Martin Luther

… “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”

N May of this year Lisa and I spent 11 days in Germany with my Mom & Dad walking in the “Steps of Luther”.

It was a trip that I had been thinking about and planning for years. As 2017 is the 500th anniversary of the posting of the 95 Theses and with Germany planning a huge celebration we thought 6 months before the festivities begin would be the perfect time to visit… It was!

Being a Martin Luther admirer for most of my adult life, I knew the basic narrative of Luther’s life, the major events, and his theological foundations. What seeing the actual places and experiencing Luther first hand did for my soul caught me by complete surprise. In tears several times as we literally walked where Luther walked, we saw and experienced more than typical tourist attractions and historical markers. We met Dr. Luther himself in Marburg, Leipzig, Torgau, Wittenberg, Eisleben, Wartburg, and Worms. Day by day we seemed get to know not just the stories a little better, but meet the man. It is my hope to introduce you personally to this man I’ve come to know this year in an intimate way. “Herr Doctor” Martin Luther the man.

As you will experience over the next several weeks, the story of Martin Luther is

not neat and tidy. There are stories and quotes from his writings and letters that will both thrill and mystify the modern Reformed believer. It may be impossible for a Christian today not to be offended in someway by reading and studying Martin Luther. So you are fore warned. We will not be following a chronology of Luther’s life, instead we will look ‘thematically’ at the people, places and events that only a Sovereign God could have orchestrated.

The goal of this class is neither to glorify the genius and unique set of gifts of one man, nor to vilify the Roman Ca tho l i c Church - that is low hanging fruit. The goal is to glorify the Triune God who chose to recover His Gospel and glorify Himself and like the days of the Apostles chose to “Turn the world upside

down” (Acts 17:6) once again.I hope you enjoy this class as much as I have preparing for it…

1. The Land of Luther (A World Ready For Change)

2. A Sovereign Plan (The Architect & Plan of Change)

3. The Monk (A Neurotic that Changed the World)

4. Wittenberg, Saxony (Where The World Changed)

5. The Theses & Tower (Why The World Changed)

6. 1520 (The Year The World Changed) 7. Brand Luther (How The World Changed)

8. Of Worms & Warts (The Day The World Changed)

9. Luther The Man (The Man Who Changed The World)

10. A Sinner’s Legacy (A World Changed & In Need)

For Class InformationReference Materials

Class HandoutsVisit:

REDEEMER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WINTER 2016 / 2017

The Man, The Life & The Changing of the World

As this class will be a “thematic” look at Martin Luther and the dawn of the Protestant Reformation we will draw on several “main” sources: Published in English for the first time in 1983 to celebrate Luther’s 500th birthday, Martin Breck’s 3 Volume (1400+

Pages) Biography is without question the best thing done to date on Luther’s life. We will also use clips most every week from the 1953 & 2003 movies made on the life of Luther. They are both worth watching. Finally, we will using primary

source material mostly from the American Edition of the Works of Luther now at over 60+ volumes. Other sources: Let me know if I can help you with any other resources you may be looking for.

I

SOURCES USED IN THIS STUDY

Week & Topic

LutherQuoted.com

Redeemer-McKinney.com

“What a wee little part of a person’s life are his acts and words! His real life is led in his head, and is known to none but himself… Biographies are but the clothes and buttons of a

man - the biography of the man himself can not be written” 1

Sometimes We Are Not Prepared for God’s Blessing… The Trip: Here is a little example of how I was not prepared to be as moved as I was as we walked in the steps of Luther last May… As we begin this journey together, here is where it began for me/us in Germany. Problems With Studying / Understanding Martin Luther MIT’s Pantheon Project: The MIT Pantheon measured human cultural production from 800 BC to 1950 AD. (http://pantheon.media.mit.edu/) It identified 4,002 individuals and ranked them against each other The project shows how influential Martin Luther is to world History not only Church History.

Primary Sources: There is simply too much material for anyone to personally grasp let alone comprehend… Primary Sources (Luther’s own writings): Luther’s compiled German and Latin Writings are 120 very Large Volumes. The American Edition has 61 Volumes and still growing at 1 -2 per year.

