Martin Luther famous quotes

God does not need your good works, but your neighbor does.
-- Martin Luther

#Inspirational #Doe #Needs

I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess.
-- Martin Luther

#Life #God #Christian

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.
-- Martin Luther

#Faith #Hope #Wisdom

Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. The gift of language combined with the gift of song was given to man that he should proclaim the Word of God through Music.
-- Martin Luther

#Music #Song #Men

Pray, and let God worry.
-- Martin Luther

#Encouraging #Hope #Prayer

Everything that is done in this world is done by hope.
-- Martin Luther

#Hope #World #Done

The Bible is the cradle wherein Christ is laid.
-- Martin Luther

#Christian Inspirational #Christ #Cradle

God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.
-- Martin Luther

#Nature #Stars #Flower

We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it, the process is not yet finished ...
-- Martin Luther

#Growing #Process

The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.
-- Martin Luther

#Running #Religious #Feet

I am much afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labour in explaining the Holy Scriptures, and engraving them in the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place his child where the scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which means are not unceasingly occupied with the Word of God must be corrupt.
-- Martin Luther

#Education #Children #Heart

Our most merciful Father, seeing us to be oppressed and overwhelmed with the curse of the law . . . sent his only Son into the world and laid upon him all the sins of all men, saying, 'You be Peter that denier, Paul that persecutor, blasphemer and cruel oppressor, David that adulterer, that sinner who ate the apple in Paradise, that thief who hung upon the cross, and briefly, you be the person who has committed the sins of all men. See therefore that you pay and satisfy for them.'
-- Martin Luther

#Father #Son #Men

As long as we live there is never enough singing.
-- Martin Luther

#Music #Long #Singing

A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.
-- Martin Luther

#Giving #Suffering #Religion

If I should neglect prayer but a single day, I should lose a great deal of the fire of faith.
-- Martin Luther

#Prayer #Fire #Neglect

One drop of Christ's blood is worth more than heaven and earth.
-- Martin Luther

#Blood #Heaven #Earth

Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin; whoever does not sin, enters Heaven! Thus, let us drink beer!
-- Martin Luther

#Funny #Drinking #Sleep

To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.
-- Martin Luther

#Christian #Prayer #Breathing

The mystery of the humanity of Christ, that he sunk himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding.
-- Martin Luther

#Humanity #Understanding #Flesh

To gather with God's people in united adoration of the Father is as necessary to the Christian life as prayer.
-- Martin Luther

#Friendship #Christian #Prayer

We are but the instruments or assistants, by whom God works.
-- Martin Luther

#Assistants #Instruments

Either sin is with you, lying on your shoulders, or it is lying on Christ, the Lamb of God. Now if it is lying on your back, you are lost; but if it is resting on Christ, you are free, and you will be saved. Now choose what you want.
-- Martin Luther

#Lying #Lambs #Want

In short, I will preach it [the Word], teach it, write it, but I will constrain no man by force, for faith must come freely without compulsion. Take myself as an example. I opposed indulgences and all the papists, but never with force. I simply taught, preached, and wrote God's Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philip and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything.
-- Martin Luther

#Writing #Beer #Loss

Although the Christian is thus free from all works, he ought in this liberty to empty himself, take upon himself the form of a servant, be made in the likeness of men, be found in human form, and to serve, help and in every way deal with his neighbor as he sees that God through Christ has dealt and still deals with him.
-- Martin Luther

#Christian #Men #Liberty

Satan, the god of all dissension, stirreth up daily newsects and last of all, which of all other I should never have forseen or once suspected, he hath raised up a sect such as teach....that men should not be terrified by the Law, but gently exhorted by the preaching of the grace of Christ.
-- Martin Luther

#Men #Law #Grace

True humility does not know that it is humble. If it did, it would be proud from the contemplation of so fine a virtue.
-- Martin Luther

#Humble #Humility #Proud

As is the business of tailors to make clothes and cobblers to make shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray.
-- Martin Luther

#Christian #Prayer #Shoes

Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.
-- Martin Luther

#Music #Art #Noble

The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.
-- Martin Luther

#Christian #Shoes #Littles

The less I pray, the harder it gets; the more I pray, the better it goes.
-- Martin Luther

#Prayer #Praying #Harder

If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.
-- Martin Luther

#Morning #Prayer #Two

There is no justification without sanctification, no forgiveness without renewal of life, no real faith from which the fruits of new obedience do not grow.
-- Martin Luther

#Real #Fruit #Christianity

I had rather be in hell with Christ, than be in heaven without him.
-- Martin Luther

#Christian #Heaven #Hell

Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.
-- Martin Luther

#Spiritual #Easter #Book

The will of man without the grace of God is not free at all, but is the permanent prisoner and bondslave of evil since it cannot turn itself to good.
-- Martin Luther

#Men #Evil #Grace

Peace if possible, truth at all costs.
-- Martin Luther

#Faith #Truth #Cost

Grace is given to heal the spiritually sick, not to decorate spiritual heroes
-- Martin Luther

