Martin Luther’s take on justification by faith in Romans : gauging its centrality or otherwise for Paul

Abstract

Martin Luther’s name has been linked with Paul’s letter to the Romans as a pivotal intersection in the doctrinal trajectory within Christian theology. Following his stand at the Diet of Worms and his productive solitude in the Wartburg, in 1522, Luther published his translation of the New Testament in German. He prefaced The Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans with these words: “This Epistle is really the chief part of the New Testament, and is truly the purest Gospel. It is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but also that he should occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul. We can never read it or ponder over it too much; for the more we deal with it, the more precious it becomes and the better it tastes.”