Martin
Luther, the Father of the Protestant Reformation, Said that the Supernatural
Gifts and Manifestations of the Holy Spirit Never Ceased
By
Julio
Severo
Martin
Luther (1483-1546), the German theologian who was the father of the Protestant
Reformation, wrote very much in a time that there was no typewriter and
computer. He was unquestionably a great mind, especially because his
translation of the Bible into German unified the German language.
While the Catholic Church ordered
Latin as official language for Bible reading to keep the German people in
ignorance, Luther translated the Bible to their own language, so that all
Germans could read and study the Bible.
So
the total contempt of perennialist Eric Voegelin for Luther’s intelligence is
nonsense. In fact, Voegelin saw the Protestant
Reformation as the “Great Confusion” saying that the Reformation was
“probably the biggest piece of political mischief concocted by a man [Luther],
short of the Communist Manifesto.”
Not much different, Olavo de Carvalho,
a Brazilian immigrant self-exiled in the U.S. and an admirer of Voegelin,
treated Luther with the same contempt, even
saying that Luther was an astrologer, when history points that Luther clearly
condemned astrology. He also said
that Luther was a a man who committed genocide, but he treats the Inquisition,
which tortured and murdered multitudes of Jews and Protestants, as a
human-rights court. Such contradiction is proper of lunatic charlatans. And
Carvalho is a big charlatan.
Yet,
my intent is not to defend Luther from the ridiculous ideas from perennialists
Voegelin and Carvalho. Luther’s vast work is more than enough to do it.
As
a charismatic evangelical Christian, I will address only what Luther commented
about this Bible passage where Jesus said:
“He
who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be
condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will
cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents;
and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay
hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:16-18 NKJV)
Luther
lived in a time when the only prevalent religious miracles were Catholic
miracles: people allegedly being “healed” by touching the tomb of a Catholic
saint or touching a relic. Demon expulsion was a very liturgical act, without
much result. It was the famous “exorcism,” where you couldn’t tell if the demon
was in the exorcist or in his victim.
Luther
knew very much about Catholic miracles, Catholic culture and Catholic
interpretation of the Bible, but he was just beginning to know and experience
the Gospel, which he could read. Basically, this was his experience — the
experience of a man beginning to understand what the Catholic Church had hidden
for centuries.
Everything
for Luther was completely new: repentance, forgiveness, grace, salvation, etc.
It is just natural that many other issues were also new for him because of his
total lack of positive experience in the miracles of the New Testament and
negative experience in the multitude of Catholic religious “miracles.”
Yet,
what he said is charismatically applicable even if he did not know anything of
charismatic gifts. For example, Luther said,
“For
if we preach only its history, it is an unprofitable sermon, which Satan and
the godless know, read and understand as well as true Christians.”
That
is, only preaching without a sign is a tremendous void and uselessness. The
Apostle Paul also meant this when he said:
“And
my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but
in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” (1 Corinthians 2:4 NKJV)
For
Paul, just a sermon filled with philosophy and no demonstration of the Spirit
and his power was useless.
Luther
also had a view very similar to Christians today who preach victory over all
evil. He said,
“What
is Christ's inheritance? His heritage is life and death, sin and grace, all
that is in heaven and earth, eternal truth, power, wisdom, righteousness; he
governs and rules over all, over hunger and thirst, over fortune and
misfortune, over everything imaginable, whether in heaven or on earth, not only
spiritual but also secular affairs; and the sum total of all is, he has all
things in his hand, be they eternal or temporal. Now if I believe on him, I
become partaker with him of all his possessions, and obtain not only a part or
a piece; but, like him, I obtain all, eternal righteousness, eternal wisdom,
eternal strength, and become a lord and reign over all. The stomach will not
hunger, sins will not oppress, I will no more fear death, nor be terror-stricken
by Satan, and I will never be in want, but will be like Christ the Lord
himself.”