#Spiritual #Hero #Sick

When Eve was brought unto Adam, he became filled with the Holy Spirit, and gave her the most sanctified, the most glorious of appellations. He called, her Eva--that is to say, the Mother of All. He did not style her wife, but simply mother--mother of all living creatures. In this consists the glory and the most precious ornament of woman.
-- Martin Luther

#Mother #Wife #Style

This is the reason why our Theology is certain: because it seizes us from ourselves and places us outside ourselves.
-- Martin Luther

#Reason #Certain #Theology

I simply taught, preached, wrote God's Word: otherwise I did nothing. The Word of God did it all.
-- Martin Luther

#Taught #Word Of God

Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.
-- Martin Luther

#God #Men #Grace

We need to hear the Gospel every day, because we forget it every day.
-- Martin Luther

#Needs #Forget #Forget It

The Christian gospel is a two-way road. On the one hand, it seeks to change the souls of men, and thereby unite them with God; on the other hand, it seeks to change the environmental conditions of men so the soul will have a chance after it is changed.
-- Martin Luther

#Christian #Men #Hands

No other God have I but thee, born in a manger, died on a tree.
-- Martin Luther

#Tree #Thee #Born

There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.
-- Martin Luther

#Love #Relationship #Family

Pray like it all depends on God, then when you are done, go work like it all depends on you.
-- Martin Luther

#Religious #Done #Praying

A gospel that doesn't deal with the issues of the day is not the gospel at all.
-- Martin Luther

#Issues #Deals

It is the duty of every Christian to be Christ to his neighbor.
-- Martin Luther

#Christian #Neighbor #Duty

Dearest Jesus, holy child, make thee a bed, soft, undefiled, within my heart, that it may be a quiet chamber kept for thee.
-- Martin Luther

#Inspirational #Jesus #Children

No man understands the Scriptures, unless he be acquainted with the Cross.
-- Martin Luther

#Men #Scripture #Crosses

For it is a horrible blasphemy to imagine that there is any work by which you should presume to pacify God, since you see that there is nothing which is able to pacify Him but this inestimable price, even the death and the blood of the Son of God, one drop of which is more precious than the whole world.
-- Martin Luther

#Son #Blood #World

Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave.
-- Martin Luther

#Love #Marriage #Sorry

The most damnable and pernicious heresy that has ever plagued the mind of man was the idea that somehow he could make himself good enough to deserve to live with an all-holy God.
-- Martin Luther

#Men #Ideas #Mind

Lord, grant that anger or other bitterness does not reign over us, but that your grace, genuine kindness, loyalty, and every kind of friendliness, generosity, and gentleness may reign in us. Amen
-- Martin Luther

#Loyalty #Kindness #Generosity

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

#Christian #Good Work #Idolatry

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing: our helper He amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.
-- Martin Luther

#Failing #Prevailing #Fortresses

All of a Christian's life is one of repentance.
-- Martin Luther

#Christian #Life Is #Repentance

The Law is for the proud and the Gospel for the brokenhearted.
-- Martin Luther

#Law #Proud #Brokenhearted

There never yet have been, nor are there now, too many good books.
-- Martin Luther

#Education #Book #Good Book

The cross alone is our theology.
-- Martin Luther

#Crosses #Theology

And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land
-- Martin Luther

#Change #Land #People

Temptations, of course, cannot be avoided, but because we cannot prevent the birds from flying over our heads, there is no need that we should let them nest in our hair.
-- Martin Luther

#Hair #Bird #Flying

Remove Christ from the Scriptures and there is nothing left.
-- Martin Luther

#Scripture #Christ

A person whodoes not regard music as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of ***** and the grunting of hogs.
-- Martin Luther

#Doe #Ass #Creation

Blessed is he who submits to the will of God; he can never be unhappy.
-- Martin Luther

#Blessed #Unhappy #Unhappiness

I know that a Christian should be humble, but against the Pope I am going to be proud and say to him: "You, Pope, I will not have you for my boss, for I am sure that my doctrine is divine.
-- Martin Luther

#Christian #Humble #Boss

I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of the youth.
-- Martin Luther

#School #Heart #Scripture

We cannot attain to the understanding of Scripture either by study or by the intellect. Your first duty is to begin by prayer. Entreat the Lord to grant you, of His great mercy, the true understanding of His Word. There is no other interpreter of the Word of God than the Author of this Word, as He Himself has said, "They shall be all taught of God" (John 6:45). Hope for nothing from your own labors, from your own understanding: trust solely in God, and in the influence of His Spirit. Believe this on the word of a man who has experience.
-- Martin Luther

#Prayer #Believe #Men

Music is a discipline, and a mistress of order and good manners, she makes the people milder and gentler, more moral and more reasonable.
-- Martin Luther

#Music #Order #Discipline

Medicine makes people ill, mathematics make them sad and theology makes them sinful.
-- Martin Luther

