Martin Luther - Works Quotes

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In Matthew 12:23 Christ says: Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, as if to say: Let the one who wishes to have good fruit begin by planting a good tree. Therefore, let the person who wishes to do good works being not with the works but with the believing, for this alone makes a person good.

Martin Luther
Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works.

Martin Luther
Good works are the seals and proofs of faith; for even as a letter must have a seal to strengthen the same, even so faith must have good works.

Martin Luther
One ought to fast, watch, and labor to the extent that such activities are needed to harness the body's desires and longings; however, those who presume that they are justified by works pay no attention to the need for self-discipline but see the works themselves as the way to righteousness. They believe that if they do a great number of impressive works all will be well and righteousness will be the result. Sometimes this is pursued with such zeal that they become mentally unstable and their bodies are sapped of all strength. Such disastrous consequences demonstrate that the belief that we are justified and saved by works without faith is extremely foolish.

Martin Luther
It is always necessary that the substance or essence of a person be good before there can be any good works and that good works follow and proceed from a person who is already good. Christ says in Matthew 7:18: A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.... The fruit does not make the tree good or bad but the tree itself is what determines the nature of the fruit. In the same way, a person first must be good or bad before doing a good or bad work.

Martin Luther
I am entirely of the opinion that the papacy is the Antichrist. But if anyone wants to add the Turk, then the Pope is the spirit of the Antichrist, and the Turk is the flesh of the Antichrist. They help each other in their murderous work. The latter slaughters bodily and by the sword, the former spiritually and by doctrine.

Martin Luther
If we esteem them too highly, good works can become the greatest idolatry.

Martin Luther
How great, therefore, the wickedness of human nature is! How many girls there are who prevent conception and kill and expel tender fetuses, although procreation is the work of God.

Martin Luther
I have done nothing; the Word has done and accomplished everything.... I let the Word do its work!

Martin Luther
We believe that the very beginning and end of salvation, and the sum of Christianity, consists of faith in Christ, who by His blood alone, and not by any works of ours, has put away sin, and destroyed the power of death.

Martin Luther