Starts discussion of Fifth Commandment (do not kill)
By Martin Luther

       I. The passions of anger and revenge, of which the Fifth
       Commandment says, "Thou shalt not kill." This Commandment has
       one work, which however includes many and dispels many vices,
       and is called meekness. Now this is of two kinds. The one has
       a beautiful splendor, and there is nothing back of it. This we
       practice toward our friends and those who do us good and give
       us pleasure with goods, honor and favor, or who do not offend
       us with words nor with deeds. Such meekness irrational animals
       have, lions and snakes, Jews, Turks, knaves, murderers, bad
       women. These are all content and gentle when men do what they
       want, or let them alone; and yet there are not a few who,
       deceived by such worthless meekness, cover over their anger
       and excuse it, saying: "I would indeed not be angry, if I were
       left alone." Certainly, my good man, so the evil spirit also
       would be meek if he had his own way. Dissatisfaction and
       resentment overwhelm you in order that they may show you how
       full of anger and wickedness you are, that you may be
       admonished to strive after meekness and to drive out anger.
      
       The second form of meekness is good through and through, that
       which is shown toward opponents and enemies, does them no
       harm, does not revenge itself, does not curse nor revile, does
       not speak evil of them, does not meditate evil against them,
       although they had taken away goods, honor, life, friends and
       everything. Nay, where it is possible, it returns good for
       evil, speaks well of them, thinks well of them, prays for
       them. Of this Christ says, Matthew v: "Do good to them that
       despitefully use you. Pray for them that persecute you and
       revile you." And Paul, Romans xii: "Bless them which curse
       you, and by no means curse them, but do good to them."
      
       II. Behold how this precious, excellent work has been lost
       among Christians, so that nothing now everywhere prevails
       except strife, war, quarreling, anger, hatred, envy,
       back-biting, cursing, slandering, injuring, vengeance, and all
       manner of angry works and words; and yet, with all this, we
       have our many holidays, hear masses, say our prayers,
       establish churches, and more such spiritual finery, which God
       has not commanded. We shine resplendently and excessively, as
       if we were the most holy Christians there ever were. And so
       because of these mirrors and masks we allow God's Commandment
       to go to complete ruin, and no one considers or examines
       himself, how near or how far he be from meekness and the
       fulfilment of this Commandment; although God has said, that
       not he who does such works, but he who keeps His Commandments,
       shall enter into eternal life.
      
       Now, since no one lives on earth upon whom God does not bestow
       an enemy and opponent as a proof of his own anger and
       wickedness, that is, one who afflicts him in goods, honor,
       body or friends, and thereby tries whether anger is still
       present, whether he can be well-disposed toward his enemy,
       speak well of him, do good to him, and not intend any evil
       against him; let him come forward who asks what he shall do
       that he may do good works, please God and be saved. Let him
       set his enemy before him, keep him constantly before the eyes
       of his heart, as an exercise whereby he may curb his spirit
       and train his heart to think kindly of his enemy, wish him
       well, care for him and pray for him; and then, when
       opportunity offers, speak well of him and do good to him. Let
       him who will, try this and if he find not enough to do all his
       life long, he may convict me of lying, and say that my
       contention was wrong. But if this is what God desires, and if
       He will be paid in no other coin, of what avail is it, that we
       busy ourselves with other great works which are not commanded,
       and neglect this? Therefore God says, Matthew v, "I say unto
       you, that whosoever is angry with his neighbor, is in danger
       of the judgment; but whosoever shall say to his brother, Thou
       fool (that is, all manner of invective, cursing, reviling,
       slandering), he shall be in danger of everlasting fire." What
       remains then for the outward act, striking, wounding, killing,
       injuring, etc., if the thoughts and words of anger are so
       severely condemned?
      
       III. But where there is true meekness, there the heart is
       pained at every evil which happens to one's enemy. And these
       are the true children and heirs of God and brethren of Christ,
       Whose heart was so pained for us all when He died on the holy
       Cross. Even so we see a pious judge passing sentence upon the
       criminal with sorrow, and regretting the death which the law
       imposes. Here the act seems to be one of anger and harshness.
       So thoroughly good is meekness that even in such works of
       anger it remains, nay, it torments the heart most sorely when
       it must be angry and severe.
      
