Customer Reviews

"Here I Stand 'A Life of Martin Luther'"

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First of all, the seller shipped this book to me quickly. It arrived in excellent shape and except for a little "yellowing" of the edges of the pages, it was in perfect condition for something printed in the early 1950's. I was glad to read this book and I figure to do so once a year or so. You see, I owe Dr. Martin Luther a lot. I grew up in a very strict, Baptist home; keeping the rules was of the highest importance and we did so out of obligation. Later I was a student at Bob Jones University and they taught "keeping the rules", "Doing X-Y- and Z" in order to be right with God, but I began to realize from the study of scripture, exactly as did Martin Luther, that saving faith is a gift from God himself and not an achievement you can gain by carefully observing the rules. Sincerity and extra effort don't endear us to God at all. It takes a little while to un-learn what you've been taught for years, but thank the Lord he stayed with me and I can say now, as did Luther then, that the Christian life is simply a life lived in gratitude for what Christ has done for us - not for what we can do for ourselves. He took the penalty of our sins upon himself on the cross and we are declared "not-guilty" before God. That gift is ours by faith, which is relying on Christ's work - the faith that God gives us. What could be more simple yet so complex because it runs entirely counter to the way our human minds tend to work? Much of the work that Dr. Luther did was to preach, write and teach that we're made God's children - believers - by what Christ has done for us, without any help from us. Thank the Lord for his grace, for the life and testimony of Dr. Luther and for the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The Lord's richest blessings to you.