Quotes from Timothy J. Wengert

But the forgiveness of guilt, the heavenly indulgence, does away with the heart's fear and timidity before God; it makes the conscience lighthearted and merry inwardly13 and reconciles a person with God.

For works do not drive out sin, but driving out of sin produces good works.

Therefore the remedy opposes desire, for it is cured not by satisfying it but by extinguishing it.

It follows further that the forgiveness of guilt is not within the province of any human office or authority, be it pope, bishop, priest, or any other. Rather, it depends exclusively upon the word of Christ and your own faith. For Christ did not intend to base our comfort, our salvation, our confidence on human words or deeds but only upon himself, upon his words and deeds.

all the works of the believer are alive and all the works of the unbeliever are dead, evil, and damnable,

It is certain that one must utterly despair of oneself in order to be made fit to receive the grace of Christ.

The law works the wrath of God, kills, reviles, accuses, judges, and condemns everything that is not in Christ

That person is not righteous who does many works but who, without works, believes much in Christ.

the human moral standpoint itself shares in fallen human hubris.

As these were appearing, however, the official bull of excommunication, Exsurge Domini, was being posted throughout German lands, giving Luther sixty days to recant. Instead, on 10 December 1520 Luther burned the bull (and a copy of canon law) outside the Elster Gate in Wittenberg in protest.

But this is completely perverse, namely, to please and enjoy oneself in one's works, and to worship oneself as an idol.

Indeed, if pride would cease there would be no sin anywhere.

Terror" or "fright" (erschrecken) work first to destroy a person's self-centered claims before God, characterized by boasting in works and merits.

Those,e however, who have been emptied through suffering [cf. Phil. 2:7] no longer do works but know that God works and does all things in them.

just as human doing does not place a demand upon the actions of God, so, too, human gazing on the visible objects of creation and history does not deliver a right conception of the divine.

They contemplate Christ's passion properly who look at it with a terrified heart and a despairing conscience.

For if we allow sin to remain in our conscience and try to deal with it there, or if we look at sin in our heart, it will be much too strong for us and will live on forever. But if we see that it rests on Christ and is overcome by his resurrection, and then boldly believe this, then sin is dead and nullified.

There is no greater sin than not to believe this article of "the forgiveness of sins" which we pray daily in the [Apostles'] Creed. And this sin is called the sin against the Holy Spirit.

They cannot be humble who do not recognize that they are damnable and stinking sinners.

Nimmer tun ist höchster Buß),

You see, then, that the whole church is filled with the forgiveness of sins. But there are few who really receive and welcome it.o For they do not believe it and would rather rely upon their own works.