Main A Unique Vessel A Strong Stand A Reformer and Shepherd

XIII. Items Recovered through Luther

There is no doubt that Martin Luther was much used by the Lord in His great work of recovering basic truths of the Christian life. Watchman Nee, evaluating Luther’s contribution to the recovery, says:

I believe no one will doubt that Martin Luther was a servant of the Lord and the Reformation was the work of God. The Reformation was a great work, and it was a divine reaction. Surely the Lord used Luther as a mouthpiece; he was a man especially chosen by God. [17]

It is important to realize what the Lord recovered through Luther.

A. Justification by Faith

The most outstanding item recovered through Luther was the truth of justification by faith. His theme was sola fide, i.e., by faith alone, as Watchman Nee notes:

The problem of justification was solved following Luther. Justification is by faith, and having peace before the Lord is by faith. Luther not only gave us justification by faith; he also gave us an open Bible. [18]

B. Study of the Bible in the Original Languages

With Luther, there was a revival of the study of Greek and Hebrew. Until his time, Latin was the main language studied by scholars, and most writings were in Latin. But Luther encouraged the study of Greek and Hebrew:

Thus if the gospel is dear to us, we must pay great attention to the languages in which it comes. For it was not without purpose that God let the scripture be written in two languages alone, the Old Testament in Hebrew and the New in Greek. [19]

Luther translated the Bible from these original languages rather than from Latin, as had been the previous practice. Herder, quoted by Ebeling, commented upon Luther’s effect on Latin:

It is of no account that Erasmus, perhaps the most precise scholar the world has ever known, accused him of having brought Latin literature to an end. This reproach is no disgrace to him, and it should not be denied in the face of all the historical facts. For Latin religion, scholastic learning and the Roman language were far too closely bound together. [20]

C. Direct Access to God

Another positive result of Luther’s ministry was the opening of the way for sinners to contact the Savior without a mediating priest and without sacraments. Through Luther, sinners realized that the way was open for them to come directly to God.