The following are quotations from Luther's 8-volume Genesis Commentary (American
Edition of Luther's Works published by Fortress Press and Concording
Publishing House) where he questions the salvation of Anabaptists, today's
Baptists, and Sacramentarians, those who reject the physical presence of
Christ's Body and Blood in the Lord's Supper for the forgiveness of sins.
"Thus the Anabaptists, the Sacramentarians, and the papists are all
idolaters-not because they worship stones and pieces of wood, but because they
give up the Word and worship their own thoughts." LW1:149
"Nevertheless, I do not deny that even after Methuselah's death Noah
heard God speaking. God speaks with men in a twofold way: in the first place
and ordinarily, through the public ministry, that is, through parents and the
teachers of the church; in the second place, through inner revelation or
through the Holy Spirit. This latter method, however, He is wont to employ
only in special situations and very rarely. It is profitable to be aware of
this, so that we may not emulate the fanatics, who disregard the Word and
expect new revelations. It is this idea that gives rise to the misguided
spirits who later on bring confusion to the world by their dreams, as the
example of the Anabaptists proves.' LW2:83
"All the fanatical spirits follow this procedure of Satan. Thus Arius
raises the question: "Do you believe that Christ is God, inasmuch as He
clearly states (John 14:28): The Father is greater than I'?" Likewise the
Sacramentarians: "Do you believe that the bread is the body of Christ,
and the wine the blood of Christ?" LW1:152
"We have Christ's clear word about the Lord's Supper, where He says
concerning the bread: "This is My body which is given for you," and
concerning the cup: "This is the cup of the New Testament in My
blood." Therefore when the fanatics depart from faith in these words and
discuss how these things can be so, they gradually get to the point where they
simply deny this word of Christ and attack it, just as happened to Eve in this
passage." LW1:157
"Moreover, by his addition-"And the earth was filled with
violence"-he indicates that this is the unvarying sequence of events:
after the Word has been lost, and faith has ceased to exist, and tradition and
(Greek text), as Paul calls them (Col. 2:23), flourish in place of the true
forms of worship, acts of violence and a shameful life follow." LW2:59-60
"Thus at the beginning of the restoration of the Gospel,32 Münzer,
Carlstadt, and the Sacramentarians arose. They abandoned the Gospel, which had
been given through the Holy Spirit from heaven, and were on the lookout for
extraordinary illuminations. Some arrived at such a degree of folly that they
boasted of hearing the voice of God speaking in heaven." LW4:125
'If your dream differs from what the Word itself states, you must remember
that it is false and vain. But this dream of Jacob is in very beautiful
agreement with the divine Word which he hears being sent down from heaven:
"I am the Lord, etc." Therefore the godless err in their
interpretation and understanding of dreams, just as they talk nonsense when
they explain signs and prodigies; for they neither observe nor have the Word.
This is what happened to the Anabaptists at Münster, who had seen a bow in
the clouds and next to it a bloody hand." LW5:239
"But it is very troublesome that my wisdom is only passive and that I
am ordered to mortify and kill it. Indeed, on this account many have fallen
horribly, since they could not bear this mortification. Thus the
Sacramentarians teach God most prettily: "How could Christ's body be in
the bread and wine when Christ has ascended into heaven?" For they think
as follows: "Because I cannot comprehend the presence of the body and
blood in the Lord's Supper, I shall prescribe to God some way in which He can
be present." LW7:104
"But one of these days it will be evident what our heretics and
fanatics will dare. For today both the Anabaptists and the Sacramentarians
despise the Word and neglect the doctrine of faith. Meanwhile they manifest
the greatest show of devotion and respectability. I hear that there is very
strict discipline among the Swiss.35 They do not play, do not gormandize, and
do not give themselves up to luxury in clothing, in feasts, etc. This is their
religion, and they are proud of it. They boast that they excel us by far. But
where is the Word? "The body of Christ," they say, "is in
heaven; but the bread is bread, and the wine is wine." They believe
nothing but have fallen away from the Word and faith." LW8:133
"Thus we-not only when we pray, but also when we baptize, absolve,
have been absolved, and go to the Lord's Supper, yes, even at the reading of
the promises or the text of the Gospel-should bend our knees or at least stand
as a sign of our adoration or reverence and gratitude. Accordingly, even if
nothing else were offered in the Lord's Supper than bread and wine, as the
Sacramentarians blasphemously assert, nevertheless the promise and God's Word
are there, and the Holy Spirit works through the Word at the Supper. For this
reason we should approach it with reverence. But how much more fitting it is
for this to be done when we believe that the true body and the true blood are
present with the Word! " LW8:144