Perhaps the most often endorsed and yet least understood persons of the 16th Century Reformation would be Martin Luther. He was born November 10, 1483 and passed from this life February 18, 1546.
The Hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is our God" was written by Luther. Within those lines is the Doctrine of Eternal Security (not "Once Saved Always Saved" but Perseverance of the Saints) which Luther, in his day, also wrote and preached powerfully as the Truth which was being totally denied the Church. Rome was and still is great on "faith plus works".
As you will see, Luther preached this was false teaching.
Luther taught all such "faith plus our own works" teaching was from the first false church: the "Church of Cain".
Many sing Luthers' famous hymn bravely and loudly, but have never really been supplied with very much knowledge of what he actually wrote, taught or believed. In-depth study of Luthers' Doctrine is not emphasized, in its place, there is a substitution of The 95 Theses against Indulgences or historical events in his life.[1]
On the one hand, Luther is praised by certain ones, and rightly so. On the other hand, few, if any, are told about his true teachings. There has been, to put it mildly, very poor scholarship by those who profess to be "teachers" and who should have known better. Here is where we unmask the hypocrite teachers.
And so, here is "the rest of the story" my friends.
HERE IS WHAT SOME HOPE YOU NEVER READ
Martin Luther spoke for sinners. He did because he knew that he himself was a wretched sinner, and the only way out for anyone was Jesus Christ. The whole of Europe groaned under the popes' "knights in shining armor" and armies and the engines of the Inquisition were very busy condemning anyone as "heretic" who resisted. No one was safe. The Emperor, kings, princes and people trembled before the popes' agents and lackeys.
One man stood up before them all. Martin Luther. He took on pope, Emperor, kings and princes and boldly preached the True Gospel before them all. The people loved him. Luther told them they could be set free, and they rallied round his messages of hope in droves. The whole of Europe was set on fire with Revival as never before! Luthers' sermons were published and appeared everywhere!
People could say whatever they wanted about anyone else, but none were fooled when it came to their Luther.
The people of his day recognized him as an instrument of the Lord, yet just like them, a wretched, filthy sinner Saved by Gods' Mercy and Grace and nothing else!
Luther took on all comers who opposed the True Gospel; that people were Saved by Gods' Mercy and Grace through Faith Alone and none of their own works, and defeated all arguments to the contrary one-by-one before the whole of Europe. Kings and Princes sought his counsel, The Reformation in the north of Europe exploded like a gigantic powder keg, and the Roman church reeled in chaos and defeat.
AFTER 1546
After Luther passed on in 1546, the pope sought to regain all that he had lost; but too late! The seeds of Luthers' preaching had set too many free, and they knew they had the pope on the run. The pope knew that he could never defeat Luthers' words; (Luther had also translated the Bible into German for the common people to read for themselves and now it was also being translated into every European language).
After the Synod of Dort, Rome knew they must switch their focus and try to "demonize" someone else. Rome called the Council of Trent. Then who did they choose?
John Calvin!
They already knew that trying to defeat Luthers' earlier messages on Predestination, Election, Eternal Security and Faith Alone was a "lost cause". Luther had too much grass roots support, too many people were Saved and now had the correct teaching as to HOW they were Saved. The pope had already thrown every scholar and debator at him and he made blockheads of them all, so they knew they had to take a different route, so they waited a generation and began their work in earnest.
This was when they gradually began to try and convince the people to believe that John Calvin "invented" the teachings on Predestination and Election (God Choosing us) including Double Predestination and Eternal Security ALL BY HIMSELF! Did their plan work? Yes! Wonderfully! The people were being fooled!
They discouraged all study of Church history, brought back the old definitions that Rome had used before or intermingled them and hoped no one would ever check. Believing their LIE that John Calvin was the sole author and "inventor" of "T.U.L.I.P"[2] is what is simply known as:
A BAIT AND SWITCH
Martin Luther, you see, was "the man for the times". Luther related to sinners, because he knew he was one! Luther knew that his burden of sin had brought him to the foot of the Merciful Cross of Jesus, and that everything he was, was worthless, did, or could do was worthless, and he got Saved! The people had flocked by the thousands to hear his messages of hope for them. He was one of them! A rotten sinner who wanted to be set free! And by the G-d of Israel he WAS set free! The common people delighted in his sermons, kings and princes joined them and Luther rallied the whole of Europe around the True Gospel of Grace and Mercy. The pope, the emperor, kings, princes, were unable to stop Luther and his message.
