Both texts are from Scroll Publishing: Let Your Sins Be Strong: A Letter From Luther to Melanchthon Letter no. 99, 1 August 1521, From the Wartburg (Segment) Translated by Erika Bullmann Flores from: _Dr. Martin Luther’s Saemmtliche Schriften_ Dr, Johannes Georg Walch, Ed. (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, N.D.), Vol. 15,cols. 2585-2590.
This is the same paragraph that follows, but from the Weimar Edition (first published in 1883), which apparently ellipsed out Luther’s most extreme remarks.
13.”If you are a preacher of Grace, then preach a true, not a fictitious grace; if grace is true, you must bear a true and not a fictitious sin. God does not save people who are only fictitious sinners. Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly. For he is victorious over sin, death, and the world. As long as we are here we have to sin. This life in not the dwelling place of righteousness but, as Peter says, we look for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. . . . Pray boldly-you too are a mighty sinner.” (Weimar ed. vol. 2, p. 371; Letters I, “Luther’s Works,” American Ed., Vol 48. p. 281- 282)
Here is the non-sanitized version. Here, Luther teaches once-saved-always-saved to the max! And this is the main problem with America today. Luther started as so deathly afraid of God that he embraced a doctrine that he knew at least some of the NT writers didn’t even teach, so he would never have to fear God again, even when boldly sinning—until he saw Him face to face—when it was too late (unless he totally repented before he died—which I don’t know of an record of).
13. If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary but the true mercy. If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides. We, however, says Peter (2. Peter 3:13) are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign. It suffices that through God’s glory we have recognized the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day. Do you think such an exalted Lamb paid merely a small price with a meager sacrifice for our sins? Pray hard for you are quite a sinner.
This is the exact opposite of what Paul taught in Romans 6:1&2.
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?
Let’s be free!
Related:
Martin Luther Cursed from His Heart Catholic Leaders, ‘Every Day’
The Protestant Reformers Were Frauds: An Anabaptist speaks out
I agree along with Hebrews 6:1-2, also Heb 3:12,3:6. 3:14′ 10:25 and 39
2 Peter 2:20; and so many more . YOU CAN LOSE YOUR FAITH AND THUS SALVATION. I READ THE WORD FOR WHAT IT SAYS, NOT RATIONALIZE IT. HIS GRACE IS SUFFIECIENT FOR US, YET WE CAN FALL FROM HIS GRACE.
Comment by Ed Colton — September 30, 2008 @ 9:08 pm
I think you may be missing the point of what Martin was saying. Remember, this was the Protestant reformation – a breaking from the Catholic Church. The point here is not to say sin without cause or care, for than he would be like the pagans. The point of this text is to emphasize salvation throught grace, and not by works. This was something the Catholic Church had lost sight of. You will sin, even after you proclaim Christ as Savior, but now you do so with the confidence of salvation. Why? Because you love Christ even more boldly.
Comment by Barnard — March 18, 2009 @ 11:28 am
Barnard,
I wish you were right, but history indicates that Luther’s “No sin can separate us from Him” false doctrine affected both what he taught and how he lived. But the entire truth about Luther has been kept from most Lutherans, including myself—until I broke out of the box to discover what really is going on.
I don’t know about you, but I was taught a sanitized version of Martin Luther. I saw him as a hero who could do no wrong, so to be called a ‘Lutheran’ was something really special. But there is a lot they withheld from us to keep the myth going. Even this text was edited so Luther wouldn’t look so bad.
I still see Luther as a hero in how he stood up against the tyrannical Catholic church so boldly. But he threw out the baby with the bathwater. And he cursed back (linked above), which is a damnable offense (“Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer,” and many others show this. See especially my “Who-Goes-To-Heaven Scriptures…”, linked above.
Jesus forgave. Stephen forgave. Luther…. And cursed boldly did he. If you’re going to sin, you might as well really sin, said he. The way Luther really lived is out there, if you really want to know. My point here is not to bash Luther, but to help people realize that he never got it, himself, so a denomination shouldn’t have been named after him. And we shouldn’t count on infant baptism and confirmation as being ‘in.’ Being ‘in,’ according to the Word of God, is abiding in Christ after having been truly born-again.
What does history really say about Luther, and what does the Bible really say about who goes to heaven and what is real Christianity. The Lutheran concept of ‘grace’ isn’t the Biblical concept of grace. “Grace teaches us to say, ‘no’….
The Bible emphasizes holiness, one with God and each other. Luther went off in a completely different direction based largely upon Paul’s intros, ignoring numerous passages. And many millions have gone and are going to hell because of this terribly destructive doctrine of greasy grace, thinking they’re bound for heaven.
May we be holy and locked in, one with Christ and each other—Jesus’ way (John 17).
jeff
Comment by Jeff Fenske — March 18, 2009 @ 7:03 pm
Define sin. Sin is less about the naughty things we do and more about our human nature that causes us to do them. Original sin was not the act of eating from the forbidden tree, it was in Adam and Eve deciding that what they wanted to do was more important than what they knew God wanted them to do. it was in not putting god first.
This inability to put god first is that part of our sinful nature Luther was addressing. “sin boldy…” means “Be a human and do not despair that you aren’t good enough to get into heaven. If only deserving people made it into heaven, it would be a lonely place. We are not saved because we are worthy, but because God loves us anyway.”
Comment by rick roberts — April 7, 2009 @ 10:41 am
Rick,
Willful sin that keeps us from heaven after we’re truly born-again is specifically explained in my “Who-Goes-To-Heaven Scriptures…” post, linked above, if you’re interested. The Bible is actually very specific; though, most pastors don’t teach what the Bible really says. So we must read it for ourselves. The deception in the last days will be great, Jesus said.
Those who are led by the Spirit are the children of God — Romans 8:
“Sin boldly” isn’t anywhere in the Word of God. It’s a doctrine of demons. We must be holy.
jeff
Comment by Jeff Fenske — April 7, 2009 @ 3:53 pm
Sounds like Mr. Fenske subscribes to the old Pelagian heresy.
Can we stone him?
Comment by John Knight — December 1, 2009 @ 7:56 am