Matthaus Ratzberger

(Martin Luther's personal physician)

"Bless God in the great congregation, the Lord, O you who are of Israel's fountain!" Psalm 68:26

Spiritual Winter has settled across the landscape; Old Man Ichabod chases the coldness deeper, ever deeper, into the heart of the church. Good people desperately seek to warm themselves over lukewarm fires built by well-intentioned pastors who have long forgotten the art of fire making. Pastor and people alike have some distant sense the Body has shut down all operations so as to protect the heart. They see the body feverishly shaking to keep itself warm; in their mistaken zeal and ignorance they misinterpret this activity, thinking it is a sign of health when instead it is the last activity of the body before death.

Somber-faced doctors conclude there is in fact a serious problem, but are helpless in offering a solution. Their Patient is dying before their very eyes; they are powerless in all their wisdom and zeal to save him. They have never had to treat a case of hypothermia like this before. All the treatment programs that worked before seem to laugh at them. They eerily perceive that all the time they thought they were treating this problem, they were doing little more than allowing the Patient to die a painless death. They do not have the courage to admit and confess they were little more than miserable comforters. They, too, have not only forgotten the art of fire making, but also the One who was able to accurately diagnose the problem.

There was a Doctor who lived almost 500 years ago who could help their Patient, but they are too proud, for surely Medicine has progressed well beyond anyone who lived so long ago—so they think. They have their fancy diagnostic machines, treatment plans, and a host of sickness-fighting drugs; but in all of their getting, they don't have a fraction of what the ancient Doctor had. In their well-meaning pride and arrogance, they refuse to study the notes he left detailing the cause and treatment for a God-inflicted cold. What little they do study him, they come away with little more than ways to treat insignificant illnesses, while ignoring him when he speaks to the illness unto death.

This Doctor took his Oath quite seriously. When his Master told him to "tend my sheep," he did just that, so that while he lived all for whom he cared thrived and frolicked in health and life. He was zealously on guard that his fellow doctors not practice their Medicine on the shaky foundation of straw, but on the Golden Truth. He was so endowed that he was a genius in discerning not only what the practice of Medicine was about, but was just as adept at knowing when the practitioner was abusing this art and was able to show those working with him the error of their way.

This great Doctor kept his eyes on the Great Physician, followed his ways, and practiced this sacred art faithfully even when the whole world thought he was a quack. When his ways began to "infect" too many, the great anti-physician made sure his influence would be limited by raising up many splendid-looking doctors who would draw the multitude away from much or all of the Doctor's Practice. This deathbed situation has continued now for almost 500 years; only time will tell how much longer those practicing Medicine will partially or completely ignore the foundation our Great Physician laid with this good Doctor.

When the good Doctor saw so many turning away from his Practice, he wasn't offended or hostile, he simply knew Christ "permitted this to go on for a special reason, as He always proves His strength in weakness and teaches us to recognize our own weakness." The good Doctor knew that his Christ, the Great Physician, was still at the Head of his profession and gave people who did not want to listen to Him over to their stubborn hearts (Psalm 81). He saw the Patient he so greatly helped begin to die before his very eyes, but he continued to faithfully practice his Medicine.

He didn't blame the anti-physician's doctors because he knew from serious study that when the Patient almost died at the time of the Flood, it was "not because the Cainite race had become corrupt, but because the race of the righteous who had believed God, obeyed His Word, and observed true worship had fallen into idolatry, disobedience of parents, sensual pleasures, and the practice of oppression." This good Doctor respectfully recognized there are always few who want to be healed with the True Medicine; and while he persistently proclaimed the Truth for those few, he would not denigrate the truth by begging people to believe—he would not cast his Pearl before swine. He knew the majority "wanted to be fooled."

The good Doctor persevered in faith as he watched the Lord not only diminish his work, but also punish His people by no longer judging "men through His Spirit, that is, that after this He is unwilling to grant His Word to men, since all teaching is in vain." The mighty Doctor confessed that "this is the usual lot of the church: the more abundantly the Word is revealed, the greater is the ingratitude of the people; for they misuse it to their own glory and to cover their sins. Therefore God sends strong delusions (2 Thes. 2:11), as is evident from the example of the pope, who in the place of the Word, forced upon the church his own decrees, decretals, legends of the saints, and other trumpery. The world wants to be deceived." While our good doctors today are not having to contend much with popery at the moment, they are well aware of its counterparts of programs, self-devised worship, and Madison Avenue techniques, which have taken their Patient away from the Word as much or more than popery ever did.

