Bogus Roman Catholic Memes #6: The Protestant Dilemma, Luther and Mary's Sinlessness

 Here's a Martin Luther meme found on Facebook:

How to respond:

1. Identify the argument: This is a typical Roman Catholic argument that if Martin Luther restored "Biblical Christianity" to its pure state, then all subsequent Protestants are obligated to follow everything he said in regard to Christianity. They argue that Luther believed in the Immaculate Conception of Mary, so this is contrary to modern Protestants that believe "all have sinned" including Mary. 

2. Locate the source: No source is given in the meme for the Martin Luther quote.  For this quote, Rome's defenders often cite either Luther's "Personal Prayer Book" or "Little Prayer Book" 1522.  This is old-school Roman Catholic Internet documentation that's vague enough to not be helpful. This text is easy enough to find: it has been translated into English in LW 43:40.

3. Present More Clarifying Information. At times Martin Luther's view of Mary was in flux, and this quote is a good example of it. Leading up to 1522, it can be documented that Luther wavered on making a definite conclusion on Mary's sinlessness. In 1521-1522, he seems to have finally concluded Mary was sinless. After this, his position changed. The best one can speculate is that for the majority of his career as a Reformer, he believed that at the conception of Jesus Christ, Mary was purified by the Holy Spirit. At Christ's conception the Holy Spirit sanctified Mary so that the child would be born with non-sinful flesh and blood. This means that at least up until the conception of Christ, Luther believed that Mary was not sinless. His mature position is not the 1854 dogma of the Immaculate Conception (Ineffabilis Deus). After Mary's conception of Christ, Luther places Mary among sinners (documented below). 

A question arises for Luther's later view: If Mary was purified or made sinless at the conception of Jesus, did she then go on to live a completely sinless life? Here are some statements from Luther in which he places her among sinful humanity after the birth of Jesus:

This should shut the mouths of vain babblers who too highly exalt the holy Virgin Mary and other saints as if they knew everything and could not err. In this place you hear that they err and blunder, not only by seeking Christ everywhere and not knowing where to find Him until they happen to come into the temple, but also by not understanding these words, with which He rebukes their lack of understanding  and says to them: "Did you not know that I must be in that which is My Father's?" The evangelist has intentionally pointed this out and will not conceal it, so that we will not allow such lying speech from foolish, inexperienced, and inflated teachers of works, who brag about the saints and even make them into idols (LW 76:202).

Original text: Hie mit ist den unnützen Schwetzern das maul gestopfft, so die Heilige Jungfraw Maria und andere Heiligen gar zu hoch heben, als haben sie alles gewust und nie nicht können jrren. Denn hie hörestu, wie sie jrren und straucheln nicht allein in dem, das sie Christum allenthalben suchen und nicht wissen zu finden, Bis sie ongefehr in Tempel komen, Sondern das sie auch dis Wort nicht verstehen, damit er jren unverstand straffet und zu jnen sagen mus: "Wisset jr nicht, das ich sein mus in dem, das meines Vaters ist". Das hat der Euangelist mit grossem vleis angezeigt und nicht wollen verschweigen, Auff das man solchen Lügenteidingen nicht stattgebe, so unverstendige, unerfarene und auffgeblasene Wercklerer von den Heiligen rhuymen und sie gar zu Abgöttern machen (WA 17.2:26). 

Whether they are called holy, learned, fathers, councils, or whatever else- it does not for that reason follow that they could not have erred and been wrong. Here we find that the mother of Christ, who had great understanding and enlightenment, was ignorant, since she did not think or know where to find Christ, and for that reason was rebuked by Him because she did not know what she should have known. If she blundered and through her ignorance came into such anxiety and sorrow that she even thought she had lost Christ, is it any wonder that other saints have often erred and stumbled when they went outside of Scripture and followed their own thoughts or dragged them into Scripture? (LW 76:204).

Original text: Hie wider sol man antworten, wie gesagt ist, aus disem Euangelio. Es heisse Heilig, Gelert, Veter, Concilia, oder was es sein mag, Wenn es gleich Maria, Joseph und alle Heiligen miteinander weren, So folget darumb nicht, das sie nicht haben können jrren und feilen. Denn hie hörestu, das die Mutter Christi, Welche doch hohen verstand und erleuchtung hat, in die unwissenheit kompt, das sie nicht weis noch dencket, wo sie Christum finden sol, Und darumb von im gestrafft wird, das sie solchs nicht weis, das sie doch wissen solte. Hat nu sie gefeilet und durch jre unwissenheit ist in solch angst und betrubnis komen, das sie meinet, sie habe Christum gar verloren, Was ists wunder, ob andere Heiligen offt geirret und gestrauchelt haben, wenn sie ausser der Schrifft gegangen und jren gedancken gefolget oder die selben in die Schrifft gezogen haben? (WA 17.2:28).

