LUTHER’S WORKS VOLUME 2

MARTIN LUTHER

“Our opponents disregard the Word and consider only number, appearance and persons. The Apostles foretold that Antichrist would be a respecter of persons who would lay stress on large numbers and on antiquity, hate the Word, distort God’s promises, and kill those who cling to the Word. We are not going to consider such people to be the church, are we?

The church is the daughter who is born from the Word; She is not the mother of the Word. He who gives up the Word and hastens to put his reliance on persons ceases to be the church and becomes completely blinded. Neither a large number nor power gives him any support, just as by contrast those who keep the Word, like Noah and his people, are the church, even though they are very few in number, even only eight souls.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:5, namely that the spiritual man judges all things. If I were the only one in the entire world to adhere to the Word, I alone would be the church and would properly judge about the rest of the world that it is not the church. Even though they have riches or office, they have them without the Word and actually have nothing. On the other hand, we, who have the Word even though we have no riches, nevertheless have everything through the Word.

Much hatred is heaped upon us when it is said that we have fallen away from the ancient church. But now we have returned to the Word and have ceased to be apostates from the Word.

Even though they take the title of church away from us by their judgement, still we keep the Word and through the Word all the advantages of the true church. He who has the Creator of all things must also have the creatures. Thus Noah remains Lord of the world, even though the waters prevail and the earth perishes. He loses his possessions. Nevertheless, because he keeps the Word by which everything was created, it is correct to say that he keeps everything.”

Luther’s Works, pg. 101-102