Secondary Sources: The problem is not only the sheer volume of sources, biographies, etc., but they come from almost every conceivable theological, and political ideology. Everyone wants Luther on their “team”. I do too, but we need to take the man in the context of where he was… if he would say that Ulrich Zwingli was from “another spirit”, what would he say to 21st century American Evangelical Christians? A Medieval Life: We can never forget Luther was a man of his times. In school he learned Ptolomy’s earth centered cosmology, and rejected the theory from a young Wittenberg professor who left the University (most likely by Luther himself) to work with a colleague in Frauenburg named Nicolas Copernicus. Luther owned a “world map” that identified a total of 534 cities in the world and included nothing discovered by Columbus.

My Intent For This Study My Bias: My bias is obvious… I/we believe in the absolute authority off the Scriptures, subscribe to the Westminster standards and am “Presbyterian” by conviction - So I will try to take Luther as he is… Great, Good, Bad, and Really Bad… As a believer, I think it may be impossible not to both love and be offended at some point by Luther. I believe looking for God’s sovereign hand in the ultimate recovery of the Gospel is the most beneficial way to approach Luther. It is the beginning and the ending of his story and needs to be ours as well..

A “Thematic” Study?: Just about any Biography of Luther (I have close to 20) will tell you in chronological order the facts and events of a his life. The focus of this study is really the story of how a Holy God recovered the Gospel of Christ and in the process changed the world. We will try to answer not only the “What” but the “How”, “When”, “Where”, and “Why’” questions that can only be answered in Luther’s life, as in ours, through time and the lens of Scripture.

Optional Supplemental Resources: In conjunction with the course I am also rolling out a new website this week (www.LutherQuoted.com). You will be able to follow the class, print out lessons you missed, and I will post optional reading material and other resources that you can print and add to your notebook. Please find me between SS and church or interact with me on the website if you have questions. My e-mail address is mtrigsted@gmail.com.

PAGE 2 ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL

Course Introduction(Week By Week Overview)

“Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word”

(Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort)

Lord, keep us in Thy Word and work, Restrain the murderous Pope and Turk,

Who fain would tear from off Thy throne Christ Jesus, Thy beloved Son.

Lord Jesus Christ, Your pow'r make

known, For You are Lord of lords alone; Defend Your holy Church that we

May sing your praise eternally.

O Comforter of priceless worth, Send peace and unity on earth;

Support us in our final strife And lead us out of death to life.

Destroy their counsels, Lord our God,

And smite them with an iron rod, And let them fall into the snare

Which for Thy Christians they prepare.

So that at last they may perceive That, Lord our God, Thou still dost live,

And dost deliver mightily All those who put their trust in Thee.

Martin Luther 2

(1543)

MARTIN LUTHER PAGE 3

“He rejoiced and he mourned, he was healthy and sick, he spoke tenderly and lashed out in anger, he believed and he doubted, he was courageous and afraid, he cursed and he prayed, he was thrilled and disappointed. The reformation was started not by an heroic robot, but by a dynamic human being leading a vigorous life. ” 3

Overview of the Class - By Week Week 1: The Land of LutherContent: We will learn about the background of the Holy Roman Empire, What was it like to live in the latter middle ages? We will also learn about the state of the “church” that Luther was born into.Goals: 1. To see how the world of the HRE was ready to change 2. Think about why the “church” was in the condition it was 3. By looking back, appreciate the unique blessings that we have today and think about how we can not allow our “church” to “decline”

Week 2: A Sovereign PlanContent: A study of the unique events, people and circumstances that only a Sovereign God could have orchestrated to bring about the Reformation. Goals: 1. Learn again how to look at history as the work of a Sovereign creator / architect 2. Think about how we are an extension of His work in the time of Luther 3. Marvel in the work of our Savior and Redeemer - then and now.

Week 3: The Monk Content: The events that led Martin Luther to abandon his study of the Law, and his struggle for peace of heart, mind and soul as an Augustinian friar.Goals: 1. To relate to Luther’s struggle for inner peace and assurance that we belong to Christ. 2. To see how God guides us the exact same way as Brother Martin, through the Word of God and Godly leaders and friends, and acts of kindness and providence.

