Tag Archives: Martin Luther

Martin Luther – a Devotional

Martin Luther and the Bible
We all want to change the world, but in the 1500’s there were many men and women who helped to change the world, but none as much as the German monk-turned-professor Martin Luther. He helped reform Christian ways and tradition by speaking against the many errors of his day and comparing them to what the Bible actually teaches.

Justification by Faith
Let’s start with the most important New Testament doctrine that Luther help correct. So very important is the doctrine of justification by faith. Luther taught that the Scriptures, the Bible,  declare a sinner is justified by faith in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9) and not by works of penance or anything we could do. It is by grace alone that a believer is saved, plus nothing. That gracious salvation would lead to a changed life of good deeds, not the other way around. So its grace alone plus nothing that I could add. Good deeds come out of God’s love and grace bestowed on us.

Martin Luther and Prayer
At one point Martin Luther wrote a letter to his wife expressing his concern over some issues.  Remember, Luther was a religious and somewhat a political lighting rod in his day. That stirred up some controversy.  In the midst of this trouble Luther wrote to his wife and in the latter a phrase was mentioned “Pray and Let God Worry”. In other words we pray and God has to take it from here on. So Pray and Let God Worry. Enjoy a short devotional video on “Pray, Let God Worry”
Here is a portion of one of Martine Luther’s prayers: “Heavenly Father, dear God, I am not worthy that I should lift up mine eyes or my hands to thee in prayer, but since thou hast commanded us to pray and has taught us how through Jesus Christ our Lord, I will say, ‘Give us this day our daily bread”. Luther was a man of prayer. He loved God, loved the Bible and loved prayer.

Money Does not Work, Only God’s Grace
Another problem that Luther wanted to fix was the medieval view of indulgences… a document Christians could buy which was supposed to pardon a person from the sins they had committed.  Money can be a problem if our heart is not right toward it. Luther criticized this teaching because he believed it replaced the Biblical doctrine of repentance (1 John 1:9-10). The Bible talks of “confession” not trying to pay God.

The Authority of the Bible
Another tradition Luther objected to was denying the authority of the Bible, by elevating religious traditions above the Old and New Testaments.  Luther saw the Bible as the top faith document and higher than anyone else’s thought or feelings.  Luther faithfully preached that the Bible, not the church, is the ultimate authority over matters of faith and life (Acts 5:29). Because the Bible was only allowed in Latin, an academic language, Luther chose to translate the Word of God into the German tongue so that any literate person in his land could read the Bible and learn its glorious message.

Every Believer is a Priest of the Most Holy God
Luther and his fellow Reformers also helped restore congregational singing, lay leadership, the sanctity of common work for the glory of God, and a renewed focus on the centrality of the gospel in every area of a Christian’s life. While Luther had real flaws, he played an undeniably important role in the development of theology and the church in the 16th century. Yes, like the rest of us, Luther was not perfect, but God used him just as he was with the help of God’s grace and love.

Conclusion
Martin Luther  loved God, loved the Bible and loved prayer. God used such a poor sinner, and so God can use us, also poor sinners, but its all by His love and grace.

Pray and Let God Worry

Pray and Let God Worry

Martin Luther Rediscovers the Bible

In the 1500’s there were many men and women who helped to change the world, but none as much as the German monk-turned-professor Martin Luther. He helped reform Christian tradition by speaking against the many religious errors of his day and comparing them to what the Bible actually teaches.

Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

One area was the doctrine of justification by faith and works. Luther taught that the Scriptures declare a sinner is justified by faith in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9) and not by works of penance. It is by grace that a believer is saved, plus nothing. Luther brought people back to what the Bible teaches, and not what traditions were teaching. That gracious salvation would lead to a changed life of good deeds, not the other way around.

Another problem that Luther wanted to fix was the medieval view of indulgences… a document Christians could buy which was supposed to pardon a person from the sins they had committed. Luther criticized this teaching because he believed it replaced the Biblical doctrine of repentance (1 John 1:9-10).

