Works of Martin Luther

Author: (German) Martin Luther
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-04-01
Features: Martin Luther's greatness lies in his loyalty to God and his passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The spark that ignited the powder keg of the 16th-century Reformation came from Luther's heart. We still live under his influence today. Luther's writings are an inexhaustible ocean, and the selection in this book is only a mainstream part of it. His words, sometimes eloquent and sometimes serene, are enough to shine through the ages, revealing an undeniable radiance and irresistible power, reflecting his beautiful spirituality and the blessings of divine grace. Excerpt: Human Nature But first, let us speak of something seemingly off-topic yet more apparent. There are two natures in a person: one is spiritual, and the other is carnal. Regarding the spirit that is called the soul, it is called a spiritual person, the inner person, or the new man; regarding the fleshly nature that is called carnal, it is called a carnal person, the outer person, or the old man. These two natures, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:16, "For though our outer self is perishing, our inner self is being renewed day by day" (translator's note: "outer self" and "inner self" are originally translated as "outer person" and "inner person"). Because of this difference in nature, the Bible speaks of the same person in two contradictory ways because these two natures coexist within one person, originally incompatible, with the flesh warring against the spirit and the spirit warring against the flesh (Galatians 5:17). The Inner Person Let us contemplate this inner person and see how a righteous, free, and truly Christian person—the new, spiritual, inner person—comes to be. External matters, whatever they may be, clearly have no effect on the production of Christian righteousness or freedom, nor on the production of unrighteousness or being bound. If the body is well-cared for, free, able to do things, eat, and drink whatever it wants, what benefit does this bring to the soul? Because these things, even the ungodly slave who does all kinds of evil can do them. Conversely, if the body is weak, imprisoned, hungry, thirsty, or suffering from any external misfortune, how can it harm the soul? These pains, even the godly person must endure, and those who are extremely free due to a clear conscience are no exception. None of these things have any relation to spiritual freedom or spiritual bondage. Even if the body is adorned with a priest's sacred garment, lives in a sacred place, performs sacred duties, prays, fasts, avoids certain foods, or does anything else with the body or related to the body, the soul does not benefit from it. What the inner righteousness and freedom require are far different things, because such actions, no matter how evil a person may be, can do them, and such actions only produce hypocrisy. Conversely, even if the body wears worldly clothes, lives in a place not set apart, eats and drinks like ordinary people, prays quietly, and ignores the hypocrisy that even the hypocritical person can do, the soul will not be harmed by it.