Quotes from Martin Luther

But if you command me to believe or to get rid of certain books, I will not obey; for there you are a tyrant and overreach yourself...

These are the three things, it is commonly said, that mark a good preacher; first, that he take his place; secondly, that he open his mouth and say something; thirdly, that he know when to stop.

To put it more plainly, suppose a small group of earnest Christian laymen were taken prisoner and settled in the middle of the desert without any episcopally ordained priest among them; and they then agreed to choose one of themselves, whether married or not, and endow him with the office of baptizing, administering the sacrament, pronouncing absolution, and preaching; that man would be as truly a priest as if he had been ordained by all the bishops and the popes.

what Paul means in chapter 3 when, after he has thrown out the works of the law, he sounds as though the wants to abolish the law by faith. No, he says, we uphold the law through faith

Experience teaches how amazingly the ungodly and wicked tremble in lightning, pestilence, or other exigency of death, when the righteous, on the other hand, endure everything unafraid and calm.

Hence every teaching that flatters or indulges the flesh and teaches temporal things is not of God, because it is not a rod but a reed and softness of clothing (Matt. 11:7-8).

Our faith in Christ does not free us from works but from false opinions concerning works, that is, from the foolish presumption that justification is acquired by works.

The devil is our mortal enemy, the world attacks us horribly, and it is evident everywhere that there is no more miserable and contemptible person on earth than a Christian. That is why we must have a greater, stronger, and more reliable comfort, to offset all their defiance and might.

Hence the German proverb: "All mischief begins in the name of God.

If the Gospel is to be preached, it must concern the resurrection of Christ. Whoever does not preach this is no Apostle; for it is the head article of our

But grace has changed my nature for the better, to keep me from joining them and shedding innocent blood.

For if I believe the promise of God, I am certain that my life is pleasing to God and is superior to all the orders, since it makes a heavenly man, a conqueror of death, an heir of eternal life, and one who tramples the devil underfoot, as is stated in Ps. 91:13: "You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and serpent you will trample underfoot." This is the strength and particular power of Christians.