Believing kings and princes sought Luthers' counsel and waited for his next sermon. The common people, suffering from the terrors of the Inquisition, were set free from chains of darkness, sin, despair and hopelessness. The True Gospel shone as a beacon-light and the whole of Europe was in Revival, lit on fire for Jesus Christ!
MORE ON WHY "CALVINISM" HAD TO BECOME THEIR SCAPEGOAT
As we have said, people are usually NOT told that Calvin simply categorized Luthers' teaching on the subjects of Predestination, Election and Eternal Security. Students are told that an in-depth study of Church history and Doctrine is uneccesary and "too complicated". Luther though, had studied a long time, and had rediscovered the teachings of the early Church before there was a "pope", particularly the teaching of Augustine, Jerome. Gregory of Nissa and others. Luther also studied the works of John Huss. Luther had really done his homework, you see, while others had not. Luther was also alive at the time of John Calvin, read Calvins' works based on Luthers' teachings, and fully endorsed them.
Because this information is sometimes deliberately witheld from Bible students, let us look at what Luther actually wrote on Predestination and Election:
"There are many arguments against predestination, but they proceed from 'the prudence of the flesh'.[3] Therefore he who has not denied himself and learned to subject his questions to the Will of God and hold them down will always keep asking why God Wills this and why He does that, and he will never find the reason. And very properly. Because this foolish wisdom places itself above God and judges His Will as something inferior, when actually it should be judged by Him. Therefore the apostle in a few words destroys all arguments over the Will of God by saying:
but who are you O man, to answer back to God? Romans 9:20
"It is as if he were saying. 'You are under the Will of God, why do you presume therefore, to argue with Him and try and catch Him in His Words?' Then he adds the express reason:
Has the potter no right over the clay? Romans 9:21
"Therefore the First Argument, which is also the least important, is this: 'Man has been given a free will, by which he either merits or fails to merit something.'
"The Answer: The free will (without God First having Chosen to wholly enable)[4] has absolutely no power to achieve Gods' Righteousness, but of necessity it is sin. Therefore blessed Augustine is correct in his book Against Julian when he calls it "a bound rather than a free will". For when we possess grace, then the will is actually made free, especially with regard to Salvation. To be sure, it (mans' unregenerate will without grace) is free in a natural way, but only with respect to those things which are under its power and lower than itself, but not with respect to things above it, (such as Gods' Will) since it is captive in sin, and now cannot choose (by itself) what is Good in Gods' eyes.
"The Second Argument is this: 'God desires all men to be saved. (I Timothy 1:4), and He gave his Son for men and created men for eternal life. Likewise: all things exist for man, and he himself exists for God, that he may enjoy Him, etc.'
"These points and others like them can be refuted as easily as the first one. For these verses must always be understood as referring to the Elect (the Predestined) only, as the apostle says,
...Everything for the Sake of the Elect. II Timothy 2:10
"For in an Absolute Sense Christ did not die for all, because He Says: 'This is My Blood which is poured out for you' and 'for many' - He does not say 'for all' -'for the forgiveness of sins'. (Mark 14:24, Matthew 26:28, John Chapter 17)[5]
"The Third Argument: (they say) 'God condemns no one without sin, and he who is necessarily in sin is unjustly condemned.'
"The Answer: We are all of Necessity in sin and damnation (because of the Fall of Adam), but no one is in sin by force and against his will. For he who hates sin is already beyond sin and belongs to the Elect. But those whom God hardens are those to whom He gives voluntarily to will to be and remain in sin and to love iniquity. Such people are in sin by the necessity of immutability but not by force.
"Fourth, 'Why does He command what He does not want people to do? And what is worse, He hardens the will, so that men prefer to act contrary to His Law. Thus the Cause is in God that men sin and are damned.'
