{"id":1600,"date":"2016-07-20T12:16:34","date_gmt":"2016-07-20T17:16:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/?p=1600"},"modified":"2016-07-20T12:16:34","modified_gmt":"2016-07-20T17:16:34","slug":"faith-martin-luther","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2016\/07\/20\/faith-martin-luther\/","title":{"rendered":"Faith &#8211; Martin Luther"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/imageserver\/image\/methode%2Ftimes%2Fprod%2Fweb%2Fbin%2F3d870712-2286-11e6-8644-041f71209e1f.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/imageserver\/image\/methode%2Ftimes%2Fprod%2Fweb%2Fbin%2F3d870712-2286-11e6-8644-041f71209e1f.jpg?resize=600%2C337\" width=\"600\" height=\"337\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Martin Luther<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In Torgau a wretched little woman once came to me and said, \u2018Ah, dear Doctor, I have the idea that I\u2019m lost and can\u2019t be saved because I can\u2019t believe.\u2019 Then I replied, \u2018Do you believe, dear lady, that what you pray in the Creed is true?\u2019 She answered with clasped hands, \u2018Oh yes, I believe it; it\u2019s most certainly true!\u2019 I replied, \u2018Then go in God\u2019s name, dear lady. You believe more and better than I do.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the devil who puts such ideas into people\u2019s heads and says, \u2018Ah, you must believe better. You must believe more. Your faith is not very strong and is insufficient.\u2019 In this way he drives them to despair. We are so constructed by nature that we desire to have a conscious faith. We\u2019d like to grasp it with our hands and shove it into our bosom, but this doesn\u2019t happen in this life. We can\u2019t comprehend it, but we ought to apprehend it. We should hold to the Word and let ourselves drag along in this way.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn1\" name=\"_ftnref1\"><sup><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\" name=\"_ftn1\"><sup><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a>Luther, M. 1999, c1967. <em>Vol. 54<\/em>: <em>Luther&#8217;s works, vol. 54 : Table Talk<\/em> (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald &amp; H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther&#8217;s Works. Fortress Press: Philadelphia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Torgau a wretched little woman once came to me and said, \u2018Ah, dear Doctor, I have the idea that I\u2019m lost and can\u2019t be saved because I can\u2019t believe.\u2019 Then I replied, \u2018Do you believe, dear lady, that what you pray in the Creed is true?\u2019 She answered with clasped hands, \u2018Oh yes, I &#8230; <span class=\"more\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2016\/07\/20\/faith-martin-luther\/\">[Read more&#8230;]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[21,91,92],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-admin","4":"post-1600","6":"format-standard","7":"category-faith","8":"category-martin-luther","9":"category-satan"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2m6h5-pO","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":71,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2012\/03\/27\/works-and-law\/","url_meta":{"origin":1600,"position":0},"title":"Works and Law","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"March 27, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Jacob:\u00a0 Pastor, I heard from someone today, that Jesus has freed us from the law and thus we can live as we please. Pastor:\u00a0 Well Jacob, you are correct that Jesus has freed us from the law and in a sense, yes we can live as we please.\u00a0 However, I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Grace&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Grace","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/grace\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-4Vb57tACyBk\/T3NKexyQOgI\/AAAAAAAACds\/vD5ZHMr_Yq4\/s320\/Free%2Blord%2Bof%2Ball%2BSubject%2Bto%2Ball.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":606,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2013\/10\/31\/truth-leads-to-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":1600,"position":1},"title":"Truth Leads to Life","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"October 31, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Reformation Sunday Jeremiah 31:31-34 Psalm 46:1-11 Romans 3:19-28 John 8:31-36 Audio Version Video Version Last week pastor spoke about wrestling with faith.\u00a0 We heard the story of Jacob being renamed after wrestling all night with a man who in the end gives another name to Jacob, which is Israel.\u00a0 As\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Grace&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Grace","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/grace\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":470,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2013\/04\/02\/faith-trusting-in-the-promise\/","url_meta":{"origin":1600,"position":2},"title":"Faith: Trusting in the Promise","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"April 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Romans 4:1-5, 13-16 1 What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? \u201cAbraham believed\u00a0God, and it was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Eternal Life&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Eternal Life","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/eternal-life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/he-is-listening.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/abraham3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2764,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2022\/02\/14\/true-bread-of-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":1600,"position":3},"title":"True Bread of Life","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"February 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"February 13th, 2022Sixth Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 34:1\u201310 (NIV)John 6:35\u201359 (NIV) Narrative Lectionary https:\/\/youtu.be\/CUplLcDvJhI?t=584","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Communion&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Communion","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/communion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3508,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2025\/08\/11\/faith-trusting-in-the-promises-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":1600,"position":4},"title":"Faith: Trusting in the promises of God","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"August 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"9th Sunday after Pentecost8\/10\/2025 Hebrews 11:1-3 (NIV) Hebrews 11:8-16 (NIV)Luke 12:32-40 (NIV) https:\/\/vimeo.com\/1109105314","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Change&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Change","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/change\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Faith-Belief-In-Gods-Promise-e1754933920736.jpg?fit=767%2C340&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Faith-Belief-In-Gods-Promise-e1754933920736.jpg?fit=767%2C340&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Faith-Belief-In-Gods-Promise-e1754933920736.jpg?fit=767%2C340&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Faith-Belief-In-Gods-Promise-e1754933920736.jpg?fit=767%2C340&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1315,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2015\/04\/28\/who-is-martin-luther-part-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":1600,"position":5},"title":"Who is Martin Luther, Part 1","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"April 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Watch this very interesting interview with Dr. Martin Lohrmann https:\/\/youtu.be\/zJAG1h4Hi78","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Martin Luther&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Martin Luther","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/martin-luther\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/zJAG1h4Hi78\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1600"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1601,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1600\/revisions\/1601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}