       But here we must watch, that we be not meek contrary to God's
       honor and Commandment. For it is written of Moses that he was
       the very meekest man on earth, and yet, when the Jews had
       worshiped the golden calf and provoked God to anger, he put
       many of them to death, and thereby made atonement before God.
       Likewise it is not fitting that the magistrates should be idle
       and allow sin to have sway, and that we say nothing. My own
       possessions, my honor, my injury, I must not regard, nor grow
       angry because of them; but God's honor and Commandment we must
       protect, and injury or injustice to our neighbor we must
       prevent, the magistrates with the sword, the rest of us with
       reproof and rebuke, yet always with pity for those who have
       merited the punishment.
      
       This high, noble, sweet work can easily be learned, if we
       perform it in faith, and as an exercise of faith. For if faith
       does not doubt the favor of God nor question that God is
       gracious, it will become quite easy for a man to be gracious
       and favorable to his neighbor, however much he may have
       sinned; for we have sinned much more against God. Behold, a
       short Commandment this, but it presents a long, mighty
       exercise of good works and of faith.
      
       Thou shalt not commit adultery.
      
       In this Commandment too a good work is commanded, which
       includes much and drives away much vice; it is called purity,
       or chastity, of which much is written and preached, and it is
       well known to every one, only that it is not as carefully
       observed and practised as other works which are not commanded.
       So ready are we to do what is not commanded and to leave
       undone what is commanded. We see that the world is full of
       shameful works of unchastity, indecent words, tales and
       ditties, temptation to which is daily increased through
       gluttony and drunkenness, idleness and frippery. Yet we go our
       way as if we were Christians; when we have been to church,
       have said our little prayer, have observed the fasts and
       feasts, then we think our whole duty is done.
      
       Now, if no other work were commanded but chastity alone, we
       would all have enough to do with this one; so perilous and
       raging a vice is unchastity. It rages in all our members: in
       the thoughts of our hearts, in the seeing of our eyes, in the
       hearing of our ears, in the words of our mouth, in the works
       of our hands and feet and all our body. To control all these
       requires labor and effort; and thus the Commandments of God
       teach us how great truly good works are, nay, that it is
       impossible for us of our own strength to conceive a good work,
       to say nothing of attempting or doing it. St. Augustine says,
       that among all the conflicts of the Christian the conflict of
       chastity is the hardest, for the one reason alone, that it
       continues daily without ceasing, and chastity seldom prevails.
       This all the saints have wept over and lamented, as St. Paul
       does, Romans vii: "I find in me, that is in my flesh, no good
       thing."
      
       II. If this work of chastity is to be permanent, it will drive
       to many other good works, to fasting and temperance over
       against gluttony and drunkenness, to watching and early rising
       over against laziness and excessive sleep, to work and labor
       over against idleness. For gluttony, drunkenness, lying late
       abed, loafing and being without work are weapons of
       unchastity, with which chastity is quickly overcome. On the
       other hand, the holy Apostle Paul calls fasting, watching and
       labor godly weapons, with which unchastity is mastered; but,
       as has been said above, these exercises must do no more than
       overcome unchastity, and not pervert nature.
      
       Above all this, the strongest defence is prayer and the Word
       of God; namely, that when evil lust stirs, a man flee to
       prayer, call upon God's mercy and help, read and meditate on
       the Gospel, and in it consider Christ's sufferings. Thus says
       Psalm cxxxvii: "Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth the
       little ones of Babylon against the rock," that is, if the
       heart runs to the Lord Christ with its evil thoughts while
       they are yet young and just beginning; for Christ is a Rock,
       on which they are ground to powder and come to naught.
      
       See, here each one will find enough to do with himself, and
       more than enough, and will be given many good works to do
       within himself. But now no one uses prayer, fasting, watching,
       labor for this purpose, but men stop in these works as if they
       were in themselves the whole purpose, although they should be
       arranged so as to fulfil the work of this Commandment and
       purify us daily more and more.
      