Another tradition Luther objected to was denying the authority of the Bible, by elevating religious traditions above the Old and New Testaments. Luther faithfully preached that the Bible, not the church, is the ultimate authority over matters of faith and life (Acts 5:29). Because the Bible was only allowed in Latin, an academic language, Luther chose to translate the Word of God into the German tongue so that any literate person in his land could read the Bible and learn its glorious message.

Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

Luther and his fellow Reformers also helped restore congregational singing, lay leadership, the sanctity of common work for the glory of God, and a renewed focus on the centrality of the gospel in every area of a Christian’s life. While Luther had real flaws, he played an undeniably important role in the development of theology and the church in the 16th century.

Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

Martin Luther Speaking to God in Prayer as a Friend

Martin Luther spoke to God in prayer as a friend.

Veit Dietrich, also known as Vitus Theodorus was a German theologian, writer and reformer. Theodorus was a close friend of Martin Luther. Theodorus, talking about Luther, said, “I overheard him in prayer, … with what life and spirit did he pray! It was with so much reverence as if he were speaking to God, yet with so much confidence, as if he had been speaking to his friend.” God wants us to be men and women of prayer.

Two Trees, Chorazin Israel

Two Trees, Chorazin Israel

Martin Luther on Prayer

In reading about Martin Luther, I was impressed with his perception of the Bible and his appreciation of prayer. He loved the Bible and loved prayer.

Martin Luther declares that all Christians can appear before God and pray just as the Bible says. He is echoing Peter in the Bible, so prayer is not reserved to a certain class of people.

Here is a quote from Martin Luther where he is talking about every believer being a king and priest to God. Think about the two place in 1Peter in the Bible where Peter talks about every believer being a priest before God. 1 Peter 2:5, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Nor are we only kings and the freest of all men, but also priests for ever, a dignity far higher than kingship, because by that priesthood we are worthy to appear before God, to pray for others, and to teach one another mutually the things which are of God. For these are the duties of priests, and they cannot possibly be permitted to any unbeliever. Christ has obtained for us this favour, if we believe in Him, that, just as we are His brethren, and co- heirs and fellow kings with Him, so we should be also fellow priests with Him, and venture with confidence, through the spirit of faith, to come into the presence of God, and cry “Abba, Father!” and to pray for one another, and to do all things which we see done and figured in the visible and corporeal office of priesthood.

But the principle went still further; for it vindicated for the laity the possession of spiritual faculties and powers the same in kind as those of the clergy. All Christian men are admitted to the privilege of priesthood, and are “worthy to appear before God to pray for others, and to teach one another mutually the things which are of God.”

— from First Principles of the Reformation (95 Theses) by Martin Luther a resource from Olive Tree.

Martin Luther on the Bible

Martin Luther was fighting for the Bible in a day where the predominant religious mindset was that money influences God.  He wanted to focus God’s people on what the Bible says rather than on what the religious institutions taught. There is a great article on Luther at DesiringGod.org.   Luther elevated the Biblical text itself far above all other commentators, including the venerated Church Fathers.  This is great lesson for us!  We should exalt the Bible because the Bible exalts God.

Martin Luther on Prayer

During the reformation, where people came back to the Bible, Martin Luther comments on the subject of prayer. Prayer had to be big in that day because of all the strong religion pulling people away from the Bible. I am sure Luther prayed much.

But the principle went still further; for it vindicated for the laity the possession of spiritual faculties and powers the same in kind as those of the clergy. All Christian men are admitted to the privilege of priesthood, and are “worthy to appear before God to pray for others, and to teach one another mutually the things which are of God. — from First Principles of the Reformation (95 Theses)

So too His priesthood does not consist in the outward display of vestments and gestures, as did the human priesthood of Aaron and our ecclesiastical priesthood at this day, but in spiritual things, wherein, in His invisible office, He intercedes for us with God in heaven, and there offers Himself, and performs all the duties of a priest; as Paul describes Him to the Hebrews under the figure of Melchizedek. Nor does He only pray and intercede for us; He also teaches us inwardly in the spirit with the living teachings of His Spirit. Now these are the two special offices of a priest, as is figured to us in the case of fleshly priests, by visible prayers and sermons.
— from: First Principles of the Reformation (95 Theses)