Great Christian Biographies with John Piper: Martin Luther, Part 2

Second thing that links us is that he was a family man eventually 41 years old he marries

Katarina von Bora. That would be worth a lecture, but You do that for your own people.

It'll be more interesting than this one probably He knew the pressure and the heartache of rearing and losing children

Katie Bore him six children boom boom boom she was 26 years old not 41 when they got married and and the first child

Johannes was born in 1526 Elizabeth was born in 1527 Magdalena 1529

Martin 1531 Paul 1533 and Margaret in 1534 now here compute with me again between Elizabeth and Magdalena He gets us right here, yes between the birth of Elizabeth 1527

Magdalena 1529 is the year that he preached 200 times and Elizabeth died that year at eight months old one of the reasons for this man's remarkable impact is that he was

Absolutely undaunted in his productivity. I Mean when you have a year

Where your kid gets sick and dies you take a break you cut back

You survive, right? He preached more that year than any other year Unless we think he neglected his children, which would be an easy thing to draw on those

Sunday afternoons For example after he had often preached twice once at 5 a .m.

And once at 10 He led his family in Afternoon devotions which for them was one hour and it was another sermon and it was just not for the kids

But for everybody who was in the house, and you know, his house was always full of visitors You learn that from the table talk

So Luther knew this is the second thing that unites us Luther knew the the pressures of being a public man

Pressured and a family man. Here's the third thing. He was a churchman He was not an ivory tower theological scholar he was in on and led most of the controversies of his day in those

Conferences there was the Heidelberg disputation. There was the Leipzig disputation with Eck and Karlstadt there was the diet of worms with the

Emperor There was the Marburg colloquy with Zwingli. There was the diet of Augsburg which produced that great document one after the other everybody in the

Northern Europe was looking to him as the lightning rod for getting these things worked out

Besides that there was a stream of publications that all related to the church in 1520.

He wrote a hundred and twenty 133 published works in 1522 130 in 1523 183 compute one every other day

He's preaching hundreds of times a year. He's lecturing every day at the

University. He has six kids and He writes a publishable document every other day besides that Everybody flocked to him besieging his door hourly trooped citizens doctors princes

Diplomatic enigmas were to be solved naughty theological points were to be settled the ethics of social life were to be laid down Now let me give you an illustration here because if you're like me you tend to resent interruptions when you want to study and You tend to excuse yourself for not being more productive because there are many pressures in your life and there are people to be visited in counseling sessions to be had and and Family matters to be tended to and broken cars to be fixed and while they didn't have broken cars to fix

They had broken bodies that nobody could figure out. Nobody could fix his constipation. I Mean, this was a horrible thing that he had to deal with.

I'll come back to that later I got things to say about his physical condition, but They had their problems.

No, no electric light during all this time No heat during all this time produced nice like we have heat here

Perfect temperature if gets a little chilly on the front row. I just kind of wasn't somebody fix this thing, you know, and I didn't have any of that So I wanted to know does

Martin Luther Deal with the nitty -gritty Practical stuff like how you do small groups in a church, you know well, here's what

I found out when the Reformation got underway and the

Fabric was rent for how you do church Who's gonna reinvent church

Who's gonna answer the hundreds of questions, what do we do now that the Rome is not our guide and mother anymore

Well, where did they look they look to poor Martin the university professor who's preaching 200 times a year

To answer every practical question. So here's what he suggests He goes to the the state officials in Saxony and he goes to the university says let's have visitors

Capital V send the visitors through all the parishes to Take stock of how the parishes are going and make suggestions for how to do church

He didn't use that term, but that's what he was doing and they say well, what are we going to tell him?