#Medicine #People #Sin

Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.
-- Martin Luther

#Mountain #Despair #Stones

Nothing good ever comes of violence.
-- Martin Luther

#War #Violence #Anti War

The law works fear and wrath; grace works hope and mercy.
-- Martin Luther

#Law #Wrath #Grace

Yes, would to God that I could persuade the rich and the mighty that they would permit the whole Bible to be painted on houses, on the inside and the outside, so that all can see it. That would be a Christian work... If it is not a sin but good to have the image of Christ in my heart, why should it be a sin to have it in my eyes? This is especially true since the heart is more important than the eyes, and should be less stained by sin because it is the true abode and dwelling place of God.
-- Martin Luther

#Christian #Art #Eye

A preacher should have the skill to teach the unlearned simply roundly, and plainly; for teaching is of more importance than exhorting.
-- Martin Luther

#Teaching #Skills #Should

I cannot neglect prayer for a single day.
-- Martin Luther

#Prayer #Neglect

A man must completely despair of himself in order to become fit to obtain the grace of Christ.
-- Martin Luther

#Men #Order #Grace

Good news from heaven the angels bring, Glad tidings to the earth they sing: To us this day a child is given, To crown us with the joy of heaven.
-- Martin Luther

#Christmas #Children #Angel

This is the good and happy news, that Christ has paid for our sin, and through His suffering has redeemed us from eternal death. It is His kingdom and His ministry, to preach the Gospel to the poor; that is His purpose. For to the great and holy He cannot come. They do not wish to be counted sinners, and therefore do not need His Gospel.
-- Martin Luther

#Christian #Prayer #Suffering

Faith is the 'yes' of the heart, a conviction on which one stakes one's life.
-- Martin Luther

#Heart #Christianity #Christian Life

The soul can do without everything except the word of God, without which none at all of its wants are provided for.
-- Martin Luther

#Soul #Want #Word Of God

If the devil were wise enough and would stand by in silence and let the gospel be preached, he would suffer less harm. For when there is no battle for the gospel it rusts and it finds no cause and no occasion to show its vigor and power. Therefore, nothing better can befall the gospel than that the world should fight it with force and cunning.
-- Martin Luther

#Wise #Fighting #Silence

Man is man because he is free to operate within a framework of his destiny. He is free to deliberate, to make decisions, and to choose between alternatives. He is distinguished from animals by his freedom to do evil or to do good and to walk the high road of beauty or tread the low road of ugly degeneracy.
-- Martin Luther

#Inspiring #Destiny #Men

I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!
-- Martin Luther

#Jesus #Son #Names

If we Christians would join the Wise Men, we must close our eyes to all that glitters before the world and look rather on the despised and foolish things, help the poor, comfort the despised, and aid the neighbor in his need.
-- Martin Luther

#Christian #Wise #Eye

By faith we began, by hope we continue, and by revelation we shall obtain the whole.
-- Martin Luther

#Revelations

Christianity affirms that at the heart of reality is a Heart, a loving Father who works through history for the salvation of His children. Man cannot save himself, for man is not the measure of all things and humanity is not God. Bound by the chains of his own sin and finiteness, man needs a Savior.
-- Martin Luther

#Christian #Children #Father

To have peace and love in a marriage is a gift that is next to the knowledge of the gospel.
-- Martin Luther

#Next #And Love #Peace And Love

Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason-I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other-my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.
-- Martin Luther

#Safe #Scripture #Helping

Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic.
-- Martin Luther

#Love #Sentimental #Reckless

Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God, your functional savior.
-- Martin Luther

#Heart #Savior

God creates out of nothing. Therefore, until a man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him.
-- Martin Luther

#Men

My conscience is captive to the Word of God
-- Martin Luther

#Word Of God #Conscience

Science gives man knowledge which is power; religion gives man wisdom which is control.
-- Martin Luther

#Men #Power #Giving

Christian living does not mean to be good but to become good; not to be well, but to get well; not being but becoming; nor rest but training. We are not yet, but we shall be. It has not yet happened, but it is the way. Not everything shines and sparkles as yet, but everything is getting better.
-- Martin Luther

#Christian #Get Well #Mean

Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but more frequently than not struggles against the divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God.
-- Martin Luther

#Spiritual #Struggle #Enemy

The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.
-- Martin Luther

#Peace #Evil #Violence

It is pleasing to the dear God whenever thou rejoicest or laughest from the bottom of thy heart.
-- Martin Luther

#Happiness #Heart #Aging

Accordingly if the devil should say, 'Do not drink,' you should reply to him, 'On this very account, because you forbid it, I shall drink, and what is more, I shall drink a generous amount. Thus one must always do the opposite of that which Satan prohibits. What do you think is my reason for drinking wine undiluted, talking freely, and eating more often, if it is not to torment and vex the devil who made up his mind to torment and vex me.
-- Martin Luther

#Drinking #Wine #Thinking

God has surely promised His grace to the humbled: that is, to those who mourn over and despair of themselves. But a man cannot be thoroughly humbled till he realizes that his salvation is utterly beyond his own powers, counsels, efforts, will and works, and depends absolutely on the will, counsel, pleasure and work of Another -- God alone.
-- Martin Luther

#Men #Effort #Grace