🎵 A Mighty Fortress Is Our God 🎵
Psalms 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Author: Martin Luther (1483-1546)
Born: Eisleben, Nov. 10, 1483
Death: Eisleben, Feb. 18, 1546
Hymn History:
No hymn is more associated with the Protestant Reformation than Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress.” Martin Luther challenged the Catholic Church’s sale of indulgences in 1517 by nailing his 95 Theses to the Castle Church in Wittenberg. His ideas advocated for a personal relationship with God, shifting power from the Catholic Church to the common man.
The hymn is a celebration of the sovereign power of God over all earthly and spiritual forces, and of the firm assurance we have in Him because of Christ.
🎵❤️🎵❤️🎵❤️🎵
Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483 in Eilseben, Saxony, Germany. His parents were Hans and Margaretha Luder in Eisleben Germany. His father owned a copper mine in Mansfield. Luther attended various schools and enrolled at the University of Erfurt in 1501 at the age of seventeen. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in a single year and his Master’s degree three years later. After completing his Master’s degree, he enrolled in the University of Erfurt’s law school.
One day in 1505, while strolling in the woods, Martin Luther was caught in a horrible rainstorm and began to run to seek shelter at the school. Before he reached the school, lightning struck close where he was running. It was so close to him that he shouted out, “Help, St. Anne! “I will become a monk!” Martin Luther survived the near-death experience and, according to his pledge, dropped out of law school to join the monastery.
Martin Luther, a young monk, dedicated his life to pleasing God and performing good works through religious fasts, pilgrimages, prayer, and confession. His superior, Johann Von Staupitz, encouraged him to pursue academics. Luther was ordained at 24 and began teaching theology at the University of Wittenberg. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies and a Doctorate of Theology from the University of Wittenberg in 1509.
“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17).
Luther himself said that his “breakthrough” occurred when he was teaching through the Psalms for the second time in the early months of 1519. Many years later, in 1545, Luther thought on his conversion and provided an exceptional narrative of the event, one that is dependent on comprehending the distinction between active and passive. So, Luther informs us:
“Meanwhile, I had already during that year returned to interpret the Psalter anew. I had confidence in the fact that I was more skilful, after I had lectured in the university on St. Paul’s epistles to the Romans, to the Galatians, and the one to the Hebrews. I had indeed been captivated with an extraordinary ardor for understanding Paul in the Epistle to the Romans. But up till then it was not the cold blood about the heart, but a single word in Chapter 1, “In it the righteousness of God is revealed” that had stood in my way. For I hated that word “righteousness of God,” which, according to the use and custom of all the teachers, I had been taught to understand philosophically regarding the formal or active righteousness, as they call it, with which God is righteous and punishes the unrighteous sinner.
Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that he was placated by my satisfaction. I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners, and secretly, if not blasphemously, certainly murmuring greatly, I was angry with God, and said, As if, indeed, it is not enough, that miserable sinners, eternally lost through original sin, are crushed by every kind of calamity by the law of the decalogue, without having God add pain to pain by the gospel and also by the gospel threatening us with his righteousness and wrath!” Thus I raged with a fierce and troubled conscience.
Nevertheless, I beat importunately upon Paul at that place, most ardently desiring to know what St. Paul wanted. At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, “In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’” There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely, the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.” Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates. There a totally other face of the entire Scripture showed itself to me.
Thereupon I ran through the Scripture from memory. I also found in other terms an analogy, as, the work of God, that is what God does in us, the power of God, with which he makes us wise, the strength of God, the salvation of God, the glory of God. And I extolled my sweetest word with a love as great as the hatred with which I had before hated the word “righteousness of God.” Thus that place in Paul was for me truly the gate to paradise.”
This hymn is one of Luther’s best known hymns. It has been credited for helping to support the Reformation and has been called the “Battle Hymn of the Reformation”.
Lyrics:
1 A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he, amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
does seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.
2 Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right Man on our side,
the Man of God’s own choosing.
You ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his name,
from age to age the same;
and he must win the battle.
3 And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God has willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo! his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.
through him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever!
You can listen to the hymn here:
https://youtu.be/zhMFifugZ8o?si=Afgcj3oTvAmfXcw4
References:
- https://www.christianity.com/wiki/holidays/what-is-reformation-day-christian-meaning.html
- https://hymnary.org/person/Luther_Martin
- https://www.hymncharts.com/2023/04/12/the-story-behind-a-mighty-fortress/
- https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/story-martin-luthers-conversion
