Martin Luther on the Pope

      The world today is focused on the death of Pope Francis. American flags are generally flying at half staff around our area, though some neighbors have not lowered their flags. Who can escape this news and all those who mourn over this, including "name only" Lutherans, the ELCA? So far the LC–MS is keeping quiet on this news, at least officially. But while researching Martin Luther's writings on the Law, I ran across this quote in his commentary on Genesis 18:19: 

“Similarly, the world does not hate us for teaching the Gospel and the benefits of Christ in pure form. All accept this and approve of it, unless they are manifestly ungodly. But the mischief [caput mali] results from our attachment of a comparison [of our doctrine] with the doctrine of our opponents, from our statement that the Pope is the Antichrist [Pontificem esse Antichristum], and from our disapproval of the teachings and the wicked deeds of the adherents of the pope.” (Am. Ed. 3, p. 221; StL 1, 1186; WA 43, 33)

Because there are a lot of "adherents of the pope" in our world, true Lutherans who accept what the Lutheran Confessions teach, as Luther teaches above, will find themselves the object of much "mischief" or malice from this same world.