Quotes from Martin Luther

we shouldn't attribute the power of justification to something formed in us that makes us pleasing to God. We must attribute it to faith, which takes hold of Christ the Savior and keeps him in our hearts. This faith justifies us apart from love and prior to love. We concede that we must also teach about good works and love. But we only teach these at the proper time and place—when the question deals with how we should live, not how we are justified.

Therefore it is better to endure troubles with the hope of eternal deliverance than to avoid them and rush into eternal ruin.

For the world does not discern what faith is and what power faith has, such a hidden and unknown thing is faith to reason. According to the statement of Christ (cf. John 14:17), "The world cannot receive the Holy Spirit"; it neither sees nor hears nor perceives Him by any sense.

For this ought, above all things, to be received, and most firmly settled among Christians: - that the Holy Scriptures are a spiritual light by far more clear than the sun itself, especially in those things which pertain unto salvation or necessity.

Whenever you are being praised, remember it is not you who is being praised but Christ, to whom all praise belongs.

Thus it has come about that out of the Word they have made Law, out of faith works, out of truth a show; and therefore they have finally been forced to employ the sword.

Here we must first of all resist all wrong, where truth or righteousness suffers violence or need, and dare make no distinction of persons, as some do, who fight most actively and busily against the wrong which is done to the rich, the powerful, and their own friends; but when it is done to the poor, or the despised or their own enemy, they are quiet and patient.

We despise the grace of God when we observe the Law for the purpose of being justified. The Law is good, holy, and profitable, but it does not justify. To keep the Law in order to be justified means to reject grace, to deny Christ, to despise His sacrifice, and to be lost.

But Simeon is the most abject tribe of all, for he is cursed by his father Jacob and is passed over in silence by Moses. Jerome, as I have stated, is of the opinion that no mention is made of Simeon because Judas Iscariot was to be born from that tribe.

So also in the terrors of sin and death, I do not exchange death with life, and Christ with the devil, although in the midst of temptation it seems like this.

Thus Augustine says: "We know that we owe our existence to His goodness. We know that we are creatures because of the kindness of God, not because of merit. For it has pleased God that no one should glory except in the Lord.

Scripture alone is the true lord and master of all writings and doctrine on earth.