He
also addressed hunger in his commentary. He said,
“In
the light of this we now easily understand the sayings here and there in the
prophets and especially in the Psalms; as when David in Ps 34:10 says: ‘The
young lions (the rich) do lack, and suffer hunger; but they that seek Jehovah
shall not want any good thing.’ And in another Psalm: ‘Jehovah knoweth the days
of the perfect; and their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be put
to shame in the time of evil; and in the days of famine they shall be
satisfied.’ Ps 37:18-19. And immediately following in verse 25: ‘I have been
young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed
begging bread.’”
The
unbelieving individual would have a hard time to believe in what Luther said.
During the time of Apostle Paul, a famine hit the Roman Empire and the churches
in Israel suffered very much, and in 2 Corinthians 8 Paul begs the churches in
Europe to send money and any other assistance.
I
mention the unbelieving individual because during the coronavirus pandemic many
unbelievers, within and outside the churches, said, “If you Christians have
supernatural gifts, heal yourselves and others!” In Paul’s time, they could
say, “If you Christians have supernatural gifts and are suffering famine, do as
Jesus did: Multiply your food to you and others!”
For
his lack of experience on charismatic gifts, Luther’s view went in several
directions. For example, he said,
“In
passing, be it said, however: We must not suppose that the signs here mentioned
by Christ are all the signs that believers will do, neither must we imagine
that all the Christians will do them; but Jesus means: All Christians can and
may do the signs. Or, if I believe, then am I able to do them; I have the
power. Through faith I obtain so much that nothing is impossible to me. If it
were necessary and conducive to the spreading of the Gospel, we could do easily
the signs; but since it is not necessary, we do not do them. For Christ does
not teach that Christians practice the spectacular, but he says they have the
power and can do these things. And we have many such promises throughout the
Scriptures; for example, in John 14:12, where Christ says: ‘He that believeth
on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall
he do.’ Therefore, we must allow these words to remain and not gloss them away,
as some have done who said that these signs were manifestations of the Spirit
in the beginning of the Christian era and that now they have ceased. That is
not right; for the same power is in the church still. And though it is not
exercised, that does not matter; we still have the power to do such signs.”
Even
having no experience of charismatic gifts, Luther was careful to warn that “we
must allow these words to remain and not gloss them away, as some have done who
said that these signs were manifestations of the Spirit in the beginning of the
Christian era and that now they have ceased.” Luther made it clear that the
false doctrine that the manifestations of the Spirit have ceased is not right.
This false doctrine has even a name among its adherents: Cessationism.
For
Luther, And though these supernatural and spectacular gifts were not exercised
in his time, that did not matter. “We still have the power to do such signs,”
he said.
He
also said,
“God
has always accompanied his Word with an outward sign to make it the more
effective to us, that we might be strengthened in heart and never doubt his
Word, nor waver.”
Other
important sayings of Luther that are helpful for us to reject cessationism and
hold fast to the Bible is:
“Therefore,
strive not to comprehend, but say: This is Scripture and this is God's Word,
which is immeasurably higher than all understanding and reason. Cease your
reasoning and lay hold of the Scriptures.”
“Therefore
we must disregard our feeling and accept only the Word, write it into our heart
and cling to it.”
“Our
feelings must not be considered, but we must constantly insist that death, sin
and hell have been conquered.”
“Thus
faith leads us quietly, contrary to all feeling and comprehension of reason.”
“The
more faith increases, the more our feelings diminish, and vice versa.”
“When
the heart and conscience cling to the Word in faith, they overflow in works.”
When
Christians without supernatural gifts look at their lack of experience, it is
very easy to believe in every false teaching, including the doctrine that the
supernatural gifts ceased. But we cannot trust in our experience. Even not
having such gifts, Luther did not dare to conclude that these gifts ceased.
In
his commentary to Mark 16, Luther encouraged Christians to pray, saying,
“A
Christian ought to acquire the custom of praying the Lord’s Prayer, firmly
crossing himself and saying in thought: Keep me, dear Lord, from the sin
against the Holy Ghost, that I may not fall from faith and thy Word, and may
not become a Turk, a Jew or a monk and a papal saint, who believe and live
contrary to [the Gospel].”