You say further: "Yes the church and the fathers had the Holy Spirit, who did not let them err." That can easily be answered from what has been said: No matter how holy the Church or the councils may be, they had no more of the Holy Spirit than Mary, the mother of Christ, who was also a member [of the Church], even at that time the most distinguished part of the Church. Even though she had been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, yet He sometimes let her err, even in the high matters of faith. For that reason it does not follow that the saints who have the Spirit cannot err and that everything they say must be correct. There still remains much weakness and ignorance even among the highest people. For that reason we must not judge doctrine and the matters of faith which come from the Holy Spirit according to personal holiness, for that can be all wrong. Rather, here you must come where God's Word is, for that is certain and does not err; there you certainly find Christ and the Holy Spirirt; there you can take your stand and remain against sin, death, and the devil (LW 76:206).

Original text: So sprichstu weiter: Ja, die Kirche und Veter haben den Heiligen Geist gehabt. Der lesst sie ja nicht jrren. Darauff ist leicht zu antworten aus dem, so gesagt ist, die Kirche oder Concilia sind so heilig als sie wollen, so haben sie den heiligen Geist nicht mehr denn Maria, die Mutter Christi, welche ist ja auch ein Gelied, ja, zu der zeit das furnemeste stück der Kirchen gewest. Und wiewol sie durch den heiligen Geist geheiliget ist, noch lesset er sie zu weilen auch jrren, auch in den hohen sachen des Glaubens. Darumb folget nicht, das die Heiligen, so den Geist haben, darumb nicht jrren können und alles muste recht sein, was sie sagen. Es bleibet noch viel schwacheit und unwissenheit auch in den höhesten Leuten, das man nicht nach personlicher Heiligkeit mus urteilen von der Lere und des Glaubens sachen, was aus dem heiligen Geist sey. Denn das kan alles feilen. Sondern hieher mustu komen, da Gottes wort ist, das ist gewis und feilet nicht, da findestu Christum und den heiligen Geist gewislich Und kanst darauff bestehen und bleiben wider Sunde, Tod und Teuffel (WA 17.2:30). 

I first mentioned these quotes as far back as 2006. Luther may have held to Mary's immaculate purification, but he did not hold that Mary remained sinless for the rest of her life after the birth of Jesus. For further discussion, see this link. 

Did Martin Luther say, “Love God? I hate Him!”?

This came up in a Roman Catholic vs. Protestant Facebook debate group:

“Love God?! I hate Him!" - Martin Luther. Question for Protestants who are not Anglican... Why would you listen to Martin Luther if he hates God?"

Lest one think this was an unbiased question from a sincere Roman Catholic participant, the same person went on to write, "let's not also forget he influenced Hitler with his Antisemitic writings" and "Martin Luther was evil." I was also informed that Martin Luther was in hell because of visions from a few saints. The intent of this question amounts to online rage bating.  

Let's take a closer look to see if Martin Luther really said he hates God.

Documentation

As is often the case from online hostile Roman Catholics, no documentation was provided. In the discussion I repeatedly asked for an actual quote, an actual context, and if possible, a meaningful link. The author of the question did not respond to this request. Very few Roman Catholic participants responded to this request. In fact, only one person ventured this proof:

Out of principle, I flatly rejected the A.I. method of lazy documentation. Would Rome's defenders step up and locate the quote? The same defender of Rome gave a few more tries with secondary links, even providing a link to R.C. Sproul's famous lecture on Luther. However, helpful Dr. Sproul's classic lecture is, it still doesn't show proper documentation. Even in the overview contained in his book, The Holiness of God, Dr. Sproul cites Roland Bainton's Here I Stand, a Martin Luther biography, not a primary source. The point in provoking Rome's defenders to search out a primary context is to have the correct document to determine who's correctly interpreting it.

Leaving this documentation cat and mouse game aside, there is no such exact quote from Luther in which he says, "Love God?! I hate Him!” I suspect the quote is a rendering of Luther's comment, "I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners..." being morphed with Dr. Sproul's classic lecture seeping into the collective unconscious of the Internet. 

If this is the correct quote, it's easy enough to locate. The primary source for would be Vorrede zum ersten Bande der Gesamtausgaben seiner lateinischen Schriften, Wittenberg 1545, located at WA 54:185. In English, this treatise is entitled, Preface to the Complete Edition of Luther’s Latin Writings, Wittenberg, 1545. The quote is found located at LW 34:336-337.

