Is it true that Martin Luther of the Reformation said “Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong.” Yes, it is. But the second half of that sentence was “but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world.”<\/p>\n
Here is that passage in it’s original context; a letter from Luther to Melanchthon on August 1, 1521. If you like you can scroll directly to number paragraph thirteen for the complete passage.<\/p>\n
This is also the letter where Martin Luther expresses his favor for allowing monks to marry.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Let Your Sins Be Strong:<\/strong> Of course, you can only know and absolve those sins which have been You cannot convince me that the same is true for the vows made by 2. By the way, St. Paul very freely speaks about the priests (1.Tim: 3. This interdiction by the devil, which is clearly shown by God’s 4. Why do you hesitate to join this divine judgment against the gates 5. In addition, consider that the state of being unmarried is only a 6. Good old Carlstadt is also citing St. Paul (1 Tim.5:9-11), to let 7. I would not have allowed marriage for priests for the sole reason 8. Concerning the two elements of the Holy Supper I will not give an 9. There HE does not demand it, and here the tyrant oppresses, I 10. It happened to Donatus, the martyr, where several people could 11. I am quite pleased, though, that you are re-establishing Christ’s 12. From here on I will no longer conduct private mass. Rather we 13.<\/strong> If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary but On the day of the Feast of St. Peter the Apostle, 1521<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Is it true that Martin Luther of the Reformation said “Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong.” Yes, it is. But the second half of that sentence was “but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world.” Here is that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[1078,1064,1069,1060,1063,1062,1065,1074,1073,1072,1061,1066,1076,1067,1068,988,997,1071,1077,1070],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3C0LX-VE","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/conradaskland.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3574"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/conradaskland.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/conradaskland.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conradaskland.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conradaskland.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3574"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/conradaskland.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3575,"href":"https:\/\/conradaskland.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3574\/revisions\/3575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/conradaskland.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conradaskland.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conradaskland.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nA Letter From Luther to Melanchthon
\nLetter no. 99, 1 August 1521, From the Wartburg
\n(Segment)
\nTranslated by
\nErika Bullmann Flores
\nfrom: _Dr. Martin Luther’s Saemmtliche Schriften_
\nDr, Johannes Georg Walch, Ed.
\n(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, N.D.),
\nVol. 15,cols. 2585-2590.<\/p>\n
\nconfessed to you; sins which have not been confessed to you, you
\nneither need to know nor can you absolve them. That is reaching too
\nhigh, dear gentlemen.”<\/p>\n
\npriests and monks.\u00c2\u00a0 For I am very concerned about the fact that the
\norder of priesthood was instituted by God as a free one. Not so that
\nof the monks who chose their position voluntarily, even though I have
\nalmost come to the conclusion that those who have entered into that
\nstate at an age prior to their manhood, or are currently at that
\nstage, may secede with a clear conscience. I am hesitant, however,
\nwith a judgment about those who have been in this state for a long
\ntime and have grown old in it.<\/p>\n
\n4, ff), that devils have forbidden them to marry; and St. Paul’s
\nvoice is the voice of the divine majesty. Therefore, I do not doubt
\nthat they must depend on him to such a degree that even though they
\nagreed to this interdiction of the devil at the time, now–having
\nrealized with whom they made their contract–they can cheerfully
\nbreak this contract.<\/p>\n
\nWord, urges and compels me to sanction the actions of the Bishop of
\nKemberg. For God does not lie nor deceive when He says that this is
\nan interdiction from the devil.\u00c2\u00a0 If a contract has been made with the
\ndevil it must not endure since it was made in godless error against
\nGod and was damned and repudiated by God.\u00c2\u00a0 For He says very clearly
\n(1. Tim. 4:1 Vulg.) that those spirits are in error who are the
\noriginators of the interdictions.<\/p>\n
\nof hell? That is not how it was with the oath of the children of
\nIsrael which they gave to the Gibeons.\u00c2\u00a0 They had it in their laws
\nthat they must offer peace or accept peace offered to them, and
\naccept into their midst proselytes and those who adhered to their
\ncustoms.\u00c2\u00a0 All this took place. Nothing happened there against the
\nLord or by the advice of spirits. For even though in the beginning
\nthey murmured, later on they approved.<\/p>\n
\nhuman statute and can be readily lifted. Therefore any Christian can
\ndo this.\u00c2\u00a0 I would make this statement even if the interdiction had
\nnot come from a devil, but from a devout person.\u00c2\u00a0 However, because
\nthere is no such statement by God concerning the monks, I am
\ntherefore not certain that I should make the same pronouncement
\nconcerning them. For I would not dare to presume, neither advice
\nanother to do so.\u00c2\u00a0 Would God that we could do this, though, in order
\nto prevent someone from becoming a monk, or leaving his order during
\nthe years of his virility.\u00c2\u00a0 For we are to avoid vexations if there is
\nno relevant scriptural passage available to us, even when dealing
\nwith things which are permitted.<\/p>\n
\ngo of the younger widows and select 60-year-olds, wish to God this
\ncould be demonstrated. Quite easily someone might say that the
\nApostle referred to the future, while in reference to the past (V.12)
\nthey are condemned because they have broken their first troth.
