“Luther tells how on Good Friday he was meditating on the wounds of Christ when suddenly a vision of the Savior appeared on the wall. He said: ‘I thought maybe it was a celestial vision. However, it occurred to me that our Lord Christ appeared on earth in a much more humble and meaner fashion than that and that I have in the words of the sacrament all I need or want. Therefore I spoke to the vision thus: Be gone, insolent devil. Whereupon it vanished, clearly showing from where it came.’
“Why should such an experience be dangerous or even of the devil? Think about it for a minute. What would one’s proclamation be if one were to credit such a vision? One would immediately be wrapped up in how it occurred. Everybody would want to know: ‘How did you do it, Martin? How did it come about? What does one have to do? What does it inspire?’ And so on and so forth.
“And one’s proclamation would become drastically different – centered on the self and its spiritual experiences. And then one would be under accusations like: ‘What if it doesn’t work?’ That’s why I think Luther could say such things are of the devil.
“He never doubted that there were spiritual forces about. The trouble was that there were lots of them and of different kinds.”
Note: For the full Luther quote Forde discusses here, go to Major Theological Issues on this website, then to Spirituality and click on ● Inner Experience is Ambiguous.