       Some have also indicated more things which should be avoided,
       such as soft beds and clothes, that we should avoid excessive
       adornment, and neither associate nor talk with members of the
       opposite sex, nor even look upon them, and whatsoever else may
       be conducive to chastity. In all these things no one can fix a
       definite rule and measure. Each one must watch himself and see
       what things are needful to him for chastity, in what quantity
       and how long they help him to be chaste, that he may thus
       choose and observe them for himself; if he cannot do this, let
       him for a time give himself up to be controlled by another,
       who may hold him to such observance until he can learn to rule
       himself. This was the purpose for which the monastic houses
       were established of old, to teach young people discipline and
       purity.
      
       III. In this work a good strong faith is a great help, more
       noticeably so than in almost any other; so that for this
       reason also Isaiah xi. says that "faith is a girdle of the
       reins," that is, a guard of chastity. For he who so lives that
       he looks to God for all grace, takes pleasure in spiritual
       purity; therefore he can so much more easily resist fleshly
       impurity: and in such faith the Spirit tells him of a
       certainty how he shall avoid evil thoughts and everything that
       is repugnant to chastity. For as the faith in divine favor
       lives without ceasing and works in all works, so it also does
       not cease its admonitions in all things that are pleasing to
       God or displease Him; as St. John says in his Epistle: "Ye
       need not that any man teach you: for the divine anointing,
       that is, the Spirit of God, teacheth you of all things."
      
       Yet we must not despair if we are not soon rid of the
       temptation, nor by any means imagine that we are free from it
       as long as we live, and we must regard it only as an incentive
       and admonition to prayer, fasting, watching, laboring, and to
       other exercises for the quenching of the flesh, especially to
       the practice and exercise of faith in God. For that chastity
       is not precious which is at ease, but that which is at war
       with unchastity, and fights, and without ceasing drives out
       all the poison with which the flesh and the evil spirit attack
       it. Thus St. Peter says, "I beseech you, abstain from fleshly
       desires and lusts, which war always against the soul." And St.
       Paul, Romans vi, "Ye shall not obey the body in its lusts." In
       these and like passages it is shown that no one is without
       evil lust; but that everyone shall and must daily fight
       against it. But although this brings uneasiness and pain, it
       is none the less a work that gives pleasure, in which we shall
       have our comfort and satisfaction. For they who think they
       make an end of temptation by yielding to it, only set
       themselves on fire the more; and although for a time it is
       quiet, it comes again with more strength another time, and
       finds the nature weaker than before.
      
       Thou shalt not steal.
      
       This Commandment also has a work, which embraces very many
       good works, and is opposed to many vices, and is called in
       German Mildigkeit, "benevolence;" which is a work ready to
       help and serve every one with one's goods. And it fights not
       only against theft and robbery, but against all stinting in
       temporal goods which men may practise toward one another: such
       as greed, usury, overcharging and plating wares that sell as
       solid, counterfeit wares, short measures and weights, and who
       could tell all the ready, novel, clever tricks, which multiply
       daily in every trade, by which every one seeks his own gain
       through the other's loss, and forgets the rule which says:
       "What ye wish that others do to you, that do ye also to them."
       If every one kept this rule before his eyes in his trade,
       business, and dealings with his neighbor, he would readily
       find how he ought to buy and sell, take and give, lend and
       give for nothing, promise and keep his promise, and the like.
       And when we consider the world in its doings, how greed
       controls all business, we would not only find enough to do, if
       we would make an honorable living before God, but also be
       overcome with dread and fear for this perilous, miserable
       life, which is so exceedingly overburdened, entangled and
       taken captive with cares of this temporal life and dishonest
       seeking of gain.
      