"This is the strongest and primary objection. And to it the apostle replies principally when he says that God Wills it so and in so Willing He is not evil. For all things are of Him and the clay is the potters'. Therefore He gives commands that the elect might fulfill them and the reprobate be enmeshed in them, so that He might show both His anger and His mercy.
"Then 'the prudence of the flesh' says, 'It is harsh and wretched that God should seek His glory in my misery.'
"Note how the voice of the flesh is always saying. 'my,' 'my'; get rid of the 'my' and rather say, 'Glory to Thee, O Lord!' And then you will be Saved. For the prudence of the flesh is such that it seeks only its own (and gathers also with such of its own mind), and it fears its own misery more than failure to glorify God, and thus it seeks its own will rather than Gods' Will. And thus we must have a different mind toward God than toward man. For He owes nothing to anyone. Thus He says to Job (Job 4:11) 'Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.' The apostle cites this passage at the end of Chapter 11: 'Who has first given to Him that he should be repaid?'(Romans 11:35)
"Although this matter is very hard for 'the prudence if the flesh' which is made even more indignant by it and brought even to the point of blasphemy, because here it is strangled to death and reduced to absolutely nothing, it understands that Salvation comes in no way from something working in themselves, but from something outside themselves, namely, from God, Who Elects (Chooses). But those who have 'the prudence of the spirit' delight in this subject with an ineffable pleasure, as the apostle makes clear here, and as seen in the case of Hannah, the mother of Samuel in I Samuel 2. Among those are those people in the middle, who have begun to turn away from 'the prudence of the flesh' or are coming close to 'the prudence of the spirit' people who gladly want to do the Will of God, but they are pusillanimous and tremble when they hear these teachings.
...
though they had done nothing either good of bad. Romans 11:11
"(That is, Jacob and Esau before they were born.) He very nicely uses the term 'they had done' rather than 'they were.' For there is no doubt that both of them were evil because of the disease of original sin, although regarding Jacob, some feel as though he had been sanctified in the womb. But by their own merit they were the same and equal and belonged to the same mass of perdition.
Is there injustice on Gods' part? By no means! Romans 11:12
"The apostle gives no other reason as to why there is not injustice with God than to say, 'I Will have Mercy on who I Will have Mercy' (verse 15), which is the same as saying: 'I Will have Mercy on whom I Wish', or to him who is Predestined to receive Mercy.
"This is a harsh answer for the proud and those who think they know everything, but for the meek and humble it is sweet and pleasing, because they despair of themselves; and thus God takes them up.
"For the fact is that there neither is nor can be any other reason for His Righteousness than His Will. So why should man murmur that God does not act according to the Law, since this is impossible? Or will it be possible for God not to be God? Furthermore, since His Will is the Highest Good, why are we not glad and willing and eager to see it be done, since it cannot possibly be evil? But do I hear you say, 'It is evil for me'? Perish the thought! It is evil for no one. But because we cannot affect His Will, nor cause it to be done, this becomes an evil thing for men. For if they were willing to do what God Wills, even if He should Will that they be damned and reprobated, they would have no evil. For they would will what God Wills, and they would have in themselves the Will of God in Patience." (Martin Luther. Commentary and Scholia of the Book of Romans.)
TO DENY ELECTION, PREDESTINATION AND ETERNAL SECURITY THEY ARE ALL FORCED TO DENY LUTHER
Will they really do that? It seems doubtful. When confronted with the facts, they will just ignore Luthers' true teachings, as they always have, continue to praise him outwardly so they continue to appear "protestant" and seek out the naive who they coax into believing their false teachings. Rome will continue to outwardly respect Luther.[6]
People ask, "Why isn't there True Revival like the Reformation had?" The answer is, because there is a different gospel being preached then was preached in the Reformation! The True Gospel is either (for examples) watered-down (Arminianism or Semi-Arminianism), parts left out (The "Love Gospel") parts added (U.P.G.) or outright heresy (Pelagianism or Semi-Pelagianism), and these amd all the rest lead others out and have formed (and will continue to form) diferent "denominations" which completely contradict Luthers' fundamental teachings. These "pied pipers" are still leading them on to the tune of Luthers' hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is our God" on the one hand, while teaching them to "despise Calvinism" on the other. What a farce.