Week 4: Wittenberg, Saxony - HREContent: A detailed study of the “home” city of the Reformation. We’ll look at its history, geography and why it became the center of the Reformation Goals: 1. To experience what it was like to live where Luther lived 2. To appreciate how God used local and national politics and personalities to bring about change 3. To appreciate how God preserved this amazing place for over 500 years so that we can give Him the glory of how important the Gospel of Christ was then and is today.

Week 5: The Theses and The TowerContent: A study of Luther’s “breakthrough”, and the background of the 95 ThesesGoals: 1. Compare our salvation “experience” to Luther’s 2. To see how God guides us the exact same way as Brother Martin, through the Word of God and Godly leaders and friends, as well as acts of kindness and providence.

Week 6: 1520 Content: A detailed study of the works and events of 1520 that led to the establishment of Luther’s key theological positions, and set the stage for his excommunication and the Diet of Worms.Goals: 1. Compare Luther’s 1520 works with classic Westminster standards. 2. Understand how even in he midst of establishing his firm theological positions, Luther was first a pastor ministering to his people, a goal for all of us

Week 7: Brand Luther Content: A study of how Luther and his publishers turned Wittenberg into the publishing center of Europe.Goals: 1. Learn the unique way Luther used communication in the languages of both the church and the common man 2. See how God uses the unique talents and gifts of men to proclaim the Gospel

New Luther PublicationsTwo new publications illustrate the problems of Luther interpretation.

Scott Hendrix’s new Biography is a great addition. New research and a very well written and balanced biography is highly recommended.

On the other hand Martin E. Marty a highly respected (University of Chicago) scholar recently published “October 31, 1517”. I ordered it as soon as it came out and was horrified when I actually read it. Instead of new insight on the start of the Reformation, Prof Marty basically highlights Pope Francis and uses the anniversary of the start of the Reformation to push an ecumenical Catholic / Lutheran coming together to end division. This is 2 completely different interpretations of the exact same events. As the 500th celebration continues we can expect more of the same.

Bibliography & Notes1. Mark Twain as quoted in Hendrix, Scott H. Martin Luther: Visionary Reformer. New Haven: Yale

University Press, 2015. Dedication Page

2. Luther, Martin. The Hymns of Martin Luther.: Concordia Pub House, 2016. 38. Print.(Original words found: www.projectwittenberg.org/etext/hymnals/ELHB1912/274word.txt)

3. Hendrix, Scott H. Martin Luther: Visionary Reformer. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2015. Preface

PAGE 4 ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL

Q&A ...My Take a Ways...

Will you commit to being engaged and taking part in the class…?

Are there any aspects of Luther’s life that are particularly of interest?

Have you read anything by Martin Luther, would you be willing to?

NEXT WEEKA Sovereign Plan:Next week we will study the lives and backgrounds of 4 men Martin Luther, Johann von Staupitz, Vicar General, Fredrick III, Elector of Saxony, and Lucas Cranach- And the circumstances that God used to Sovereignly bring them together and bring about the reformation

Major Resources For This Study

Overview of the Course/Class (Cont.)

Week 8: Of Worms & WartsContent: The history of the Diet of Worms and Luther's time at the Wartburg Castle.Goals: 1. The role of Christian courage and conviction 2. How God uses the word of God in our lives

Week 9: Luther The ManContent: A look at the Martin Luther the man… His personality, his family, the personal side of the man who changed the world.Goals: 1. Remember how alike we all are. 2. The role of husband and wife, and family in God’s economy

Week 10: A Sinner’s LegacyContent: We will take an honest and sobering look at the controversial Luther.Goals: 1. Looking for racism in our apologetics 2. Realizing that even the best men are just men and susceptible to error. 3. The need for the church of Jesus Christ to be continually refor ming

Biographies

Martin Luther (3 Vol.)Martin Brecht

Luther: Man between God &

The DevilHeiko Oberman

Movies

(1953) (2003)

Extra ResourceThis Week

Martin Luther: Lessons From His Life and Work

John Piper

Download atwww.LutherQuoted.com