Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance. It is laying hold of His willingness.
Martin LutherRead
The sin underneath all our sins is to trust the lie of the serpent that we cannot trust the love and grace of Christ and must take matters into our own hands
Interpretation
What this quote means
The fundamental error is losing faith in divine love and grace, leading us to rely on our own flawed judgment.
In this quote, Martin Luther emphasizes that the root of all sinful actions is a lack of trust in the love and grace offered by Christ. By believing the deception of the serpent, we mistakenly believe that we must independently manage our lives, which ultimately leads to sin and separation from divine guidance.
Themes
TrustLoveGraceSinFaithSerpent
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon discussing the importance of faith, this quote could be a powerful reminder of divine love.
More from Martin Luther
All quotes →Now if I believe in God's Son and remember that He became man, all creatures will appear a hundred times more beautiful to me than before. Then I will properly appreciate the sun, the moon, the stars, trees, apples, as I reflect that he is Lord over all things. ...God writes the Gospel, not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.
Martin LutherRead
It is the part of a Christian to take care of his own body for the very purpose that, by its soundness and wellbeing, he may be enabled to labour, and to acquire and preserve property, for the aid of those who are in want, that thus the stronger member may serve the weaker member, and we may be children of God, and busy for one another, bearing one another's burdens, and so fulfiling the law of Christ.
Martin LutherRead
Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but more frequently than not struggles against the divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God.
Martin LutherRead
We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands.
Martin LutherRead
In a mouse we admire God's creation and craft work. The same may be said about flies.
Martin LutherRead
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