Lutheran Theology

The Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ is the true center of our salvation. Through a deep and compelling examination of Scripture, the author demonstrates that without Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, we would be lost. However, because of his death and resurrection, we now have the promise of eternal life in heaven with him. This book also reminds us that since Christ first loved us in this way, it is now our joy to take up our own cross daily and follow him.

The development of Martin Luther’s thought was both a symptom and moving force in the transformation of the Middle Ages into the modern world. Luther’s vigorous, colorful language still retains the excitement it had for thousands of his contemporaries. In this volume, Dr. Dillenberger has made a representative selection from Luther’s extensive writings, and has also provided the listener with a lucid introduction to his thought.

To Christians, nothing is more important than clearly confessing and bearing witness to the truths of God's word, which reveals the glorious Gospel of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. That is what the Book of Concord is all about. This edition of the Lutheran Confessions instructs, inspires, and educates all who use it and help them learn what it means to be, and to remain, a genuinely confessing Lutheran Christian.

Lutheran Christians may have as strong a hand to play as any faith tradition in today’s world. Grounded in reality and committed to God’s grace made real in Christ, Lutherans are able to be both hopeful and realistic in a way that is unique and life-giving. But to do that, we need to have a good idea what is in our hand and how to use the cards we have been dealt. In a clear, easy to read and useful style, Daubert gives 13 ideas (Ace through Two of our Lutheran “suit”) as well as ideas on how these concepts help us understand and articulate our faith in today’s world. Each chapter...

Help catechism students dig deeper. As listeners learn Martin Luther's foundational teachings in the Small Catechism, this volume will encourage them to go further in their doctrinal knowledge by studying the Large Catechism. Written by Luther in 1529, the Small and Large Catechisms provide a clear summary of God's Word on the essentials of the Christian faith. This edition combines the two catechisms and includes the woodcuts found in Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions.

Known as the father of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther has had an enormous impact on Western Christianity and culture. In Luther on the Christian Life, historian Carl Trueman introduces listeners to the lively Reformer, taking them on a tour of his historical context, theological system, and approach to the Christian life. Whether exploring Luther’s theology of protest, ever-present sense of humor, or misunderstood view of sanctification, this book will help modern listeners go deeper in their spiritual walk by learning from one of the great teachers of the faith.

The Office of the Holy Ministry within the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is in crisis. It is under attack from pastors who act like corporate executives and arrogant overlords, from bureaucrats who believe a pastor is a failure if he doesn't act like a corporate executive or a used car salesman, and from congregations who believe pastors are merely employees to be hired, evaluated, and fired. Too many pastors have fallen prey to these attitudes and the actions which follow. We call them Candidates, but these men and their families are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and they are ...

The Gospel of Christ Crucified offers a biblical reconstruction of the principal elements that make up the apostolic gospel. Assuming a first-century Jewish worldview, the apostles understood the death of Jesus primarily in sacrificial terms for the atonement of sins. In this way, their presupposed expectations of the future and eternal life remained fundamentally unaltered - the day of the Lord, resurrection of the dead, and kingdom of God would assuredly come because their Messiah had been vindicated by God.

This book is great for personal devotions, Bible Study, or preparing sermons. It features a Harmony of the passion and resurrection of Jesus. It is compiled from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It tells the story of our Lord from the events before Palm Sunday to the Easter resurrection and beyond. It includes Paul’s references to the appearances of Jesus after his resurrection, the ascension into heaven and Mark’s Longer Ending. The four Gospels of the New Testament tell the story of Jesus of Nazareth. They describe real events and actual people. The Gospels are not fiction. Here we are ...

Faith should be more than rituals and routines. It should move you, challenge you, and shape the way you live. That’s exactly what Pietism set out to do. Born in the quiet corners of 17th-century Europe, this movement turned stagnant religion into a dynamic force—one that put passion back into worship, purpose into belief, and power into the hands of everyday believers. Its impact still ripples through churches, communities, and hearts today. This isn’t just history—it’s the story of a movement that made faith personal. Pietists believed that Christianity wasn’t just about ...

