Baptism in the Theology of Martin Luther

"Baptism in the Theology of Martin Luther satisfies the need for a comprehensive survey, in English, of Martin Luther on baptism. The mature Luther was unstinting in praise of baptism. How does his vigorously expressed sacramental understanding sit with his earlier reformation insights? What is its impact upon justification, faith, conversion, the Church? The tensions and paradoxes are examined. Analysis of formal doctrine is complemented by a picture of baptism 'in action', culled mainly from the "Lectures on Genesis. Central is baptism's 'present tense' -- its abiding force in the Christian's life, ever available for an encounter with God. His insistence that Christian progress is not onwards "from baptism, but a repeated return "to it emerges from the heart of Luther's thought. It is one of his most distinctive and important bequests to the Church. This publication has also been published in paperback, please click here for details.Trigg, Jonathan D. is the author of 'Baptism in the Theology of Martin Luther' with ISBN 9789004100169 and ISBN 9004100164.