Martin Luther wrote years before John Calvin on Predestination Election and Eternal Security.
Martin Luther did not particularly please the Roman Catholic Church of course, and was declared outlaw for his teachings, not the least of which were Predestination and Election and Eternal Security. The Roman Catholic Church rejects Luthers' teaching on these subjects to this day.
Those that embrace Romanism (or possibly their dupes) also reject anyone who dares teach them today.
For this reason they had to find a scapegoat. Someone to "demonize" as a "heretic". It never stuck on Luther but came right back in their faces, so they had to avoid Luther like the plague and attempt to place all the blame for Predestination, Election and Eternal Security on someone else. John Calvin! They routinely try to shove it down peoples' throats as wholly "Calvinism" to throw people off the scent. They also rail against Eternal Security as a "Calvinist" teaching by "that madman" or "demon-possessed Calvin" in some cases, only showing their own manifest ignorance or their atempts to deceive the unknowing by this subterfuge. Their manifest ignorance can easily be demonstrated by the acronym T.U.L.I.P. which they teach people is the "mark of Calvinism". The acronym was not 'invented by Calvin' at all, but came out of the Synod of Dort which was called to fully refuted Arminianism publically. Arminianism was also identified as a false teaching in Lex Rex.[7] T.U.L.I.P. was simply the "short form" of Luthers' teaching which they used to easily identify Arminian teaching from the true teachings of the Protestant Reformation that went forth with Luthers' teachings.
Luther had appealed to the Emperor for a Council or Synod to decide these issues once and for all. It never came in Luthers' lifetime, nor in Calvins'. The Synod of Dort was later called to organize the major teachings based on what Luther had begun and set them down in Order, which they did. They called them "The Five Points of Calvinism" as a term of respect toward Calvin who had recently passed on and whom many had known. Not many had known Luther. But what did those opposed to these teachings do then? They put forth every effort to fool the people into thinking that T.U.L.I.P. was all Calvins' idea alone, and by omitting Luther entirely, make it appear that Luther played absolutely no part whatsoever! This is the deception.
THESE CLEVER ONES KNOW THAT THEY CANNOT REFUTE LUTHER SUCCESSFULLY, SO, BELIEVING THE PEOPLE TO BE FOOLS, THEY QUIETLY SWITCH ALL THEIR HATRED TO CALVIN
These tricksters actively engage in "demonizing" Calvin, while paying "courteous lip service" to Luther to flatter the masses.[8] The ones who attempt to decieve know full well that Luthers' arguments are much too powerful for them as Luther was well-trained in jurisprudence but forsook it to enter the priesthood, and was well-aquainted with forceful debate. Luthers' arguments simply could not and cannot be refuted. Luthers' preaching stood against the pope, the emperor and kings. Also Luthers' popularity among the common people was and still remains very strong. He is easily read. They therefore ignore Luther completely and instead attack John Calvin, as his works are mostly technical in nature more than strongly arranged arguments and refutations as Luther did. Calvin also made additions and corrections on theological matters.[6]
Luther had done the work "in the trenches" against the strongest debators ever assembled by the Roman Catholic Church and soundly defeated them all as the people rejoiced. Calvin was an expert scholar and theologian of the first order who, at the ripe old age of 27, arranged Luthers' teachings on these subjects and addressed them to Francis I, the king of France.
Luther cleared the way for Calvin by the force of his Biblical research and the use of the formerly Accepted teachings of the early Church. Luther was the one that broke the Roman Catholic Churchs' teachings on these subjects with sledgehammer blows that could not be refuted.
MORE FOLLOWING SOON!
� Copyright 2001-2006 People of G-d Ministries. No reproduction or redistribution without the Prior Written Consent and Approval of People of G-d.
FOOTNOTES
[1
There has also been much written about some of his anti-Jewish writings. His friend Melancthon recorded that Luther greatly repented later in life of everything that he had written or said against the Jewish people.
