Lutheran Quotations

"The words are plain. “Our Father, who art in heaven” shows that we do not call upon any earthly..."

Wed, 30 May 2012 07:30:54 -0500

“The words are plain. “Our Father, who art in heaven” shows that we do not call upon any earthly father but upon him who is or who dwells in heaven, that is, a heavenly Father. Christ himself explains these words when he called him a heavenly Father (Matt. 6:26). Heaven in Scripture is called the throne, seat, mansion, or dwelling place of God. In this place we call upon our Father who is in heaven. The meaning is not that the infinite essence of God is bound or included either in the visible heavens or in the highest heavens, as if he were not present everywhere. It is written that the heaven and the highest heavens cannot contain him (1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chron. 2:6). He fills heaven and earth (Jer. 23:24). Yes, he is present in heaven, on earth, in the sea and in hell (Ps. 139:7-9). He is higher than heaven, deeper than hell, wider than the earth, broader than the sea. This means that he is totally present everywhere. He is within all things and without all things as Gregory says.”

- Martin Chemnitz - Enchiridion, The Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s Prayer

"Because we belong to Christ, Satan has no spiritual power over us. Our sin is covered by Christ’s..."

Tue, 29 May 2012 07:18:13 -0500

“Because we belong to Christ, Satan has no spiritual power over us. Our sin is covered by Christ’s purity and holiness. The only hold that Satan has on us is his skillful use of the hidden garbage in us.”

- John Kleinig - Grace Upon Grace

"Unlike us, Jesus is an expert at prayer. In fact, He is the only human being that has ever mastered..."

Mon, 28 May 2012 07:26:55 -0500

“Unlike us, Jesus is an expert at prayer. In fact, He is the only human being that has ever mastered the art of prayer. He is its best practitioner. Like us, He had to learn the art of prayer from bitter experience; unlike us, He passed the test of discipleship by facing every possible temptation without succumbing and by living His whole life in obedience and prayer to God the Father for deliverance from death (Hebrews 4:15; 5:7–10). Jesus’ resistance to temptation has qualified Him to serve as our sympathetic High Priest. He takes over for us when we fail, and intercedes for us. He fulfills God’s call to us to be praying people and gets us to join with Him in praying. This call is part of what He meant when He told John the Baptist at His Baptism, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). He speaks about “us” because He does not merely do this for us, but includes us in what He does.”

- John Kleinig - Grace Upon Grace

"We know that we should pray. We would like to pray more regularly, ardently, and spontaneously. The..."

Sun, 27 May 2012 07:23:19 -0500

“We know that we should pray. We would like to pray more regularly, ardently, and spontaneously. The harder we try, the more we seem to fail. But that’s how it’s meant to be. Christ lets us fail when we pray by ourselves so that we rely on His intercession for us. Oddly, our success in prayer comes from our personal failure and our willingness to carry on as He works for us and with us.”

- John Kleinig - Grace Upon Grace

"The devastation of sin is most evident in the difficulty that we have with prayer. Since God has..."

Sat, 26 May 2012 07:24:50 -0500

“The devastation of sin is most evident in the difficulty that we have with prayer. Since God has created us and sustains us day by day in our journey here on earth, we are dependent on Him for everything, even life itself. Every moment we receive everything, in the physical and spiritual realm, from His hands. What’s more, in the first two commandments of the Decalogue He gives us His name and its use by us in prayer. Prayer, then, should come as easily and naturally to us as breathing or eating. Yet, we all know how hard it is to pray. Prayer, mostly, seems to go against the grain. Unless we are quite desperate and have reached the end of our rope, we would rather not ask God for help; we prefer to manage by ourselves, even though as Christians we know this is not possible.”

- John Kleinig - Grace Upon Grace

"Every time I try to turn my prayer life around, I seem to run out of steam. But over the years I..."

