Debunked Luther "I sin continually. But Christ has died, and forever lives, as my redeemer, priest, advocate, and King."

Here's a Martin Luther quote I came across on a Facebook page dedicated to Martin Luther and the Reformation cut-and-pasted from a John MacArthur appreciation page.   

 

Is this something Martin Luther wrote?  No!

Documentation

The quote in the picture above is said to come from "Luther on the Christian Life by Carl Trueman." Whoever concocted this picture probably had this book by Carl Trueman in mind: Luther on the Christian Life. I do not own this book. Relying solely on the Google Books text search and Amazon's "Look Inside" text search of the book, I did not find any trace of the quote. Perhaps whoever created this text and picture wanted only to document the picture used? Notice, the background picture of the quote is the exact front cover of Trueman's book.  

A cursory Google search of this quote reveals rather quickly who wrote it  originally: John Newton. I found the quote in a book from Newton entitled, Twenty-five Letters, Hitherto Unpublished. The quote appears in a letter written March 17, 1757. The quote is found here.

Context

What could have been done for me that the Lord has not done? yet still I am a cumberer of the ground; I am, by grace, kept from such sins as would dishonour my calling openly, and stumble my brethren, but the wickedness of my heart is amazing. I may especially mention three sins most unsuitable to men in general, but still more to believers, and, above all believers, most unsuitable to me, I mean pride, ingratitude, and insensibility. The instances in which the two former discover themselves are more in number than the hairs of my head; yet I am so much under the power of the third, that, for the most part, I sit still as if nothing were the matter. Thus much for the dark side. Blessed be God, amidst so many causes of mourning in myself, it is still my duty and my privilege to rejoice in the Lord: in him I have righteousness and strength, pardon and peace. I have sinned—I sin continually— but Christ has died, and forever lives, as my Redeemer, Priest, Advocate, and King. And though my transgressions and corruptions, my temptations and my enemies, are very many and very prevalent, the Lord, in whom I trust, is more and mightier than all that is against me. From this consideration I would adopt your inference, “What manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness?" It is to be lamented that any persons should so mistake the doctrine of free unchangeable grace, as to imagine it has a tendency to introduce licentiousness; but much more to be lamented, if a real believer should give occasion to such a reproach by his remiss, careless, or worldly behaviour. I hope I do in my heart detest and abhor the thought of continuing in sin, that grace may abound, but I fear my practice condemns me of it; for sure there are many who are not favoured with such a view of God's unchangeable love as I am, who walk in heaviness, and darkness, and fear, and yet are more zealous, humble, and sensible, more abounding in good works, more impressed with a sense of sin, and more careful in redeeming time than I am. My path lies between two dangerous extremes legality and presumption; and I am continually inclined to one or the other, according to the difference of my frames. Thus I am made up of contradictions.

Conclusion

Luther did not write this quote, nor did Carl Trueman attribute the quote to Martin Luther in his book, Luther on the Christian Life. An immediate tip off that Luther didn't write it is that he did not use the phrase prophet, priest, and king in regard to Jesus Christ. Most often, the phrase is attributed to Eusebius and then popularized by John Calvin.  In his book, Carl Trueman points out, 

Trueman cites LW 31: 353-354. There Luther does affirm Christ as priest and king. Luther says, "Now just as Christ by his birthright obtained these two prerogatives, so he imparts them to and shares them with everyone who believes in him... Hence all of us who believe in Christ are priests and kings in Christ, as 1 Pet. 2[:9] says; “You are a chosen race, God’s own people, a royal priesthood, a priestly kingdom, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (LW 31:354). In my cursory search, I did not come across any instances of Luther referring to Jesus as "prophet" in the sense of the way it's used in "prophet, priest, and king." Did he ever do it? I don't know. 

A ridiculous aspect of this quote has to do with people I attempted to interact with that posted it.  On both Facebook pages, I pointed out Luther did not write it.  On the Martin Luther and the Reformation Facebook page, I left a brief comment that Newton wrote it... which garnered no response. On the John MacArthur Appreciation page, the comment I left was not allowed to be posted. The quote is no less true because Luther did not write it!