Your "teachers" deny this? Then let them hear Luthers' own words:
"If I had been a Jew, and seen such stupidity and such blockheadedness rule in the Christian Church, I would rather have been a pig than a Christian. They have treated the Jews as if they were dogs, not men; and have done nothing but revile them. They are blood relations of our Lord; therefore, if it were proper to boast of flesh and blood, the Jews belong to Christ more than we...Therefore it is my advice to treat them kindly." Martin Luther. (Graetz, H. History of the Jews. Jewish Publication Society of America. 1956. Vol IV. p. 470.)
Luther had a positive change of heart toward the Jewish people at the end of his life and this quote supports that. We further have the testimony of Luthers' friend, Philip Melancthon who was there with Luther to the last, saying that Luther repented and said that he regretted the things he had written and said against the Jewish people.
Well-educated Jews know Luther repented, but his writings were twisted to make it appear he never had a change of mind. This was done later by forces against the Reformed Church. Even though the Counter-Reformation forces knew their argument was weak, it was the best they could come up with and they still attempt to deceive many Christians by sayong "Luther never repented at last" over and over agsin. Their "teachers" tell them this.
Luther also gave strict instructions against any "denomination" being set up in his name.
[2
The teachings of Election and Presdination were not unknown in B.C. times. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 revealed that the pre-Christian sect of the Essenes had also taught these things into the First Century, as had been confirmed by Josephus in his works.
[3
[4
[5
[6
[7
"Here be soft words, but is subversion of religion, laws, and liberties of church and state. Introduction of popery, Arminianism, of idolatry, altar-worship, the mass (proved by a learned treatise, 'The Canterburian self-conviction,' printed 1641, third ed., never answered, couched under the name of inconveniency), the pardoning of innocent blood of hundreds of thousands in Ireland, the killing of many thousand nobles, barons, commons, by the hands of papists in arms against the law of the land, the making of England a field of blood, the obtruding of an idolatrous service book, the armies of men, by sea and land, to block up the kingdom of Scotland, are all these inconveniences only?" Lex Rex or, The Law and the Prince, Rev. Samuel Rutherford, Question XLI.
[8
Secondly, Luther taught the Perpetual Virginity of Mary. Calvin showed by Scripture that Mary had other children after she had Jesus. Luther agreed.
Thirdly, Luther taught that confessions should be made to a Pastor the same as to a priest in the Roman Church. Calvin demonstrated and developed the Doctrine of the Universal Priesthood of the Believer, making necessary confession to a priest untrue, and Luther agreed.
These and others are doctrines that are still accepted and taught in all Protestant Churches to this day, and of course, "evangelical" or "independant" churches as well. The "evangelicals" or "independants" or whatever else they call themselves are usually instructed to reject anything "Calvinistic" while at the same time unwittingly all obey Calvins' Rulings on the above issues To The Letter! This clearly demonstrates either 1. they have been very poorly informed, or 2. their gross hypocrisy.
Luther himself said that "no man is 100%, only God is that". The popes of course, had stated that they were 100% in speaking "ex cathedra". Luther proved that was wrong by many arguments against "papal infallibility" and that the pope is the "vicar of Christ" (as Christ on earth); Luther directed the people toward Jesus Christ and Faith Alone in His Works for us.
ibid. Contra Julian.
ibid. Contra Pelagius.
Berkhof, Louis. The history of Christian doctrines.
Grand Rapids, Michigan. Banner of Truth. 1937.
Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion. 1559.
The Council of Orange. 529 A.D.
Edwards, Dr. Jonathan. Veritas Redux. 1707.
Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity. Peabody, Massachusetts. Prince Press. 1999.
The London Confession of Faith. 1644.
Luther, Martin.
The Bondage of the Will. 1525.
ibid. Luther's Works. The Gospel of John. Saint Louis,
Missouri. Concordia Publishing House. 1957.
ibid. Lectures on Romans.
Rutherford, Reverend Samuel. Lex, Rex
or The Law and The Prince. 1644.
The Westminster Confession of Faith. 1646.
Translations: 
PEOPLE OF G-D MINISTRIES
