True Faith in the True God: An Introduction to Luther's Life and Thought, Revised and Expanded Edition
Overview
Most biographers of Martin Luther are faced with a choice—focus on Luther’s life or focus on his thought. The choice, though real, is false. Luther’s thought was inextricably bound up with his life. In this short, engaging volume, Hans Schwarz succeeds in blending the two—creating a volume that introduces Luther’s thought in the context of his life story.
True Faith in the True God meets the need for a clear and concise introduction to Luther’s life and teachings. After a brief overview of his life, the book examines Luther’s thoughts on key areas of the Christian faith and life, including the knowledge of God, church and sacraments, the Scriptures, marriage and parenthood, and vocation. Schwarz incorporates quotations from Luther’s own writings to show how Luther’s insights have relevance for all Christians today. With questions for reflection and discussion, this book can be used as a study resource for individuals, church groups, or college and seminary classes.
Fore more resources on Luther check out Henry Cole’s Select Works of Martin Luther (4 vols.).
Key Features
- Offers a concise introduction to Luther
- Covers both Luther’s life and thought
- Includes questions for reflection and discussion
Contents
- Luther’s Life and Work
- True Knowledge of God
- Faith and Reason
- The Divinity of God
- Humanity between God and Satan
- The Ordering Activity of God (The Two Kingdoms)
- Scripture Alone
- Law and Gospel
- Church and Sacraments
- Love, Marriage, and Parenthood
- Vocation
- The Impact on Education
- Luther and the Economy
- Luther and Music
Top Highlights
“While beforehand people thought of themselves as being fundamentally good, the proclamation and knowledge of the law makes them aware that this is pure self-deception. Hatred of God and despair result from the sinner’s knowledge that the requirements of the law cannot be fulfilled. This understanding of the law continually accuses us and delivers us over to wrath, judgment, and eternal death.” (Page 161)
“In contrast to the opinion of later Lutheran orthodoxy and of the Reformed tradition, there is, according to Luther, no so-called third use of the law applicable to the one who has been justified. The commandment of God, not the law, provides the Christian with guidance for the right way to live.” (Page 169)
“Law and gospel stand against one another, in that through the gospel the justification of the sinner occurs, contrary to what is possible through the law. It is the liberating gospel that must be believed, not the law that demands our condemnation.” (Page 163)
“The gospel, on the other hand, has as its content God’s promise in Christ. It announces that everything that the law requires has already been accomplished for us by Christ.” (Page 162)
Praise for the Print Edition
At once both accessible and substantial, True Faith in the True God is an engaging presentation of key aspects of Luther’s theology with an eye toward how it is that the Reformer’s evangelical teaching continues to instruct and challenge in the twenty-first century. Schwarz is conversant with contemporary Luther scholarship and he has distilled it in a format that will be helpful to students, pastors, and laity interested in deepening their understanding of Martin Luther.
—John T. Pless, Concordia Theological Seminary
Who else but Hans Schwarz could give us such a thorough and readable combination of Luther’s story and his teaching? He is able to cover all relevant subjects in a way that will interest a wide variety of readers—from those that are just beginning theology to those who are working on degrees. . . . It takes a great theologian and historian like Schwarz to bring Luther’s whole life and teaching into focus this way. This book will be treasured for years because of this accomplishment, and so we are grateful that it has arrived in our time.
—Steven Paulson, associate professor of systematic theology, Luther Seminary
When someone asks me, ‘what can I read to learn more about Luther’s theology?’ My answer is always the same: ‘Read True Faith in the True God by Hans Schwarz.’ It’s the most accessible and readable introduction to Luther that I know. Schwarz’s encyclopedic knowledge of Luther is readily apparent. He shares his love for and knowledge of Luther in a way that preserves all of Luther’s complexity while remaining readable. Schwarz is a master teacher!
—David Ratke, professor, Lenoir-Rhyne University
- Title: True Faith in the True God: An Introduction to Luther’s Life and Thought
- Author: Hans Schwarz
- Edition: Revised and Expanded Edition
- Publisher: Fortress Press
- Print Publication Date: 2015
- Logos Release Date: 2016
- Pages: 300
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Luther, Martin, 1483-1546; Reformation › Biography; Reformation
- ISBNs: 9781451490084, 9781506400402, 1451490089, 150640040X
- Resource ID: LLS:TRFTHTRGD
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T03:29:14Z
Sample Pages from the Print Edition
Reviews
1 rating
Glenn Crouch
11/1/2019
This book attempts the bold task to cover a biography of Luther and to discuss his theology and thought on a variety of important topics - and to do this in under 300 pages. Given that this is also the revised and expanded edition released for the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, I do wonder how the shorter, previous edition managed :) Whilst the Author does do quite a fine job, I repeatedly felt that my interest was peaked and... we then move on to the next topic. There a books far larger and in-depth that cover just Luther's biography - as well as ones that cover each of the many topics that this book includes. So it is probably a good place to start when it comes to learning more about Luther - not if you want good coverage of his life or to have a thorough discussion about how he viewed a particular topic. It does include a good bibliography with many fine references to find out more :)