History shows us that Martin Luther never did figure out what the Bible really teaches about salvation. By throwing out the baby with the bathwater, he ended up believing and teaching a treacherously false doctrine that is still leading millions astray, today.
We desperately need a reformation of The Reformation.
I transcribed this years ago from: Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, by Roland H. Bainton, 1978, p. 259-261.
Luther read the New Testament in light of the Pauline message that the just shall live by faith and not by works of the law. That this doctrine is not enunciated through the New Testament with equal emphasis and appears to be denied in the book of James did not escape Luther, and in his preface to the New Testament of 1522 James was stigmatized as “an epistle of straw.” Once Luther remarked that he would give his doctor’s beret to anyone who could reconcile James and Paul. Yet he did not venture to reject James from the canon of Scripture [not true – editor], and on occasion earned his own beret by effecting a reconciliation. “Faith,” he wrote, “is a living, restless thing. It cannot be inoperative. We are not saved by works: but if there be no works there must be something amiss with faith.” This was simply to put a Pauline construction on James. The conclusion was a hierarchy of values within the New Testament. First Luther would place the Gospel of John, then the Pauline Epistles and First Peter, after them the three other Gospels, and in a subordinate place Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation.
I reconcile James and Paul in Who-Goes-To-Heaven Scriptures — Narrow is the Way.
Luther also couldn’t even reconcile Paul with Paul—the earlier, introductory chapters of Paul’s letters with the straightforward meat Paul introduces later in the texts.
What Luther did is what theologians call having “a canon within the Canon”—”a group of books or a body of texts within the Bible to which great authority or dominance is to be ascribed.” Most Bible teachers, today, don’t subordinate entire books of the Bible, but rather, they subordinate significant parts of most of the books of the New Testament in order to continue teaching false doctrines as fact.
Luther also misunderstood the distinction between works of the law (old covenant—which Paul warned against in Gal. 3, for example) and the necessity of being led by the Spirit or abiding in Christ (new covenant). Jesus didn’t replace the works of the law with nothing. Salvation isn’t “faith plus nothing,” as Luther taught. In fact, Jesus didn’t do away with the law (Mt. 5:17-20). Now we are to be led by the Holy Spirit—God in us—given at Pentecost. Now we are equipped/enabled/graced to fulfill the law’s requirements in a purer, deeper way which supercedes the works of the law. Paul said in Romans 8 [Gal. 5 is somewhat similar]:
(4) that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (13) For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God.
What the Bible teaches about salvation is very clear when we accept the entire canon of Scripture—not subordinating anything.
Related:
Who-Goes-To-Heaven Scriptures — Narrow is the Way (Where Paul is reconciled with James — and with Hebrews and 1 John — and with Jesus. It all works!)
Martin Luther: Sin Boldly — “No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day”
Reverse-Christian LUTHER: “To Kill a Peasant is Not Murder… Crush them! Cut their throats! … To kill a peasant is to destroy a mad dog! If they say that I am very hard and merciless, mercy be damned. Let whoever can: stab, strangle, and kill them like mad dogs” • “Like the mules who will not move unless you perpetually whip them with rods, so the civil powers must drive the common people. Whip, choke, hang, burn, behead and torture them, that they may learn to fear the powers that be”
Martin Luther Cursed from His Heart Catholic Leaders, ‘Every Day’
Hating, unforgiving, James-3 cursing, Biblically disqualified MARTIN LUTHER: “When I die, I want to be a ghost…So I can continue to pester the bishops, priests and godless monks until that they have more trouble with a dead Luther than they could have had before with a thousand living ones.”
Bob
We are saved by grace through faith alone. Our faith in Christ is counted as rightiousness to us that believe(Christ’s works are credited on our behalf.)
Faith, is a living, restless thing, always alive. It cannot be inoperative. We are saved by grace through faith alone, not saved by works: but if there be no fruits of the indewelling Holy Spirit that was received by faith at the point of salvation there must be something amiss with faith.” A tree is known by it’s fruits not works, because the fruitful branches abide in the vine “If you abide in me, I will abide in you.” said the Lord Jesus Christ (it is Christ’s finished work of the cross being worked through us by the Holy Spirit, the same as it was God the Father’s work being worked through Jesus Christ. These are the works we were apointed to walk in (not work in). This is the living oneness/abiding in God within acuired upon salvation by faith alone (our faith in Christ is counted for rightiousness by Christ’s works on our behalf not ours). It is Christ’s works through our faith alone is applied to us and carried out by the indeweling Holy spirit, working God’s will within (the great work he God began in and through us he will complete) which is making us into the image and likness and nature of Christ a transforming new life in Christ and work of salvation and reconciliation Christ completed and finished on the Cross for each one of us over 2000 years ago. We are required to surender and abide and let God work his works through us alone, daily in and through the Holy Spirit unto the day of rewards(not our trying to do good works for him which count for nothing.) Are works are as filthy rags… Salvation is a free gift of God and has to be received freely. Salvation is a free gift of God to get and a free gift from God to keep. You could not work to get it and you cannot work to keep it. There is know snatching out of my hand sais the Lord. Once saved always saved. Saved by grace through faith alone and sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption!
Bob
The whole idea that “Faith without works is dead” is(in my opinion)missunderstood. As stated above, I feel it is actually ment to mean in this context as Faith without fruits(works of the Holy Spirit, working Christ’s finished work of the cross within and through us)is dead. As we abide in Christ he works through us in the Holy Spirit and we produce fruit from the abiding process, not of ourselfs.
Jeff Fenske
Bob,
Part of what you are discussing is the chief pillar of eternal security, which is toppled here: The CHIEF PILLAR of Eternal Security (OSAS) Toppled! http://onecanhappen.com/2007/12/04/the-chief-pillar-of-eternal-security-osas-falls.
Please also read my article, “Who-Goes-To-Heaven Scriptures,” linked above.
Freedom in Christ is to be in Christ, literally.
There is no other way to be free, eternally.
Jeff Fenske
James S Ross
luther was so icky that he gave a German nobleman permission to take a second wife. He told the prince to keep it quiet though. When it became coomon knowledge, Luther tried to deny it.
Jeff Fenske
James,
Thanks for sharing. I hadn’t heard this one. Here is a guy putting the best possible light on this, which is probably not the balanced truth. But interesting article with sources:
http://beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com/2012/02/luther-what-harm-could-it-do-if-man.html
Jeff