Luther’s 95 Theses, written in Latin, were famously posted by Martin Luther on the door of the Castle Church, Wittenberg, on October 31, 1517, an event that came to be considered as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. The Theses focus on three main issues: selling forgiveness through indulgences, the pope’s claimed power of forgiveness, and the damage indulgences caused to sinners. The first thesis states, "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, "Repent," he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance."

Today, Martin Luther is known as the man who stood against popes and emperors in defense of the gospel. What drove this lone German monk to defy the Roman Catholic Church? It wasn’t arrogance or ignorance. Luther knew what it meant to live in the darkness of unresolved guilt. Once he discovered that his acceptance before God is a gift received by faith alone in the merits of Christ alone, Luther was set free, and he would not rest until the light of this truth went out to the world.

Lutheran Orthodoxy teaches that a vital part of the work of God in Christ is atonement by vicarious satisfaction. Vicarious satisfaction is attested in Scripture, the Lutheran confessions in the Book of Concord, explanations of the Catechism, Lutheran hymns, the liturgy, the Sacraments, and so on. Nevertheless, the atonement is in controversy in Lutheran circles. The adversaries deny vicarious satisfaction. They substitute a general amnesty that is announced in a bloodless absolution. According to them, the cross would not have been necessary had sinners only believed that God can and does ...

Many parts of Scripture seem incompatible or contradictory on the surface. How do Lutherans and other Bible-believing Christians resolve these areas? Is there a right or wrong way to interpret the Bible and its teachings? This book examines these questions and takes on controversial and confusing parts of God's word. The author discusses topics like predestination, God's providence, and the place of reason in religion, in an effort to show that a proper understanding of these elements can help guide us on the road to God.

Martin Luther started a reformation movement that revolutionized Europe in the sixteenth century. His far-reaching reforms of theological understanding and church practices radically modified both church and society in Europe and beyond. Paulson's introduction to Luther's thought provides an engaging introduction to Luther's multifaceted self and the ideas that catapulted him to fame.

Most all Christians know the name Martin Luther. Less familiar, however, are his words. This compilation of many of Luther's most important writings serves as an excellent introduction to those new to Luther. It also provides a fresh medium for people familiar with his writing. Included in this volume is: The Small Catechism, 95 Theses, On Faith and Coming to Christ, On Confession and the Lord's Supper, Of the Office of Preaching, Excerpt from Luther's Tower Experience, and The Last Written Words of Luther.

Step into a world where deadly demons and evil spirits roamed the land. No, this account was not in some fantastical science fictional realm but on our very own planet thousands of years ago. In 2000 Demons, you'll examine the biblical account of Jesus driving out demons from a person possessed and suffering. 2000 Demons will show you the very real danger of evil spirits, both then and today, but also the power your savior wields over darkness.

God uses broken vessels exclusively in the service of His Kingdom. Do you struggle with feeling unworthy of God's grace? Are you overwhelmed by regret and resentment over things that happened in the past (or are still going on in your life today)? Do you have a habit or sin that no matter how many times you "give it to God" you can't seem to shake? Have you ever truly examined yourself before the judgment seat of God? Do you ever struggle to know for sure that you've been saved when time-and-time again you find yourself falling back into the ways of the flesh? This isn't a light-hearted ...

The third of Martin Luther’s 1520 treatises, also referred to as A Treatise on Christian Liberty, this work focuses on the topics of justification and total salvation. Boldly, unmistakably, and directly contrasting the teachings of the church, Luther argued for the truth he found in studying the Bible on his own. Introducing, for the first time to many people, the argument for justification through faith alone, he knocked down the idea of being dependent on additional sacraments, penances, and works for salvation.

On October 31, 1517, an unknown monk nailed a theological pamphlet to a church door in a small university town and set in motion a process that helped usher in the modern world. Within a few years, Luther's ideas had spread like wildfire. His attempts to reform Christianity by returning it to its biblical roots split the Western Church, divided Europe, and polarized people's beliefs.