Context

Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that he was placated by my satisfaction. I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners, and secretly, if not blasphemously, certainly murmuring greatly, I was angry with God, and said, “As if, indeed, it is not enough, that miserable sinners, eternally lost through original sin, are crushed by every kind of calamity by the law of the decalogue, without having God add pain to pain by the gospel and also by the gospel threatening us with his righteousness and wrath!” Thus I raged with a fierce and troubled conscience. Nevertheless, I beat importunately upon Paul at that place, most ardently desiring to know what St. Paul wanted.

At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, “In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’ ” There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely, the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.” Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates. There a totally other face of the entire Scripture showed itself to me. Thereupon I ran through the Scriptures from memory. I also found in other terms an analogy, as, the work of God, that is, what God does in us, the power of God, with which he makes us strong, the wisdom of God, with which he makes us wise, the strength of God, the salvation of God, the glory of God.

And I extolled my sweetest word with a love as great as the hatred with which I had before hated the word “righteousness of God.” Thus that place in Paul was for me truly the gate to paradise. Later I read Augustine’s The Spirit and the Letter, where contrary to hope I found that he, too, interpreted God’s righteousness in a similar way, as the righteousness with which God clothes us when he justifies us. Although this was heretofore said imperfectly and he did not explain all things concerning imputation clearly, it nevertheless was pleasing that God’s righteousness with which we are justified was taught (LW 34:336-338).

Original text: 

Ego autem, qui me, utcunque irreprehensibüis monachus vivebam, sentirem coram Deo esse peccatorem inquietissimae conscientiae, nee raea satisfactione placatum confidere possem, non amabam, imo odiebam iustum et punientem peecatores Deum, tacitaque si non blasphemia, certe ingenti raurmuratione indignabar Deo, dicens: quasi vero non satis sit, miseros peecatores et aeternaliter perditos peccato originali omni genere calamitatis oppressos esse per legem decalogi, nisi Dens per euangelium dolorem dolori adderet, et etiam per euangelium nobis iustitiam et iram suam intentaret. Furebam ita saeva et perturbata conscieutia, pulsabam tarnen importunus eo loco Pallium, ardentissime sitiens scire, quid S. Paulus vellet.

Donec miserente Deo meditabundus dies et noctes connexionem verborum atteuderem, uempe: lustitia Dei revelatur in illo, sicut scriptum est: lustus ex fide vivit, ibi iustitiam Dei coepi intelligere eam, qua iustus dono Dei s vivit, nempe ex fide, et esse hanc sententiam, revelari per euangelium iustitiam Dei, scilicet passivam, qua uos Deus misericors iustificat per fidem, sicut scriptum est: lustus ex fide vivit. Hie ine prorsus renatum esse sensi, et apertis portis in ipsam paradisum intrasse. Ibi continuo alia mihi facies totius scripturae apparuit. Discurrebam deinde per scripturas, ut habebat lo memoria, et coUigebam etiam in aliis vocabulis analogiam, ut opus Dei, id est, quod operatur in nobis Deus, virtus Dei, qua nos potentes facit, sapientia Dei, qua nos sapientes facit, fortitudo Dei, salus Dei, gloria Dei.

lam quanto odio vocabulum 'iustitia Dei' oderam ante, tanto amore dulcissimum mihi vocabulum extollebam, ita mihi iste locus Pauli fuit vere is porta paradisi. Postea legebam Augustinum de spiritu et litera S ubi praeter spem offendi, quod et ipse iustitiam Dei similiter interpretatur: qua nos Deus induil, dum nos iustificat. Et quamquam imperfecte hoc adhuc sit dictum, ac de imputatione non clare omnia explicet, placuit tarnen iustitiam Dei doceri, qua nos iustificemur (WA 54:185-186).

Conclusion

This context provides Luther's detailed account of his discovery of justification by faith alone. It is one of the few detailed biographical accounts written by Luther himself. Even with this firsthand information, historians have not been able to conclusively determine the exact date or exact place in which the events described occurred. There have been a number of theories as to the specific date in which Luther came to his understanding of justification by faith alone.

The pertinent aspect of the context is that Luther did not leave the statement, "I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God" hanging or representative of his total life. He goes on to describe his experience of coming to grasp that "the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith" (LW 34:337). He states he arrived at the opposite of hating the righteousness of God:

Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates... And I extolled my sweetest word with a love as great as the hatred with which I had before hated the word “righteousness of God.” Thus that place in Paul was for me truly the gate to paradise (LW 34:337).