The Annotated Luther, Volume 2: Word and Faith

The Annotated Luther #2

by Martin Luther, Kirsi I. Stjerna (Editor)

Volume 2 of The Annotated Luther series contains a number of the writings categorized under the theme word and faith. Luther was particularly focused on what the word "does" in order to create and sustain faith. Writings in the volume range from the large core documents Bondage of the Will, Against the Heavenly Prophets, The Smalcald Articles, and Large Catechism to Luther's own Confession of Faith and treatments of Moses, the Gospels, and Two Kinds of Righteousness.

In the treatises in this volume, we hear Luther's understanding of Scripture and theology as he continues his growth as teaching theologian, pastor, biblical exegete, and apologist for the faith.

Each volume in The Annotated Luther series contains new introductions, as well as annotations, illustrations, and notes, to help shed light on Luther's context and interpret his writings for today. The translations of Luther's writings include updates of Luther's Works, American Edition or entirely new translations of Luther's German or Latin writings.

Genres: Theology, Religion

528 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2015

About the author

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a German monk, theologian, university professor and church reformer whose ideas inspired the Protestant Reformation and changed the course of Western civilization.

Luther's theology challenged the authority of the papacy by holding that the Bible is the only infallible source of religious authority and that all baptized Christians under Jesus are a spiritual priesthood. According to Luther, salvation was a free gift of God, received only by true repentance and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, a faith given by God and unmediated by the church.

Luther's confrontation with Charles V at the Diet of Worms over freedom of conscience in 1521 and his refusal to submit to the authority of the Emperor resulted in his being declared an outlaw of the state as he had been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. Because of the perceived unity of the medieval Church with the secular rulers of western Europe, the widespread acceptance of Luther's doctrines and popular vindication of his thinking on individual liberties were both phenomenal and unprecedented.

His translation of the Bible into the vernacular, making it more accessible to ordinary people, had a tremendous political impact on the church and on German culture. It furthered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation of the English King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of congregational singing within Christianity. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage within Protestantism.

Much scholarly debate has concentrated on Luther's writings about the Jews. His statements that Jews' homes should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money confiscated and liberty curtailed were revived and used in propaganda by the Nazis in 1933–45. As a result of this and his revolutionary theological views, his legacy remains controversial.

Reviews

[Andy Reeves · Rating 1 out of 5]

Luther was great and this book would have received 5 stars. However, the editor of this particular volume violated the editorial agreement which states (pg. ix-x), “Regarding creedal formulations and Trinitarian language, Luther’s own expressions have been preserved, without entering the complex and important contemporary debates over language for God and the Trinity.” Dr. Stjerna throughout her update to Luther’s Large Catechism consistently changes every masculine pronoun that Luther used of the Holy Spirit to a feminine pronoun. She even states in a footnote (pg.358, note r), “Here the “Spirit” is referred to with a feminine pronoun, even if Luther does not do so.” I picked up the Annotated Luther series because I wanted to read Luther, not his modern editor. I sincerely hope Fortress Press restores Luther’s original wording.

On a side note, She also seems to misunderstand Luther’s use of the word “Father” in relation to the Son. She does her best to change it to “Creator” as much as possible, however in certain sections Luther is clearly speaking of the “Father” in a technical way as referring to God The Father and his eternal relationship towards the Son as Father and not as His Creator. By inserting “Creator” too often it makes Luther look out of step with the Patristic and Medieval tradition he was trained in as an Augustinian Monk and Doctor of Theology.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review specifically addresses the works of this volume I've completed.

Reading List
- Sermon on Two Kinds of Righteousness
- What to Look for and Expect in the Gospels (1522)
- Against the Heavenly Prophets in the Matter of Images and Sacraments (1525)
- How Christians Should Regard Moses (1525)
- The Bondage of the Will (1525)
- Confession of the Articles of Faith (1528)
- The Large Catechism of Dr. Martin Luther (1529)
- The Smalcald Articles (1538)

The Bondage of the Will

I wish to place some of my preliminary thoughts here so that I can return to them. I do wish to return to this review and write a bit more thoroughly on this book and topic.

Published in December of 1525, On the Bondage of the Will is Martin Luther's response to Desiderius Erasmus' De libero arbitrio diatribe sive collatio or The Freedom of the Will, heretofore in this review referenced as Diatribes, as Luther himself did. It is Luther's well-constructed, passionate, and oftentimes caustic response, to the 'discussion' of 'free choice', i.e., the possibility for human beings to choose good or evil.

