Martin Luther – A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

Martin Luther was a German theology professor, music composer, and former Catholic Priest.  Not to be confused with Martin Luther King, Jr, another reformer of sorts, Luther is most famous for his prominent role in the Protestant Reformation.  In 1517, he nailed the Ninety-five theses to the All Saints’ Castle Church door, asking the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) leaders to reconsider many Catholic teachings, chiefly that justification is by faith alone, not by faith and works.

Convinced that the RCC was corrupt, he, along with reformers John Calvin and Philipp Melanchthon, protested the RCC and started their own churches.  It later splintered into several denominations under an umbrella that we call Protestantism today.

Luther also wrote several hymns, most famous for Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her (From Heaven Above to Earth I Come) and Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (A Mighty Fortress Is Our God).

Though there are several English translations in circulation, for this review, I will examine the Hedge translation.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

There are three enemies against Christians: the flesh, the world, and the devil.  Left to our own devices, we would lose the war against these three formidable foes, making us ineffective to further the Gospel to others.

God is the Christ follower’s Advocate and Defender.  He sents the Holy Spirit to convict us, guide us, and grant us spiritual gifts.  We have the Spirit, the Word of God, and Jesus as three sources of Truth by which to disseminate His Truth into the world.

God is the eternal Ruler of all creation.  He will one day throw Satan into the lake of fire, giving us hope.  Knowing the Devil’s end should compel us to step out of fear and use God’s gifts to bring Him glory.

Score: 10/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

All the lyrics agree with the Bible.

This song is public domain.

[Verse 1]

A mighty Fortress is our God,
A Bulwark never failing:

There are several passages of Scripture that describe God as our Protector, Defender, and Refuge, including Ruth 2:12, 2 Samuel 22:3-4, Psalm 3:3, Psalm 5:11, Psalm 18:30, Psalm 27:1, Psalm 32:7, Psalm 34:22, Psalm 41:2, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 57:1, Psalm 59:1, Psalm 61:3, Psalm 91:1-16, Psalm 118:8, Psalm 121:7-8, Psalm 138:7, Proverbs 18:10, Proverbs 30:5, Nahum 1:7, 2 Thessalonians 3:3, and 1 John 5:18.

Our Helper He, amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing

God provides the way of escape when we face temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13, 2 Thessalonians 3:3, 2 Timothy 4:18, 2 Peter 2:9, and 1 John 1:9).  Also, for Scripture on the war against the flesh, see John 3:6, Romans 8:5, Romans 7:14-25, Romans 8:6-14, Galatians 5:19-25, Philippians 3:18-19, Colossians 3:1-3, 1 Corinthians 2:14, and 2 Peter 2:1-10.

For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

References Satan, another enemy of Christians (Genesis 3:1-5, Matthew 4:11, Matthew 16:23, Mark 1:12-13, Mark 8:33, Luke 4:1-13, John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 11:3, 1 John 3:8-10, and Revelation 20:7-10).  Apart from the power of God, no rival will withstand the attacks of the Devil.

[Verse 2]

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;

Considering that the human heart is deceitful above all other things and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), it shouldn’t surprise us that apart from God, we’ll lose the war against the flesh.  Instead, we do what is right in our own eyes (Judges 17:6 and Judges 21:25), our sin resulting in eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23, Revelation 2:11, Revelation 20:6, Revelation 20:14-15, and Revelation 21:8).

Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;

Jesus was chosen before the foundation of the world (2 Timothy 1:9-10, 1 Peter 1:20 and Revelation 13:8).

Lord Sabaoth His Name,

This is not a misspelling of the word “Sabbath”.  It is a transliteration of the Hebrews word “tsebha’oth” which means “Hosts”.  It is one of the names of God that appears 235 times in the Bible.  It references God as a leader of His army.  Jesus claims that if He wanted, He could command twelve or more legions of angels to defend Him (Matthew 26:53).  Not that Jesus needs 3,000 to 6,000 angels per legion to come to His aid.

From age to age the same,

Jesus is God (Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 43:10-11, Matthew 1:23, Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:17-26, John 1:1-3, John 1:14, John 5:17-18, John 8:23-25, John 8:28, John 10:30-33, John 14:9, John 20:28-29, Philippians 2:5-6, Colossians 1:16-19, Colossians 2:8-9, Titus 2:13, 1 Timothy 6:14-16, Hebrews 1:10-12, Revelation 1:8, and Revelation 22:13).  God doesn’t change (Numbers 23:19, Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8, and James 1:17).  Therefore, Jesus, as God, doesn’t change.

To say that Jesus inheriting human nature is a change to the nature of God within Jesus is false and fails to consider the context of natures.  Rather, Jesus becoming flesh (John 1:1, John 1:14, Galatians 4:4, Philippians 2:6-7, and 1 Timothy 3:16) is a change in the person of Christ.

And He must win the battle.

If He doesn’t, we’re all doomed to eternal separation from God!

[Verse 3]

And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,

This is the third enemy described in Scripture: the world (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13, John 15:19, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 2:2, Colossians 3:1-2, 1 Timothy 6:10, 1 John 2:15-17, 1 John 3:17, 1 John 4:5, and James 4:4).