Our doctors today seem to ignore the Medicine of the past simply because it has fallen into disuse. Out of sight, out of mind. We crave the new way, the new path, the new generation of me-ness. The good Doctor would not have stood for this, but would have rebuked it in those who dared to listen: "Then let us enjoy ourselves and disregard all laws! Let a whore say that she is right because the sixth commandment has fallen and is no longer in use among adulterers and adulteresses." But the good Doctor's forthrightness was always mollified with his loving wisdom as expressed toward Dr. Cyprian who abundantly erred in his practice: "We are well content with St. Cyprian, for in him Christ comforts us poor sinners mightily, showing that his great saints are still human."

Our good Doctor sought to liberate his Patient with good Medicine, not with counterfeit treatments that burdened the Patient with more disease. He wanted his Patient to experience true health and comfort. He would not collar his charges with a yoke that drove them only to hopelessness and despair (Acts 15:5). But our doctors today allow their charges to burden themselves with the yoke of hedonism which no man can bear for long. Our Doctors' Antinomian are "preaching beautifully with real sincerity about Christ's grace, about the forgiveness of sin and whatever else can be said about the doctrine of redemption. But they flee as if it were the devil the consequence that they should tell the people about the thrid article, of sanctification, that is of the new life in Christ. They think one should not frighten or trouble the people, but rather always preach comfortingly about grace and forgiveness of sins in Christ, and under no circumstances use these or similar words, 'Listen! You want to be a Christian and at the same time remain an adulterer, a whoremonger, a drunken swine, covetous, a usurer, envious, vindictive, malicious, etc!' Instead they say, 'Listen! Though you are an adulterer, a whoremonger, a miser, or other kind of sinner, if you but believe, you are saved, and you need not fear the law. Christ has fulfilled it all!'"

Many of the rest of the doctors who could practice the Old Medicine faithfully, are deluded by the anti-physician into thinking they are practicing something which they are not. Because their granddoctors put down on paper the importance of proclaiming the degree of the Patient's sickness so that the Patient would appreciate the Medicine, they think they, too, are making such proclamation. In reality they only preach the shadow of what their granddoctors believed. In practice they barely hint about the severity of the Patient's problem, blindly believing they have faithfully proclaimed the whole truth.

These doctors, who could be leaders of all doctors, have become blind leaders of the blind. With Dr. Nestorious, they "grant the premise and deny the conclusion. It is indeed taking away Christ and bringing him to nought at the same time he is beautifully proclaimed! And it is saying yes and no to the same thing. For there is no such Christ that died for sinners who do not, after the forgiveness of sins, desist from sins and lead a new life. Thus they preach Christ nicely with Nestorian and Eutychian logic that Christ is and yet is not Christ." They confess that justification is efficacious to the degree that the Law has revealed sinfulness and brought despair of self, but in their practice they deny the very premise they say they affirm.

With so many sects of doctors attempting to provide a solution to our dying Patient, is it any wonder we have entered into a circle of confusion whereby our sole activity is to chase our tails and be impressed that we are chasing our tails? The doctors may look busy, but they are doing little more than making sure every donkey has a tail pinned on so that everyone can enjoy the game. Our good Doctor diagnosed this game very well when he wrote: "See, we fall, in throngs and with all our might, away from our Christian faith and into the new holiness, that is, into the devil's trap and lime-rod. For we always must have something new. Christ's death and resurrection, faith and love, are old and just ordinary things; that is why they must count for nothing, and so we must have new wheedlers. And this serves us right since our ears itch so much for something new that we can no longer endure the old and genuine truth, 'that we accumulate,' that we weigh ourselves down with big piles of new teachings."

The Doctor goes on to say that the "new holiness blusters with a peculiar, new demeanor to entice unsteady souls to itself. It makes a great ado, but there is nothing to it, as St. Peter writes (II Peter 2:14-22)." What each sect of doctors must do is to confess its stark nakedness of true Medicine and be humbled and suffer because of its gross negligence until the Great Physician creates in them a new, teachable, pliable heart that will follow the good, old Doctor who once brought a great healing to the Patient. Each sect must come to "understand this knowledge of our corrupt nature is necessary above all else; without it the mercy and grace of God cannot be properly understood." Each, through the gracious bestowal of God, must come to appreciate that a "man who has been humbled by God is unable to forget his hurt and pain, for affliction makes a far deeper impression than an act of kindness."

