Top Ten List of Luther’s Writings from Lutheranism 101 | Lutheranism 101

Top Ten List of Luther’s Writings from Lutheranism 101 | Lutheranism 101

Top Ten List of Luther’s Writings, beginning at #10:

■10. On the Councils and the Church (1539) Did Luther start a “new” church? This work first explains the great ancient councils of the Christian Church and then shows ways in which we can recognize where the true Church of Christ can be found today.
■9. Genesis (1535–45) Luther spent his last years lecturing to students on Genesis. This work shows God the Holy Trinity at work in the Old Testament to teach and save His people.
■8. Confession concerning Christ’s Supper (1528) Luther’s disagreement with Ulrich Zwingli on the Lord’s Supper was crucially important. Luther holds to the literal understanding of Jesus’ words in the Supper and concludes with his own statement of faith.
■7. Galatians (1535) “The Epistle to the Galatians,” Luther said, “is my epistle, to which I am betrothed.” Here is Luther’s teaching of salvation in all its clarity and beauty.
■6. Bondage of the Will (1525) Sinful human beings are not free to choose between God or the devil, good or evil, salvation or damnation. Luther shows that, instead, God chose us Christians.
■5. Freedom of a Christian (1520) This early work helped clarify Luther’s theology: a Christian is totally free from sin through faith in Christ but must also serve his or her neighbor in love.
■4. Church Postil and House Postil. After Luther’s catechisms, his sermons have been his most popular writings through the centuries. These sermons follow the life of Christ through the Church Year and provide a wealth of Christian teaching.
■3. Smalcald Articles (1537) Luther prepared this statement of faith for a council announced by Pope Paul III in 1536, a council that did not actually take place until after Luther’s death. With the two catechisms, this writing was included in the Book of Concord (see p. 186) and is a standard for Lutheran teaching and practice.
■2. Large Catechism (1529) Based on sermons in 1529, this book explains the Ten Commandments, Creed, Lord’s Prayer, Baptism, and the Sacrament of the Altar in a conversational style.
■1. Small Catechism (1529) After visiting the churches in Saxony, Luther was convinced that people needed a short manual on the basics of Christianity. The Small Catechism has been Luther’s most popular and important work ever since.