Lectures on Galatians: Chapters 1-4

Luther's Works #26

by Martin Luther

Luther s The American Edition, published by Concordia and Fortress Press between 1955 and 1986, comprises fifty-five volumes. These are a selection representing only about a third of Luther s works in the Latin and German of the standard Weimar Edition, not including the German Bible. Just as St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians has been called the Magna Carta of Christian freedom, so the Lectures on Galatians delivered by Martin Luther in 1531 and published for the first time in 1535 have been hailed as the great Reformer's Magna Carta of Christian liberty. In Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners John Bunyan (1628-88), who was languishing in jail, told how a long time before this "the God, in whose hands are all days and ways, did cast into my hand, one day, a book of Martin Luther; it was his comment on the Galatians...this, methinks, I must let fall before all men, I do prefer this book of Martin Luther upon the Galatians, excepting the Holy Bible, before all books that ever I have seen, as most fit for a wounded conscience." Luther treasured St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians. Luther's Lectures on the Galatians, like Paul's letters, contain many distinctively autobiographical statements. In more than one respect these two men of God were kindred spirits. Both inveighed sharply and vigorously against their adversaries, but they also never lost sight of the Christian love that permeates the words of those who bring God's message of salvation to their fellow men.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Reference

492 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1535

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

[Andrew Gates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing! A must read!

[Glenn Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this volume to be an enjoyable experience - especially given that I hadn't enjoyed the earlier volume on Romans as much as I had expected. Luther's coverage (in my opinion) of Galatians is much superior - and as noted in my comments on the Romans volume, that was written reasonably early. We have a more mature Luther here, a more experienced Pastor, a man who has suffered much - and thus the depth of his writing is enjoyable and encouraging.

I am eager to get into the 2nd volume - which covers the remaining 2 chapters. My fondness and appreciation of Paul's Letter to the Galatians continues to grow, and Luther's writing helps this process greatly :)

[Austin Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the reading group fell apart, I decided to finish on my own. Classic Luther.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ausgezeichnet!

[Cory Willweber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justifying faith IS a work. My work.

-LW 26.227

[Joseph Greenmyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excluding the Apology to the Augsburg confession's article on Justification, there is no written work on earth that better describes how a man is made right with God through Christ's work alone. If you have any questions about the implications of being saved by grace through faith, Dr. Luther's commentary is for you.

[Bill Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my life.

[Bob Hiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

perhaps the most important book I've read.