Giants of the Reformation (1)

“…whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4.14

The Freedom of a Christian
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
“Many people have considered Christian faith as an easy thing, and not a few have given it a place among the virtues. They do this because they have not experienced it and have never tasted the great strength there is in faith. It is impossible to write well about it or to understand what has been written about it unless one has at one time or another experienced the courage which faith gives a man when trials oppress him. But he who has had even a faint taste of it can never write, speak, meditate, or hear enough concerning it. It is a living ‘spring of water welling up to eternal life,’ as Christ calls it in John 4.”

In 1520, Martin Luther published three powerful tracts which became the tipping point for reformation. The Freedom of the Christian insisted that faith, not works, was the ground of salvation, and of our justification in the sight of God. Christian faith is not merely something to be believed. Mere intellectual assent to certain spiritual or theological assertions does not constitute true faith in God and Christ. Faith must be experienced, in all the freedom from fear and sin it brings, before we can be said truly to possess it. Pastors must not be content for the people in their care to know anything less than faith as a perpetual spring of living water, bringing spiritual refreshment and revival in and through them as a way of life. Only then will the freedom they have in Christ enable them to blossom as true vines in His Kingdom. Luther staked his life on this belief. We can do no other.

Why do you suppose so many people who claim to be Christians are content with a faith that is “an easy thing” for them?

Mission Partners Outreach
The Lord calls all His sheep to live out their faith by being His witnesses; but being a witness for Christ doesn’t just happen. The flock of the Lord must be equipped for this calling, and Jesus has set shepherds over the flock to do that work. How can we equip the sheep to live for Christ and be His witnesses? Our Mission Partners Outreach provides the resources and framework for making witness-bearing disciples in your church. Want to learn how it works? Watch this brief video, then contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.for more information.

The Fellowship of Ailbe is supported through the generous and faithful gifts of those who benefit from and believe in our work. Does the Lord want to use you in this way? Please look to Him in prayer over this question. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the Contribute button at our website, or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452. Thank you.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.All quotations from Martin Luther, The Freedom of a Christianin John Dillenberger, ed., Martin Luther: Selections from His Writings(New York: Doubleday, 1962).