Luther's Theology of the Cross

Christ in Luther’s Sermons on John

Dennis Ngien

• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN:
  9781532645792
  9781532645808
• eBook ISBN:
  9781532645815
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

Luther was fundamentally a preacher-pastor, "a care-taker of souls," whose ingenuity lies in his usage of the biblical message as a source of pastoral encouragement. This book seeks to capture the often-overlooked pastoral side of the Reformer through an examination of his sermons on John's gospel. The sermons on John show the intrinsic, close, and causal link between doctrine and consolation. They are an exercise of his vocation as a pastor, or more precisely, as a theologian of the cross who seeks to inculcate the good news of justification by faith in his people, leading them to experience it within the dialectic of law and gospel. St. John, said Luther, "is the master in the article of justification." Luther's theological method, namely, his theology of the cross, permeates and governs the exposition of the text, and all major themes of his theology-- Christology, Trinity, and soteriology--appear in his exegesis of John.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: St. John’s Way of Speaking
• Chapter 2: Divine Hiddenness
• Chapter 3: Enroll in the Spiritual School
• Chapter 4: Christ, the Bread of Life
• Chapter 5: Civil Kingdom and Christ’s Kingdom
• Chapter 6: Nestle on the Lap of Christ
• Chapter 7: Jesus, the Master Commentator
• Chapter 8: Prayer—Not Our Creation but God’s Gift
• Chapter 9: Alternation Between Suffering and Sweetness
• Chapter 10: The Glory of the Holy Spirit’s Office
• Chapter 11: Christological Predication
• Chapter 12: Bind to Christ’s Mouth
• Chapter 13: The Power of Christ’s Passion
• Chapter 14: Resurrection and Flame of Love
• Afterword
• Bibliography