I'll write you something so he writes this thing called Instructions for the visitors of parish pastors in electoral

Saxony if you want to read Nitty -gritty

Stuff in Martin Luther get that little work in the collected works

For example among all the things he dealt with he has a section in there called the education of younger children

And he gets so specific that he says now the way we're going to do this and is that we'll break them down into pre -readers readers and advanced readers and Then he suggests how to teach them

They shall first learn to read the primer in which are found the alphabet the Lord's Prayer and the

Creed and other prayers When they have learned this they shall be given Donatus and Cato to read

Donatus and to expound Cato the schoolmaster is to expound one or two verses at a time and the children are to repeat these at a later time so that they thereby build up a vocabulary

Martin Luther wasting his time telling people how to teach kids, right?

Don't ever say That you can't be productive or that you don't have time to study because you got to solve nitty -gritty nursery problems or Sunday school problems or small group problems or worship problems

That's the way I feel and I'm rebuked By Martin Luther saying get off it

You're in the real world and I am a university professor And I preach two or three times a week and I go to conferences all over the world and besides that There's a warrant out for my arrest and I can be killed anywhere outside,

Saxony Get off it belly -aching American pastors

So my conclusion is let us listen to this man. All that's introduction believe it or not

What Difference the book made in his study now

Here's the key. I think the importance of study was so interwoven for Luther with the discovery of the gospel the precious

Conscience relieving cusp It was so interwoven how he made his discovery that he could never be anything but passionate about the importance of study

Couldn't he couldn't just given his history in his own personal life Study was never anything less than utterly crucial life -giving history shaping stuff that we are called

To do and I wonder today This is an exhortation

Whether we take so much for granted About the truth and about the word

That we can hardly imagine What it cost Luther to break through to the truth and to sustain access to the truth

We really need to ask brothers. We need to ask whether All the ground gained by Luther the other reformers

May be lost if we lose a passion for study

While assuming that truth just remains obvious now to see this

Intertwining of study and gospel discovery. Let's go back to his discovery. Let me read it to you

You've read this but I want to read it again. This is so I Mean this moment in his life

Which he dates in 1518 during his psalm lectures when he found the gospel and walked through gates into paradise the historical implications of this moment for our lives for this church and all your churches is just incalculable

Now listen as I read this. It's about a page and a half Listen as I read this for about six places

I'll point them out when I'm done, but you listen six places where study was the issue in the discovery

I had indeed been captivated with an extraordinary ardor for Understanding Paul in the epistle to the

Romans but up till then it was a single word in chapter 1 verse 17

In it the righteousness of God is revealed that had stood in my way

For I hated that word righteousness of God Which according to the use and custom of all the teachers

I had been taught to understand philosophically regarding the formal or active

Righteousness as they called it with which God is righteous and punishes the unrighteous sinner

Thus I raged against God with my troubled conscience nevertheless,

I I Beat importunately upon Paul at that place most ardently desiring to know what st.

Paul wanted At last by the mercy of God Meditating day and night

I gave heed to the context of the words namely in it

Righteousness of God is revealed as it is written. He who through faith is righteous shall live there there

I began to Understand that the righteousness of God is that by which righteous

The righteous lives by a gift of God namely by faith And this is the meaning the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel namely the passive righteousness with which the merciful

God justifies us by faith as It is written he who through faith is righteous shall live here.

I felt that I was altogether Born again and had entered

Paradise itself through open gates Here a totally other face of the entire scripture showed itself to me thereupon

I Ran through the scriptures from memory looking for analogies and I extolled my sweetest word with a love as great as the hatred with which

I had before hated the word righteousness of God thus that place in Paul was for me truly the gate of Paradise now, let me rehearse them for you.

I had been captivated with an extraordinary ardor for understanding

Paul I Beat importunately upon Paul at that place

Romans 1 17 at that place most ardently desiring to know what st. Paul wanted

Where are people today doing that? Where is somebody struggling with where are

I'm gonna Where are the Christian counselors today who are beating on the book of Romans?