A
Christian who does not want to sin against the Holy Spirit will never embrace
cessationism and even though he may be used by God to criticize false
prophecies and gifts, he will never condemn true prophecies and gifts and he
will never say that they ceased.
Luther
encouraged Christians not to become Turks, an euphemism to Muslims. About Jews,
for Luther the Jewish religiosity did not lead to salvation in Christ, because
the Jews totally rejected Christ and His salvation.
He
encouraged Christians not to become monks and papal saints, who are individuals
involved in extreme religiosity and false piety and false miracles and many
empty prayers, but no real contact with God.
Luther
also explained that he and even other theologians should never be seen as
perfect examples. He said,
“He
permits it to happen that many great saints err and stumble, in order that we
may not trust in men, though they be many, great, and holy. We must be led to
rely upon the Word that is sure and cannot deceive.”
Luther
was very humble to confess that he did not understand everything about Mark 16
and supernatural gifts. As the father of the Protestant Reformation, he
confessed that he was imperfect and that he had not the final truth, but he
pointed God’s Word as the final truth. And this Word is mortal enemy of the
false doctrine of cessationism.
Then
Luther said,
“And
these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out
demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents, and if they
drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on
the sick and they shall recover.”
“How
shall we proceed here that we may preserve the truth of the passage: he that
believeth shall have power also, and be able to show these signs? For the Lord
says all these signs shall accompany them. Now we know that the apostles did
not present all the signs, for we read of no other that drank poison than John
the Evangelist, and there are no other individual instances. If the passage shall
stand literally, then few believers will be cleared and few saints be entitled
to heaven; for these signs, one and all, have not accompanied them, though they
have had power to work signs, and have exhibited some of them.”
Luther
raised an interesting point. All the apostles did not drink poison, but all of
them received authority from Jesus to heal the sick and deliver people
oppressed by demons. Jesus said,
“Behold,
I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the
power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19 NKJV)
“Heal
the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have
received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8 NKJV)
Mark
16 probably teaches that the real followers of Jesus should expect signs,
miracles and wonders of every kind possible and impossible.
Even
though not every Christian will drink poison and raise the dead, every
Christian is called to pray and minister for the sick and people oppressed by demons.
Then
Luther criticized theologians who having no supernatural experience try to
“spiritualize” the miraculous signs that follow a Christian. He said,
“Some
rush on here and explain these signs as spiritual, so as to preserve the honor
of the saints; but it will not do to strain the words. They do not carry such
meaning, therefore they will not bear such an explanation. It puts upon the
Scriptures uncertain construction for us.”
Luther
also criticized theologians who interpret that the signs and wonders are for the
church as a whole, not for individual Christians. He explained:
“Others,
with equal heedlessness, say that though not every individual has the power and
does the wonders mentioned, yet the church as a whole, the multitude of
Christendom, has; one may drive out devils, another heal the sick, and so on.
Therefore, they say, such signs are a manifestation of the Spirit; where the
signs are, there is also the Christian Church, and so on. But these words do
not refer to the Church as a whole, but to each person separately. The meaning
is: If there is a Christian who has faith, he shall have power to do these
accompanying miracles, and they shall follow him, as Christ says, in John
14:12: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that
I do, shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do,’ for a
Christian has equal power with Christ, is a congregation, and sits with him in
joint tenure. The Lord has given Christians power, as is written in Mt 10:8,
also against the unclean spirits, that they might cast them out and heal every
disease. Thus it is written in Ps 91:13: ‘Thou shalt tread upon the lion and
the adder; the young lion and the serpent shalt thou trample under foot.’”
Luther
also addressed theologians, abundant today among Calvinist cessationists, who
interpreted that they have no such supernatural experience because Mark 16 has
already been fulfilled. So, according to their interpretation, these gifts
ceased 2,000 years ago. Luther said,
“We
read also that this has been fulfilled. There was once a patriarch in the
wilderness, who, when he met a serpent, took it in both hands and tore it in
two, and thought no more about it, but said: O what a fine thing it is to have
a clear and guiltless conscience! So, where there is a Christian, there is
still the power to work these signs if it is necessary. But no one should
attempt to exercise this power if it is not necessary or if need does not
compel. The apostles did not always exercise it, but only made use of it to prove
the Word of God, to confirm it by the miracles; as is written here in the text:
V.20. ‘And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with
them, and confirming the Word by the signs that followed.’”