       II. Therefore the Wise Man says not in vain: "Happy is the
       rich man, who is found without blemish, who does not run after
       gold, and has not set his confidence in the treasures of
       money. Who is he? We will praise him, that he has done
       wondrous things in his life." As if he would say: "None such
       is found, or very few indeed." Yea, they are very few who
       notice and recognise such lust for gold in themselves. For
       greed has here a very beautiful, fine cover for its shame,
       which is called provision for the body and natural need, under
       cover of which it accumulates wealth beyond all limits and is
       never satisfied; so that he who would in this matter keep
       himself clean, must truly, as he says, do miracles or wondrous
       things in his life.
      
       Now see, if a man wish not only to do good works, but even
       miracles, which God may praise and be pleased with, what need
       has he to look elsewhere? Let him take heed to himself, and
       see to it that he run not after gold, nor set his trust on
       money, but let the gold run after him, and money wait on his
       favor, and let him love none of these things nor set his heart
       on them; then he is the true, generous, wonderworking, happy
       man, as Job xxxi says: "I have never yet: relied upon gold,
       and never yet made gold my hope and confidence." And Psalm
       lxii: "If riches increase, set not your heart upon them." So
       Christ also teaches, Matthew vi, that we shall take no
       thought, what we shall eat and drink and wherewithal we shall
       be clothed, since God cares for this, and knows that we have
       need of all these things.
      
       But some say: "Yes, rely upon that, take no thought, and see
       whether a roasted chicken will fly into your mouth!" I do not
       say that a man shall not labor and seek a living; but he shall
       not worry, not be greedy, not despair, thinking that he will
       not have enough; for in Adam we are all condemned to labor,
       when God says to him, Genesis iii, "In the sweat of thy face
       shalt thou eat bread." And Job v, "As the birds to flying, so
       is man born unto labor." Now the birds fly without worry and
       greed, and so we also should labor without worry and greed;
       but if you do worry and are greedy, wishing that the roasted
       chicken fly into your mouth: worry and be greedy, and see
       whether you will thereby fulfil God's Commandment and be
       saved!
      
       III. This work faith teaches of itself. For if the heart looks
       for divine favor and relies upon it, how is it possible that a
       man should be greedy and worry? He must be sure beyond a doubt
       that God cares for him; therefore he does not cling to money;
       he uses it also with cheerful liberality for the benefit of
       his neighbor, and knows well that he will have enough, however
       much he may give away. For his God, Whom he trusts, will not
       lie to him nor forsake him, as it is written, Psalm xxxvii: "I
       have been young, and now am old; never have I seen a believing
       man, who trusts God, that is a righteous man, forsaken, or his
       child begging bread." Therefore the Apostle calls no other sin
       idolatry except covetousness, because this sin shows most
       plainly that it does not trust God for anything, expects more
       good from its money than from God; and, as has been said, it
       is by such confidence that God is truly honored or dishonored.
      
       And, indeed, in this Commandment it can be clearly seen how
       all good works must be done in faith; for here every one most
       surely feels that the cause of covetousness is distrust and
       the cause of liberality is faith. For because a man trusts
       God, he is generous and does not doubt that he will always
       have enough; on the other hand, a man is covetous and worries
       because he does not trust God. Now, as in this Commandment
       faith is the master-workman and the doer of the good work of
       liberality, so it is also in all the other Commandments, and
       without such faith liberality is of no worth, but rather a
       careless squandering of money.
      
       IV. By this we are also to know that this liberality shall
       extend even to enemies and opponents. For what manner of good
       deed is that, if we are liberal only to our friends? As Christ
       teaches, Luke vi, even a wicked man does that to another who
       is his friend. Besides, the brute beasts also do good and are
       generous to their kind. Therefore a Christian must rise
       higher, let his liberality serve also the undeserving,
       evil-doers, enemies, and the ungrateful, even as his heavenly
       Father makes His sun to rise on good and evil, and the rain to
       fall on the grateful and ungrateful.
      
