Luther's Anti-Semitism

"How should we regard Luther in light of things he wrote and said that were clearly sinful concerning the Jews?"

As someone who has written on Luther (see my book at the following link: https://www.westbowpress.com/BookStore/BookDetails/499317-The-Life-Teaching-and-Legacy-of-Martin-Luther ), I have occasionally received the question above.

The best concise resource I know in response to this question is the article "Luther's Jewish Problem" by Bernard Howard, found at the following link: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/luthers-jewish-problem/ 

Whereas there are aspects of Luther's teaching and legacy that should be honored and celebrated (and those are the focus of my book), mature readers should also think carefully (and biblically!) about the negative, even grossly sinful, assertions in some of his materials, particularly concerning the Jews.

Martin Luther Taught Limited Atonement

At least when he gave his lectures on Romans, Martin Luther taught limited atonement:

“God will have all men to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4), and he gave his Son for us men, and he created man for the sake of eternal life. And likewise: Everything is there for man’s sake and he is there for God’s sake in order that he may enjoy him, etc. But this objection [to God’s sovereignty in salvation] and others like it can just as easily be refuted as the first one: because all these sayings must be understood only with respect to the elect [emphasis in original], as the apostle says in 2 Timothy 2:10, “All for the elect.” Christ did not die for absolutely all, for he says: “This is my blood which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20) and “for many” (Mark 14:24)–he did not say: for all–“to the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28). [Martin Luther, Lectures on Romans, translated and edited by Wilhelm Pauck (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1961), 252.]

In this teaching, Luther was following a stream of the Augustinian tradition, emphasizing the sovereignty of God in salvation and the effective work of Christ upon the cross.

While limited atonement is an important doctrine, in my book, The Life, Teaching, and Legacy of Martin Luther, I focus on doctrines that
Luther himself identified as most central to his teaching: the bondage of the will to sin, the theology of the Cross, and justification by faith alone.

You can buy the book at the following link: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Teaching-Legacy-Martin-Luther/dp/1490819967 .

Martin Luther Q&A: On Baptism

As a Baptist who has written on Martin Luther, I have often encountered the following question. 

Q: Is there a conflict between Martin Luther's firm adherence to justification by faith alone and his teaching on baptism?

Acknowledging the difference between Luther and Baptists on baptism, I would argue that there IS a conflict between Luther's teaching on baptism and his firm adherence to justification by faith alone, and we should reject his teaching on baptism, while heartily embracing his teaching on justification by faith alone.

A: In The Babylonian Captivity of the Church (1520),  Luther wrote of baptism:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to the riches of His mercy has preserved in His Church this sacrament at least, untouched and untainted by the ordinances of men, and has made it free to all nations and every estate of mankind, nor suffered it to be oppressed by the filthy and godless monsters of greed and superstition.

With this, Luther accepts the validity of infant baptism as taught and practiced by the Roman church. In support of infant baptism, Luther cites Mark 16:16–"He that believes and is baptized will be saved"–from the disputed longer ending of Mark's Gospel. Luther stresses that we must "consider this promise [from Mark 16:16], exercise our faith in it and never doubt that we are saved when we are baptized." In his assertions, Luther seems to lack awareness that:

1. The Mark 16:16 text seems to locate belief as either prior to or at least simultaneous with baptism, not as something that comes later.

2. There is no reason to think that "belief" should be defined differently for the one being baptized than for anyone else; therefore, belief is a personal matter and "the faith of others, namely, the faith of those who bring them to baptism" is NOT what counts for justification. (Strangely, Luther later writes of religious vows, "it is simply foolish and stupid for parents to dedicate their children, before birth or in early infancy, to 'the religious life,' or to perpetual chastity; no, it is certain that this can by no means be termed a vow. It seems a mockery of God to vow things which it is not at all in one's power to keep." Luther is correct about these vows, but notice: if parents cannot "dedicate their children, before birth or in early infancy, to 'the religious life'" this is an excellent argument against the idea that parents could exercise faith on behalf of their children.)