Each sect must be humbled by the thorny rod of their own arrogant beliefs and come to understand what is in fact the true church, which seems close to extinction. The good Doctor well understood what the true and faithful Practice of Medicine centered around. The true Church is the "true Church because of their proper belief concerning Baptism, Communion, the keys, the preaching office without adding any new, sectarian, or human doctrine, the Apostles' Creed, and the Lord's Prayer." Anyone who deviates from the good Doctor in belief or practice can no longer be called the "true Church." The true and faithful Church which shelters and brings blessing upon all other Christians and even the whole world, consists of those who "hear and see this Word preached, believed, professed, and lived, do not doubt that the true eclesia sancta catholica, 'Christian holy people,' must be there, even though their number is small. For God's Word shall not return empty. God's Word cannot be without God's people, and conversely, God's people cannot be without God's Word."

The good Doctor practiced the Good Medicine by teaching that "where you see sins forgiven or reproved in some persons, be it publicly or privately, you may know that God's people are there. If God's people are not there, the keys are not there either, and if the keys are not present, God's people are not present." The good Doctor and great Defender of the true Medicine faithfully and fearlessly taught that the "holy Christian people are externally recognized by the holy possession of the sacred cross. They must endure every misfortune and persecution, all kinds of trials and evil from the devil, the world, and the flesh by inward sadness, timidity, fear, outward poverty, contempt, illness, and weakness, in order to become like their head, Christ."

It seems there is hardly any doctor today who preaches this Medicine. While some may proclaim it from the pulpit, it seems they don't apply it as they work with their patients in the pew. This Medicine seems harsh to them; they think it will only make the Patient worse instead of better. They may mean well by preaching the truth from a distance, but seriously err when they fail to practice this good Medicine in the disease-infected pews of their tender, erring sheep.

It is a serious time. Our health is declining to the point of no return. Doctors and Patients alike must again confess that "all we like sheep have gone astray and turned each one to his own way." We must again discover that God has truly laid this iniquity on Christ, the only Doctor and True Medicine, and be humbled in the spirit of our collective mind. But we cannot do this until we follow the good Doctor who humbly followed the Great Physician as is evidenced when he said: "If God were to bid you to pick up a straw or to pluck out a feather with the command, order, and promise that thereby you would have forgiveness of all sin, grace, and eternal life, should you not accept this joyfully and gratefully, and cherish, praise, prize, and esteem that straw and that feather as a higher and holier possession than heaven and earth? Why then are we such disgraceful people that we do not regard the water of baptism, the bread and wine, that is, Christ's body and blood, the spoken Word, and the laying on of man's hands for the forgiveness of sin as such holy possessions, as we would the straw and feather, though in the former, as we hear and know, God himself wished to be effective and wants them to be His water, Word, hand, bread, and wine, by means of which He wishes to sanctify and save you in Christ, who acquired this for us and who gave us the Holy Spirit from the Father for this work?"

The good Doctor taught us that true doctors know "what it is to tend Christ's sheep: to serve and preach the Gospel freely, and to expect for it to be girded and carried—that is, to hazard and wager body, wife, child, goods, and everything. Who would do this unless he loved Christ and did it for His sake?" How many doctors today really understand and practice this, who hazard all they are and have to faithfully preach and practice that the "efficacy of His baptism shall remain as often as we repent, as long as we live here."

The gates of Hell will not prevail against His Church. We rejoice in this that with one word, Christ can dispel the Ichabodian winds that are chasing our life out of us. In His time He will "strengthen the bars of our gates" (Psalm 147:13). As Paul declares in Romans 4:17: "God gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist." The good Doctor encourages us that "His Word," will do this, "not our hand; His Word, not our technique, makes and accomplishes all things. His Word, says the psalmist, 'runs swiftly'; that is, everything that God wills happens quickly, instantly."

