I went to the library yesterday to do some research for my cultural competency paper on Native Americans. It took me a little while to figure out the library. Yes, I must admit that I’m a bit of a new-bee to the book section of the library. [You can feel free to laugh at me.] After reading a bit I decided it was a time for a break from the “entertaining” textbooks stacked before me. I wandered on up to the third floor and sat before a card-catalogue computer. “Martin Luther” was typed into the Author Search. Then I was off for the BV section of the third floor to hunt down a text that sparked my curiosity. Page 257 contained the lines that spoke volumes to me that afternoon.
“One thing, and only one thing, is necessary for Christian life, righteousness, and freedom. That one thing is the most holy Word of God, the gospel of Christ, as Christ says, John 11[:25], “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live”; and John 8[:36], “So if the Son of makes you free, you will be free indeed”; and Matt. 4[:4], “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Let us then consider it certain and firmly established that the soul can do without anything except the Word of God and that where the Word of God is missing there is no help at all for the soul. If it has the Word of God it is rich and lacks nothing since it is the Word of life, truth, light, peace, righteousness, salvation, joy, liberty, wisdom, power, grace, glory and of every incalculable blessing.”
– “The Freedom of a Christian” excerpt
Martin Luther (1520)