It{The church} is (as St. Paul says) a pillar and bulwark of the truth [I Tim. 3:15]. It stands firm (he says) and is a bulwark and sure foundation. It is not a bulwark of falsehood and lies, but a bulwark of truth, neither lying nor deceiving; it has no truck with lies. But whatever wavers or doubts cannot be truth; and what would be the use or need of a church of God in the world if it wanted to waver or be uncertain in its words, or wanted to say something new every day, now asserting this, now rejecting that? Moreover, of what use would a God like this be, who wanted to teach us to waver and to doubt—just as the theology of the papists teaches that one must doubt grace? But enough has been written about that. Even if the papists had won in everything else, they still lose this major point when they teach that we must doubt the grace of God if we are not already worthy enough through our own satisfaction or merit or the prayers of the saints. That is the purpose of their books, letters, seals, convents, monasteries, and even of their tonsures and masses.

Because they teach reliance on works and doubt—indeed, they cannot do otherwise—it is quite certain that they must be the devil’s church. For there are not, and could not be, more than these two ways: the one which relies upon God’s grace, and the other which builds on our own works and merit. The first is the way of the ancient church, of all the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, as Scripture testifies. The other is the way of the pope and his church, and that is something no one, not even Harry and all the devils in hell, can deny. (Luther’s Works, v.41, p.213)

Picture: The Risen Christ stained glass window at History Trinity Lutheran Church, Souland Market, St. Louis MO

Yet someone might say, “You lack one thing, namely, fasting, because you heretics do not fast” (they say). Lord God, if there is one thing we have from the ancient church, it is unfortunately fasting. If there is one thing the papists have from the new church, it is that they do not fast but live riotously and on fast days even more than on feast days. Indeed, we do not just fast, but (with St. Paul [I Cor. 4:11]) we suffer hunger. We see it daily in our poor ministers, their wives and children, and in many other poor people, whose hunger stares at you out of their eyes. They scarcely have bread and water, they go about naked as a jaybird, and they have nothing of their own. The farmer and the burgher give them nothing, and the nobility take, so that there are only a few of us who have something, and we cannot help everyone. This should be the purpose of monasteries and convents. If others are stingy, then Lazarus must die of starvation [Luke 16:19–31]. The papists laugh at this, but they only prove thereby that we are the ancient church suffering scorn and injury at the hands of the children of the devil.

Thus we have proved that we are the true, ancient church, one body and one communion of saints with the holy, universal, Christian church.  (Luther’s Works, v.41, p.198-199)

Picture: The pulpit at History Trinity Lutheran Church, Souland Market, St. Louis MO