quote

It is quite enough that you have sinned...

It is quite enough that you have sinned. Now let go of it. Don’t let your despondency lead to an even greater offence. The Lord says, ‘I do not wish the death of the sinner, but rather that he repent and live.’ … Therefore I beg you, join us truly great and hard-boiled sinners so that you do not diminish Christ for us, who is not a saviour for imaginary or trivial sins but rather for real sins — not only small ones but great ones — yes even the worst, in fact for all sins committed by all people … You must get used to the fact that Christ is a real saviour and that you are a real sinner.

Letter to George Spalatin (1544) in Stephen Pietsch, Of Good Comfort: Martin Luther’s Letters to the Depressed and their Significance for Pastoral Care Today (ATF Theology, 2016).