Martin Luther on
THE LORD’S SUPPER
If, for my part, I cannot understand how the bread can be the body of Christ, I will bring my understanding into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and firmly believe, in simple adherence to His word, not only that the body of Christ is in the bread, but that the bread is the body of Christ. For so shall I be kept safe by his words, where it is said: “Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and said, Take, eat, this (that is, this bread, which He had taken and broken) is my body.” [Luther, from “The Babylonian Captivity of the Church”]
You see then that the Lord’s Supper—as we call it—is a promise of the remission of sins, made to us by God; and such a promise as has been confirmed by the death of the Son of God. For a promise and a testament only differ in this, that a testament implies the death of the promiser. [Luther, from “The Babylonian Captivity of the Church”]
If the Lord’s Supper is a promise, as we have said, we can approach to it by no works, no strength, no merits, but by faith alone. For where we have the word of God who promises, there we must have faith on the part of man who accepts; and it is thus clear that the beginning of our salvation is faith, depending on the word of a promising God, who, independently of any efforts of ours, prevents us by His free and undeserved mercy, and holds out to us the word of His promise. “He sent His word and healed them.” (Ps. cvii. 20.) He did not receive our works and so save us. First of all comes the word of God; this is followed by faith, and faith by love, which in its turn does every good work, because it worketh no evil, yea, it is the fulfilling of the law. There is no other way in which man can meet or deal with God but by faith. It is not man by any works of his, but God, who by His own promise is the author of salvation; so that everything depends, is contained, and preserved in the word of His power, by which He begot us, that we might be a kind of first-fruits of His creation. [Luther, from “The Babylonian Captivity of the Church”]
The Lord’s Supper then, as regards its substance, is
properly nothing else than the aforesaid words of Christ, “Take, eat,” etc. He
seems to say:—“Behold, O man, sinner and condemned as thou art, out of the pure
and free love with which I love thee, according to the will of the Father of
mercies, I promise to thee in these words, antecedently to any merits or
prayers of thine, remission of all thy sins, and eternal life. That thou mayest
be most certain of this, my irrevocable promise, I will confirm it by my very
death; I will give my body and shed my blood, and will leave both to thee, as
a sign and memorial of this very promise.
As often as thou shalt receive them, remember me;
declare and praise my love and bounty to thee; and give thanks.”
It is easy for any one to understand that two things are
necessary at the same time, the promise and faith. Without a promise we have nothing
to believe; while without faith the promise is useless, since it is through
faith that it is established and fulfilled. Whence we easily conclude that the Lord’s
Supper, being nothing else than a promise, can be approached and partaken of by
faith alone; without which whatever prayers, preparations, works, signs, or
gestures are practised, are rather provocations to impiety than acts of piety.
It constantly happens that when men have given their attention to all these
things they imagine that they are approaching the altar lawfully; and yet, in
reality, could never be more unfit to approach it, because of the unbelief
which they bring with them. What a number of sacrificing priests you may daily
see everywhere, who if they have committed some trifling error, by unsuitable
vestments, or unwashed hands, or by some hesitation in the prayers, are
wretched, and think themselves guilty of an immense crime! Meanwhile, as for
the Lord’s Supper itself, that is, the divine promise, they neither heed nor
believe it; yea, are utterly unconscious of its existence. O, unworthy religion
of our age, the most impious and ungrateful of all ages! There is then no
worthy preparation for the Lord’s Supper, or rightful use of it, except faith,
by which it is believed in as a divine promise. Wherefore let him who is about
to approach the altar, or to receive the sacrament, take care not to appear
before the Lord his God empty. Now he will be empty, if he has not faith in the
Lord’s Supper, or New Testament; and what more grievous impiety can he commit
against the truth of God than by this unbelief? As far as in him lies, he makes
God a liar, and renders His promises idle. It will be safest then to go to the Lord’s
Supper in no other spirit than that in which thou wouldst go to hear any other
promise of God; that is, to be prepared, not to do many works, and bring many
gifts, but to believe and receive all that is promised thee in that ordinance,
or is declared to thee through the ministry of the priest as promised. Unless
thou comest in this spirit, beware of drawing near; for thou wilt surely draw
near unto judgment. I have rightly said then, that the whole virtue of the Lord’s
Supper consists in those words of Christ, in which He testifies that remission
is granted to all who believe that His body is given and His blood shed for
them. There is nothing then more necessary for those who are about to hear Lord’s
Supper than to meditate earnestly and with full faith on the very words of
Christ; for unless they do this, all else is done in vain. It is certainly true
that God has ever been wont, in all His promises, to give some sign, token, or
memorial of His promise; that it might be kept more faithfully and tell more
strongly on men’s minds.
Thus when He promised to Noah
that the earth should not be destroyed by another deluge, He gave His bow in
the cloud, and said that He would thus remember His covenant. To Abraham, when
He promised that his seed should inherit the earth, He gave circumcision as a
seal of the righteousness which is by faith. Thus to Gideon He gave the dry and
the dewy fleece, to confirm His promise of victory over the Midianites. Thus to
Ahaz He gave a sign through Isaiah, to confirm his faith in the promise of
victory over the kings of