This spiritual winter is meant only to humble us, to drive us to His mercy and grace. It will be greatly used by our loving Father to purge the Church He dearly loves. It is an easy thing for "a man who had never experienced a winter to despair and think that heaven and earth had become our enemies and wanted to kill us with hunger and frost. Or a type of Manichean belief might arise, with a god of summer, who would be good and merciful enough to increase and nourish mankind, and a second god of winter, who would be angry and evil, to starve and extinguish the human race. But now it is the same God, both in summer and winter, even though in winter He puts on an appearance different from the one He puts on in summer. Winter looks like death, anger, and everything bad, as compared with the summer, which looks like life, grace, and all good things. He wants to teach us the real nature of winter, so that we will love and praise God even for the winter itself."

The good Doctor would encourage us to "put the bars on the gates." We can do this by humbling ourselves and learning again how to build on faith, line upon line and precept upon precept from the Doctor. It will not work for us to build our self-devised bars as has been done for so long. The bars have already been built and once laid in place; we need only believe this and work to scrape the rust from them. This will be a humbling process for all of us. "The bars of your gates He can and will make fast, but the gates and bars have to be there to be made fast. Without your bars He does not fasten the gates. At the same time, the bars are not fast of themselves. That is why both are necessary: You should make and supply the bars and gates, but He will make them fast. Don't be lazy or idle, but don't rely solely on your own work and doings. Get busy and work, and yet expect everything from God alone." We would be far from idle were we to fervently study the Medical "bars" the good Doctor put in place.

Most of the Medical bars we have built for a very long time have not measured up to the Heavenly standard. We have been building according to the "doctrines and works of men in the church, which are contrary to faith and lead men away from the truth, that is, they are sheer lies and fraud before God." The good Doctor would remind us of Noah's exemplary faith which stayed on "the royal road; he adds nothing, changes nothing, and takes nothing away from God's directive but abides completely by the command he hears. The most common and at the same time the most pernicious plague in the church is this: Either a change is made in what God has commanded, or something is superimposed upon what God has commanded. Because there is only one royal road on which we must stay, those people sin who deviate too much to the right by doing more than God commands, as Saul did when he spared the Amalekites; indeed, they sin more flagrantly than those who deviate to the left. For in addition there is the pretense of godliness; the former, who deviate to the left, cannot excuse their error, while the latter even maintain they have done something extraordinarily meritorious."

Unfortunately, we have many physicians who have turned every which way. They all spew forth their felonious opinions everywhere and every chance they get, while to one degree or another they do not understand those things which they affirm; they produce their books and philosophy to do nothing more than turn away the hearts of poor, ignorant people. This vast multitude of miserable physicians would do well to be humbled by the good Doctor's advice: "You should not write a book before you have heard an old sow fart; and then you should open your jaws with awe, saying, 'Thank you, lovely nightingale, that is just the text for me!'"

With deep interest the author reads your fine work, "Modern Reformation." Contributors see that the obvious lack of unity is proof positive of serious problems, as Lloyd-Jones states: "Everybody seems to be talking about church unity except evangelicals." Calvin is quoted in reference to the high regard our Lord has for the communion His Son died for; that "he counts as a traitor and apostate from Christianity anyone who arrogantly leaves any Christian society, provided it cherishes the true ministry of Word and sacraments." But is there anyone who can say and prove they truly cherish this ministry? And if this is cherished, why does it continue to perish among us? No one among us seems to be dying or suffering loss because they cherish this ministry.

We seem to readily admit our "sect-consciousness," which is "a denial of the catholic spirit which pervaded the reformers." Yet the sects, seditions, heresies, and divisions continue to multiply exponentially. Are there too many minds and opinions? Are there too many chefs and too few diners? How will our doctors finally find a cure for our disease of disunity. Is watching us shiver to death in this spiritual winter all they can do? Is there no way out? Is there no one to follow? Are we ready to be taught by the Spirit? Are we prepared to stop trying to reinvent the wheel? Are we ready to be carried through this arctic blast on the back of the good Doctor?

Some talk of a second Reformation. Can there be a reformation without a reformer? If not, who will be this reformer? Who will unite us and provide the marching orders for the true church of Christ? Actually, how can we discuss a second reformation without seriously considering the Reformer who carried the Church into the first one? Is this too obvious a solution? Do we really need to find something or someone new? How badly do we want to be reformed? If the proof is in the pudding, maybe we should, no matter how reluctantly, pick up our spiritual spoons and taste the Pudding of old.

The author has refrained from using Luther's name, as it seems there are so many who are ashamed or afraid of it for one reason or another. It seems there is as much or more respect for Luther outside the Lutheran community than within. As this writer has studied Luther's works extensively for four years, he has been told, "You don't understand modern Lutheranism;" "I go to Luther as a last resort;" and "We only listen to Luther as he is quoted in the Book of Concord."

