#67 The Church Cannot Depart From the Word of God

For whatever departs from the word of God (which is the only way, as Christ says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” [John 14:6]), however well and beautifully it may glitter, is without question error, lie, and death. It is without the word of God, that is, without the way, the truth, and the life. And what need would we have of the word if we could find ways for ourselves without it? For the word alone is the lamp to our feet, and the light to our path [Ps. 119:105], which, as St. Peter says, shines in the darkest place of this world [II Pet. 1:19]. Whoever does not hold it constantly and steadfastly before his eyes—where else can he go but into darkness? The light therefore is there in the darkness so that we can guide ourselves by it.

Now let us look in turn at each of these new things which have arisen in the pope’s new church. We discover that they have all been invented without God’s word, that is, without the way, the truth, and the light, but rather out of human devotion or opinion, or the malice of the pope. Therefore, as the church of the pope is full of indulgences, human merit, brotherhoods, worship of saints, monkery, masses, satisfaction, and the things we have already mentioned, such as worship, it is full of error, falsehood, idolatry, unbelief, murder, and is the epitome of the church of all the devils. They cannot say that God’s word teaches such things.  (Luther’s Works, v.41, p.215)

#66 The Church Cannot Lie or Permit False Doctrine

Therefore the holy church cannot and may not lie or suffer false doctrine, but must teach nothing except what is holy and true, that is, God’s word alone; and where it teaches a lie it is idolatrous and the whore-church of the devil. What help was it to the kings of Israel to boast that they served the God of Israel, who had led them out of Egypt? Indeed, they sought and called on the true God of their fathers, and they also held the law of Moses. But since, in addition, they honored calves and Baal, or at least instituted their own new worship in honor of the true God in their religious fervor, they lost everything. For God’s command, “You shall have no other God before me” [Deut. 5:7], stood against this; and Deuteronomy 4 [:2] and 12 [:32] had strongly forbidden them to undertake anything new or different on their own, saying, “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it.” And again, “You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left” [Deut. 5:32], that is, to make it better or worse, to limit or to change it. Therefore we read everywhere in the prophets how they rebuke the kings, priests, and people for always inventing new ways and not remaining on the one and only path. (Luther’s Works, v.41, p.214)

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

#65 Roman Theology Teaches Reliance on Works and Doubting Grace

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

#64 Does The True Church Need to Fast?

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

#63 We Are Like The Ancient True Church

Since the papists know that in all these and other things we are like the ancient church and may truly be called the ancient church—for these things are not new or invented by us—it is amazing that they should deceive and damn us so shamelessly, calling us apostates and founders of a new church; for they cannot find anything in us which was not held in the ancient and true church at the time of the apostles. Thus I really think that this is the time of which Daniel 7 [:8–9] says, “One that was ancient of days took his seat” after the little horn had spoken blasphemously, and sat in judgment. For the original and ancient church shines forth once more (like the sun emerging from the clouds behind which it was shining, but where it could not be seen), and the horn which speaks blasphemies will perish and everything come to an end, as it is written and is evident in the result—but there is no time to speak of that now. (Luther’s Works, v.41, p.198)

Picture: A close-up of the Veronica window at History Trinity Lutheran Church, Souland Market, St. Louis MO

#62 The True Church Has Not Sought Revenge

Tenth, nobody can deny that we have not shed blood, murdered, hanged, or avenged ourselves in return, as we could often have done and could still do. But as Christ, the apostles, and the ancient church did, we endure, admonish, and pray for others. And, indeed, we do this publicly in church, in the litany and in sermons, just as Christ our Lord did and taught and as the ancient church also did, so that in this we all act according to the ancient practice of the ancient church. (Luther’s Works, v.41, p.198)

Picture: The stained glass in the narthex where the baptismal font is located; History Trinity Lutheran Church, Souland Market, St. Louis MO

#61 The True Church Has Suffering in the World

Ninth, nobody can deny that we experience the same suffering (as St. Peter says [I Pet. 5:9]) as our brethren in the world. We are persecuted in every place, strangled, drowned, hanged, and tormented in every way for the sake of the word. Our lot is like that of the ancient church, and in this we are beyond measure like it, so that we may well say we are the true ancient church, or at least its companions and copartners in suffering; for this is not something we have newly invented, but something we really experience. Indeed, we (like this same ancient church) are like the Lord Christ himself on the cross: there are Annas and Caiaphas, together with the priests, standing in front of the cross, vilifying the Lord after crucifying him. The pope, the cardinals, and the monks have likewise condemned, damned, and murdered us, shedding our blood and reviling us as well. The soldiers, that is, some of the temporal powers, stand there and also revile us. In addition, there is that criminal on the left, Harry of Wolfenbüttel, with his crew, whom God has already judged and hanged in chains in hell. He must add his vilification, so that this mark of the ancient church may also be fully seen in us. (Luther’s Works, v.41, p.197-198)

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

#60 The True Church Honors Marriage

Eighth, nobody can deny that we praise and honor marriage as a divine, blessed, and well-pleasing ordinance of God’s creation for the procreation of children and the prevention of carnal unchastity. We have not newly invented it, nor have we of ourselves newly devised it, much less have we forbidden it, like innovators. But just as God from the beginning instituted it, and Christ confirmed it [Matt 19:4–6], and the apostles and the ancient church honored and taught it, so have we remained in this same ancient rule and ordinance of God. In this we have been like the ancient church and have indeed been its true and proper members. So you can see that here again the papists accuse us falsely of innovation.  (Luther’s Works, v.41, p.197)

Picture: Olivia gets a chance to play the organ at History Trinity Lutheran Church, Souland Market, St. Louis MO

#59 The True Church Honors the Government

Seventh, nobody can deny that with the ancient church we hold and teach that one should honor and not curse the temporal powers and should not compel them to kiss the pope’s feet. This is also not something which we have newly devised, for St. Peter in II Peter 2 [:10] curses those who would invent and in the future do such new things. And St. Paul is with us in Romans 13 [:1–7], as is the whole of ancient Christendom, so that in this we are not, nor may we be called, innovators—as the papists call us, thereby not only slandering us, but God himself. But we are and belong to the ancient, holy, and apostolic church, as its true children and members. For we have always most faithfully taught obedience to our temporal authority, be it emperor or princes. We ourselves have lived accordingly and prayed for them with all our heart. (Luther’s Works, v.41, p.196-197)

Picture: Listening to the children play the organ at History Trinity Lutheran Church, Souland Market, St. Louis MO

#58 The True Church Has The Apostles’ Creed & The Lord’s Prayer

Fifth, nobody can deny that we, like it, do indeed hold, believe, sing, and confess the Apostles’ Creed, the ancient creed of the ancient church, and neither make nor add anything new to it. Hence we belong to the ancient church and are one with it. There is, therefore, in this matter also, no reason the papists should really call us heretics or a new church, for whoever believes as the ancient church did and holds things in common with it belongs to the ancient church.

Sixth, nobody can deny that we have the same prayer as the ancient church, the same Lord’s Prayer. We have not invented a new or different one; we sing the same psalms and praise and thank God with united heart and voice according to the teaching of Christ, the practice of the apostles and the ancient church, and their command to us to follow their example. And so again the papists cannot call us heretics or a new church, unless they first call Christ himself such, together with his beloved ancient church, etc. (Luther’s Works, v.41, p.196)

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