“ It is true we ought willingly to serve, love, and fear God, as the chief good. But God can well endure that we love him for his promise’s sake, and pray unto him for corporal and spiritual benefits; he therefore has commanded us to pray. ”
Martin Luther, Table Talk (1566). copy citation
| Author | Martin Luther |
|---|---|
| Source | Table Talk |
| Topic | fear love |
| Date | 1566 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by William Hazlitt |
| Weblink | http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/Luther%20Table%20Talk.pdf |
Context
“God will, say some, that we should serve him freely and willingly, whereas he that serves God out of fear of punishment, of hell, or out of a hope and love of recompense, serves and honors God not uprightly or truly. This argument is of the stoics, who reject the affections of human nature. It is true we ought willingly to serve, love, and fear God, as the chief good. But God can well endure that we love him for his promise’s sake, and pray unto him for corporal and spiritual benefits; he therefore has commanded us to pray. So God can also endure that we fear him for the punishment’s sake, as the prophets remember. Indeed, it is somewhat, that a human creature can acknowledge God’s everlasting punishments and rewards. And if one looks thereupon, as not being the chief end and cause, then it hurts him not, especially if he has regard to God himself, as the final cause, who gives everything for nothing, out of mere grace, without our deserts.
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