Martin Luther In His Own Words ~ Book Review

Didn't Martin Luther write the Ninety-Five Theses? 

Though most Protestants--approximately 900 million believers worldwide--trace their spiritual roots back to the Reformation, many people today have only a vague knowledge of Martin Luther's extensive writings. Jack Kilcrease and Erwin Lutzer step into this vacuum with Martin Luther in His Own Words, a carefully selected collection of Luther's works.

Organized around the five solas of the Reformation (sola Scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia, sola Christus, soli Deo gloria), the selections offer readers an accessible primer on works that are foundational to the theology of Protestantism in all its forms. An introduction to each writing includes an explanation of its historical context and theological significance. 

Students of the Bible, pastors, teachers, and seminary students will find this collection an enlightening introduction to Luther in his own words and a useful addition to their libraries.

My thoughts: 

In the beginning chapters, there were a couple confusing parts that I had to reread, but this was a really good and engaging book. It helped me to understand what Luther believed, especially about justification, grace, and salvation. At the front of each chapter, there was a short paragraph by the editors and each one told a little of what made Martin Luther translate the Bible, when he did it, his reasoning, and where he was at. One paragraph talked about how Erasmus supported Luther and his reforming efforts, but unlike Luther, Erasmus did not believe the same way about Christianity, Jesus Christ, and salvation. Each beginning paragraph was very interesting and helpful to read before Luther's writings. There were many chapters that consisted of a chapter by chapter commentary on the book of Romans, which I liked because it shed new light on some verses I hadn't understood before. There was also an insightful commentary on the book of Galatians. One thing that Luther emphasized over and over in his writings was justification is by faith in Christ alone, no works added. While teaching the book of Romans, Luther came across this discovery: we can neither attain salvation, nor can we contribute to it. Our only contribution is sin; Jesus supplies the forgiveness and secures our acceptance before our Heavenly Father. Martin Luther was happily relieved when he said, "My sins belong to Christ as if he had committed them." I give Martin Luther In His Own Words 4 stars and would recommend it to ages 14+. 

**I was given a free copy of this book from BakerBooks and all thoughts are my own.**