In
his total lack of experience of supernatural gifts, Luther offered his personal
view that “there is no need of working miracles as in the apostles’ times.” I
would dispute such view with the fact that the Book of Revelation, which
addresses the last days — our days —, is filled with demons working fake
wonders and miracles and God working even bigger real wonders and miracles.
In the New Testament, especially in
Corinth and other European cities, there was much witchcraft. The apostles,
empowered by the supernatural gifts, met witches and mediums. The Bible says:
“Now
it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a
spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by
fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, ‘These
men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of
salvation.’ And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned
and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out
of her.’ And he came out that very hour.” (Acts 16:16-18 NKJV)
“Now
God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or
aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and
the evil spirits went out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists
took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had
evil spirits, saying, ‘We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.’ Also
there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil
spirit answered and said, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’
Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and
prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear
fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many who
had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who
had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight
of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand
pieces of silver.” (Acts 19:11-19 NKJV)
Witches
were able to work fake wonders and miracles, which had much destructive power.
How did the apostles counter their fake wonders and miracles? Through bigger
real wonders and miracles.
It
is nonsense to think that today there is less witchcraft and less fake wonders
and miracles than in the days of the New Testament. Such dark reality should be
countered by the name of Jesus and supernatural gifts, which are spiritual weapons.
Luther
said,
“But
since the Gospel has now been spread abroad, and made known to all the world,
there is no need of working miracles as in the apostles’ times. If need should
arise, and men were to denounce and antagonize the Gospel, then we verily should
have to employ wonder-working rather than permit the Gospel to be derided and
suppressed. But I hope such a course will not be necessary, and that such a
contingency will never arise. For another example: That I should here speak in
new languages is not at all necessary, since you all can well hear and
understand me; but if God should send me where the people could not understand
me, he could easily grant me their speech or language, that I might be
understood.”
His
way of seeing the gift as tongues as mere learned human tongues just shows his
total lack of experience with supernatural gifts. If in his view there is no
need of working miracles as in the apostles’ times, why does no one say to
Satanists, witches and sorcerers that they have no need to work demonic
miracles to make people oppressed, possessed and destroyed?
Why
deactivate supernatural weapons of the Holy Spirit when all demonic weapons,
including demonic signs and wonders, are fully active and deceiving millions of
young people?
In
another example, Luther did not recommend the ministry of casting out demons.
Why? Because the only experience he had was seeing Catholic priests doing it.
He said,
“I
know not what I shall say about those who venture to do signs where they are
not necessary. For example, some drive out demons. But I know that it is a
dangerous undertaking. The devil, indeed, lets himself be driven out, but he
does not intend to suffer for it; he allows it only that he may strengthen the
sign-worker in such error. I would not like to trust him. We have many such
instances in our times. I know also of many that happened not long ago.”
Therefore, because of his negative
experience with Catholic exorcists, Luther said that the deliverance ministry
was unnecessary and dangerous. He used his negative experience with Catholic
exorcists to interpret the Bible. His lack of experience is the contrary of
Jesus and his apostles, who spent most of their ministries preaching the
Gospel, healing the sick and casting out demons. In no way Jesus saw the
ministry of casting out demons as unnecessary.
If Luther saw Jesus casting out
demons, he would understand this ministry as extremely necessary. But his only
experience about this was Catholic exorcists.
I
cannot blame Luther. I have seen Catholic exorcists who seemed so demonically
oppressed as the victims they were supposedly trying to help. But I am sure
that if Luther lived today and saw charismatics and Pentecostals casting out
demons he would say, “Wow! This is very different from what I saw in the
Catholic Church!”
I
have expelled demons for years. It is a hard ministry, but in the name of Jesus
all demons are subjected to us.
