Idolatry

All the highest religions, the holiness and most fervent devotions of those who reject Christ the Mediator and worship God without his word and commandment, are nothing else but plain idolatry. As in Popery it was counted a most holy and spiritual act, when the monks being shut up in their cells did muse and meditate on God or on his works, and when they being inflamed with most earnest devotions, kneeled down, prayed, and were so ravished with the contemplation of heavenly things that they wept for joy. There was no thinking of women or of any other creature, but only of God the creator, and of his wonderful works: and yet this most spiritual work (as reason esteems it) is, according to Paul, a work of the flesh and plain idolatry. Therefore all such religion whereby God is worshipped without his word and commandment, is idolatry. And the more holy and spiritual it seems to be in outward show, so much the more dangerous and pernicious it is. For it turns men away from faith in Christ, and causes them to trust in their own strength, works and righteousness. And such is the religion of the Anabaptists at this day: although they daily more and more reveal themselves to be possessed with the Devil, and to be seditious and bloody men.

Therefore the fasting, the wearing of hair, holy works, strict rule, and whole life of the Carthusians or Charterhouse monks, whose order notwithstanding is of all others the strictest and sharpest, are very works of the flesh, yes, plain idolatry. For they imagine themselves to be saints, and to be saved, not by Christ (whom they fear as a severe and cruel judge) but by observing of their rules and orders. Indeed they think of God, of Christ and of heavenly things, but after their own reason and not after the word of God: to wit, that their apparel, their manner of living, and their whole conduct is holy and pleases Christ: whom not only they hope to pacify by this strictness of life, but also to be rewarded by him for their good deeds and righteousness. Therefore their most spiritual thoughts (as they dream of them) are not only most fleshly, but also most wicked: for they would wipe away their sins, and obtain grace and everlasting life, by the trust and confidence they have in their own righteousness, rejecting and despising the word, faith and Christ. All the worshippings and services of God therefore and all religions without Christ are idolatry and idol service. In Christ alone the Father is well pleased: whoever hears him and does what he has commanded, the same is beloved because of the beloved. He commands us to believe his word and to be baptized, etc., and not to devise any new worshipping or service of God.

I have said before that the works of the flesh are manifest: as adultery, fornication and such like are manifestly known to all men. But idolatry has such a goodly show and is so spiritual, that it is known but to very few, that is, to the faithful, to be a work of the flesh. For the monk when he lives chastely, fasts, prays or says Mass, is so far from thinking himself to be an idolater, or that he fulfills any work of the flesh, that he is assuredly persuaded that he is led and governed by the Spirit, that he walks according to the Spirit, that he thinks, speaks and does nothing else but mere spiritual things, and that he does such service to God as is most acceptable to him. No man can at this day persuade the Papists that their Mass is a great blasphemy against God and idolatry, yes and that so horrible as never was any in the church since the apostles' time. For they are blind and obstinate and therefore they judge so perversely of God and of God's matters thinking idolatry to be a true service of God, and contrariwise faith to be idolatry. But we who believe in Christ and know his mind, are able to judge and to discern all things, and cannot truly and before God be judged by any man.

Hereby it is plain that Paul calls flesh whatever is in man, comprehending all the three powers of the soul, that is, the will that lusts, the will that is inclined to anger, and the understanding. The works of the will that lusts, are adultery, fornication, uncleanness and such like. The works of the will inclined to wrath, are quarrelings, contentions, murder, and such other. The works of understanding or reason are errors, false religions, superstitions, idolatry, heresies, that is to say, Sects and such like. It is very necessary for us to know these things: for this word [flesh] is so darkened in the whole kingdom of the Pope, that they have taken the work of the flesh to be nothing else but the accomplishing of fleshly lust or the act of lechery: Therefore it was not possible for them to understand Paul. But here we may plainly see that Paul reckons idolatry and heresy among the works of the flesh, which two (as before we have said) reason esteems to be most high and excellent virtues, wisdom, religion, holiness and righteousness. Paul in Colossians 2 calls it the religion of angels. But although it seem to be never so holy and spiritual, yet is it nothing else but a work of the flesh, an abomination and idolatry against the Gospel, against faith, and against the true service of God. This do the faithful see, for they have spiritual eyes: but the Justiciaries judge the contrary. For a monk cannot be persuaded that his vows are works of the flesh. So the Turk believes nothing less than that his Alcoran, his washings and other ceremonies which he observes, are works of the flesh.

