Saturday, December 12, 2015

.....in the cause of religion and the word of God, there must be no respect of persons.  But in matters of policy we must have regard to the person; for, otherwise there must needs follow a contempt of all reverence and order.  In this world God will have an order, a reverence, and a difference of persons.  For else the child, the servant, the subject, would say, I am a Christian as well as my father, my schoolmaster, my master, my prince, why then should I reverence him?  Before God, then, there is no respect of persons, neither of Grecian nor of Jew, but all are one in Christ; although not so before the world.
     Thus Paul confuteth the argument of the false apostles as touching the authority of the Apostles, and saith, that it is nothing to the purpose.  For the question is not here concerning the respect of persons, but there is a far weightier matter in hand, that is to say, a divine matter concerning God and his word, and whether this word ought to be preferred before the apostleship, or no.  Whereunto Paul answereth, so that the truth of the Gospel may continue, so that the word of God, and the righteousness of faith, may be kept pure and uncorrupt, let the apostleship go, let an angel from heaven, let Peter, let Paul, all together perish......
.....Let this be then the conclusion of all together, that we will suffer our goods to be taken away, our name, our life, and all that we have; but the Gospel, our faith, Jesus Christ, we will never suffer to be wrested from us......
.....Wherefore, a Christian, as touching his faith, can never be too proud nor too stout, neither must he relent or give place, no, not the breadth of one hair; for faith maketh a man here like unto God; but God suffereth nothing, he giveth place to none, for he is immutable; so is faith immutable, and therefore may suffer nothing, give place to no man.
                                                                                                                                             Martin Luther



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