Sons and Daughters of the Reformation: It was exactly 437 years ago that a young man stood near a church with a hammer in one hand, a parchment in the other, and it nail in his pocket. If we are to sense something of the vast significance of Martin Luther’s act we must look at more than […]
Dr. Godfrey concluded his first article by describing Luther’s theology as a “personal theology.” Luther began as a monk, a devotee of the church; he became a student of Scripture and subsequently became strongly convicted of the truth of salvation was to be found only by grace through faith. LUTHER’S WRITINGS Now that experience led Luther into a public path […]
Around October 31, Martin Luther is remembered far and wide in the United States among evangelical protestants as a hero of the faith. We look back at Luther as a pioneer, as a profound theologian, as a heroic reformer. Some of us gather in Reformation Day services on October 31st to remember the great beginning […]
In the last issue Dr. Godfrey discussed Martin Luther’s writings about right doctrine and law and gospel. He concludes the series by reviewing Luther’s writings on faith, and on the law as a spiritual guide. LUTHER’S WRITINGS (continued) On faith Now as a corollary to this distinction between law and gospel, Luther discussed faith. Faith […]
In the early 1520’s Elector Fredrick the Wise commissioned Martin Luther to prepare a homily for each Sunday throughout the year. In one of his homilies for the Christmas season, Luther suggested a somewhat peculiar interpretation of Luke 2:16: “And they found both Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in the manger.” Luther held […]
1996 marks the 450th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther. The pioneering reformer breathed his last on February 18, 1546. He was 62 years old. Luther’s last word was a convinced “Yes” to the question put to him by one of his pastors and spiritual counselors, “Reverend […]
1997 marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of Philip Melanchthon. Philip was Luther’s right-hand man, trusted and loved by Luther. He was 14 years younger than Luther, but was with him from the beginning in the reforming work that Luther led from the university and the pulpit of Wittenberg. […]
“I am not ashamed of the Gospel … for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.” (Romans 1:16, 17a) There is no question as to the fact that the impact of Martin Luther’s hammer upon the Wittenberg door on that 1st Reformation Day so many years ago did more than […]
On October 31, churches throughout the world celebrate the nailing of Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses to the Wittenberg Chapel door. The event represents the outpouring of Christianity unshackled and blossoming. Like Hilkiah finding the Book of the Law, the thirty-four year old Luther began to re-proclaim the doctrinal “solas” to the world: scripture alone, Christ […]
In our every day lives, we typically base our evaluations of people on how well they do. We don’t think, for example, that if someone in our class at school does “D-” work on a paper that they should get an “A.” Further, we don’t like it when our boss says that the lazy guy […]