All the most elevated religious practices, all the holiness and intense devotion of those who reject Christ the Mediator and worship God apart from His word and commandment — these are nothing but plain idolatry. In the papacy it was counted a supremely holy and spiritual act when monks, shut away in their cells, pondered and meditated on God or His works — when they burned with the most earnest devotion, knelt down, prayed, and were so transported by the contemplation of heavenly things that they wept for joy. There was no thought of women or any other earthly thing — only of God the Creator and His wonderful works. And yet this most spiritual act (as reason evaluates it) is, according to Paul, a work of the flesh and plain idolatry. Any religion in which God is worshipped apart from His word and commandment is therefore idolatry. And the more holy and spiritual it appears on the outside, the more dangerous and destructive it is — for it turns people away from faith in Christ and leads them to trust in their own strength, works, and righteousness. The religion of the Anabaptists today is exactly this kind — though they are by now revealing themselves increasingly to be devil-possessed, seditious, and violent men.

The fasting, the hair shirts, the holy works, the strict rule, and the whole way of life of the Carthusian monks — whose order is the strictest and most demanding of all — are therefore works of the flesh, yes, outright idolatry. They imagine themselves to be saints saved not by Christ (whom they fear as a harsh and terrible judge) but by observing their monastic rules and orders. They do think about God, Christ, and heavenly things — but according to their own reason and not according to God's word. They think their clothing, their manner of life, and their whole conduct are holy and pleasing to Christ — and they hope not only to appease Him through this strictness of life but to be rewarded by Him for their good deeds and righteousness. Their most spiritual thoughts, therefore (as they imagine them to be), are not only thoroughly fleshly but thoroughly wicked — for they seek to wipe away their sins and earn grace and eternal life by trusting in their own righteousness, rejecting and despising the word, faith, and Christ. All worship, religious service, and religion without Christ is therefore idolatry and the service of idols. In Christ alone is the Father well pleased: whoever hears Him and does what He has commanded is beloved because of the Beloved. He commands us to believe His word and to be baptized — not to invent new forms of worship and service to God.

I have said before that the works of the flesh are obvious — adultery, sexual immorality, and so on are things all people recognize. Idolatry, however, has such an impressive and spiritual appearance that very few — only the faithful — can see it for the work of the flesh it truly is. A monk who lives chastely, fasts, prays, or says Mass is so far from thinking of himself as an idolater or from imagining he is doing any work of the flesh, that he is utterly convinced he is led and governed by the Spirit, walking by the Spirit, thinking, speaking, and doing only spiritual things, offering God the most acceptable service imaginable. No one today can persuade the papists that their Mass is a great blasphemy against God and an act of idolatry — indeed one of the most horrible acts of idolatry in the church since the apostles' time. They are blind and stubborn, and so they judge God's matters exactly backward: they think idolatry is true worship of God and faith is idolatry. But we who believe in Christ and know His mind are able to judge and discern all things, and cannot truly and before God be judged by any person.

It is clear from this that Paul uses the word 'flesh' to mean everything in a human being, encompassing all three faculties of the soul: the desiring will, the aggressive will, and the understanding. The works of the desiring will are adultery, sexual immorality, impurity, and similar things. The works of the aggressive will are quarreling, disputes, murder, and similar things. The works of the understanding or reason are errors, false religion, superstition, idolatry, heresy — that is, destructive sects and the like. It is very important for us to know this, because this word 'flesh' has been so obscured in the entire papal kingdom that they took 'the works of the flesh' to mean nothing but the fulfillment of sexual desire — and because of this they could not possibly understand Paul. But here we see plainly that Paul counts idolatry and heresy among the works of the flesh — the very things that reason, as I said before, considers the highest virtues: wisdom, religion, holiness, and righteousness. Paul calls this in Colossians 2 the 'religion of angels.' But however holy and spiritual it may appear, it is nothing but a work of the flesh — an abomination and idolatry against the Gospel, against faith, and against the true worship of God. The faithful can see this, for they have spiritual eyes — but those who pursue righteousness through works judge exactly the opposite. A monk cannot be persuaded that his vows are works of the flesh. So the Muslim believes nothing less than that his Quran, his ritual washings, and the other ceremonies he observes are works of the flesh.