3. Luther's assertions, when discussing baptism, shift from defining "belief" as "faith in Christ alone for salvation" to "faith in one's own baptism."

Even as he writes about baptism in ways that–I would argue–are profoundly unhelpful, Luther still knows and loves the gospel, so even as he writes about infant baptism in a way that makes it seem like baptism itself brings about justification, in the section from The Babylonian Captivity on baptism, he also writes, "Even so it is not baptism that justifies or benefits anyone, but it is faith in the word of promise, to which baptism is added. This faith justifies, and fulfills that which baptism signifies...It cannot be true, therefore, that there is in the sacraments a power efficacious for justification, or that they are effective signs of grace. All such assertions tend to destroy faith, and arise from ignorance of the divine promise."

While Luther thought infant baptism was a highly important doctrine, it is not as if he thought the timing and mode of baptism are the core of the gospel. In my book, The Life, Teaching, and Legacy of Martin Luther, I focus on those doctrines that Luther himself identified as most central to his teaching: the bondage of the will to sin, the theology of the Cross, and justification by faith alone. You can buy the book at the following link: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Teaching-Legacy-Martin-Luther/dp/1490819967 .

Spiritual Warfare

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesian 6:10-12, NIV 1984)

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8 ESV)

The Christian life is full of abundant spiritual blessings, but it is also characterized by spiritual warfare. In order to successfully engage in this warfare, it is necessary to understand the strategies of our Enemy. In their expositions and illustrations from the Bible, John Bunyan, Dustin Benge, and Bruce Ware have provided helpful teaching on the crucial subject of Satan's strategies for spiritual warfare.

In Pilgrim's Progress (near the beginning the section often labelled "The Fourth Stage"), John Bunyan allegorically depicts spiritual warfare in a scene between Christian (the protagonist of the story) and the demon Apollyon. In the build-up to the fight, Apollyon tempts Christian by:

1. Promising worldly riches ("what our country will afford, I do here promise to give thee");

2. Questioning God's goodness and power ("he never came yet from the place where he is to deliver any that served him out of our hands");

3. Accusing Christian of past and ongoing sin ("thou art inwardly desirous of vainglory in all that thou sayest or doest").

Satan is the "accuser of the brethren." His role, as seen in Bible passages such as Job chapters 1-2 and Revelation 12:10, is to constantly bring accusations against the faithful. He attempts to bring these accusations before God, but he also impresses accusations on our own minds. These accusations take our focus off of God, placing our attention on ourselves. Once our focus is shifted, Satan or his demons can enact the strategy of undermining faith by prompting us to doubt God and to exalt our own worldly urges.

In his book The Loveliest Place, Dustin Benge turns to Genesis 3:1-4 to examine how Satan prompts us to doubt God. Satan or his demons prompt us to doubt:

1. God's Word ("Did God actually say...?");

2. God's goodness ("Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?");

3. God's authority ("You will not surely die!").

In classroom teaching at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Bruce Ware turns to Genesis 3:6 and cross-references 1 John 2:16 to demonstrate how our Enemy takes our natural urges but amplifies them to an idolatrous level and distorts them in order to dishonor God and to do us harm. Ware teaches about:

1. The hedonist urge (“good for food”);

2. The covetous urge (“pleasant to the eyes”);

3. The prideful urge (“to be desired to make one wise”).

Ware observes:

Now [as the serpent tempts her,] the woman for the first time is thinking about God, not as the source of her good, the one who wishes her best, who wants to provide and care for her, but now the tempter is causing the woman to think rather of God as a withholder, stingy, resentful, not wishing for her to experience all that can be experienced in life.

In this we see how Satan's attacks–whether they come as accusing us, prompting us to doubt God, or enflaming our desires–are all an attack on God's glory and on our faith. Satan's motivation is to belittle God and to harm His people. We combat Satan and his demons by glorifying God above all (exalting Him in our mind's attention, heart's desires, soul's affections, and body's actions) and by trusting in His Word.