We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:

Ultimately, God’s Truth will win the war over the flesh, the world, and the devil.  How does He choose to do it?  Through believers!  We’ve been granted the Holy Scriptures as a weapon to fight against these enemies (Ephesians 6:17).  Christ showed us how to wield it, rebuking Satan with Scripture (Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13).  We have access to the Holy Spirit, who convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:5-11) and testifies to the Truth (Hebrews 10:15-18).  Finally, He has given us Jesus, who Himself is the embodiment of truth (John 14:6).

Since we have these tools to fight against this unholy trinity of enemies, why should we be afraid (Genesis 15:1, Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:6, 1 Chronicles 28:20, Psalm 23:4, Psalm 27:1, Psalm 34:4, Psalm 56:3-4, Psalm 94:19, Psalm 115:11, Psalm 118:6, Isaiah 35:4, Isaiah 41:10-13, Isaiah 43:1, Isaiah 54:4, John 14:25-27, Romans 8:15, Romans 8:38-39, 2 Timothy 1:7, Hebrews 13:5-6, 1 Peter 3:13-14, 1 Peter 5:6-7, and 1 John 4:18)?

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.

Knowing the ultimate fate of Satan, that he will be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7-10), this gives us more reason to not to cower.  God gives us the strength to endure, perfecting our weakness with His strength (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).

[Verse 4]

That word above all earthly powers,

That is, the Word of God.  He is sovereign over all rule and reign on earth (Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 4:39, Deuteronomy 10:14, Joshua 2:11, Nehemiah 9:6, Psalm 29:10, Psalm 45:6, Psalm 50:7-15, Psalm 93:1-2, Psalm 115:3, Psalm 135:6, Isaiah 43:13, Isaiah 45:9-10, Isaiah 46:10, Lamentations 5:19, Daniel 4:35, Romans 9:19-21, Ephesians 1:11, Hebrews 1:8, James 4:15, Revelation 4:11, and Revelation 20:11).  Therefore, His commandments are superior to that of the kings, presidents, and lawmakers on earth.

No thanks to them, abideth;

Those who attempt to thwart and oppose the Word of God will find that His Words will never pass away (Matthew 24:35 ).  Also, see Verse 3, lines 3 and 4.

The Spirit and the gifts are ours

We have the promised Holy Spirit within us (Acts 6:5, Romans 8:9-11, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 6:16-19, Galatians 4:6, Ephesians 5:18, and 2 Timothy 1:14) and bestows upon us spiritual gifts (Romans 12:6–8, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 1 Corinthians 12:28–30, Ephesians 4:11, and 1 Peter 4:11).

Through Him who with us sideth:

That is, God is on our side.  If He is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)?

Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;

Following God and His truth is more important than friends, family, or our lives (Matthew 10:37, Luke 14:26, John 12:25, Acts 20:24, and Philippians 3:8).

The body they may kill:

Quotes from Matthew 10:28.

God’s truth abideth still,

The flesh, world, and devil can kill the body, but it cannot destroy God’s truth.  See Verse 3, lines 3 and 4.

His Kingdom is forever.

Since God’s rule and reign will last eternally (Exodus 15:18, Psalm 10:16, Psalm 29:10, Psalm 145:13, Psalm 146:10, Lamentations 5:19, Daniel 4:3, Daniel 6:26, Micah 4:7, 1 Timothy 6:16, 1 Peter 5:11, and Revelation 11:15), it makes sense that His Kingdom will also last forever (Psalm 45:6 and Psalm 145:13).

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

The trouble with many hymns written pre-1800 is that a dictionary is often required to fully comprehend its lyrics. In this case, I only needed to look up the words “bulwark”, “doth”, “Sabaoth” to review this song.

Despite the language barrier, the song opens with “A mighty fortress is our God”, which will be easily comprehended by unbelievers.  This sets the stage for the type of song that exists, namely, a religious song. Verse 2’s explicit mention of Jesus, combined with the eternal rulership of God and thwarting of Satan makes it uniquely Christian.

Despite its heavy use of Christianese, Luther’s basic message will not be lost on those outside the camp of Christ.  They may not fully comprehend that the Helper is the Holy Spirit, that the Truth is a tri-fold dissemination of God’s Word, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus, or that Sabaoth” means “hosts” without deep research, they should easily understand that God defends Christians, Satan rules the earth, God will defeat the Devil, Christians receive gifts, and God rules for eternity.

Score: 7/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It glorifies God, describing Him as our Protector, Advocate, and Ruler who will dethrone Satan as earth’s current monarch.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

Martin Luther’s A Mighty Fortress Is Our God is a great hymn that stands the test of time.  it proclaims God as the Sovereign Ruler of His creation, who shields believers against the attacks of the enemy and will fell Satan to eternal damnation, bringing Him glory.  Unbelievers will understand this basic message, despite its deep, rich theology translated to Ye Olde English.

I highly recommend this song to worship leaders who believe that their congregation can handle solid food (Hebrews 5:14) in their lyrics.  It is not for seeker-friendly churches that are still on milk (1 Corinthians 3:2).

Final Score: 9.5/10

Artist Info

Track: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (listen to Chris Rice’s version of the song)

Artist: Martin Luther

Album: N/A

Genre: Hymn

Release Year: 1531

Duration: N/A

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t be shy or have a cow!  Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

Updates:

07/25/2023 – Added Scripture reference to “The body they may kill” as per J’s comment.

03/25/2021 – Updated per repetition announcement.