Martin Luther

Ask God to work faith in you; otherwise you will remain eternally without faith, no matter what you try to do or fabricate.

Thus from faith flow forth love and joy in the Lord, and from love a cheerful, willing, free spirit, disposed to serve our neighbour voluntarily, without taking any account of gratitude or ingratitude, praise or blame, g…

Tell your master that if there were as many devils at Worms as tiles on its roofs, I would enter.

I will therefore give myself as a sort of Christ, to my neighbour, as Christ has given Himself to me; and will do nothing in this life except what I see will be needful, advantageous, and wholesome for my neighbour, sinc…

Faith alone and the word reign in it; and such as is the word, such is the soul made by it, just as iron exposed to fire glows like fire, on account of its union with the fire.

Thus the promises of God give that which the precepts exact, and fulfil what the law commands; so that all is of God alone, both the precepts and their fulfilment. He alone commands; He alone also fulfils.

For this we must know, that all our shelter and protection rest in prayer alone. For we are far too feeble to cope with the devil and all his power and adherents that set themselves against us, and they might easily crus…

Therefore you should say: My prayer is as precious, holy, and pleasing to God as that of St. Paul or of the most holy saints. This is the reason: For I will gladly grant that he is holier in his person, but not on accoun…

Therefore the ancients ably defined prayer an Accensus mentis ad Deum, a climbing up of the heart unto God.

It is a great matter when in extreme need, to take hold on prayer. I know, whenever I have earnestly prayed, I have been amply heard, and have obtained more than I prayed for; God, indeed, sometimes delayed, but at last…

Upright Christians pray without ceasing; though they pray not always with their mouths, yet their hearts pray continually, sleeping and waking; for the sigh of a true Christian is a prayer.

Prayer preserves the church, and hitherto has done the best for the church; therefore, we must continually pray.

None can believe how powerful prayer is, and what it is able to effect, but those who have learned it by experience.

A theology of glory calls evil good and good evil. A theology of the cross calls the thing what it actually is.

The law says, "do this," and it is never done. Grace says, "believe in this," and everything is already done.

It is as impossible to separate works from faith as burning and shining from fire.

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…

True, then, are these two sayings: 'Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works'; 'Bad works do not make a bad man, but a bad man does bad works.'

Let us therefore hold it for certain and firmly established that the soul can do without everything except the word of God, without which none at all of its wants are provided for. But, having the word, it is rich and wa…

A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to every one.

Prayer is a strong wall and fortress of the church; it is a godly Christian’s weapon, which no man knows or finds, but only he who has the spirit of grace and of prayer.

If you speak of the external clearness, nothing whatever is left obscure or ambiguous; but all things that are in the Scriptures, are by the Word brought forth into the clearest light, and proclaimed to the whole world.

Faith is a living, unshakeable confidence in God's grace; it is so certain, that someone would die a thousand times for it.

What a living, creative, active powerful thing is faith! It is impossible that faith ever stop doing good. Faith doesn't ask whether good works are to be done, but, before it is asked, it has done them.

No man can bring his own righteousness before God.

Temptations are not overcome through our own strength.

Take away assertions, and you take away Christianity. Nay, the Holy Spirit is given unto them from heaven, that He may glorify Christ, and confess Him even unto death.

When others do blaspheme, let us pray.

We cannot pray without faith in Christ the Mediator. The Turks, the Jews, and the ungodly may rehearse and speak the words of prayer after one, but they cannot pray.

Without trouble it is only a cold prattling, and goeth not from the heart; the common saying is "Need teacheth to pray."

Prayer is a strong wall, and a fort of the church; it is a godly Christian's weapon, which no man knoweth nor findeth, but only he who hath the spirit of grace and of prayer.

When our consciences are settled in peace, quieted and comforted through God's spirit, then we must show also and prove our faith by such good works which God hath commanded.

The Gospel is like a fresh, mild, and cool air in the extreme heat of summer, that is, a solace and comfort in the anguish of the conscience. But as this heat proceedeth from the rays of the sun, so likewise the terrifyi…

Wilt thou be an upright Minister and a Shepherd? then love must only do it; thy love to me must do the deed, otherwise it is impossible. For who can endure unthankfulness? to study away his wealth and health, and afterwa…

No human creature can believe how powerful prayer is, and what it is able to effect, but only those that have learned it by experience. I know, as often as I have earnestly prayed, that I have been richly heard, and have…

At such a time I must arm myself and encounter the devil with this text, namely: That Jesus Christ died for me, and through him I have a gracious God and Father; Christ hath made an atonement for me.

How should God deal with us? Good days we cannot bear, evil we cannot endure. Giveth he riches unto us? then are we proud. Giveth he poverty unto us? then are we dismayed, we are impatient, and murmur against him.

Thus goeth it always with God's power in our weakness; for when he is weakest in us, then is he strongest.

Heaven and earth, the castles and palaces of all Emperors, Kings, and Princes, are no way sufficient to make a dwelling-place for God; yet, in a silly human creature that keepeth his Word he will dwell.

When we have God's Word pure and clear, then we are secure, we are negligent and regard it not, we think it will always so remain; we do not watch and pray against the devil, who is ready to tear the Word out of our hear…

True and upright Divinity consisteth in the practice, use, and exercise; her foundation is Christ; she taketh hold by faith on his passion, death, and resurrection.

My best advice and counsel is that we draw water out of the true fountain, that is, diligently to read in the Bible. He is a learned Divine that is well grounded in the Text; for one text and sentence out of the Bible is…

When I find myself in temptation, then I quickly lay hold and fasten on some text in the Bible which Christ Jesus layeth before me, namely, that he died for me, from whence I have and receive comfort.

Without trials and temptations we should never understand anything of the Scriptures; no, not although we diligently read and heard the same. The Holy Ghost must be the only master and tutor to teach us therein.

It is always necessary that the substance or essence of a person be good before there can be any good works and that good works follow and proceed from a person who is already good.

The mad mob does not ask how it could be better, only that it be different. And when it then becomes worse, it must change again. Thus they get bees for flies, and at last hornets for bees.

Although indulgences are the very merits of Christ and of His saints and so should be treated with all reverence, they have in fact nonetheless become a shocking exercise of greed.

I know God only as he became human, so shall I have him in no other way.

Man is by nature unable to want God to be God. Indeed, he himself wants to be God, and does not want God to be God.

Insurrection never brings about the desired improvement. For insurrection lacks discernment; it generally harms the innocent more than the guilty. Hence, no insurrection is ever right, no matter how right the cause it se…