Martin Luther's Definition Of Faith: A Historical Perspective

Martin Luther's definition of faith is complex and multifaceted. In his writings, Luther emphasises the active nature of faith, describing it as a living, bold trust in God's grace. For Luther, faith is not a passive idea but a transformative force that brings about a new birth and changes people's hearts, spirits, thoughts and powers. This faith, according to Luther, is a gift from God, and it leads to good works as a natural consequence. Luther argues that faith and good works are inseparable, just as heat and light are inseparable from fire.

Luther's concept of faith is also characterised by certainty and confidence. He describes faith as a daring confidence in God's grace, so sure that a believer would stake their life on it a thousand times. This confidence, according to Luther, brings joy and boldness in one's relationship with God and all creatures.

Additionally, Luther's definition of faith includes the idea of reliance on God's promise of grace. Faith, for Luther, is not about human effort or merit but about trusting solely in Christ and the gospel promise. This trust goes against human nature and reason, as it clings to God's Word and promise despite what the world, our hearts, or our circumstances might indicate.

Furthermore, Luther's understanding of faith also involves a personal decision and commitment. Faith, for Luther, is not a vague or generic concept but a specific trust that holds Jesus as its sole object. It is a hearty trust in the grace and goodness of God as experienced and revealed through his Word.

In summary, Martin Luther defines faith as a living, active, and powerful trust in God's grace, leading to boldness, joy, and good works. It is a gift from God that transforms the believer and results in a confident reliance on Christ and God's promises, rather than human efforts.

Faith is a living, bold trust in God's grace

Martin Luther's definition of faith is a powerful one: "a living, bold trust in God's grace". Luther's faith is not a passive idea, but an active, bold, and daring confidence in God's grace. It is a relationship with God that transforms the believer, bringing them new birth and the Holy Spirit. This faith is not a human notion but a divine work, and it leads to action.

Luther's understanding of faith is in direct opposition to the common understanding of his time. He critiques the notion that faith is something that can be generated by human effort, stating that such an idea is a "delusion" and a "human dream". He argues that true faith is not something that can be created by hearing the gospel and then working to generate belief. Instead, faith is something that comes from God and changes a person from the inside out, bringing them new birth and the Holy Spirit.

Luther describes faith as a "living, busy, active, mighty thing". It is not passive but dynamic, and it leads to action. He writes that it is "impossible" for faith to "not be doing good works incessantly". This is because faith is a trust in God's grace, and such confidence makes people "glad and bold and happy in dealing with God and with all creatures". This relationship with God, established through faith, naturally leads to good works and service to others.

Luther's definition of faith is also in opposition to the Roman Catholic Church's definition, which he saw as undercutting the free gospel of grace. The Roman Catholic view defined faith as trust and obedience (works). Luther rejected this concept, believing it would lead people back to seeking justification by works of the law. He argued that faith is reliance on the gospel promise and a specific trust that holds Jesus as its sole object.

Luther's definition of faith is a bold and powerful one. It is a dynamic relationship with God that transforms the believer and leads them to bold and joyful action.

Faith is not a vague, generic faith

Martin Luther's definition of faith is a far cry from the vague, generic faith that some people hold. Luther's faith is a powerful, living, bold trust in God's grace. It is not a passive belief but an active force that brings about change and gives new birth from God. It is not a human idea or dream but a divine work that transforms us from the inside out, killing the 'Old Adam' and making us completely new creations.

Luther's faith is not a vague notion but a specific trust with Jesus as its sole object. It is a daring confidence in God's grace, so sure that a believer would stake their life on it a thousand times over. It is a clinging to Christ and the promises of the gospel, resting in Him and not in one's own works. Luther's faith is not a mere intellectual assent but a complete reliance on Christ, trusting in His goodness and truthfulness despite what our circumstances, hearts, or reason may tell us.

Luther's faith is not a work but a gift from God, and it is not earned by human effort or merit. It is not something that can be demanded or willed into existence but is a gracious gift that must be prayed for and received. It is not a vague, generic faith but a specific, personal trust in the person and work of Christ.

Luther's faith is also not an individualistic faith but one that necessarily leads to good works and service to others. It is not a private belief but a public declaration of trust in God, expressed through a life of joyful service to one's neighbour. Luther's faith is not a solitary journey but a communal one, where believers are caught up beyond themselves into God and descend beneath themselves to serve their neighbour.

In summary, Luther's faith is not a vague, generic faith but a powerful, specific trust in God's grace through Christ, received as a gift and expressed in a life of service to others. It is a bold, daring confidence that transforms the believer and leads them to boldly and joyfully serve their neighbour.