This author believes it is time for all Christendom to be humbled by God and value His wonderful gift to the church. It is time for Lutherans, who have been the repository for the truth, and all others who have turned away from much of the truth, to humbly be led back into all truth. The situation calls for swift, decisive honesty and action. Luther states that every Abel has his Cain; every Isaac, his Ishmael; every Jacob, his Esau:" In honesty, we should add to this that every Luther has his Calvin. That is not to say that Calvin is in Hell any more than Esau is there or that Calvin and Esau didn't do some pretty good things.

Lutherans would do well to consider this seriously: "With these words (Psalm 143:3) the prophet wants to express how despised a man is who lives in grace and in Christ. No one honors him; in fact, everyone dishonors him; he is considered a wholly useless, incompetent, undesirable person in everything that concerns man. And whoever has not experienced this, does not have such enemies, and does not consider all his good works, words, counsel, and thoughts foolishness, evils and faults—he has not yet rightly come to Christ, unless he has become his own enemy and attributes to himself what others should attribute to him, and considers himself unfit and incompetent for all good words, works, and life, and really acknowledges this without deceit in his heart." (LW, v. 14, p. 198) The Lutherans must ask, "If we hold to the truth in our confession and practice, why is life going so well for us?"

Every group, sect, denomination, and splinter must confess with Luther that "there are countless preachers in Christendom, and only a few who preach the real truth." (LW, v. 14, 9. 202) May the Spirit exhort each of us to seriously consider that there are two primary faults ministers make, from which spring all faults and mistakes. According to Luther, these are "softness and harshness. For softness is rooted in evil desires, and harshness is uncontrolled wrath. These two faults are responsible for everything that is evil, as everybody knows. Therefore, it is difficult to accept an office unless these two beasts are first slain. They would do even more harm, should the power to cause harm be available to them." (LW, v. 25, p. 139) In our present age of softness, which has created a leadership vacuum, we might do well do especially deliberate on the evil beneath our softness, our tendency to patronize and placate our charges—Christ's dear sheep we are supposed to tend.

The person who wanted to take an easy approach to this subject by accusing the writer of exalting a man above Scripture, let it be clear the only intention is to use Luther as a means to take us to the "fresh Spring itself," as John says, "He must increase, but I must decrease." Before Luther can decrease, though, he must first do his work of taking us to Christ, then he will gladly decrease into Christ. In preparation for this work, we must universally mourn our loss in not utilizing Christ's own, greatest gift to the church in two thousand years. With Melanchthon, we must cry aloud, "Alas, gone is the horseman and the chariots of Israel!" because we have let this mighty warrior of God's Word fall to the ground among us.

As one editor put it in the introduction to Luther's Works, Volume 34, "To all those who have read more about Luther than the works of Luther himself, he might well echo Dante's words, 'Open your eyes, and see me as I am!'" And in the same introduction, J. G. Hamann is quoted: "What a shame for our times that the spirit of this man who founded our church lies under the ashes. What a power of eloquence, what a spirit for interpretation, what a prophet! How good the old wine will taste to you!" This writer trusts it was well said, "The Phoenix has arisen from the ashes!" May we all consider most seriously that "more has now been written about Luther than about any other person with the exception of Christ."

The author has found two things to be quite amazingly incredible. The first is the way Luther's "own" church devalues him; the second, how so many authors quote him on lessor matters of practice, and ignore him concerning matters of faith—Baptism, Communion, the distinction of Law and Gospel, and the keys. These are surely two "great sights." May God give us hearts and minds that have been illuminated by His Spirit. How can one not see that God is about to do something great and mighty, above all that we ask or think, among us. He will do this in His time and His way.

May we discontinue our arrogance and lust for the new, and not say in any way as many said to Luther: "'Can't you ever do anything but speak only about the righteousness, wisdom, and strength of God rather than of man, always expounding Scripture from the standpoint of God's righteousness and grace, always harping on the same string and singing the same old song?' To this I answer: Let each one look to himself. As for me, I confess: Whenever I found less in the Scriptures than Christ, I was never satisfied; but whenever I found more than Christ, I never became poorer. Therefore it seems to me to be true that God the Holy Spirit does not know and does not want to know anything besides Jesus Christ, as He says of Him (John 16:13-14): 'He will glorify Me; He will not speak of Himself, but He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

We must not skip over these words so easily and assume we agree with them. Call this writer arrogant, but this Christian who has been reading Luther avidly for four years; who has almost read his works in English in the last year; who teaches, memorizes, and cherishes his writings because they teach him about Scripture; and who reviews a previously-read volume weekly and wants to do so for as long as he lives; it is abundantly clear to me that very few understand Luther, the "mighty horseman of Scripture!"