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:08:45 -0500

“Every time I try to turn my prayer life around, I seem to run out of steam. But over the years I have also learned a different story from the Scriptures and my own experience about the gift of prayer. I learned a story of reliance on Christ and empowerment by His Holy Spirit, a story of His success with me in my failures. Little by little, God the Father has used the school of hard knocks to join me with Jesus in His praying and to rely on the prompting of His Holy Spirit, rather than my own resources, in my spiritual life. So I now no longer regard prayer as an obligation, a duty that I must fulfill, but as something that is given to me, something that I receive from the triune God. The main thing in prayer is a trustful, receptive heart that takes in what God has to offer.”

- John Kleinig - Grace Upon Grace

"Our sense of failure in prayer is worsened by much of the teaching on prayer in the Church. This..."

Thu, 24 May 2012 07:02:42 -0500

“Our sense of failure in prayer is worsened by much of the teaching on prayer in the Church. This teaching implies that if only we were more disciplined and more methodical and more spiritual we would succeed and become spiritual dynamos. Yet, no matter how hard we try, we just can’t seem to meet our spiritual goals. Again and again we set out to improve and develop a disciplined practice of regular daily prayer. We might have success for a while, but it does not seem to last. Again and again we fail to achieve our goals, and a sense of disappointment sets in. Others may be good at praying, but we aren’t. It may be right for them, but not for us. Worst of all, we feel guilty about our failure to be people of prayer. The guiltier we feel, the harder it is to pray. Satan uses our guilt to undermine our faith so that we give up on daily prayer.”

- John Kleinig - Grace Upon Grace

"the fullness of this title “Father” reminds us of a very sweet consolation. We have “a merciful and..."

Wed, 23 May 2012 07:31:07 -0500

“the fullness of this title “Father” reminds us of a very sweet consolation. We have “a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God” (Heb. 2:17). “But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense…. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 2:1-2). “He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Heb. 7:25, cf. Heb. 9:24). He has received gifts from kings (Ps. 68:29), and he gives the same to us (Eph. 4:11). We are not commanded to call God a lord, just, great, almighty, or terrible, but our Father. By these words those who pray are confident that they will be heard and that they will obtain their requests. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb. 4:16).”

- Martin Chemnitz - Enchiridion, The Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s Prayer

"The word “Father” also may be properly understood as referring very personally to the Father, the..."

Tue, 22 May 2012 07:07:59 -0500

“The word “Father” also may be properly understood as referring very personally to the Father, the First Person of the Divine Majesty. When the Father does something necessarily it includes the Son because the Son is Father. By the Spirit of the Son we cry, “Abba, Father.” The distinction of the Trinity in their respective offices and gifts to the church are set forward in our consideration of the preface of this prayer. Thus Paul understood the name “Father” in the prayer in various places and especially in Ephesians 3:14: “For this reason I kneel before the Father.” Christ himself explains the words “our Father” when he says in John 20:17, “I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.””

- Martin Chemnitz - Enchiridion, The Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s Prayer

"The words “our Father” teach us that we must think of God and speak to God in prayer as he has..."

Fri, 18 May 2012 07:12:19 -0500

“The words “our Father” teach us that we must think of God and speak to God in prayer as he has revealed his essence to us in his Word. When the heathen go to pray, they think of a god who is eternal, almighty, and the creator, but they do not know who that god is. We are taught by these words to make a difference between our calling upon God and the prayers of the heathen. We are to think that we call upon God who has made known his being unto us in his Word, that he is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who sends the Spirit of his Son into the hearts of the faithful, whereby we cry, “Abba, Father.” So the word “Father” is to be understood essentially in this place for God, that is, the Divine Majesty, the whole Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. As it is written, “Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?” (Deut. 32:6). “But you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us or Israel acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name” (Is. 63:16). The Son also is called by this general title, Father of Eternity (Is. 9:6). The Holy Ghost is called the Father of the poor.”

- Martin Chemnitz - Enchiridion, The Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s Prayer

"It is only rashness and impiety that disdains either the shortness or the simplicity of the Lord’s..."

