Luther's Commentary on Galatians

[Tron4JC]

http://www.studylight.org/com/mlg/

[Tron4JC]

http://www.trinitylutheranms.org/MartinLuther/SermonsPage.html

[Tio-Peregrino]

Here's a great site, which has some excellent notes on Galatians, as well.

Sonic Light (http://http://www.soniclight.com/constable/notes.htm)

Perhaps we should discuss a certain portion of Luther's commentary? What jumps out at you?

[Tron4JC]

Let's start with these words:

http://www.studylight.org/com/mlg/view.cgi?book=ga&chapter=005

Ye are fallen from grace.
That means you are no longer in the kingdom or condition of grace. When a person on board ship falls into the sea and is drowned it makes no difference from which end or side of the ship he falls into the water. Those who fall from grace perish no matter how they go about it. Those who seek to be justified by the Law are fallen from grace and are in grave danger of eternal death. If this holds true in the case of those who seek to be justified by the moral Law, what will become of those, I should like to know, who endeavor to be justified by their own regulations and vows? They will fall to the very bottom of hell. "Oh, no," they say, "we will fly straight into heaven. If you live according to the rules of Saint Francis, Saint Dominick, Saint Benedict, you will obtain the peace and mercy of God. If you perform the vows of chastity, obedience, etc., you will be rewarded with everlasting life." Let these playthings of the devil go to the place where they came from and listen to what Paul has to say in this verse in accordance with Christ's own teaching: "He that believeth in the Son of God, hath everlasting life; but he that believeth not in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth in him."

The words, "Ye are fallen from grace," must not be taken lightly. They are important. To fall from grace means to lose the atonement, the forgiveness of sins, the righteousness, liberty, and life which Jesus has merited for us by His death and resurrection. To lose the grace of God means to gain the wrath and judgment of God, death, the bondage of the devil, and everlasting condemnation.

[Caretaker]

I would be cautious of Martin Luther, having come out of Catholicism, and his intrinsic hatred of the Jews in his latter years.




From John Gill's exposition of Gal. 5:


Christ is become of no effect unto you�

Or "ye are abolished from Christ"; or as others by an "hypallage" read the words, "Christ is abolished unto you"; for by their seeking for justification by their own works, it was all one to them as if there was no Christ, and no righteousness in him, and no salvation by him; they had nothing to do with him, nor he with them:

whosoever of you are justified by the law;

that is, who sought to be justified by their obedience to the law, or who thought they were, and trusted in themselves that they were righteous; for otherwise, by the deeds of the law, no flesh living can be justified:

ye are fallen from grace;

that is, either from that grace which they professed to have; for there might be some in these churches, as in others, who were only nominal Christians, and formal professors; who had declared they saw themselves lost and undone sinners, destitute of a righteousness, and professed to believe in Christ alone for righteousness and strength, but now trusted in themselves, and in the works of the law: or from the scheme of grace in the whole of man's salvation, which will admit of no mixture of works; either it is one or the other, it cannot be both; wherefore by their taking on the side of works, they showed that they had entirely dropped the scheme of grace: or else from the Gospel of the grace of God, from whence they were removed, through the influence of false teachers; particularly the doctrine of free justification by the grace of God, through the righteousness of Christ; which was entirely set aside by their seeking to be instilled by the works of the law; and from this they might be said to be fallen, who were on such a bottom.

[Grace]

Sonic Light (http://www.soniclight.com/constable/notes.htm)



The link doesn't work.

[Tron4JC]

Caretaker: I would be cautious of Martin Luther, having come out of Catholicism, and his intrinsic hatred of the Jews in his latter years.

Me: Being raised Roman Catholic is not proof one's theology is in error especially if one left it.

And Luther did expected the Jews to be saved in his lifetime, because he thought the end would come then, and was disappointed. And he wrote things he should not and fell into sin. It was his own fault.

But that does not mean that should discredit everything he wrote.

It is fallacy to say if he sinned, that means he is altogether discredited. King David fell into heinous sins of adultery and murder, after all.

And just remember one thing- John Gill took after Calvin's theology on Calvinism and Calvin came out of Roman Catholicism, too.

[blitzkreig]

But that does not mean that should discredit everything he wrote.Absolutely I agree. Luther had error. I have error. We all error. As far as I know me we are still all human.

FWIW John Gill had a racist bent as well ...

But it is on Luther and his contemporary John Calvin's shoulders which we stand for a LOT of protestant Christian theology today. They were truly chosen of God to convey a message to us even in this day.

I look forward to meeting both of them someday.

[Tio-Peregrino]

The link doesn't work.

Woops...doubled up on the http!!! Let's try this:

Sonic Light (www.soniclight.com/constable/notes.htm)

[Ormly]

Absolutely I agree. Luther had error. I have error. We all error. As far as I know me we are still all human.

FWIW John Gill had a racist bent as well ...

But it is on Luther and his contemporary John Calvin's shoulders which we stand for a LOT of protestant Christian theology today. They were truly chosen of God to convey a message to us even in this day.


Part of it ...not all of it.