       But here it will be found how hard it is to do good works
       according to God's Commandment, how nature squirms, twists and
       writhes in its opposition to it, although it does the good
       works of its own choice easily and gladly. Therefore take your
       enemies, the ungrateful, and do good to them; then you will
       find how near you are to this Commandment or how far from it,
       and how all your life you will always have to do with the
       practice of this work. For if your enemy needs you and you do
       not help him when you can, it is just the same as if you had
       stolen what belonged to him, for you owed it to him to help
       him. So says St. Ambrose, "Feed the hungry; if you do not feed
       him, you have, as far as you are concerned, slain him." And in
       this Commandment are included the works of mercy, which Christ
       will require at men's hands at the last day.
      
       But the magistrates and cities ought to see to it that the
       vagabonds, pilgrims and mendicants from foreign lands be
       debarred, or at least allowed only under restrictions and
       rules, so that knaves be not permitted to run at large under
       the guise of mendicants, and their knavery, of which there now
       is much, be prohibited. I have spoken at greater length of
       this Commandment in the Treatise on Usury.
      
       Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
      
       This Commandment seems small, and yet is so great, that he who
       would rightly keep it must risk and imperil life and limb,
       goods and honor, friends and all that he has; and yet it
       includes no more than the work of that small member, the
       tongue, and is called in German Wahrheit sagen, "telling the
       truth" and, where there is need, gainsaying lies; so that it
       forbids many evil works of the tongue. First: those which are
       committed by speaking, and those which are committed by
       keeping silent. By speaking, when a man has an unjust
       law-suit, and wants to prove and maintain his case by a false
       argument, catch his neighbor with subtilty, produce everything
       that strengthens and furthers his own cause, and withhold and
       discount everything that furthers his neighbor's good cause;
       in doing which he does not do to his neighbor as he would have
       his neighbor do to him. This some men do for the sake of gain,
       some to avoid loss or shame, thereby seeking their own
       advantage more than God's Commandment, and excuse themselves
       by saying: Vigilanti jura subveniunt, "the law helps him who
       watches"; just as if it were not as much their duty to watch
       for their neighbor's cause as for their own. Thus they
       intentionally allow their neighbor's cause to be lost,
       although they know that it is just. This evil is at present so
       common that I fear no court is held and no suit tried but that
       one side sins against this Commandment. And even when they
       cannot accomplish it, they yet have the unrighteous spirit and
       will, so that they would wish the neighbor's just cause to be
       lost and their unjust cause to prosper. This sin is most
       frequent when the opponent is a prominent man or an enemy. For
       a man wants to revenge himself on his enemy: but the ill will
       of a man of prominence he does not wish to bring upon himself;
       and then begins the flattering and fawning, or, on the other
       hand, the withholding of the truth. Here no one is willing to
       run the risk of disfavor and displeasure, loss and danger for
       the truth's sake; and so God's Commandment must perish. And
       this is almost universally the way of the world. He who would
       keep this Commandment, would have both hands full doing only
       those good works which concern the tongue. And then, how many
       are there who allow themselves to be silenced and swerved
       aside from the truth by presents and gifts! so that in all
       places it is truly a high, great, rare work, not to be a false
       witness against one's neighbor.
      
       II. There is a second bearing of witness to the truth, which
       is still greater, with which we must fight against the evil
       spirits; and this concerns not temporal matters, but the
       Gospel and the truth of faith, which the evil spirit has at no
       time been able to endure, and always so manages that the great
       among men, whom it is hard to resist, must oppose and
       persecute it. Of which it is written in Psalm lxxxii, "Rid the
       poor out of the hand of the wicked, and help the forsaken to
       maintain his just cause."
      
       Such persecution, it is true, has now become infrequent; but
       that is the fault of the spiritual prelates, who do not stir
       up the Gospel, but let it perish, and so have abandoned the
       very thing because of which such witnessing and persecution
       should arise; and in its place they teach us their own law and
       what pleases them. For this reason the devil also does not
       stir, since by vanquishing the Gospel he has also vanquished
       faith in Christ, and everything goes as he wishes. But if the
       Gospel should be stirred up and be heard again, without doubt
       the whole world would be aroused and moved, and the greater
       portion of the kings, princes, bishops, doctors and clergy,
       and all that is great, would oppose it and rage against it, as
       has always happened when the Word of God has come to light;
       for the world cannot endure what comes from God. This is
       proved in Christ, Who was and is the very greatest and most
       precious and best of all that God has; yet the world not only
       did not receive Him, but persecuted Him more cruelly than all
       others who had ever come forth from God.
      
