Posted on by Kurt Bodling

one Catholic view of Martin Luther

“We must see the decisive point here: more than anyone before him in the fifteen hundred years of church history, Luther had found a direct existential access to the apostle Paul’s doctrine of justification of the sinner by faith alone, and not through works. This had been completely distorted by the promotion of indulgences in the Catholic Church, which claimed that the sinner could be saved by performing set penances and even making payment of money. This rediscovery of Paul’s message of justification – among the shifts, obscurities, cover-ups, and overpaintings – is an epoch-making and astounding theological achievement, which the Reformer himself always recognized as the special grace of God. Simply in the light of this central point, a formal rehabilitation of Luther and the repeal of his excommunication by Rome is overdue. It is one of those acts of reparation which should follow the pope’s confession of guilt today.”

Küng, Hans. The Catholic Church: a Short History. New York: The Modern Library, 2003, p. 126

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

let God be God

“If all things are his, you ought to keep your peace and let God administer all as he wishes. If he takes that which belongs to him, he is not dealing unjustly with you.”

Luther, Martin. “An Exposition of the Lord’s Prayer for Simple Laymen” (1519) Luther’s Works Vol. 42. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969, page 32

Comment: Sometimes our prayers are complaints to God about what we don’t have and what we have lost for one reason or another. Luther tells us to instead let God be God in these matters. God, as creator and ruler of everything there is, has the right to shuffle around resources, taking from one and giving to another. He’s in charge, we aren’t.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

people’s attitude

“Except for the very few who are faithful and gratefully accept God’s word the majority are ungrateful, stubborn, brash, and live as if God had given us his word because we deserved it.”

Luther, Martin. “Appeal for Prayer Against the Turks” (1541) Luther’s Works Vol. 43. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969, page 220

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

sin cannot harm us

“Therefore, just as it is impossible for Christ with his righteousness not to please God, so it is impossible for us, with our faith clinging to his righteousness, not to please him. It is in this way that a Christian becomes almighty lord of all, having all things and doing all things, wholly without sin. Even if he is in sins, these cannot do him harm; they are forgiven for the sake of the inexhaustible righteousness of Christ that removes all sins. It is on this that our faith relies, firmly trusting that he is such a Christ as we have described.”

Luther, Martin. “Fourteen Consolations for Those Who Labor and Are Heavy Laden” (1520) Luther’s Works Vol. 42. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969, p. 165.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

cling to Christ’s righteousness

“We are set down, I say, in Christ’s righteousness, with which he himself is righteous, because we cling to that righteousness whereby he himself is acceptable to God, intercedes for us as our mediator, and gives himself wholly to us as our high priest and protector.”

Luther, Martin. “Fourteen Consolations for Those Who Labor and Are Heavy Laden” (1520) Luther’s Works Vol. 42. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969, p. 165.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

different burdens for different people

“Since it is generally true of Christians that few are strong and many are weak, one simply cannot place the same burden on everyone. … When a strong man travels with a weak man, he must restrain himself so as not to walk at a speed proportionate to his strength lest he set a killing pace for his weak companion.”

Luther, Martin. “Whether One May Flee From a Deadly Plague” (1527) Luther’s Works Vol. 43. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969, page 120.

Comment: It is an act of discernment and wisdom to realize the need for variety in practice or requirements because different people have different levels of tolerance. There should, of course, be measures taken to promote growth and build spiritual strength, but when everyone is starting from a different place the means for growth and strength have to be different.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

benefit of Christ’s suffering

“We must give ourselves wholly to this matter, for the main benefit of Christ’s passion is that man sees into his own true self and that he be terrified and crushed by this. Unless we seek that knowledge, we do not derive much benefit from Christ’s passion.”

Luther, Martin. “A Meditation on Christ’s Passion” (1519) Luther’s Works Vol. 42. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969, page 10.

Comment: Here Luther says that the main benefit to us of Christ’s passion is the crushing of the Law. It comes down to the fact that if I had not sinned then Christ would not have had to suffer and die. The grace only benefits me after that.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

losing focus while in prayer

“In my day I have prayed many such canonical hours myself, regrettably, and in such a manner that the psalm or the allotted time came to an end before I even realized whether I was at the beginning or in the middle. … But, praise God, it is now clear to me that a person who forgets what he has said has not prayed well. In a good prayer one fully remembers every word and thought from the beginning to the end of the prayer.” 

Luther, Martin. “A Simple Way to Pray” (1535) Luther’s Works Vol. 43. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969, page 199.

Comment: Our minds wander all the time. Even when we are in prayer or at worship or during a sermon. (Try especially not to let that happen when you are leading prayers and worship, or preaching!) In prayer times, if you get to the end – however you are measuring that – and can’t really remember what you said, there is good reason to question just what you’ve been doing. This may well mean that you shouldn’t pray for too long a time. It could be like advice for study or exercise: repeated short periods of time are usually more helpful than long stretches.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

suffering and power

“Now the plain truth is that he who has never been tried by suffering and has never experienced the power of the Word of God to give strength, cannot know the true purport of this petition [i.e., “Give us this day our daily bread”]. Such comfort cannot appeal to him, for he has known and tasted only his own and other creatures’ comfort and aid. He has never drunk a cup of woe to the dregs and been disconsolate.”

Luther, Martin. “An Exposition of the Lord’s Prayer for Simple Laymen” (1519) Luther’s Works Vol. 42. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969, page 53.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

can whistling be prayer?

“All teachers of the Scriptures conclude that prayer is nothing else than lifting up the heart or mind to God. But if the lifting up of the heart constitutes the essence and nature of prayer, it follows that everything else which does not invite the lifting of the heart is not prayer. Therefore, singing, talking, and whistling, when devoid of the sincere uplifting of the heart, are as unlike prayer as scarecrows in the garden are unlike human beings. The essence is wanting; only the appearance and name are present.”

Luther, Martin. “An Exposition of the Lord’s Prayer for Simple Laymen” (1519) Luther’s Works Vol. 42. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969, page 25.