C.F.W. Walther Quotes & Sayings

We see that the law was not reveal to us to put a notion into our heads that we could become righteous by it, but to teach us that we are completely unable to fulfill the law. Then we will know what a sweet message-what a glorious doctrine-the gospel is and move receive it with exuberant joy. — C.F.W. Walther

Precision in matters of Christian doctrine is a hallmark of confessional Lutheranism, all for the sake of the Gospel. — C.F.W. Walther

Here is where most preachers make their mistake. They are afraid that by preaching the gospel too clearly, it will be their fault if people lapse into sin. They imagine that the gospel is food for the carnal-minded. True enough, to many the gospel does become the smell of death unto death, but that is not the fault of the Gospel. That happens only because men do not accept -do not believe-the Gospel. Faith is not merely thinking, "I believe." Your whole heart must be seized by the gospel and come to rest in it. When that happens, you are transformed and cannot help but love and serve God. — C.F.W. Walther

Sin is lawlessness and constitutes the doer thereof a rebel against the righteous rule of His sovereign Lord. — C.F.W. Walther

In God, holiness and righteousness are the characteristics of the one Sublime, Sovereign Being, to whom no one can issue a command or lay down a law. In — C.F.W. Walther

Grace is not something for which I must look in my heart. It is in the heart of God. — C.F.W. Walther

Inactivity is the beginning of all vice. — C.F.W. Walther

Every religion contains portions of the law. In fact, some unbelievers, by their knowledge of the law, have advanced so far that they realize that their souls need to be cleansed, that their thoughts and desires need to be purified. But only in the Christian religion will you find the Gospel. Other religions do not contain even a speck of it. — C.F.W. Walther

How could one comfort a disturbed person? He is already assailed with doubts about his faith. He would have to despair with such a doctrine. Rather one must seek to convince him that the Savior is there for him, has already forgiven him, and has already accepted him. As soon as one makes faith even in the least a requirement for justification, one takes from such a person all the comfort of the Gospel. — C.F.W. Walther

the sinless, impeccable Christ, at the end of His sojurn among men, suffered death, which no one has to undergo except sinners; for death is the wages of sin. There is only one explanation of the death of the incarnate Son of God - it is substitutive, or vicarious, just like His life under the Law. Jesus died the death which sinners had deserved to die, and by His redeeming love, God purposes to regard the death of His Son as the death which He would have to inflict upon every sinner for breaking the Law. — C.F.W. Walther

A true Lutheran relies on God's Word and would not worry about it even if the whole world mocked and despised him for it. He does not consider the world an authority in religious matters. He rests his faith on higher authority: — C.F.W. Walther

I hope you have had spiritual experiences that have taught you that the only source of comfort when you are afflicted is the Word of God. Only it assures you of your salvation. — C.F.W. Walther

Galatians 3:11-12...a precious text! A person becomes righteous in the sight of God by faith alone. What conclusion can we draw from this? The law cannot make any person righteous because it has nothing to say about justifying and saving faith. That information is found only in the Gospel. In other words, the law has nothing to say about grace.. — C.F.W. Walther

The Gospel does not require anything good that man must furnish: not a good heart, not a good disposition, no improvement of his condition, no godliness, no love either of God or men ... ... .. It plants love into his heart and makes him capable of all good works. It demands nothing, but it gives all. Should not this fact make us leap for JOY? — C.F.W. Walther

We the undersigned, intend to establish an instruction and training institution which differs from the common elementary schools principally in that it will embrace, outside of (in addition to) the general and elementary curriculum, all branches of the classical high school, which are necessary for a true Christian and scientific education, such as: Religion, the Latin, Greek, Hebrew, German, French and English languages; History, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, natural history, Introduction to Philosophy, Music, and Drawing. — C.F.W. Walther

Now, properly speaking, grace is never in a person's heart, but in God's heart. First a person must believe. After that he may feel. Feeling proceeds from faith - not faith from feeling. — C.F.W. Walther

God has willed, is now willing, and will never cease willing, that man shall not sin. Sin — C.F.W. Walther

...according to God's Word, we should not give a singe drop of evangelical consolation to those who are still living in sin. ON THE OTHER HAND, we should not address the slightest threat or rebuke to the broken hearted--but only promises delivering consolation and grace, forgiveness of sin and righteousness. Life and salvation. — C.F.W. Walther

No reasonable man, much less a Christian, can or should take part in the efforts of Communists and Socialists — C.F.W. Walther

If the teaching of Christ were a law, it would not be a gospel {glad tiding}, but a sad tiding. — C.F.W. Walther

The Gospel does not say, "you must do good works." Rather, it fashions us into human beings, into creatures who cannot help serve God and fellow human beings. Without a doubt, a precious effect! — C.F.W. Walther

The main thing to tell a person when you explain how to become righteous is to announce to him for free grace of God, concealing nothing, saying none other than what God says in the Gospel. Build a fence around Mount Sinai, but not around Golgotha ,because at Golgotha all God's wrath was appeased. — C.F.W. Walther

A person is either a Christian or not; there is no in between state — C.F.W. Walther