Faith is not a human notion

In Martin Luther's view, faith is not a human notion or dream, but a divine work in us that changes us and makes us born anew of God. It is not a vague "faith in God", but a specific trust that holds Jesus as its sole object. It is not a human idea, but a living, bold trust in God's grace.

Luther's view of faith is that it is not a human achievement, but a gift of God's grace. It is not something that can be earned by good works or piousness, but is instead a gift from God that changes our hearts, spirits, thoughts and powers. It brings the Holy Spirit, and with it, a joyful boldness in our relationship with God and all creatures.

Luther's view of faith is in direct opposition to the Roman Catholic Church's view at the time, which defined faith as trust and obedience (works). The Church stated that faith could not be raw trust that stood alone, but that it had to produce works, and these works would justify man before God. Luther rejected this concept, believing it would cause man to seek justification by works of the law once again, and look to be justified not through trust alone, but by love for God and neighbour.

Luther's definition of faith reveals a key aspect of his understanding of the gospel. He stood against the Roman Catholic Church's definition of faith, which undercut the free gospel of grace. He believed that vague definitions of faith that insert works and human effort back into the gospel would ruin the entire gospel message.

In Luther's view, faith is not a human notion, but a divine work in us, and a gift from God that brings us joy and boldness in our relationship with Him.

Faith is a divine work in us

In Martin Luther's view, faith is a divine work in us that changes us and gives us a new birth from God. It kills the old Adam and makes us completely different people. It changes our hearts, our spirits, our thoughts and all our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with it.

Luther saw faith as a living, bold trust in God's grace, so certain of God's favour that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God's grace makes one happy, joyful and bold in their relationship with God and all creatures. The Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, one freely, willingly and joyfully does good to everyone, serves everyone, and suffers all kinds of things out of love and praise for God, who has shown such grace.

Luther strongly opposed the idea that faith is a human notion and dream, or that it is merely intellectual assent. He believed that faith is not something that can be achieved by human effort or merit. Instead, it is a gift from God that changes us from within.

According to Luther, faith is not a vague "faith in God", or a generic faith in the Bible, but a specific trust that holds Jesus as its sole object. It is a hearty trust in the grace and goodness of God as experienced and revealed through His Word. Faith, for Luther, was a clinging to Christ and the promises of the gospel, a resting in Christ and not in one's own works. He understood faith as a confidence that God is good and true to His promise of grace to those who believe.

Luther's definition of faith reveals his understanding of the gospel. He stood against the Roman Catholic Church's definition of faith, which included works and human effort. He believed that faith was diametrically opposed to any work and that it was reliance on the gospel promise, trusting in the person and work of Christ alone.

In conclusion, for Luther, faith is a divine work in us that brings about a complete transformation. It is a living, daring and active confidence in God's grace, which leads to a bold and joyful relationship with God and others. It is a gift from God that cannot be earned or achieved through human effort, but only through trust in Jesus Christ and the gospel promise.

Faith is a rejection of all possible virtue

In his treatise "The Freedom of a Christian", Martin Luther writes that faith is "the rejection of all possible virtue". By this, he means that faith is not a human virtue or work, but a divine work in us. Faith is not something that we can achieve through our own efforts or merit, but it is a gift from God that changes us and makes us born anew. Luther argues that faith is not a vague "faith in God" or a generic faith in the Bible, but a specific trust that holds Jesus as its sole object.

Luther contrasts faith with the Roman Catholic practice of penance, which he saw as a human effort to merit forgiveness. According to the practice of penance, a person had to go through three steps to achieve forgiveness: contrition, confession, and satisfaction. Luther criticised this practice because it relied on human works and effort rather than on faith in God's grace. He believed that penance created doubt because people could never be certain if they had done enough to merit forgiveness.

Luther defines faith as "a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that the believer would stake his life on it a thousand times." This confidence in God's grace brings joy, boldness, and happiness in our relationship with God and all creatures. It is a living, active, and powerful thing that constantly does good works without ceasing. Faith brings the Holy Spirit, and it is impossible to separate faith and works just as it is impossible to separate heat and light from fire.

Luther emphasises that faith is not a human notion or dream, but a divine work that changes us from the inside out. It kills the old self and makes us completely new, giving us a new heart, spirit, mind, and powers. It is not something that we can achieve through our own efforts or merit, but it is a gift from God that we receive by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Luther's understanding of faith as "the rejection of all possible virtue" highlights the distinction between human works and divine grace. He argues that we cannot earn our righteousness or salvation through our own efforts or merit, but it is a gift from God that we receive by faith alone. This faith is not a passive belief but a living trust in God's grace that transforms us and empowers us to do good works.

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