and the harmony among the churches.
LW 27:41-2

... church
For the church was born by the word of promise through faith, and by this same word is nourished and preserved. That is to say, it is the promises of God that make the church, and not the church that makes the promise of God. For the Word of God is incomparably superior to the church, and in the Word the church, being a creature, has nothing to decree, ordain, or make, but only to be decreed, ordained, and made. For who begets his own parent? Who first brings forth his own maker?
LW 36:107

... church
We are presented here with an example that enables us to know for a certainty it is an accursed like that the pope is the arbiter of Scripture or that the church has authority over scripture. This is what the canonists and commentators on the Sentences have wickedly declared, on the following basis: 'The church has approved only four gospels, and therefore there are only four. For if it had approved more, there would have been more. Since the church has the right to accept and approve as many gospels as it wishes, it follows that the church is superior to the gospels.' What a splendid argument! I approve scripture. Therefore I am superior to scripture. John the Baptist acknowledges and confesses Christ. He points to him with his finger. Therefore he is superior to Christ. The church approves Christian faith and doctrine. Therefore the church is superior to them.
LW 26:57

... church
“There are now some despicable, vexatious people who in a very scornful way reproach holy Christendom because so much discord, so many sects, so much error, heresy, and offense are to be found in it, as if, for that reason, teaching the gospel could properly be deemed false and wrong (inasmuch as Christendom ought to be harmonious and peaceful). These are wise, excellent people indeed, since they are able to teach the Holy Spirit how he ought to rule the Christian Church! Yes, how much better it would be if the devil did not insist on biting Christ’s heel, or if he was made to desist from doing that! Then a quiet, peaceful church could easily become a reality. But since the devil is at present Christ’s enemy and never stops creating strife, sects, and rebellions in the church, one is doing violence to the dear church by blaming it for this discord and undisciplined state of affairs. It does not cause them, but, on the contrary, is obliged to suffer them.”
LW 34 III-212

... kingdom of God
“These things are, I think, sufficiently established by that one saying of Christ I have just quoted from Matthew 25[:34]: ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ How can they merit that which is already theirs and is prepared for them before they are born? We could more truly say that the Kingdom of God merits us as its possessors rather, and thus place merit where they place reward and reward where they place merit. For the Kingdom is not being prepared, but has been prepared, while the sons of the Kingdom are being prepared, not preparing the Kingdom; that is to say, the Kingdom merits the sons, not the sons the Kingdom.”
LW 31:352

... salvation as total exchange
Is not this a joyous exchange...the rich, noble, pious bridegroom Christ takes this poor, despised, wicked little harlot in marriage, redeems her of all evil and adorns her with all his goods?
LW 31:352

... salvation as total exchange
Therefore Paul would like to draw us away completely from looking at the law, sin, and death, and other evil things, and to transfer us to Christ, in order that there we might see this very joyous duel: the law battling against the law, in order to become liberty to me; sin battling against sin, in order to become righteousness to me; death battling against death, in order that I might have life. For Christ is my devil against the devil, that I might be a son of God; he destroys hell, that I might have the kingdom of heaven.
LW 26:24

... salvation as total exchange
John the Baptist called Christ 'the Lamb of God' (John1:29). He is, of course, innocent because he is the Lamb of God without spot or blemish. But because he bears the sins of the world, his innocence is pressed down with the sins and the guilt of the entire world. Whatever sins I, you, and all of us have committed or may commit in the future, they are as much Christ's own as if he himself had committed them. In short, our sin must be Christ's own sin, or we shall perish eternally... Isaiah 53:6 speaks the same way about Christ. It says: 'God has laid on him the iniquity of us all.' These words must not be diluted but must be left in their precise and serious sense. For God is not joking in the words of the prophet; he is speaking seriously and out of great love, namely, that this Lamb of God, Christ, should bear the iniquity of us all.
LW 26:278-79

... salvation as total exchange
Our comfort is that we must not suppose Christ to be an idle king, raised again and glorified for his own sake alone. But we should learn he is the fountain of justice and the head of truth, life, and all good things--and the kind of fountain that causes life to flow in those who are marked by death, and righteousness in those who are oppressed by sin.
LW 12:147

... salvation as total exchange
Beware of striving after such purity that you are not willing to appear as or even to be the sinner you are.... Only in him, with complete despair in yourselves and your works, will you find peace; learn above all from this that he takes on you and your sins and gives to you his righteousness.
WA Br 1:35; 24-27

... salvation as total exchange
A testament...is a promise made by one about to die in which he designates his bequest and appoints his heirs.... If you have a letter and seal and believe, desire, and seek it [your inheritance], it must be given to you even though you were scaly, scabby, stinking, and most filthy.
LW 35:88

... salvation as total exchange
Just as the patient who is too anxious to recover can surely have a serious relapse, we must also be healed gradually and for a while put up with certain weaknesses.... For Christ carries all our sins, and thus they are no longer ours but his, and his righteousness in turn is ours.
LW 25:254

... scripture
Here [in the Old Testament] you will find the swaddling cloths and the manger in which Christ lies, and to which the angel points the shepherds. Simple and lowly are these swaddling cloths, but dear is the treasure, Christ, who lies in them.
LW 35:236

... scripture
The Holy Spirit is no skeptic, and it is not doubts and opinions that he has written on our hearts but assertions more sure and certain than life itself and all experience.
LW 33:24

... scripture
Take Christ out of the scriptures, and what will you find left in them?
LW 33:26

... scripture
Whoever wants to read the Bible must make sure he is not wrong, for the scriptures can easily be stretched and guided, but no one should guide them according to his emotions; he should lead them to the well, that is to the cross of Christ, then he will certainly be right and cannot fail.
WA 1.52, 15-18

... scripture
All upright sacred books agree on one thing, that they all collectively preach and promote Christ. Likewise, the true criterion for criticizing all books is to see whether they promote Christ or not, since all scripture manifests Christ. Whatever does not teach Christ is not apostolic, even if Peter and Paul should teach it. On the other hand, whatever preaches Christ is apostolic, even if Judas, Annas, Pilate, and Herod should do it!
LW 35:396

... scripture
Scripture is not to be understood as against, but for Christ, hence it either refers to him, or is not to be reckoned true scripture.... For if opponents have pleaded scripture against Christ, let us plead Christ against scripture.
LW 34:112

Untitled document

“For freedom Christ has set us free” - Galatians 5:1