\nTherefore this expression has come to naught and cannot be a
\ndependable basis for the conscience. For that is what we are
\nsearching for.\u00c2\u00a0 Moreover, this reasoning that it is better to be
\nmarried than to burn with vain desire (1 Cor.7:9), or to prevent the
\nsins of immorality (1 Cor.7:2), by entering into marriage while
\ncommitting the sin of the broken troth, that is nothing but common-
\nsense.\u00c2\u00a0 We want the scripture and the witness of God’s will.\u00c2\u00a0 Who
\nknows if the one who is very enthusiastic today will still be so
\ntomorrow?<\/p>\n
\nof “burning” had not St. Paul called this interdiction devilish and
\nhypocritical, condemned by God. Even without the burning he urged
\nthat this unmarried status be cast aside simply for the fear of God.
\nHowever, it is necessary to discuss these things more thoroughly. For
\nI too would love to come to the aid of the monks and nuns. I very
\nmuch pity these wretched human beings, these young men and girls who
\nsuffer defilement and burning.<\/p>\n
\nexample, but give testimony with Christ’s words. Carlstadt does not
\nshow that those who have received only one element have sinned, or
\nnot sinned. I am concerned that Christ did not command either one of
\nthe two, just as He does not command baptism if the tyrant or the
\nworld withhold the water.\u00c2\u00a0 So also the violence of persecution
\nseparates men and women, which God forbids to separate, neither do
\nthey agree to be separated. Therefore, neither do godfearing hearts
\nagree that they should be robbed of one of the elements. However,
\nthose who do agree and approve: who can deny that these are not
\nChristians but Papists who are sinning.<\/p>\n
\ntherefore cannot agree that those who receive only one element are
\nsinning.\u00c2\u00a0 For who can exert power to take something when the tyrant
\nis not willing?\u00c2\u00a0 Therefore it is only common-sense which observes
\nhere that Christ’s institution is not adhered to.\u00c2\u00a0 Scripture makes no
\ndefinition by which we could declare this act a sin.\u00c2\u00a0 It is Christ’s
\ninstitution, given in freedom, which cannot be incarcerated as a
\nwhole or in part.<\/p>\n
\nnot participate because the cup broke or the wine was spilled. What
\nif this happens and there is no other wine available? There are other
\nsimilar situations. In short, because Scripture does not speak of sin
\nhere, I therefore say there is no sin involved.<\/p>\n
\nmethod. For it was just that which I planned to take up with you
\nfirst of all upon my return to you.\u00c2\u00a0 For now we recognize this
\ntyranny and can oppose it, in order not to be forced to receive only
\none of the elements.<\/p>\n
\nshould pray God to give us more of His Spirit.\u00c2\u00a0 For I am expecting
\nthat the Lord will soon ravish Germany–which she deserves because of
\nher unbelief, godlessness and hate of the Gospel.\u00c2\u00a0 However, we shall
\nbe blamed for this chastisement, as we are made out to be heretics
\nwho have provoked God to this action. We shall be scorned by the
\npeople and disdained by the nation.\u00c2\u00a0 Those, however, will make
\nexcuses for their sins, through which He will manifest that the hard-
\nhearted do not become godly neither by mercy nor wrath. Let it
\nhappen, let the will of the Lord be done. Amen!<\/p>\n
\nthe true mercy.\u00c2\u00a0 If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the
\ntrue, not an imaginary sin.\u00c2\u00a0 God does not save those who are only
\nimaginary sinners.\u00c2\u00a0 Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let
\nyour trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the
\nvictor over sin, death, and the world.\u00c2\u00a0 We will commit sins while we
\nare here, for this life is not a place where justice resides.\u00c2\u00a0 We,
\nhowever, says Peter (2. Peter 3:13) are looking forward to a new
\nheaven and a new earth where justice will reign.\u00c2\u00a0 It suffices that
\nthrough God’s glory we have recognized the Lamb who takes away the
\nsin of the world. No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to
\nkill or commit adultery thousands of times each day.\u00c2\u00a0 Do you think
\nsuch an exalted Lamb paid merely a small price with a meager
\nsacrifice for our sins?\u00c2\u00a0 Pray hard for you are quite a sinner.<\/p>\n