Luther on Courage

John 14:17

The helper is the spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it doesn't see or know him. But you know him, because he lives with you and will be in you.

Martin Luther wrote, "Christians depend upon nothing except Christ their lord and God. For his sake they surrender everything and declare, 'before I deny or leave Christ, I would forsake food, drink, honor and possessions, house and property, wife and child, everything.'

A Christian's courage cannot be fake or weak. It must be genuine and certain. For a Christian cannot encourage himself with any temporary thing of this world. Instead he must cling to the Lord Jesus Christ, who was crucified and died for us. Christ will say, as he promises in this passage, 'because you acknowledge me you have this advantage and comfort. Your courage will not mislead you. For your helper is the spirit of Truth.'

All other courage comes from a spirit of lies, a false spirit that cannot please God.. Whatever a Christian does, or suffers for his faith in Jesus, is done for the truth. One can truthfully and joyfully boast that what he has done pleases God. A Christian can feel confident that he doesn't have to fear the devil or the world., nor be afraid of any threat or terror. Let this encourage you, nothing on Earth can comfort you more during times of need than a confident heart. As long as your heart is plagued with doubt and uncertainty, you can't be courageous. But if you live in truth, you can be certain that any suffering you experience is not caused by your own failures. You're not suffering because you tried to obtain possessions, honor, or praise for yourself. The only charge that can be made against you is that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you trust in his word!"