July 6, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, a stranger, but a spirit interested in the work that you are doing for the Master and, also, for many spirits - good and bad. I am writing by permission of your band and, hence, do not feel that I am intruding. So if you will kindly bear with me, I will say a few words. I am a spirit in love with the efforts that you and your band are making to help the unfortunates who come to you with such pitying tales of suffering and darkness and ask for help.
I was once, when on earth, a man who suffered much because of my spiritual darkness, and not until late in life did I find the way to my Father's Love through prayer and faith. And even then, I had many erroneous beliefs caused by the interpretations of the Bible, then obtaining in the church of which I was a member. But since coming to the spirit land, I have learned the truth and have gotten rid of any old erroneous beliefs, and thank God, I am in the way that leads to life everlasting.
I was a teacher when on earth of what I thought were Bible truths, and I know that some good resulted from my teachings, although they were mixed with errors. But I have met many spirits of men who listened to my teachings and believed many things that I taught. So you see, that even if the churches do teach many false doctrines in their creeds, yet, mixed with these false doctrines are many truths, and these truths often find lodgment in the hearts of the hearers, and result in their finding the Light and Love of the Father.
I am still teaching mortals whenever it is possible to do. But I find that my task is a difficult one, because there are so few mediums who are capable of receiving the truths of the higher things of life, and the impressions that I make on mortals by the exercise of suggestions are not very encouraging to them or to me. Sometimes the impressions are received and understood but very often they have no effect.
If we could have more writing mediums, such as yourself, who are interested in these higher truths, and would believe that we could communicate such truths to them, the salvation of mankind would become much more rapid. But, as Jesus said, the harvest is ripe and the laborers are few.
You have a mission, which is greatly to be envied, I mean in the best sense, because you by the exercise of your duties become the medium between the Master and man. And I want to tell you that such a mission is a glorious one, and will bring to you untold blessings because you have now, and will have with increasing power, the influences of the higher world of spirits and angels.
The one great spirit, I mean the Master, is with you very often, and seems to love you so much, and his love and power are beyond comprehension. He is your friend and brother and the association with such a one will give you much spiritual excellence and power, which men have not often possessed.
At the same time that this mission holds forth so much glory and power, it also brings with it a great responsibility, and one which will demand of you the exercise of all your love and faith and energy. So you see with the great favor comes responsibility.
I have written rather longer than I intended to when I commenced, and I will now stop. I live in the Second Celestial Sphere, where live your grandmother and mother and wife. Well, I did not have the love and faith that they had and my progress was very slow and, hence, they have overtaken me in my spiritual progress. They are wonderful spirits and have so much of the Father's Love in their souls.
I was a preacher and lived the life of one after I separated from the church in which I had been taught the doctrines. My name was Martin Luther. Yes, Martin Luther, the Monk.
I now see that my teaching of justification by faith is not of itself sufficient for man's salvation. The true doctrine is that of the New Birth. I mean that with faith must come the inflowing of the Divine Love of the Father into the souls of men. Merely having faith will not suffice. Without this Love - faith is futile, except as it may help to bring the Love.
So you see that while I was in my teachings an improvement on what I had been taught, yet, I did not preach the great essential of the New Birth in the sense in which Jesus taught it and which should be understood by mankind. Faith without works is not sufficient. Works without faith will not bring about the great results desired, and both faith and works without the New Birth - or the acquiring of the Divine Love of the Father - are not sufficient to bring salvation to mankind.
Love is the fulfilling of the law and Divine Love is the Essence of the Father, which when possessed by men makes them one with Him. Let all men know that of all Divine things, Divine Love is the Divinest and makes man part of Divinity Itself.
Well, I have regretted so very much that my followers, believing in my teachings, worship Jesus as God. Oh, the great error of this belief and how much injury it has done and is now doing to men and spirits! But, thank God, I see the truth breaking into the consciences and minds of many of my followers, and I hope the time is not far distant when this great heresy will no longer be believed.
And the other false doctrine, which is common to all the orthodox churches has caused much unhappiness and infidelity and disappointment both in the mortal world and in the spirit world, that is, that Jesus' blood saves from sin or that he made a vicarious sacrifice to appease the wrath of an angry God, and thereby removed from men the penalties and burdens of their sins. This false doctrine has caused more men to lose their soul development and rest secure in a false belief that they were saved from sin and immune from punishment, than has any dogma taught by the churches.
No blood, no death on the cross and no vicarious atonement saves a man from his sins and the resultant expiations, but Love, the Divine Love of the Father, which Jesus brought to the world and declared the way in which it might be obtained, and that it is free for all the Father's children, saves from sin both on earth and the spirit world.
I must stop now and will come to you again if agreeable. No, I am not. To me all men are the children of God, and I have long since forgotten any distinction between the Germans and the other races of mankind. But war is cruel and unholy and without valid excuse and should never arise.
With the love of a brother who wants all men to seek the light, I am the former monk and reformer,
Martin Luther
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