Friday, February 22, 2008

RECOMMENDED BOOKS - MARTIN LUTHER

Martin Luther (November 10, 1483 - February 18, 1546) was a Christian theologian and Augustinian monk whose teachings inspired the Protestant Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines of Protestant and other Christian traditions. On Halloween of 1517, Luther changed the course of human history when he nailed his 95 Theses to the church door at Wittenberg, accusing the Roman Catholic church of heresy upon heresy. This act was the primary starting point of the Protestant Reformation. Luther’s call to the Church to return to the teachings of the Bible resulted in the formation of new traditions within Christianity and the Counter-Reformation in the Roman Catholic Church, culminating at the Council of Trent. Luther was a prolific writer and his catechism is a landmark Christian work. His translation of the Bible finally put the Scriptures in the hands of the common people and also helped to develop a standard version of the German language. Luther's hymns sparked the development of congregational singing in Christianity. His marriage to Katharina von Bora, a former nun, began the tradition of clerical marriage within several Christian traditions.


CONCERNING CHRISTIAN LIBERTY
Martin Luther

Category: Heroes, Puritans, And Reformers
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It is argued by many that this essay is one of Luther's most important theological treatises. It has sometimes been rendered into English as The Freedom of a Christian, or simply On Christian Liberty. The Christian life is marked by faith working through love. When a man applies himself with joy and love to his works he is satisfied in the fullness of his own faith. No Christian lives in himself, but in Christ and too his neighbor. It is not from works that we are set free by our faith in Christ, but our belief in Christ will justify us before God. One of Luther’s main aims in this piece was to condemn belief in works, and establish a right view of salvation by faith alone, in Christ alone. Christian freedom was being free from the idea that good works were a means to salvation, yet in Christian freedom one would exercise good works in light of the grace God had shown in salvation.


LUTHER GOLD
Ray Comfort (Editor), Martin Luther

Category: Biography, Heroes, Puritans, And Reformers
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Martin Luther was a man of prayer who said: "all who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired." Martin Luther was a church leader and reformer, who said at his trial: "here I stand, I can do no other, God help me. Amen." Martin Luther was an evangelist, who said: "Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times." Ray Comfort has gleaned pure gold from Luther's writings for our benefit so that we can learn what the greatest reformer in the history of the Church had to say about many things, particularly our need to reach out to the lost. Luther's key revelation of salvation by grace through faith alone sparked the Reformation, which spread the Gospel throughout Europe.


LUTHER'S LARGE CATECHISM
Martin Luther

Category: Heroes, Puritans, And Reformers
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Luther's Large Catechism consisted of works written by Martin Luther and compiled Christian canonical texts, published in April of 1529. This book was addressed particularly to clergymen to aid them in teaching their congregations. Luther's Large Catechism is divided into five parts: The Ten Commandments, The Apostles' Creed, The Lord's Prayer, Holy Baptism, and The Sacrament of the Eucharist. It and related documents was published in The Book of Concord in 1580. The Large Catechism typifies the emphasis which the churches of the Augsburg Confession placed on the importance of knowledge and understanding of the articles of the Christian faith. Primarily intended as instruction to teachers, especially to parents, the Catechism consists of a series of exhortations on the importance of each topic of the Catechism. It is meant for those who have the capacity to understand, and is not meant to be memorized but to be repeatedly reviewed so that the Small Catechism could be taught with understanding.


THE BONDAGE OF THE WILL
Martin Luther

Category: Heroes, Puritans, And Reformers
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What is at the heart of Luther’s theology and of the doctrine of justification which struck his soul with a bolt of divine lightning? It is the original depravity and sinfulness in man – that which he knew well as an ascetic monk in the Augustinian order. No doubt this is a cornerstone work for the Reformation and for the truth. Luther thought that of everything he wrote, this was his best and most useful work. Every Christian should read this work. If we do not understand how our wills work, who we are before God, and how we ought to continually view our standing before Him as a result of Christ’s work, then we can never understand salvation.

1 comment:

Cameron Buettel said...

It was Luther who lit the bomb that started the reformation.