By free choice in this place we mean a power of the human will by which one can apply oneself to the things which lead to eternal salvation, or turn away from them.

Outlined in six separate sections, Luther systematically deconstructs Erasmus' entire position, which is one that leans strongly toward suggestion and inference, primarily based on the writings and teachings of the church, with peripheral scriptural support. It’s a position that suggests that there must be the ability for man to choose his fate, otherwise God be proved a tyrant since people would be condemned since before creation itself. If people are unable to choose their fate, and are otherwise unable to move beyond what is inherently a defect as a result of sin, then they are condemned with no possible escape other than the direct interference of God, and if He does not act in even one person’s life, to save them from condemnation, then it could be suggested that that, itself, is an act of evil. This is all theorized, of course, from the position of human reasoning, which is, itself, an imperfect position from which to hypothesize about the omnipotent and perfect Will of God, which Luther is more than happy to point out in his response.

We ought, of course, to be content with the words of God, and believe quite simply what they say, since the works of God are entirely beyond description.

Luther is as thoroughly convincing as he is scathing, standing on the unbending rock of scripture, refusing to debate from any standpoint but a Biblical one, allowing nothing less than the Word of God to be his defense, and dismissing any attempt to suggest, infer, or assert meaning where there is none. Erasmus oftentimes quotes many of the church’s perceived saints and historical figures, referencing their opinions and viewpoints on the matter as Biblical canon. Luther responds by stating that they were men debating the very same question, oftentimes coming to no ultimate truth, rather agreeing to disagree, and there's just as much of a possibility that they were incorrect, as he points out, since they inferred their own meaning from Biblical passages that do not assert any such thing with any level of certainty. He argues that we should not make muddled what God has made clear, only referencing Biblical passages directly and presenting them in as clear a light as possible, going so far as to educate the reader on context, history, and language.

What I have observed is this, that all heresies and errors in connection with the Scriptures have arisen, not from the simplicity of the words, as is almost universally stated, but from neglect of the simplicity of the words, and from tropes and inferences hatched out of men’s own heads.

I admit that, coming to this book, I was thoroughly in Erasmus’ camp, believing that people must have a choice in order to decide for, or against. After completing the book for the first time, I find myself now completely in Luther’s camp, so convincing and agreeable is his platform in this discussion. Luther would no doubt go so far as to say that this isn’t a discussion as much as it is a reprimand and a teaching, since he argues from so certain a position as that of scripture.

Luther builds his case gradually, first stating that there is only one way that he is able to even acknowledge this topic, establishing his platform upon the absolute foundational reality and truth of the scripture, and states that what God has revealed in His word must be true, otherwise there is no purpose in revealing it as an ambiguous document for which anyone may find ‘truths’ in their own interpretation. Scripture is not subjective, and his assurance of his own position is built entirely on the verses he brings forward.

As the primary example, he references Paul in Romans 9 which practically sums up Luther’s entire viewpoint on the matter:

17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden. 19One of you will say to me, “Then why does God still find fault? For who can resist His will? 20But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?”

Luther asserts that to ponder why God does what He does is to attempt to make sense of the mind of God, and in doing so, attempt to lower Him to human understanding – an inherently impossible task in which a flawed creature attempts to understand an infinite and perfect will.

If, therefore, the light of the gospel, shining only through the Word and faith, is so effective that this question which has been discussed in all ages and never solved is so easily settled and put aside, what do you think it will be like when the light of the Word and of faith comes to an end, and reality itself and the Divine Majesty are revealed in their own light?

I highly recommend this for anyone who is curious about the discussion of free choice. This is a book that I will certainly return to for a number of reasons, not the least of which is its rock-solid foothold in scripture, and its relevancy in discussion almost 500 years after its publication. The debate on whether we have free choice is a matter that was discussed before Luther, was a matter he took a firm stance on, and continues to be addressed today. After reading Luther’s approach, it seems quite clear where scripture stands on the matter. With that said, it’s a discussion that still elicits disagreement, which is why On the Bondage of the Will is just as important a document today as it was then.

To sum up: If we believe that Christ has redeemed human beings by his blood, we are bound to confess that the whole human being was lost; otherwise, we should make Christ either superfluous or the redeemer of only the lowest part of humanity, which would be blasphemy and sacrilege.

[Brad Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few questionable and irresponsible footnotes by the editor of this particular volume should be taken as such. Other than that a great way to read Luther on his own terms.