Give it to me. Give me a solution for multiple personality disorder Where is anybody doing that at last by the mercy of God?

meditating day and night Thereupon I ran through the whole scripture from memory that place in Paul was for me a gate paradise

Paradise the seeds of all of Luther's study habits are

There they're all there. So let me begin. I've got six I think and here we go the marks of Luther at study number one

Luther came to elevate the biblical text itself above all commentators and church fathers

Maybe I don't need to dwell on this because it's been hit at least twice. He wrote

For a number of years I have now annually read through the Bible twice

Heiko Oman said he did that at least ten years after the Great Discovery read through the

Bible twice a year if the Bible were a large mighty tree he said and All its words were little branches.

I Have tapped at all the branches Eager to know what was there and what it had to offer

He who is well acquainted with the scripture text. He said is a distinguished

Theologian the dear fathers. He wrote the dear fathers wished by their writing to lead us to the scriptures

But we so use them as to be led away from the scriptures though the scriptures alone are the vineyard in which we ought to work and toil

The Bible is buried. He said in a wealth of commentaries and if he had a wealth

What do we have the Bible is buried in a wealth of commentaries and the text is being neglected

Although in every branch of learning They are the best who are well acquainted with their text now that Was not owing to a kind of purist literary liberal arts

Fascination it was owing to the very simple fact. He found his life that way

He found his life by beating on the Apostle Beating on verse 17 just hammering at it.

I will not let you go until you bless me and Speak to me the truth precinct accuracy by living with the

God of The scriptures I'm going to pass over things there and move to the second one the second thing is that Because of his preoccupation with the primary place of the text over against secondary literature.

He was intensely Preoccupied with grappling with the very words of Paul and the other biblical writers

Let's mark that Intensely preoccupied with grappling with the very words of Paul he told his students that the exegete should treat a difficult passage

Differently no differently than Moses did the rock in the desert when he smote it with his rod

In order to get water from it in the summer and the fall. Here's an illustration in the summer and the fall of 1526

Everybody almost had left Wittenberg that could leave Wittenberg because the plague he did not feel free to do that.

So he and Johannes Bruggenhagen stayed there and ministered the people and there's a little cluster of theological students left at the

University who didn't leave for some reason and He decided he would take up Ecclesiastes during the plague and teach it and he writes

Solomon the preacher is Giving me a hard time as though he begrudged anyone lecturing on him

But he must yield Hey, you see that's that that's years later, but it's the same metaphor

He beat he beat importantly on the Apostle Paul and here he says

Solomon you will yield Word of God will be understood

Here. I will not let you go So that's the second trait of his study an intense preoccupation with the very wording of the text

Here's the third one The power and preciousness of what

Luther saw when he beat Important importantly on on the Apostles language convinced him forever that reading

Greek and Hebrew Was one of the greatest privileges and responsibilities of a

Reformation preacher Now we've heard a little bit from both Kent and Ian but both of them

I think a little timidly. I'm not going to be timid Because I am representing

Luther and he didn't know the meaning of the word timid All right.

Now just put on your thick skins all you who have forgotten your

Greek and Hebrew Because you're gonna feel awful when I'm done though.

I will try to rescue you from the pit at the end He said

He is certain That unless the languages remain the gospel must finally perish

This there's no there's no academic gamesmanship, he's not playing around with oh

Let's be scholarly He asks Do you inquire?

What use there is in learning the languages? Do you say we can read the Bible? Well in German?

And he answers his own question without the languages We could not have received the gospel this is why it's so precious to him without the languages we could not have received the gospel

Languages are the scabbard that contains the word of the Spirit if we neglect

The literature we shall eventually lose the gospel No sooner did men cease to cultivate the languages then

Christendom Declined even until it fell under the undisputed dominion of the Pope But no sooner was the torch relighted

Then this papal owl fled with a shriek into congenial gloom in Former times the fathers were frequently mistaken because they were ignorant of the languages and in our days

There are some who like the Walden Z's do not think the languages are of any use

But although their doctrine is good they have often erred in the real meaning of the sacred text and They are without arms against error, and I fear much that their faith will not remain pure The main issue for Martin Luther was the preservation and the purity of the