As Luther says, "Now there are some who think lightly of these words of grace and arrogantly say: 'Who does not know that without grace there is no good in us?' They insist they know all this very well. In fact, if you ask them whether they think little of their own righteousness, they are quick to say: 'Of course, I am certain of that!' It is indeed grave and wretched blindness that they consider themselves to have attained the highest degree of perfection when they have not even understood or tasted the lowest grade. For who can be prouder than the person who has the presumption to claim that he is free of all pride and evil inclination? Spiritual pride is the last and deepest vice, since they are not yet free from carnal and human inclination. No saint has ever been so bold as to claim that his righteousness and wisdom meant nothing to him. They are steeped in strife and are always at war among themselves about these things." (LW, v. 14, p. 204)

If we are now sufficiently humbled, let us look at the forty reasons this author believes Luther should be looked to for the foundation of our learning and to take us out of this blizzard on his back.

There is so much left to be said; the writer can only hope and pray he has sparked some interest in using Luther as a brook to be taken back to the Spring. If we admit we have all but been taken down current to the salty water, it seems we could also admit how we can be safe back or close to the Spring. There are so many things that, as Luther says, we must just believe until they make sense.

If we could believe that God is angry with how we have fallen away from the "evident evangelical truth," we might be brought safely back home. We must believe this until we despair of ourselves and look only to the sure mercy of Christ. We must "consider the severe judgment of God, who cannot and will not let even one sin go unpunished. Whoever, therefore, does not consider the punishment of God, does not fear; and whoever does not fear, does not cry out; and whoever does not cry out, finds no grace. Therefore the fear of the judgment of God must always exist in the right kind of person because of the old Adam, whom God hates and resists. Furthermore, with this fear there must be hope for grace because of the mercy which is favorable to this fear because of the new man, who is an enemy of the old and therefore agrees with the judgment of God. Thus fear and hope go hand in hand. And just as the judgment of God produces fear, so fear results in crying out, and the cry brings mercy. As long as the old man live, the fear, that is, the crucifixion and execution of this old man, must not cease; nor dare the judgment of God be forgotten." (On Psalm 190; LW, v. 14, p. 190)

May each of us pray, "O Lord, Thou God of vengeance, Thou God of vengeance, shine forth!" But we must be prepared to have it burst forth on us, who have gone our own way, no matter how "innocently" it seemed. We have almost all been duped by the tyrants and the sectarians. The "tyrants use force to persecute the body on account of the Word; secondly, the false teachers, heretics, and sectarians , use lies and mockery to persecute the soul… and persecute us spiritually with their false and perverted interpretations of the Scriptures… and act as though they had already prevailed and smothered the pious. The sects dress themselves up and put on a fine front."

We must have the courage to, in faith, "seek vengeance and punishment… where faith and the Word of God are at stake, for it is not right to love or to be patient but only to be angry, zealous, and reproving. That is how all the prophets behaved; in matters of faith they manifested no patience or kindness. (LW, v. 14, pp.244-45) It is high time that "judgment begin at the house of God," and "examine all things and hold fast to only that which is good." We must be merciless in this process; if we are not then we are not really interested in the Word of God, not to mention the people It is supposed to feed. This is no time to respect persons and avoid hurt feelings. It is only time to put a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other.

Psalm 109 presents a frightening scenario for us to consider. It should seem apparent that God has already appointed "wicked men over us and has allowed "Satan to stand at" our right hand. On this verse, Luther states: "If this is the way they want it, then let it be. Let only false teachers, schismatics, and godless preachers come among them, teaching them lies, godless doctrine, and error, and leading them from one error into another. This is what they want! Let the devil so control them through his apostles that despite their desire to escape, their good intentions, and their efforts to do right and to know the truth the devil will be there disguising himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14) and restraining them. Let him so captivate them, so dazzle them and blind them with his fine appearance and lovely thoughts and words that they cannot escape, even though one were to present the truth to them so cleverly and forthrightly that they could almost touch it." (LW, v. 14, p. 261)

We must fear for what we are causing in the Church of Christ. God will not allow us to continue indefinitely destroying His Heritage! May God have mercy on us and give us His Light and Grace!

