The Freedom of a Christian
by Martin Luther
On This Page
Description
The Freedom of the Christian was Martin Luther's first public defense of the doctrine of justification by grace through faith on account of Christ alone. Luther's explosive rediscovery of the Gospel of Jesus Christ shattered the Church of Rome's foundation of works, which considered good works a part of salvation instead of a result of it. Here, Luther constructed a rich theology that relies on the full power of the Gospel, which not only grants saving faith but also nurtures that faith show more through good works done in the freest service. This new abridged translation from Adam Francisco, featuring a brief essay from Scott Keith, leaves no doubt that the Christian, secure in Christ, is truly free-free from sin, death, and the devil, and free to serve their neighbor. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Every Christian, especially those struggling with “faith vs. works”, should read this book. Also, other basic writings of Luther help a lot. Don’t get too swallowed up into the “freedom of the will” controversy until you’ve set aside “faith vs. works.” I wish I had read this book years ago.
This book also shows, despite the rough language of some of his writings, that Luther had a high opinion of Pope Leo X and was not above reaching out to him in humility and sincerity. This book shows an entirely different side to Luther. This edition includes Luther’s “Letter to Pope Leo X”. I recommend reading this letter along with the treatise. It’s critical to understanding Luther and the history of the Reformation movement.
This book also shows, despite the rough language of some of his writings, that Luther had a high opinion of Pope Leo X and was not above reaching out to him in humility and sincerity. This book shows an entirely different side to Luther. This edition includes Luther’s “Letter to Pope Leo X”. I recommend reading this letter along with the treatise. It’s critical to understanding Luther and the history of the Reformation movement.
Luther is always worth reading though his writings make up a vast library. This recent translation by Robert Kolb makes it very easy to read and this work is a basic one and short enough to read in no time. Nice intro by Carl Trueman.
The predominant points of the work itself concern the relationship between faith and works, using the verses concerning a tree and its fruit to make the point. This is a great work and should be a central source for any Christian theological debate. It also reflects the history of the church both by itself and in relation to the history of the spirit.
Martin Luther remains one of the most important figures in all of human history. There are very few people whose thinking and writing will have such an influence over 400 years after their deaths. He was a brilliant man whom I will always admire.
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Western Canon
206 works; 2 members
Talk Discussions
Past Discussions
Luther’s “The Freedom of a Christian” in Reformation Era: History and Literature (May 2023)
Author Information
Martin Luther (1483-1546) was the Father of the Reformation. Most famous possibly for his 95 theses, he wrote many works which sparked debate and helped shape thinking - not only in his own time, but ours as well.
Awards and Honors
Notable Lists
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Von der Freiheit eines Christenmenschen
- Original title
- Von der Freiheit eines Christenmenschen
- Original publication date
- 1520
- First words
- [Foreword] The year of 1520 was remarkable for Martin Luther.
[Series Preface] John Piper one wrote that books do not change people, but paragraphs do.
[Biography of Martin Luther] Martin Luther (1483-1546) was born in Germany.
To the perceptive, wise Hieronymus Muhlphort, electoral administrator of Zwickau, I, Martin Luther, an Augustinian, place freely myself at your service, sir, and wish you all blessings, my special dear friend and patron. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)[Foreword] It is a pleasure to commend this edition of a classic to a new generation of Christian readers.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)[Series Preface] Our prayer is that the Holy Spirit will use these short works to arrest your attention, preach the gospel to your soul, and motivate you to continue exploring the treasure chest of church history, to the praise and glory of God in Christ.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)[Biography of Martin Luther] The text before you is a new translation of the German included and edited in D. Martin Luthers Werke ...
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)May God grant us that we truly understand that and retain it. Amen - Original language
- German
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 402
- Popularity
- 77,014
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.82)
- Languages
- 6 — Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Russian
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 23
- ASINs
- 5
