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.
Martin Luther changed the course of Western civilization by initiating the Protestant Reformation. As a priest and theology professor, he confronted indulgence salesmen with his 95 Theses in 1517. Luther strongly disputed their claim that freedom from God's punishment of sin could be purchased with money. His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms meeting in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the emperor.
Luther taught that salvation is a free gift of God and received only by grace through faith in Jesus as redeemer from sin, not from good works. His theology challenged the authority of the pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood.
His translation of the Bible into the language of the people (instead of Latin) made it more accessible, causing a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation into English of the King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of singing in churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant priests to marry.
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