Chapter 10: Martin Luther's False Views of God's Word
Chapter Ten Martin Luther's False Views of God's Word
Revealed by the Epistles Luther Rejected as Uncanonical: Hebrews, James, Jude, Revelation.
Of the 27 books of the New Testament, all were written by the end of the 1st Century A.D. There were translations into other languages and they became spread throughout, as well as expositions and commentaries. The churches, in general, were practically unanimous as to the authenticity and canonicity of our 27 books, excluding all other writings before the end of the 4th Century. In 382 A.D., the Council of Damascus at Rome considered the 27 New Testament books complete. In 393 A.D., the Councils of Hippo were like-minded. The Councils of Carthage (397 A.D. and 419 A.D.) concluded the same. For a thousand years, practically all the churches, East and West, down to the Reformation and the Council of Trent (1546 A.D.), were of the same opinion.
Did Martin Luther agree? NO! Luther could never reconcile the book of James with the book of Romans; as, they seemed to contradict each other. This baffled and confused Luther! For example, Romans 4:5 and James 2:17 seemed to be at odds with each other.
"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." (James 2:17).
"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." (Romans 4:5).
Luther, the great, so-called scholar and theologian, was unable to discern a very simple truth concerning Romans and James. He could not see that Romans is presenting a POSITIONAL truth; i.e., JUSTIFICATION IN GOD'S EYES. In other words, Salvation is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9), exempting any kind of works, including baptism!
Further, James is presenting a PRACITICAL truth concerning our WALK, or behavior after we become a Christian; therefore JUSTIFICATION in man's eyes.
Therefore, if I witness to someone about Christ and Salvation, and that person knows that I am living a despicable life, my witnessing will fall on dead ears. If my life does not show what a person expects to see in a Christian's life; therefore, my "faith...is dead" when witnessing to someone else.
Anything Luther didn't understand and thought to be contradictory to his beliefs, he regarded as unapostolic, unauthoritative, and practically uncanonical. He, therefore, placed Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation at the end of his New Testament as uncanonical. Also, in his Table of Contents they are separated from the other books and unnumbered in his German Translation (1521-1522 A.D.).
Luther claimed that Christ ascended to Heaven in His human nature! In Luther's Small Catechism, P.118, #153, entitled,
"What do the scriptures teach of Christ's ascension into Heaven?"
"The Scriptures teach that, according to His HUMAN NATURE, Christ visibly ascended to heaven and entered into the glory of His Father, as our Forerunner. Hebrews 6:20."
NOT TRUE! Christ, after His death, three days later arose from the dead in his RESURRECTED BODY (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). He walked on this earth 40 days, as Acts 1:3 states:
"To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion (His death on the cross, then resurrected) by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:"
In appearance, Christ's resurrected and glorified body was essentially identical with His earthly body that came forth from Mary's womb. Notice the words of Christ in Luke 24:1-53...
"And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?(V.38).
Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." (Luke 24:38-39).
Notice carefully that Christ states that His resurrected body is composed of flesh and BONES; not flesh and BLOOD. This is very important, because the Christians resurrected bodies are going to be like Christ's resurrected body. Notice in Philippians, Chapter Three.
For our conversation (Gr. meaning "heavenly citizenship") is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." (Php_3:20-21).
Therefore, when the Christian inherits his citizenship in Heaven, the earthly body of a Christian will be changed into a resurrected body like the glorified, resurrected body of Christ. God's Word clearly declares this in I Corinthians, Chapter 15 that...
"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption." (1 Corinthians 15:50).
We know from the foregoing Scriptures that Christ's earthly body was not just brought back to life as the same body He had preceding His death. His resurrected body was void of any blood, such as His earthly body possessed. Therefore, Christ's resurrected body was composed of flesh and bone, entirely foreign to our human bodies, which contain blood. As a Christian and a citizen of Heaven, we will reign with Christ in our new, glorified body with God's promise and assurance that...
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Revelation 21:4).
In our resurrected bodies, we will never experience again the things we experienced in our earthly bodies while on earth.
