04 November 2020

Luther and Lewis

No, my dear man, do not recommend to me peace and unity when thereby God’s Word is lost, for then eternal life and everything else would be lost. In this matter than can be no yielding, nor giving way, nor for love of you or any other person, but everything must yield to the Word, whether it be friend or foe.—Martin Luther, Sermon, 1531.

What man, in his natural condition, has not got, is spiritual life—the higher and different sort of life that exists in God. We use the same word life for both: but if you though that both must therefore be the same sort of thing, that would be like thinking that the ‘greatness’ of space and the ‘greatness’ of God were the same sort of greatness.—C. S. Lewis, Business of Heaven, p. 275.

2 comments:

wredfield@msn.com said...

—Martin Luther, Sermon, 1531.
Which one?
I have seen this quoted along with the following:
"for the Gospel does not say love brings eternal life, God's grace, and all heavenly treasures but instead 'the Word.'"
Is this part of the same sermon?
It strikes me as odd to say "the Gospel does not say love brings eternal life," in light of John 3:16 and 1 John 4:10 ~

Thanks,
Bill Redfield

William Weedon said...

Yes, it’s from WA 34.11.387. It sounds odd unless you hear “love” there as OUR love. He’s not meaning at all God’s love, which is of course what does bring us eternal life.