Lest the author come off as believing Luther is the only one who has any truth, allowing him to quote Luther one last time: "I have now come to the conclusion that as long as someone else's interpretation is pious, one should not reject it unless he wants his own to be rejected in turn, according to the 'law of the fang.' One falls short in some ways, another in more ways. I see some things that blessed Augustine did not see; on the other hand, I know that others will see many things that I do not see. What recourse do we have but to be of mutual help to one another and to forgive those who fall, since we ourselves have already fallen or are about to fall? I know that a person would be guilty of the most shameless boldness if he dared claim that he had understood even one book of the Scriptures in all its parts. In fact, who would even dare assert that anyone had completely understood one single psalm? Our life is one of beginning and of growth, not one of consummation. That person is better who has come closer to the Spirit. If I have reached the moon, I must not immediately suppose that I have reached the sun as well; nor should I then despise the lesser stars. There are degrees of living and of working; then why not of understanding?" (LW, v. 14, p. 285)

The Word of the Lord on the Scripture Passage, Psalm 51

"A true and penitent heart sees nothing but its sin and misery of conscience. He who still finds any counsel and help in himself cannot in all earnestness speak these words: for he is not yet altogether miserable but feels some comfort in himself, apart from God's mercy… 'Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.'… For this reason there is no end of washing and cleansing in this life. For the old Adam, with which we are born, makes sinful and nullifies also the good works, in which we make a start and some progress, if God did not look upon the grace and cleansing which has begun… The others, however, do not perceive their own wickedness; they imagine they are as they should be… We learn thoroughly to disregard our outward good works and to put no faith in the praise and honor of them by others. They are done in uncleanness and weakness, and are not counted good in God's sight unless we confess them as such… He is the eternal, constant, essential, and never-changing Justice itself and the supreme Judge of all things. But in His words and works He is constantly resisted, opposed, judged, and condemned by self-righteous and self-satisfied men. There is a constant legal war between Him and them over His words and works… Hence the prophet says here: 'In order that this terrible sin of pride may not infect me, I confess that I am a sinner before Thee and do no good, so that Thou mightest remain in truth and prevail, and also overcome all who content with Thee, justify themselves, and judge Thee in Thy words. For in the end God will prevail and gain the victory, either here by His goodness or hereafter by His severity. It will do no good to be justified before men or in our own eyes, for we must ignore this and wait with fear to learn what God thinks about it.'

Behold, it is so true that before Thee I am a sinner that even my nature, my very beginning, my conception, is sin, to say nothing of the words, works, thoughts, and life which follow. How could I be without sin if I was made in sin and sin is my nature and manner? I am an evil tree and by nature a child of wrath and sin. Therefore as long as this same nature and essence remains with us, we will be sinners and must say: 'Forgive us our trespasses' until the body is destroyed. Hence death is a wholesome thing to all who believe in Christ; for it does nothing else than destroy and reduce to powder everything born of Adam, so that Christ alone may be in us.

Outward righteousness and apparent piety is pure deception, without foundation and without truth, because it covers the sin within and is only a type of the real and true righteousness. This type is hateful to Thee, but man loves it. Man believes he serves God with many words, thoughts, and works, and measures up to God's standard. It is all an outward show, which is apparent and possible to anyone, as there are many ways and means of doing this. In all this men seek God, but entirely in reverse and outwardly. Inwardly they know Him less than all others, because they seek themselves, and under the pretext of studying and learning about God! The inner and hidden part of this wisdom is nothing else than knowing oneself thoroughly, and therefore hating oneself. It is seeking all righteousness not in self but in God, always dissatisfied with oneself and yearning for God, that is, humbly loving God and looking away from self… 'Sprinkle me, therefore, with the true goat's blood of Jesus Christ. Then I will be truly and thoroughly cleansed, without all my works and efforts.'