Luther's claim that Christ ascended to Heaven according to his Human Nature, would have Christ raised from the dead with the same body of flesh and blood that He was buried in. This would mean that the body of a Christian, since it is fashioned after Christ's resurrected body, would also be resurrected as the same corruptible body that had died. (We would be like Lazarus, raised from the dead, only to die again at a later time.) This is absolutely impossible! Revelation 21:4 states that all the things we experienced in our earthly bodies, we will never experience in our resurrected bodies in our Heavenly home.
Who are you going to believe? The infallible Word of God or the Catechism written by Luther, the "Master of Deceit."
Luther claims that Christ descended into Hell.
The following are Martin Luther's own words as found in his Small Catechism on P.116, Section #150.
"150. What do the Scriptures teach of Christ's descent into hell?
The Scriptures teach that Christ, having been made alive in His grave, descended into hell, not to suffer, but to proclaim His victory over His enemies.
[Christ was] put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit; by which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison. 1 Peter 3:18-19."
It is not my intention to write a full exposition on Luther's false theological beliefs contained in the above statement. I am only going to point out the errors that contradict other Scriptures with brief comments.
First Error: "Christ having been made alive in His grave." Christ was never "made alive" in the grave, as Christ never died and went to the grave. The body gave up the Spirit, i.e., Christ, who was manifested in the flesh could never die, only the body. You cannot "kill God!"
Second Error: Christ "descended into Hell." This is unbelievable, as this would contradict the clear statement of Christ, Himself, in Luke 23:43! Here, Jesus is speaking in Luke 23:42 to the "Thief on The Cross," who is now saved.
"And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43).
Third Error: "Also, He (i.e., Christ) went and preached unto the spirits in prison." (1 Peter 3:19). Luther should have also quoted 1 Peter 3:20, which gives the context of 1 Peter 3:19; but, failed to do so as it would contradict his teaching.
Now let us see what God is really saying, when we read 1 Peter 3:19-20 together.
"By which also he (Christ) went and preached unto the spirits in prison; (V.19).
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited (Genesis 6:3, for 120 years) in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by ("through") water." (1 Peter 3:19-20).
Very simply, these verses teach that Christ preached through Noah just as He does today through Christians who proclaim His Word to the lost, just as Noah did in the days before the flood. The people of Noah's day were imprisoned in their sin as,
"... every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:5 b).
God waited 120 years, then sent the flood judgment. Only eight people were saved in the ark, which carried them through the destroying flood waters. A far cry from Luther omitting 1 Peter 3:20, which explains 1 Peter 3:19, so he can lead you to believe that Christ went to a literal Hell where the lost are held. Christ did not go to "Hell," He went to Paradise! Please note Acts 2:31, which states,
"He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in HELL (Gr. "hades"), neither his flesh did see corruption." (Acts 2:31).
Read Luke 16:19-31. The word "hell" here is the same Greek word "hades." It had two compartments, one for the lost and one for the saved, separated by a great gulf. In Luke 16:22-23, the lost man was in torment and the beggar, who was saved, went to a place within Hades called "Abraham's Bosom." This is where Christ went, which He called "Paradise" in Luke 23:43. For a detailed study of Hell, with many diagrams, get our book entitled "A Biblical Examination of Hell."
Here is Luther, again, stating and leading one to believe that Christ went to Hell for three days while His body was in the grave. This is totally foreign to the Bible! He honestly has earned the title he deserves, "the Master of Deceit," by extracting one verse completely out of context to fit his preconceived philosophy.
Remember, Luther knew the Greek as he translated from it into his German Bible. Yet, his preachers today pawn off his false teachings by distributing his Catechisms to their unsuspecting church members.
Has your Lutheran preacher made known to you these lies concerning Luther's so-called Theology. If not, WHY? One would have to conclude they must believe the same false teaching as Martin Luther propagates which, in turn, they indoctrinate you with. Christ in addressing the false teachers of His day, which is applicable to all false teachers, states in Mark, Chapter Seven, the following.
"Howbeit in vain (Gr. "emptiness") do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." (Mark 7:7).