Thu, 17 May 2012 07:30:59 -0500

“It is only rashness and impiety that disdains either the shortness or the simplicity of the Lord’s Prayer as though you yourself could find or compose a better pattern of prayer. Yet the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer must not be vain mumbling, as though the words uttered without understanding had some magical force. We must consider what the words signify. We must remind ourselves of how far they reach and how many things they contain so that we may pray with the spirit and with the mind (1 Cor. 14:15). In these petitions we include our wants. By these means, as it has been said, these words will arouse our devotion.”

- Martin Chemnitz - Enchiridion, The Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s Prayer

"As for authority, the Son of God himself, who is our Advocate, who brings our prayers to the Father,..."

Wed, 16 May 2012 07:15:57 -0500

“As for authority, the Son of God himself, who is our Advocate, who brings our prayers to the Father, who obtains for us the spirit of prayer, who together with the Father hears us, prescribed for us this pattern of prayer. It is a friendly and familial prayer, says Cyprian, to entreat the Father by the words of the Son. The Father will acknowledge the words of the Son when we pray. Then we have Christ our Advocate speaking with the Father for our sins. Let us propound the words of our Advocate when we miserable sinners beg forgiveness for our sins. Cyprian says these things.”

- Martin Chemnitz - Enchiridion, The Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s Prayer

"As the Creed is the rule of faith, so the Lord’s Prayer is the rule of all prayers. For he who..."

Tue, 15 May 2012 07:31:11 -0500

“As the Creed is the rule of faith, so the Lord’s Prayer is the rule of all prayers. For he who desires anything in prayer, says Augustine, or speaks anything that cannot pertain to the evangelical prayer, can be assured that his prayer is not spiritual but carnal and unlawful.”

- Martin Chemnitz - Enchiridion, The Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s Prayer

"Therefore, we always desire to pray in faith, hope, and charity. Yet at certain times we pray to the..."

Mon, 14 May 2012 07:32:09 -0500

“Therefore, we always desire to pray in faith, hope, and charity. Yet at certain times we pray to the Lord with words so that we may remind ourselves how much we have benefited by praying and urge ourselves to cheerfully pray more. Therefore, when the apostle says, “Pray continually” (1 Thess. 5:17), it is nothing else than this: continually desire a blessed life. Therefore at certain hours we withdraw our mind from other cares and business. Through this our desire to pray is increased. Through this we urge ourselves to give heed to that which we desire. We do this so that our desire to pray is not waxed cold and eventually put out. Therefore we constantly urge ourselves to pray more often.”

- Martin Chemnitz - Enchiridion, The Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s Prayer

"In prayer the heart ought to be penitent and humble. But because we for the most part rush into..."

Sun, 13 May 2012 07:31:24 -0500

“In prayer the heart ought to be penitent and humble. But because we for the most part rush into prayer without proper consideration of our sins and unworthiness, the practiced use of words is profitable. For if the mind gives heed, “I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind” (1 Cor. 14:15). Thus this meditation prepares the heart for serious repentance and true humility. The desires of our hearts are commonly so out of order that men neither think about the order nor the outcome of those things that they request. But the words we use in prayer make us aware of those things upon which we are to think when we pray. Doubtless the rehearsing of and meditating on God’s promises stir up, kindle, and increase our faith. We are often slow to pray and pray when we are cold and drowsy. We do not come to God with the devotion of mind with which we ought to come. But when praying we repeat words, with diligent meditation and proper thought on the promise and commandment, and our mind directs itself to God. Our devotion is kindled, and once being kindled it is continued and increased. By the words of our prayer, we are put in mind of those things for which we are to ask. This diligent meditation excites and kindles our numb and frozen heart to a love of prayer. For those words, because they are the words of Christ, are the tool and instrument of the Spirit, whereby the spirit of prayer will be powerful and effectual in us all.”

- Martin Chemnitz - Enchiridion, The Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s Prayer

"We also pray in faith that we would receive from God the blessings of this life and that by his..."

