Commentary on Galatians: Modern-English Edition [Paperback]

Martin Luther (Author), D. Stuart Briscoe (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998

This edition of Martin Luther's insightful explanation of justification by faith in his classic commentary on Galatians, is the only one available in contemporary English. Pastors, students, and general readers will find it a useful and relevant resource.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A most penetrating analysis and clear statement of doctrine in a way that everyone, from scholar to layman, may understand. (Messenger 20040603)

I do prefer this book of Martin Luther upon the Galatians, excepting the Holy Bible, before all books that have ever seen. (John Bunyan 20040603)

One cannot understand well the Reformation without reading Luther's Commentary on Galatians. (Standard Bearer 20040603)

This book indeed is a classic and one every student should use. (Presbyterian Journal ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English, Latin (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Revell (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800756487
• ISBN-13: 978-0800756482
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,598,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Martin Luther (1483-1546) initiated the Protestant Reformation. As a priest and theology professor, he confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his The Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. Luther strongly disputed their claim that freedom from God's punishment of sin could be purchased with money. His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Edict of Worms meeting in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the emperor. Martin Luther taught that salvation is not from good works, but a free gift of God, received only by grace through faith in Jesus as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority of the pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptised Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with Luther's teachings are called Lutherans. His translation of the Bible into the language of the people (instead of Latin) made it more accessible, causing a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation into English of the King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of singing in churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant priests to marry.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Luther's classic statement on law and grace, March 25, 2000

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Christopher P. Atwood (Bloomington, IN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Commentary on Galatians (Paperback)

Martin Luther's "Commentary on Galatians" remains, after almost half a millennium, perhaps the most vigorous and profound manifesto for the Protestant and evangelical doctrine of justification by faith alone. Within Lutheranism, it was recommended by the later compilers of the Book of Concord (also on amazon.com) as a powerfully inspired treatment of justification by faith, while in British Protestant circles, both John Bunyan (author of The Pilgrim's Progress) and Charles Wesley found their whole lives transformed by this book.

Following St. Paul, Luther sees a life and death (literally) opposition between law and faith. Under law, we believe that God approaches us as an angry judge, and we try to win this angry judge over by doing good works for him. Since we are sinners by nature, we cannot fulfill the demands of God who by nature must demand perfection, to remain under the law is to remain under sin, its death, and the devil. As Luther reads Paul, the man under law lives by works, always striving to please this angry God, yet in his heart of hearts he blasphemes Him for demanding the perfect works man cannot give. Yet in Christ God shows that He demands nothing of us but loves us and is heartily willing to forgive us, a promise He sealed in blood on the cross. When we see Christ crucified and have faith that now God is now no angry judge but a tender father eager only to give us all good things, then we are no longer under law but under grace, which brings us freedom, hope, and the desire to do good works, not of a bitter and despairing heart, but freely.

As Luther notes, church fathers like Jerome felt profoundly uncomfortable with Paul's violent denunciation of the law, and in their commentaries tried to tone it down. They insisted that by "law" Paul meant only the Jewish law with its out-dated ceremonies and sacrifices, and at several points treated Paul's categorical statements as almost scandalous exaggeration (see, for example, Luther's citations of Jerome's commentary on Gal. 3:13). Luther, however, insists that law here, as in Paul's other epistles, means exactly the moral law and his statements about the moral law for a sinner leading only to death and the curse of God must be read seriously, not dismissed as hyperbole.

I read this work in the 19th century translation published by Kregel which uses the King James Bible text and a somewhat archaic language to match. To me it seemed both powerful and suitable to the Luther's pithy and picturesque language, but others may find it somewhat off-putting and prefer the "Modern Language Version" published by Fleming H. Revell.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Justification by Faith in all its Monumental Brilliance, August 29, 2000

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Orthodox Lutheran Reader - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Commentary on Galatians: Modern-English Edition (Paperback)

Martin Luther (1483-1546 AD) became an Augustinian, Roman Catholic monk where he studied the Word of God diligently while still in the monastery. His study convinced him to post his 95 theses, statements he wanted to debate within the context of the Church to restore it. The rest is history as Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic church and became the first "Lutheran."

Luther was convinced that: God justifies a person (declares him righteous and acquits him) by faith alone and not by works, each believer has access to God directly apart from any human intermediaries, and the Scriptures are the true source of authority for both faith and life. Many of his doctrines, especially on justification, he covered brilliantly in his commentary on Galatians. And rightly so, for Galatians was his favorite book, his "Katherine," and it was central to his understanding of the gospel.

Luther's Commentary on Galatians in the history of the Christian Church is very remarkable. It presents like no other of the central thought of Christianity: the justification of the sinner for the sake of Christ's merits alone. Luther also delineates the difference between Law (what God demands from us) and Gospel (what God has done and does for us); in this text, we understand his "simul justus et peccator," that is, a Christian is simultaneously 100 % saint and 100 % sinner.

To understand Christian theology and justification by faith, reading this commentary is proper, right, for our eternal good--for Luther explains the doctrines of the Scriptures in forthright boldness and clarity.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars His Passion is Contagious; My Favorite Commentary, March 29, 2004

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Jacob Hantla "hantla.com" (Chandler, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Commentary on Galatians (Paperback)

Not too long ago I wrapped up a year-long study of Galatians. In the process, the Spirit used the book to bring the definition and perils of legalism to bear on my life. Just as in Galatians 3:1, seeing Christ clearly portrayed as crucified for my sins, how could I foolishly even presume to think that there was something that I could add to this salvation?! God used the book to literally change my life: making me fall deeper in love with Christ, shoving me to my knees at the foot of the cross, and revealing and removing many of my personal legalistic hopes of justification other than Christ.

That is what I love about Luther's commentary. Luther was learning this stuff and loving it as he was teaching it. He was not a theologian who had the benefit of walking in the steps of bible-loving, grace-espousing mentors. He was pierced by the word and the Spirit changed his heart by it. This is what you see in Galatians. During my study I read many great commentaries, but my favorite was Luthers. Luther acts in this commentary as both an exegete and a pastor. This is a commentary that you may just want to curl up with on the couch after you finish studying a section and read and read again. His passion is contagious.

(By the way, my other favorite Galatians commentaries were MacArthur's and Hendriksen's. Calvin's and Stott's came in a close #4 and #5). I hope this helps.