If you want to color the devil black you must have good charcoal: Fourth Invocavit Sermon

March 12, 1522
Dr. Martin Luther
Preacher at Wittenberg

Dear Friends: We have heard the things which are necessary, as for instance, that the mass is regarded as a sacrifice. Then we considered the things which are left to our liberty, such as marriage, the monastic life, the abolishing of images. We have treated these four subjects, and have said that in all these matters love is the captain. On the subject of images, in particular, we saw that they ought to be abolished if they are going to be worshipped, otherwise not, although I wish they were abolished everywhere because they are abused — it is useless to deny it. For whoever places an image in a church, imagines he has performed a service to God and a good work, which is downright idolatry. And this, the greatest, foremost and highest reason for abolishing the images, you have neglected, and taken up the very lowest.

For I suppose there is scarcely any man who does not understand that the crucifix over there is not my God, for my God is in heaven, but that this is simply a sign. But the world is full of the other abuse, for who would place an image of silver or of wood in a church, if he did not think that in so doing he was doing God a service? Think about Duke Frederick, the bishop of Halle, and the others. Would they have placed so many silver images in the churches, if they thought it counted nothing before God? No, they would not do it. But this is not sufficient reason to abolish, destroy and burn all the images; and why?

Because we must admit that there are still people who do not have the wrong opinion of them, but to whom they may be useful. Although they are few, yet we cannot and should not condemn anything which is still useful to the devotions of anyone. But you should have taught that images are nothing, God cares nothing for them, and that He is not served, nor pleased when we make an image for Him, but that we would do better to give a poor man a gold coin than to give God a golden image, for God has forbidden the latter, but not the former. If they had heard this teaching that images count for nothing they would have ceased of their own accord, and the images would have fallen without any uproar or tumult, since it was already happening.

We must, therefore, be on our guard, for the devil is after us, through his apostles, with all his craft and cunning. Now, although it is true, and no one can deny that the images are evil because they are abused, nevertheless we must not on that account reject them, nor condemn anything because it is abused. That would result in utter confusion. God has commanded us not to lift up our eyes to the sun, etc., that we may not worship them, for they are created to serve all nations. (Deuteronomy 4:19) But there are many people who worship the sun and the stars. Shall we, therefore, go up to pull the sun and stars from the skies? No, we will not do it.

Again, wine and women bring many a man to misery and make a fool of him. Shall we, therefore, kill all the women and pour out all the wine? Again, gold and silver cause much evil, shall we, therefore, condemn them? No, if we would drive away our one worst enemy, who does us the most harm, we would have to kill ourselves, for we have no greater enemy than our own heart, even as Jeremiah says, “The heart of man is crooked,” or, as I take the meaning, “always twisting to one side or the other.” Jeremiah 17:9) And what good would that do us?

If you want to color the devil black you must have good charcoal, for he, too, wears fine clothes and goes to the fair. But I can catch him by asking him: “Do you not place the images in the churches because you think it a special service of God?” and when he says “Yes,” as he must, you may conclude that what was meant as a service of God he has turned into idolatry by abusing the images. He eagerly sought what God has not commanded and neglected God’s positive command —to help the neighbor. But I have not yet caught him. He escapes me by saying: “I help the poor, too. Why can’t I give to my neighbor and at the same time place images in churches?” That is not true — for who would not rather give his neighbor a gold coin, than God a golden image!

No, he would not trouble himself about placing images in churches if he believed that God was not served by it. Therefore I freely admit, images are neither here nor there, neither evil nor good, we may have them or not, as we please. This trouble has been caused by you. The devil would not have accomplished it with me, for I cannot deny that it is possible to find someone to whom images are useful. And if I were asked about it, I would confess that none of these things give offense to me, and if just one man were found upon earth who used the images rightly, the devil would soon draw the conclusion against me: “Why do you condemn what is still useful in worship?” This challenge I could not answer. He would have successfully defied me. He would not have got nearly so far if I had been here. He played a bold game, and won, although it does no harm to the Word of God. You wanted to paint the devil black, but forgot the charcoal and used chalk. If you would fight the devil, you must be well versed in the Scriptures, and, besides, use them at the right time.

Let us proceed and speak of the eating meats. It is true that we are free to eat any manner of food, meats, fish, eggs or butter. This no one can deny. God has given us this liberty. That is true. Nevertheless we must know how to use our liberty, and treat the weak brother differently from the stubborn. Observe, then, how you must use this liberty.

First of all, if you cannot give up meat without harm to yourself, or if you are sick, you may eat whatever you like, and if any one takes offense, let him be offended. And if the whole world took offense, yet you are not committing a sin, for God can excuse you in view of the liberty He has so graciously bestowed upon you, and of the necessities of your health, which would be endangered by your abstinence.

Secondly, If you should be pressed to eat fish instead of meat on Friday, and to eat fish and abstain from eggs and butter during Lent, etc., as the pope has done with his fools’ laws, then you must not in any way be drawn away from the liberty in which God has placed you, but do just the opposite to spite him, and say: “Because you forbid me to eat meat, and presume to turn my liberty into law, I will eat meat in spite of you.” And thus you must do in all other things which are matters of liberty. To give you an example: If the pope, or anyone else would force me to wear a cowl, just as he prescribes it, I would take off the cowl just to spite him. But since it is left to my own free choice, I wear it or take it off, according to my pleasure.

Thirdly, There are some who are still weak in faith, who ought to be instructed, and who would gladly believe as we do. But their ignorance prevents them, and if this were faithfully preached to them, as it was to us, they would be one with us. Toward such well-meaning people we must assume an entirely different attitude from that which we assume toward the stubborn. We must bear patiently with them and not use our liberty, since it brings no peril or harm to body or soul, no, rather is beneficial, and we are doing our brothers and sisters a great service besides. But if we use our liberty without need, and deliberately cause offense to our neighbor, we drive away the very one who in time would come to our faith.

Thus St. Paul circumcised Timothy because simple-minded Jews had taken offense. He thought, “What harm can it do, since they are offended because of their ignorance?” (Acts 16:3) But when, in Antioch, they would insist that he ought and must circumcise Titus, Paul withstood them all and to spite them would not have Titus circumcised. (Galatians 2:3) And he held his ground. He did the same when St. Peter by the exercise of his liberty caused a wrong conception in the minds of the unlearned. (Galatians 2:11 ff.) It happened this way: When Peter was with the Gentiles, he ate pork and sausage with them, but when the Jews came in, he would not touch this food and no longer ate with them. Then the Gentiles who had become Christians, thought: Oh No! We, too, must be like the Jews, eat no pork and live according to the Law of Moses.

But when Paul found that it would injure the liberty of the Gospel, he reproved Peter publicly and read him an apostolic lecture, saying: “If you, a Jew, live like the Gentiles, why do you make the Gentiles live like the Jews live?” (Galatians 2:14) So we, too, should live our lives and use our liberty at the proper time, so that Christian liberty may suffer no injury, and no offense be given to our weak brothers and sisters who are still without the knowledge of this liberty.

Copyright: Public Domain

Translated by A. Steimle. Edited and Language Modernized by Robert E. Smith
From: The Works of Martin Luther. Philadelphia: A. J. Holman, 1915, 2:387-425.