Sat, 12 May 2012 07:26:01 -0500

“We also pray in faith that we would receive from God the blessings of this life and that by his blessings they may be profitable for us. Because God would have this glory given to himself as the Fountain, Author, and Giver of every good thing (James 1:17) and that we should wholly rely upon him, therefore we, in prayer, testify that we neither ascribe them to any other nor seek them elsewhere. We completely hope for, expect, and require the same from God alone. For God has promised that he will be ready and willing to help. In our prayers we lay our wants and needs before God, not as though he1 did not know them, but that by pouring out our cares into the Lord’s bosom, we may unburden and comfort our souls. This promise is very sweet and comforting (Ps. 37:5; 55:22). “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). Chrysostom adds this reason why we should pray: “That by often calling upon God we may become familiar with him.”2 He urges prayer that we may more highly esteem and more reverently use that which God bestows upon us when we ask and knock.”

- Martin Chemnitz - Enchiridion, The Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s Prayer

"We also “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace..."

Fri, 11 May 2012 06:58:01 -0500

“We also “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need” (Heb. 4:16). Likewise, spiritual blessings cannot be received by any other means than faith. Indeed, bodily or outward benefits are often bestowed upon the wicked as well. But, so that these benefits may be profitable for us, it is the will of God that we should wait for them in hope and receive them by faith from his fatherly hand. Therefore, we pray in faith that we may desire to receive from God not only corporal blessings, but especially those blessings that are spiritual, heavenly, and eternal.”

- Martin Chemnitz - Enchiridion, The Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s Prayer

"We, by our prayers, cannot stir up God and put him in mind of his duty. We do not pray to show he is..."

Thu, 10 May 2012 07:19:01 -0500

“We, by our prayers, cannot stir up God and put him in mind of his duty. We do not pray to show he is negligent and careless of our affairs. We do not view God as being hard and merciless or try to allure him by our prayers in order to change his mind. We know indeed that he is ready, of his own will, to give good things, especially to those who repent and humble themselves under the mighty hand of God–those who by faith do seek, knock, and ask. Therefore, we do pour out our prayers before God, not because we doubt his good will, but rather that in faith we may pray with true repentance. He has promised forgiveness of sins to those who repent (Ezek. 18:23). He will lessen his judgments and bestow his blessings (Jer. 18:8). He will give grace to the humble (1 Pet. 5:5). When we call upon God and think upon his promises, we bring with us and likewise exercise true faith. We do this because the Lord has promised all good things to him who knocks and asks (Matt. 7:7).”

- Martin Chemnitz - Enchiridion, The Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s Prayer

"For the Son of God in the same night in which He was betrayed instituted His Supper with a definite..."

Wed, 09 May 2012 07:18:27 -0500

“For the Son of God in the same night in which He was betrayed instituted His Supper with a definite form and at that time first delivered this dogma with definite words, so that He might show His will that His Supper be celebrated and this dogma be handed down and judged in the church according to this rule even to the end of the age. Therefore after His ascension He also repeated to Paul these words by which He had instituted His Supper, so that by these words and according to this rule he might hand down the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper among the Gentiles. And when certain arguments arose in the church of Corinth concerning this doctrine, Paul wanted the judgment of the matter to be based not on other Scripture passages but on the very words by which Christ on the night in which He was betrayed instituted His Supper, words he dutifully quotes as having been received from the Lord.”

- Martin Chemnitz - Enchiridion, The Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s Prayer

"But the dogma of the Lord’s Supper did not exist in the church before its institution, and only on..."

Tue, 08 May 2012 07:07:00 -0500

“But the dogma of the Lord’s Supper did not exist in the church before its institution, and only on the night in which Christ was betrayed was the Lord’s Supper dealt with for the first time with a definite form of institution and with definite words in the actual last will and testament of the Son of God. Therefore we must not look for the true meaning of this dogma anywhere else but in these words. For what is more out of place than to seek the meaning of the Lord’s Supper in other portions of Scripture when the dogma itself had not yet been dealt with in the church and to give up the distinctive foundation of this doctrine in order that we might try to overturn and destroy the very foundation of this doctrine because of a preconceived notion brought in from someplace else?”

- Martin Chemnitz - Enchiridion, The Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s Prayer