Faith Alone A Daily Devotional

Faith Alone Copyright © 1998, 2005 by James C. Galvin Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Luther, Martin, 1483-1546 [Selections. English. 2005] Faith alone : a daily devotional / Martin Luther; James C. Galvin, general editor.-Updated ed. in today's language. p. cm. Rev. ed. of: By faith alone. © 1998. Includes index. ISBN-10: 0-310-26536-3 ISBN-13: 978-0-310-26536-8 1. Devotional calendars. I. Galvin, James C. II. Title BR331. E6 2005 242'.2-dc22 2005004702 This edition printed on acid-free paper. An edition of this work was previously published by World under the title By Faith Alone © 1998 using God's Word translation. This updated edition is based on the New International Version. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other-except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Interior design by Michelle Espinoza Printed in the United States of America 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 /?DCI/ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Introduction Martin Luther is one of the most important figures in church history because God used him to launch one of the greatest revolutions of all-the Reformation. His writings are nearly five hundred years old yet still meaningful for us to read today. Born in Germany in 1483, Luther studied law at the University of Erfurt. During a violent thunderstorm, he made a dramatic vow to become a monk and soon after entered the Augustinian order. After rigorous academic study and intense, personal struggle to find God's approval, he rediscovered the gospel. He realized that we are saved by faith alone. After he was ordained, he was sent to the University of Wittenburg to teach theology. While there in 1517, he nailed the Ninety-five Theses on the church door to invite a theological debate. The topics he listed caused such a furor that the debate never took place. As Luther continued to write, preach, and teach, he quickly became the leading figure and focal point of the Reformation. Luther was a professor, theologian, former monk, scholar, author, Bible translator, and defender of the faith. But he was also a pastor, husband, father, and good friend to many. Luther was prolific. Besides writing commentaries, theological papers, and letters to friends, his students and followers took careful notes of his university lectures, sermons, and later in life, even his dinner conversations. He died in 1546 at the age of sixty-three. These selections, originally written by Martin Luther between 1513 and 1546, have all been freshly translated into English for this devotional. The goal was to make this edition both accurate and easy to understand. I selected the readings primarily from Luther's sermons, commentaries, and other devotional writings. These selections cover topics both theological and practical. Some of the theological themes you'll find include the centrality of Christ, justification by faith alone, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of putting faith in God above human reason. Practical themes include the struggle against sin and temptation, prayer, humility, the handling of wealth and possessions, the value of everyday work, the importance of marriage and family, and love for neighbor. You may read one selection a dLuther, Martin is the author of 'Faith Alone A Daily Devotional', published 2005 under ISBN 9780310265368 and ISBN 0310265363.