The Lord be with you
The Bible remains timeless because the condition and concerns of humanity really doesn’t change over time. We face, fundamentally, the same problems and challenges as well as strive and hope for the same things that generation after generation has done so. The answers God supplies remain unchanged as well.
For the same reason the writings of Martin Luther seem to remain timeless. I guess that is why more is written about Martin Luther than anyone else in history, except Jesus Christ. However reading something about Luther is not the same as reading Luther. But reading Luther might not be as easy as one might expect. I personally have nearly 100 book filled with the words of Luther, and more are being published all the time. Purchasing and reading these is fine for a pastor, but for the regular active Christian it is a bit much (at least in my opinion).
Ewald M Plass did the Church a great kindness when, back in 1958, his third and final volume of a collection of Luther quotes were published by Concordia Publishing House. Today they are available in a single volume. The title is, WHAT LUTHER SAYS: A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian. Quotes are arranged topically and provided with a short introducing comment, often bridging the thought between two quotes that follow each other. At the end of each quote, Plass provides references to where the quote is found in “scholarly” editions of Luther’s Works. The key to the abbreviations is on page xxvi.
So you can read Luther in his own words instead of just reading what others say Luther said (or meant, or would have said, etc.). So you can get a feel for the book, I’m going to do a series of posts from the book. The first one is the first quote under to topic of baptism. It is the 119th quote in the book.
AS A DIVINE institution (Matt. 28:19), Baptism was of great importance to Martin Luther, aside from any spiritual benefits it may confer. So he says in the article on this ordinance in his Large Catechism (1529).
119 Baptism Important Because Divinely Instituted The world is now full of sects which exclaim that Baptism is merely an external matter and that external matters are of no use. However, let it be ever so much an external matter; here stand God’s Word and command which institute, establish, and confirm Baptism. However, whatever God institutes and commands cannot be useless but must be an altogether precious matter, even if it were worth less than a straw in appearance. (W 30 I, 212 f—E 21, 129 – SL 10, 123)
Plass, Ewald M WHAT LUTHER SAYS: A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian 43
This is a book that every Christian would profit from and one that should be in every Lutheran’s home. Two thumbs up.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Rickert