The basic and just articles of the whole peasantry and the subjects of spiritual and secular lords, by whom they feel themselves burdened.

To the Christian reader, the peace and grace of God through Christ.

Because the peasants are assembled, there are many antichristians who now find reason to disparage the gospel, saying, “These are the fruits of the new gospel: to be obedient to no one, to rise up and rebel everywhere, to form infantry units with great violence, to band together to reform spiritual and temporal authorities, to expel them, perhaps even to kill them.” The following articles reply to all these godless, superficial critics, first, to stop them from disparaging the word of God, and second, to justify on Christian grounds the disobedience, indeed the rebellion, of all the peasants (Romans 1).

First, the gospel is not a cause of rebellions or insurrections, because it speaks of Christ the promised Messiah, whose words and life teach nothing but love, peace, patience, and unity, so that all who believe in Christ become loving, peaceful, patient and united. If the basis of all the peasants' articles (as will be clearly seen) is directed toward hearing the gospel and living according to it, how can antichristians call the gospel a cause of rebellion and disobedience?