Now as the outward sprinkling with hyssop and the washing with water in no way aids the inner washing and sprinkling but is only a figure and an empty sign, so all other outward means and gestures have no other purpose than that God should thus inwardly sprinkle, wash, work, speak, serve, etc., with the grace of the Holy Spirit. All outward righteousness, behavior, and actions, cannot bring comfort to my conscience and take away sin. In spite of all efforts and good works the timid, frightened, and terrified conscience remains until Thou sprinklest and washest me with grace and thus createst in me a good conscience, so that I hear that mysterious prompting: 'Your sins are forgiven.' No one notices, sees, or understands this except him who hears it. It can be heard, and the hearing produces a calm and joyful conscience, and confidence in God. The bones which are weary and crushed, as it were, because of the sinful conscience rejoice and are revived when the conscience hears the joy of absolution.

But do not take notice of my works, for they are all sin if Thou shouldst set them before Thy face and judgment… Whatever is lacking of righteousness, forgive, just as I have prayed Thee to turn Thy face from evil that is still present… It is easy to give the appearance of clean hands and noble words. This is within the power of man. But a clean heart, devoid of all love of things, is the work of the Creator and His divine power. The truth which God loves is in the heart. Inner righteousness, however, is never attained completely in this life but must always be pursued. The spirit of the flesh and of Adam is a crooked spirit. It turns its attention toward itself and seeks its own. The upright spirit is the good will directed straight to God, seeking God alone. This will must be made anew and poured into the innermost part of our heart by God, so that there may be no deceit in our spirit, but that we may love the will of God from the bottom of our heart.

Being cast away happens to all those who do not reject themselves in their own eyes and at the same time are not concerned that they are rejected in God's sight. In fact, they set themselves up in God's presence and exalt themselves. The others, however, feel and know that they are justly cast away on account of their sins. Therefore they come forward with fear and humbly pray for what the self-righteous think they have already gained with their holiness. The Holy Spirit must make us holy and sustain us, therefore we pray: 'Give me again a conscience happy and secure in Thy Salvation.' The Holy Spirit makes free and willing men, who do not serve God out of painful fear or improper love. For all who serve out of fear are not firmly established as long as the fear lasts. In fact, they are forced; they serve with resentment. If there were no hell and punishment, they would not serve at all. Even those who serve God out of love of reward or some good thing are not firmly established. For if they know of no reward or if the good thing does not materialize, they stop. What is done because of force does not last, but what is done willingly remains firm.

When my will is changed I will never again teach the righteousness and ways of man, as the proud do, but the way of grace and Thy righteousness. Thus sinners will come to Thee and be truly converted. I will never preach about man's righteousness or praise his works, but only Thy work, that nothing is greater than Thy righteousness, by which all the righteous are justified and without which all others are sinners. Give me strength and courage that I may preach this freely and courageously against the godless and the hypocrites. Let me be bold through Thy strength to admonish and convince all men that they are sinners and that nothing in them is worthy of honor or praise, but that they have deserved only shame and punishment, in order that they might realize that honor and praise are Thine alone because Thine alone are righteousness and wisdom. For no one can honor and praise Thee without rebuking and dishonoring himself. No one can ascribe to Thee wisdom and righteousness unless he takes it from himself and ascribes to himself only sin and folly. This is the greatest thing we can do for God. This is also what He desires above all else, that we give praise and honor and every possible good to Him.

Thou does not wish to see how pious we want to be, but how pious we wish to become through Thee, so that Thou and not we may be praised and honored, that we do not give Thee anything but receive from Thee righteousness, wisdom, truth, merit and good works. Everything else He despises except a heart that is humble and broken, for it ascribes honor to God and sin to itself. If the proud saints do not want to accept this doctrine but instead teach the others their own righteousness, do Thou show the others, the elect, Thy grace, not according to their merit but according to Thy good will. Then the walls may be built, that is, then there will be enlightened people in Christendom who preserve and teach others, to keep them from being misled by the false, self-righteous teachings and teachers. For the walls are the teachers who should be built up especially in this doctrine.

He offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving who gives to God what he owes Him. Now we owe God more than we have. Therefore we pay Him in no other way than by yielding up everything we ourselves are, and that with humble acknowledgment of our sin and confession of His righteousness and of His justice in whatever way His divine will deals with us. This attitude and resignation is the highest righteousness we can possess. All outward sacrifices are in vain if the heart is not acceptable and is not itself offered first. If, however, the heart is acceptable and is offered inwardly, then all outward works are sacrifices of righteousness.

Luther's Works, Volume 14, Psalm 51