Martin Luther Quotes

359 Sourced Quotes

For they who think they make an end of temptation by yeilding to it, only set themselves on fire the more.

Martin Luther
The gospel cannot be preached and heard enough, for it cannot be grasped well enough... Moreover, our greatest task is to keep you faithful to this article and to bequeath this treasure to you when we die.

Martin Luther
It is the duty of a prudent minister of God to hold his ministry in honor and to see to it that it is respected by those who are in his charge. Moreoever, it is the duty of a faithful minister not to exceed his powers and not to abuse his office in pride, but, rather, to administer it for the benefit of his subjects.

Martin Luther
I cannot believe that my illness is natural. I suspect Satan, and therefore I am the more inclined to take it lightly.

Martin Luther
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.

Martin Luther
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.

Martin Luther
The universities only ought to turn out men who are experts in the Holy Scriptures, men who can become bishops and priests, and stand in the front line against heretics, the devil, and all the world. But where do you find that?

Martin Luther
Being by his faith replaced afresh in paradise and created anew, he (the believer)does not need works for his justification, but that he may not be idle, but that he may exercise his own body and preserve it. His works are to be done freely, with the sole object of pleasing God.

Martin Luther
Over against the devil and his missionaries, the authors of false doctrines and sects, we ought to be like the Apostle, impatient, and rigorously condemnatory, as parents are with the dog that bites their little one, but the weeping child itself they soothe.

Martin Luther
Christians fight best on their knees. Whatever good may be done is done and brought about by prayer.

Martin Luther
I have grounded my preaching upon the literal word; he that pleases may follow me; he that will not may stay.

Martin Luther
God is ready to give more quickly, and to give more than you ask; yea, he offers his treasures if we only take them. It is truly a great shame and a severe chastisement for us Christians that God should still upbraid us for our slothfulness in prayer, and that we fail to let such a rich and excellent promise incite us to pray.

Martin Luther
Therefore, when some say 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 your limbs; but without health the works of your limbs are nothing and he wanted to infer that I had forbidden the works of all his limbs.

Martin Luther
To comfort a sorrowful conscience is much better than to possess many kngdoms; yet the world regards it not; nay, condemns it, calling us rebels, dissturbers of the peace.

Martin Luther
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.

Martin Luther
Truly speech has wonderful strength and power, that through a mere word, proceeding out of the mouth of a poor human creature, the devil, that so proud and powerful spirit, should be driven away, shamed and confounded.

Martin Luther
The hair is the finest ornament women have. Of old, virgins used to wear it loose, except when they were in mourning.

Martin Luther
At Poltersberg, there is a lake similarly cursed. If you throw a stone into it, a dreadful storm immediately arises, and the whole neighboring district quakes to its centre. 'Tis the devils kept prisoner there.

Martin Luther
I have lived to see the greatest plague on earth -- the condemning of God's word, a fearful thing, surpassing all other plagues in the world; for thereupon most surely follow all manner of punishments, eternal and corporal.

Martin Luther
Whenever the word is rightly preached, and attentively heard, it never fails to bring forth fruit.

Martin Luther
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.

Martin Luther
That the Creator himself comes to us and becomes our ransom - this is the reason for our rejoicing.

Martin Luther
When the gospel flourishes in the church, everything flourishes with it.

Martin Luther
The great unthankfulness, contempt of God's word, and wilfulness of the world, make me fear that the divine light will soon cease to shine on man, for God's word has ever had its certain course.

Martin Luther
When we hear that Christ was made a curse for us, let us believe it with joy and assurance. By faith Christ changes places with us. He gets our sins, we get His holiness.

Martin Luther
Twas a special gift of God that speech was given to mankind; for through the Word, and not by force, wisdom governs.

Martin Luther
The bible is a remarkable fountain: the more one draws and drinks of it, the more it stimulates thirst.

Martin Luther
A Christian is free and independent in every respect, a bond servant to none. A Christian is a dutiful servant in every respect, owing a duty to everyone.

Martin Luther
True Christian love is not derived from things without, but floweth from the heart, as from a spring.

Martin Luther
We should consider the histories of Christ three manner of ways; first, as a history of acts or legends; second, as a gift or a present; thirdly, as an example, which we should believe and follow.

Martin Luther