Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, vol.25: Lectures on Romans (Saint Louis: Concordia, 1972). $31.35.

Reviewed by Rev. Michael Brown

Reading Martin Luther’s lectures on Paul’s epistle to the Romans is an amazing experience. Not only does one get to read this primary source straight from the dawn of the Protestant Reformation, but with each passing chapter one witnesses the power of the Word of God transforming a man in his understanding of the gospel.

These lectures took place at the University of Wittenberg from spring 1515 until fall 1516. The book is divided into two main parts. The first part is Luther’s glosses of the Latin text. This runs for 132 pages. The second part is the scholia, that is, the commentary on the actual text. This runs for nearly 400 pages.

It should be understood that these lectures are given by a medieval scholar who was, at the time, still very much medieval in his thinking. Luther’s Protestantism was not yet fully developed. Let the reader understand! One does not want to make the mistake of assuming these lectures represent the mature Luther who was a champion of the doctrine of justification by faith alone. That comes later. At the time Luther gave these lectures, however, his Protestant theology was still baking in the oven, so to speak. When comparing these lectures to his later lectures on Galatians, one can readily see how Luther’s theology developed over time, particularly with regard to his understanding of faith as the sole instrument in justification.

Nevertheless, Luther’s lectures on Romans are a fascinating and educational read for any pastor or serious student of historical theology. They provide the reader with a firsthand witness of Protestant theology being worked out. Luther’s law/gospel paradigm becomes more clear as one continues to read through his comments on the text. He continually interacts with the medieval theologians (some working knowledge of them is certainly helpful to the reader), but relies heavily on Augustine, especially with regard to his understanding of original sin. Most noteworthy is Luther’s strong affirmation of imputed righteousness. It is here where he begins to formulate his famous maxim, simul iustus et peccator, “simultaneously righteous and sinful.” He also begins to reform his medieval understanding of “old law” and “new law.” Says Luther:

“The real difference between the old and the new law is this, that the old law says to those who are proud in their own righteousness: ‘You must have Christ and his Spirit’; the new law says to those who humbly admit their spiritual poverty and seek Christ: ‘Behold, here is Christ and his Spirit.’ Therefore, they who interpret the term ‘Gospel’ as something else than ‘the good news’ do not understand the Gospel, as those people do who have turned the Gospel into a law rather grace and have made Christ a new Moses for us.”

Break-through statements like these are found throughout the scholia.

For anyone interested in the history of the Protestant understanding of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, these lectures are a must-read. Taken in their context, they can be very helpful to pastors preaching through Romans or teaching their congregation and/or catechumens about the Protestant Reformation and the development of Luther’s understanding of the gospel.

N. T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2003). $24.57.

Reviewed by Michael Brown

A couple of years ago I asked Dr. Peter Jones what he suggested I read for some work I was planning to do on 1 Corinthians 15. Knowing that Dr. Jones has for more than a decade engaged in extensive exegetical work on 1 Corinthians 15 (especially v.45), I figured he would be the guy to ask for suggested reading on this topic. Without hesitation he said, “The Resurrection of the Son of God by NT Wright!” Surprised, I replied, “NT Wright? You mean, NT Wright as in NPP NT Wright?” “Trust me,” said Jones, “this is the NT Wright we like.” Yes, I was skeptical. As a Reformed pastor who subscribes to the Three Forms of Unity and the Protestant (read: Pauline) doctrine of justification by faith alone, I am not a fan of NT Wright in general. I am committed to opposing the New Perspective on Paul and warning Christ’s sheep of this subtle but potentially deadly compromise of the gospel. Nevertheless, Jones was right about this Wright: The Resurrection of the Son of God is a brilliant book that will take your breath away. It is nothing short of a monumental defense of the doctrine of the resurrection and an indispensable explanation of how the new creation has been inaugurated in this present evil age. This book is a credit to orthodoxy that will surely serve the church for many years to come.

Wright divides his 738-page work (817 pages with the bibliography and index – yes, it’s massive, but it is very well-written and hard to put down) into five major parts. The first part is on “Setting the Scene,” in which he surveys pagan eschatologies and the ancient Greco-Roman concept of the afterlife (especially found in giants like Homer and Plato). He points out that “Christianity was born into a world where its central claim was known to be false. Many believed that the dead were non-existent; outside Judaism, nobody believed in resurrection.”

Part two is on “Resurrection in Paul” (and was my favorite part of the book, not that that matters much). Wright does a spectacular job combing through the Pauline corpus to show the significance of the doctrine of the resurrection for Paul. He devotes a full hundred pages just to Paul’s correspondence with the Corinthians, half of which is on 1 Corinthians 15 alone. Thus, the book is not only a biblical theological treatment of the doctrine of resurrection, but also provides a considerable amount of useful exegetical commentary.

Part three is on “Resurrection in Early Christianity (Apart from Paul)” in which he provides a helpful section on the doctrine of resurrection in the Patristics and non-canonical early Christian texts. He shows that the actual, physical resurrection of Jesus as the guarantee of our physical and glorious resurrection was confessed universally in the ancient church.

Part four is on “The Story of Easter.” Here Wright gives an excellent exposition of the Gospel accounts of Christ’s resurrection. He makes clear the fact that far from being a powerful piece of fiction, the Gospels record the historical event that caused Christianity to be launched in the first century.

Finally, part five is on “Belief, Event and Meaning,” and includes a valuable apologetic for the resurrection of Jesus. Wright carefully shows that the testimony of the empty tomb coupled with the testimony of the resurrection appearances of Christ, constitute “necessary and sufficient conditions of evidence” that compelled people in the first century to believe the gospel.

This book is the third in Wright’s series, Christian Origins and the Question of God. I cannot speak for the other volumes, but having just finished an eight-week series of sermons on 1 Corinthians 15, let me make this bold statement: no serious preaching or teaching on the doctrine of the resurrection should be done without Wright’s The Resurrection of the Son of God!