This edition of the Bondage of the Will was translated by Henry Cole in 1823. "Free will was no academic question to Luther; the whole Gospel of the grace of God, he held, was bound up with it, and stood or fell according to the way one decided it . . . . It is not the part of a true theologian, Luther holds, to be unconcerned, or to pretend to be unconcerned, when the Gospel is in danger . . . . The doctrine of the Bondage of the Will in particular was the corner-stone of the Gospel and the foundation of faith'' (40-41, emphasis added). ''In particular, the denial of free will was to Luther the foundation of the Biblical doctrine of grace, and a hearty endorsement of that denial was the first step for anyone who would understand the Gospel and come to faith in God. The man who has not yet practically and experimentally learned the bondage of his will in sin has not yet comprehended any part of the Gospel" "Justification by faith only is a truth that needs interpretation. The principle of sola fide [by faith alone] is not rightly understood till it is seen as anchored in the broader principle of sola gratia [by grace alone]; . . . for to rely on one's self for faith is not different in principle from relying on one's self for works" The Bible teaches that faith itself is and has to be, a gift of God, by grace, and not of self (Ephesians 2:8). It is safe to deduce that for Luther, any evangelist who advocates free will has not only ''not yet comprehended any part of the Gospel, '' but also that he has not yet preached the Gospel at all; his is a counterfeit gospel.Luther was ordered to recant his teachings on threat of excommunication. Luther thundered, ''Unless I am convinced by Scriptures and plain reason [for Luther, this meant logic], my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything. Here I stand, I can do no other!" [From a review in The Trinity Review] Martin Luther (1483-1546) shattered the structure of the Medieval Church by demanding that the authority for doctrine and practice be the Scriptures rather than popes or councils, and ignited the famous Protestant Reformation. The Roman Catholic hierarchy could not refute his logic, so they attempted to have him killed. But he was protected by Frederic. It has been said that more books have been written about Luther than about any other person except Jesus Christ. 164 pages, hard cover
This book is a collection of excerpts from conversations Martin Luther had with his students and colleagues, who furiously scribbled notes as he spoke. Reading them, it's easy to imagine Luther and his students sitting around the table discussing issues of great concern to the early reformists.
A two-volume translation of the major texts produced by Luther in the critical years of the Reformation. Volume I: The Basis of the Protestant Reformation The four years from the Wittenberg disputation of 1517 to the Diet of Worms in 1521 provide one of the most dramatic stories in human history. In those years a young theological tutor emerged from obscurity to disrupt Western Christendom and to refashion a large part of it. They were years of prodigious activity for Luther himself, and there can be no true understanding of the Reformation apart from the writings, some long, some quite short, which came from his pen during those years. Lee-Woolf has done great service to the study of Luther by translating the most significant of these writings. Introductions and explanatory notes make clear their historical context. The student will find them invaluable. Lee-Woolf's lively and virile translation makes the authentic Luther step out of the pages, and brings the reader close to great events which are still formative in the life of the Church and the world. Volume II: The Spirit of the Protestant Reformation In this second volume of the Reformation Writings of Martin Luther there are two focal points of interest - the dramatic event at Worms, 1521, as seen in contemporary accounts as well as mirrored in Luther's own writings, and Luther the pastor, at pains to build up simple folk in the Christian faith and life. Luther's immense Biblical understanding as shown in his Prefaces to the Psalms and the New Testament, and his exposition of the Church's worship contained in the Preface to the Lord's Supper and Order of Service, provide a luminous insight into Luther's mind and purpose. The volume is very aptly sub-titled The Spirit of the Reformation. As before, Lee-Woolf's translation brings to life the writer, his thoughts, and his times.
For the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, a new translation of Martin Luther's most famous works by leading Luther scholar and pastor William Russell This volume contains selections from Martin Luther's most evocative and provocative writings, freshly translated, for the 21st century. These documents, which span the Reformer's literary career, point to the enduring and flexible character of his central ideas. As Luther's reform proposals emerged, they coalesced around some basic priorities, which he delivered to wide-ranging audiences--writing for children, preaching in congregations, formulating academic treatises, penning letters to family and friends, counter-punching critics, summarizing Biblical books, crafting confessions of faith, and more. This book demonstrates that range and provides entry points, for non-specialists and specialists alike, into the thought and life of the epoch-defining, fascinating, and controversial Martin Luther. With attention to the breadth of his literary output, it draws from his letters, sermons, popular writings, and formal theological works. This breadth allows readers to encounter Luther the man: the sinner and the saint, the public activist and the private counselor, the theologian and the pastor. These writings possess a practical, accessible arc, as Luther does not write only for specialists and church officials, but he applies his chief insights to the "real-life" issues that faced his rather wide variety of audiences.
Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a German monk whose teachings inspired the Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines and culture of the Lutheran and Protestant traditions. Luther emphasized salvation based on faith in the merits of Jesus Christ alone and not on human efforts to earn God's favor. At the heart of the gospel, in Luther's estimation, was the doctrine of justification by faith--the teaching that Christ's own righteousness is imputed to those who believe, and on that ground alone, they are accepted by God. Martin Luther dealt the symbolic blow that began the Reformation when he nailed his ninety-five theses to the door of the Wittenberg church. That document contained an attack on papal abuses and the sale of indulgences by Catholic Church officials. In this volume the reader will find fifty of Martin Luther's most significant sermons, selected and organized with the lay reader in mind. His sermons reflect the heart of his thoughts on the Christian faith and his ideas for practical life in that faith. The reader will gain a deeper understanding of Luther's thinking on topics important to today's Christian as well as insight into Luther's contribution to Christian practice and thought.
Luthers transformational idea of justification by faith alone was often misunderstood and misrepresented in the early years of the Reformation. In 1520, with his Wittenberg congregation in mind, Luther set out to clarify the biblical foundation of good works. In doing so he recast the very definitions of sacred and secular both for his own generation and ours.
In 1517, an unknown Augustinian monk, informed by his growing belief that salvation is by faith alone, published and distributed a stark criticism of papal abuses in the Catholic Church. In doing so, Martin Luther lit the spark for what would become the Protestant Reformation. What became known as the “95 Theses” was a series of statements expressing concern with corruption within the church, primarily the selling of “indulgences” to the people as a means of releasing them from acts of penitence. For the five hundredth anniversary of Luther’s revolutionary writing, This volume combines each thesis with an excerpt from one of his later works to provide a convenient way to understand the ideas and concepts that became the seeds of the Protestant Reformation.
Martin Luther's treatise Concerning Christian Liberty is one of the most powerful and concise presentations of the Christian life ever written - a true gem among Reformation writings. Here you will find the essence of Reformation spirituality distilled into a guide for practical, biblical living. With the bold authority of a true prophet, Luther directs his message to the average Christian in clear, simple language. The doctrine of justification by grace through faith in Christ is the heart and soul of Luther's message, founded upon a firm conviction in the authority of Scripture.
In the Large Catechism Luther set out to inculcate the centrality of the Gospel. Whether Luther is dealing with the Ten Commandments or the Lord's Supper, the dynamic of the Word of God as Gospel provides the cutting edge for what he says. The Large Catechism is a primary source for an understanding of the Christian ethos in action in Reformation Christianity.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.