I'm reading an amazing book "The Protestant Reformation" by Lewis Spitz...it's a compilation of writings during the time of the Reformation. Here are some that really struck me.
"Faith is a living and unshakeable confidence, a belief in the grace of God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake. This kind of confidence in God's grace, this sort of knowledge of it, makes us joyful, high-spirited and eager in our relations with God and with all mankind." -Martin Luther "Preface to Romans"
-I desire so much that faith would cause this high-spiritedness in God to be seen in me.
"To repress these very sharp arguments of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the church and the pope to ridicule of their enemies and to make Christians unhappy.
If, therefore, indulgences were preached according to the spirit and intention of the pope, all these doubts would be readily resolved. Indeed, they would not exist.
Away then with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, 'Peace, peace,' and there is no peace! [Jer.6:14]
Blessed be all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, 'Cross, cross' and there is no cross!
Christians should be exhorted to be diligent in following Christ their Head through penalties, death, hell;
And thus be confident of entering into heaven through many tribulations rather than through the false security of peace. [Acts 14:22]"
Theses 90-95 of Martin Luther's 95 Theses
"Let us then consider it certain and firmly established that the soul can do without anything except the Word of God and that where the Word of God is missing there is no help at all for the soul. If it has the Word of God it is rich and lacks nothing since it is the Word of life, truth, light peace righteousness, salvation, joy, liberty, wisdom, power, grace, glory, and of every incalculable blessing. This is why the prophet in the entire Psalm 119 and in many other places yearns and sighs for the Word of God and uses so many names to describe it."
Martin Luther "Treatise on Christian Liberty"
There's more than just Luther in the book and I'll save other quotes for a future post.
Thoughts on Luther's interpretation of the Word?
Hopefully these encourage and exhort your week.