       Therefore, as at that time, so at all times there are few who
       stand by the divine truth, and imperil and risk life and limb,
       goods and honor, and all that they have, as Christ has
       foretold: "Ye shall be hated of all men for My Name's sake."
       And: "Many of them shall be offended in Me." Yea, if this
       truth were attacked by peasants, herdsmen, stable-boys and men
       of no standing, who would not be willing and able to confess
       it and to bear witness to it? But when the pope, and the
       bishops, together with princes and kings attack it, all men
       flee, keep silent, dissemble, in order that they may not lose
       goods, honor, favor and life.
      
       III. Why do they do this? Because they have no faith in God,
       and expect nothing good from Him. For where such faith and
       confidence are, there is also a bold, defiant, fearless heart,
       that ventures and stands by the truth, though it cost life or
       cloak, though it be against pope or kings; as we see that the
       martyrs did. For such a heart is satisfied and rests easy
       because it has a gracious, loving God. Therefore it despises
       all the favor, grace, goods and honor of men, lets them come
       and go as they please; as is written in Psalm xv: "He
       contemneth them that contemn God, and honoreth them that fear
       the Lord"; that is, the tyrants, the mighty, who persecute the
       truth and despise God, he does not fear, he does not regard
       them, he despiseth them; on the other hand, those who are
       persecuted for the truth's sake, and fear God more than men,
       to these he clings, these he defends, these he honors, let it
       vex whom it may; as it is written of Moses, Hebrews xi, that
       he stood by his brethren, regardless of the mighty king of
       Egypt.
      
       Lo, in this Commandment again you see briefly that faith must
       be the master-workman in this work also, so that without it no
       one has courage to do this work: so entirely are all works
       comprised in faith, as has now been often said. Therefore,
       apart from faith all works are dead, however good the form and
       name they bear. For as no one does the work of this
       Commandment except he be firm and fearless in the confidence
       of divine favor; so also he does no work of any other
       Commandment without the same faith: thus every one may easily
       by this Commandment test and weigh himself whether he be a
       Christian and truly believe in Christ, and thus whether he is
       doing good works or no. Now we see how the Almighty God has
       not only set our Lord Jesus Christ before us that we should
       believe in Him with such confidence, but also holds before us
       in Him an example of this same confidence and of such good
       works, to the end that we should believe in Him, follow Him
       and abide in Him forever; as He says, John xiv: "I am the Way,
       the Truth and the Life," -- the Way, in which we follow Him;
       the Truth, that we believe in Him; the Life, that we live in
       Him forever.
      
       From all this it is now manifest that all other works, which
       are not commanded, are perilous and easily known: such as
       building churches, beautifying them, making pilgrimages, and
       all that is written at so great length in the Canon Law and
       has misled and burdened the world and ruined it, made uneasy
       consciences, silenced and weakened faith, and has not said how
       a man, although he neglect all else, has enough to do with all
       his powers to keep the Commandments of God, and can never do
       all the good works which he is commanded to do; why then does
       he seek others, which are neither necessary nor commanded, and
       neglect those that are necessary and commanded?
      
       The last two Commandments, which forbid evil desires of the
       body for pleasure and for temporal goods, are clear in
       themselves; these evil desires do no harm to our neighbor, and
       yet they continue unto the grave, and the strife in us against
       them endures unto death; therefore these two Commandments are
       drawn together by St. Paul into one, Romans vii, and are set
       as a goal unto which we do not attain, and only in our
       thoughts reach after until death. For no one has ever been so
       holy that he felt in himself no evil inclination, especially
       when occasion and temptation were offered. For original sin is
       born in us by nature, and may be checked, but not entirely
       uprooted, except through the death of the body; which for this
       reason is profitable and a thing to be desired. To this may
       God help us. Amen.