Luther
mentioned that in his time many Christians “have brooded over the question of
signs, vainly asking why they do not accompany our preaching and whether they
no longer can be expected.” Cessationists found their own human answer to this
question.
Many
of the issues of Luther are centered in the fact that he knew nothing of the
New Testament way of casting out demons, healing the sick and working signs and
wonders. Such case is similar to a man who wants to teach others to drive a
truck when he himself never drove any car.
To
drive a truck, it is not enough for you to have driving experience with a
simple car. You need much official experience with truck driving.
I
wonder about the stupidity of a man teaching others to drive trucks when he has
never driven any car. In the same way, I am marveled at the stupidity of
theologians with no experience with supernatural gifts and manifestations of
the Holy Spirit posing as theological experts who know everything about every
supernatural gift.
We
can excuse Luther, because he was brought up in a Catholic culture filled with
religious “miracles” and miraculous relics very different from the New Testament
experience. Luther was trying to understand and explain the new things he was seeing
or not seeing.
Even
doubting the need of supernatural gifts today, Luther made it very clear that
they did not cease. So when cessationist heretics use Luther, the father of the
Protestant Reformation, to support their heresy, they are committing another
heresy.
Luther
finished his commentary on Mark 16 by saying:
“The
wicked world shall not see nor heed such signs and wonders, but with open eyes
and hardened hearts shall pass by and blaspheme them, just as it always
despises God's works, blaspheming even the public and indisputable miracles of
Christ and the apostles. The world would but the more despise such signs, were
they done by us… The Jews so fared when they despised the signs by which Christ
manifested his proffered help and blessings. They looked for and demanded other
signs. Then he refrained and would give them no other sign than the sign of
Jonah, lying, after his crucifixion, for three days in the grave in weakness
and death. Afterward he came forth from death and the grave, demonstrating his
power by his resurrection and ascension. Now he mightily rules over all the
world, and will overthrow and destroy it, together with all its power and
glory.”
Therefore,
when in doubt about the interpretation of theologians, do just as Luther said:
“Therefore,
strive not to comprehend, but say: This is Scripture and this is God's Word,
which is immeasurably higher than all understanding and reason. Cease your reasoning
and lay hold of the Scriptures.”
I
do not understand why many Calvinists today embrace the cessationist heresy. In
1990 I read “The Christian in Complete Armour,” a book written by the Calvinist
and Puritan theologian William Gurnall (1617-1679). In his extensive book, Gurnall
said,
“It
was a heroic speech of Luther, who foresaw a black cloud of God’s judgments
coming over the head of Germany, but told some of his friends, ‘That he would
do his best to keep it from falling in his days’—yea, he believed it should not
come—‘and,’ said he, ‘when I am gone, let them that come after me look to it.’”
So,
according to Gurnall, Luther saw prophetically a big tragedy coming over
Germany. Undoubtedly, this was Nazism, which was the biggest tragedy and judgement
in the history of Germany. Luther saw it and did his best to keep such tragedy
from happening in his time and he asked that after his death German Christians did
also their best to keep such tragedy from happenin0067.
Luther
gave serious attention to a prophecy he received from the Holy Spirit. Yet,
most Lutheran citizens in the Nazi Germany did not believe in prophecies and
other supernatural gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Satan took full
advantage of their ignorance.
Let
us not allow Satan to take advantage of our ignorance. We live in the last
days, as the Book of Revelation confirms. Satan is working great deceptive and
destructive signs and wonders to lead young people astray. Let us counter Satan’s
signs and wonders with God’s signs and wonders.
If
Christians in Germany had prayed, watched and kept Luther’s prophecy, Nazism
would have been destroyed. Let us pray and watch and keep the necessary
prophecies, because we live in prophetic times.
Luther’s
quotes in this article were taken from Luther’s Works available in English.
Portuguese version of this article: Martinho
Lutero, pai da Reforma protestante, disse que os dons e manifestações sobrenaturais
do EspÃrito Santo nunca cessaram
Source:
Last Days Watchman
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