Christian faith where the languages of Greek and Hebrew are not prized and Pursued Care is my word now care in biblical observation and biblical thinking and concern for truth decreases it has to Because tools to think otherwise are not present if you do not know

Greek you cannot Handle the biblical text as seriously as you could if you knew

Greek, it's not a question of preference It's a question of possibility. It is not possible to handle the biblical text as rigorously as carefully to show as much concern for the original intention as if you were reading it in the language in which the

Apostles wrote he said this is him now if the languages had not made me

Positive as to the true meaning of the word I might have still remained a chained monk

Engaged in quietly preaching Romish errors in obscurity of a cloister

The Pope the sophists and their anti -christian Empire would have remained unshaken

You see what he thinks hung on his languages the whole Reformation He believes hung on the languages

He says it is impossible For him not to run into obstacles everywhere who does not know the languages and then he adds this that Freshness and force in preaching come

From knowing the languages he says but when the preacher is versed in the languages his discourse is

Has freshness and force the whole of Scripture is treated and faith finds itself constantly renewed by a continual variety of words and works

I left out the the harsher things that he said About those who have neglected their languages, but now let me say a word.

I hope will encourage you and Exhort you in two ways

Many of you either never have had time or the will To learn

Greek and Hebrew and many more of you have let them languish By the way,

I'm 50 this month and I have maybe

Lord willing 15 more years in this church and And Every time

I go away in January to renew myself at the Shalom house for a few days read

Martin Luther and think about the year I find myself by reading these kinds of things pricked in my conscience and Awakened to revive and renew my efforts with Hebrew Greek is not a problem for me because I had a chance to teach it

You really learn it I never taught Hebrew and so it's I've struggled with it ever since seminary days

And so I have resolved again age 50 age 50 This is an exhortation especially to younger guys who think

I'm 30 35 40. What's the use of me trying? Oh with languages because too late baloney.

It's not too late John Elliot at age 42 learned the

Algonquin language and planted dozens of churches and the Algonquin language has words in it 23 letters long

You won't find any words in the Greek New Testament 23 letters long It's not too late.

But here's what I would say to you try to ameliorate things here a bit I would say that knowing the languages can make any devoted preacher a better preacher

More fresh more faithful more confident more penetrating but it is possible to be a

Very good preacher and a very powerful preacher without them at least for a season the test of our faithfulness,

I think as a Corporate body in the church in America or around the world the test of our faithfulness to the word

Is this if we have lost our languages ourselves do we have a heart and a mind large enough

To show concern for the whole Church of Christ by promoting the preservation widespread teaching and use of the languages or are we so weak and frightened and Small of self

Possession that we have to minimize their importance to justify our ignorance

So I plead with you who do not have the languages to exalt them

Humbly exalt them Now you can take the time to learn especially if you're younger

I Want to make my Hebrew better in 1996 so that I will be more faithful in my exposition of the

Old Testament more penetrating more fresh more reliable And if you're younger you can do that, but I have in mind something bigger than that suppose you have just settled it

You're never going to know them. You're going to do the best you can with your English Bible Glorify them

Raise up young men in your church to become Language lovers and tell them you wish you had and that you wish you could

If you had your life to live over you probably would Glorify them and when you go to the to the seminary tell the faculty teach them stop taking it away

Yes, I don't know them Yes, I'm a pastor but I think we need them because the gospel is at stake and time will show that if we

Minimize our commitment to the original languages. We minimize attention to specificity in the

Bible. It's everywhere today folks Minimizing specificity of doctrine is everywhere and part of it is the loss of the languages

Okay, I think I'm done on that point. No, I'm gonna say one more thing Luther's gonna say one more thing quote

It is a sin and a shame not to know our own book or to understand the speech and words of our

God It is still greater sin and loss that we do not study languages especially in these days when

God is I Marvel at what he's saying here because he's not talking about computers.

I Have Greek and Hebrew Instant -parsing in front of me every day

Just get Bible works or is a dozen good programs out there. Oh, it's parsed

Boom, you get the meaning in front of you. Boom. You got 18 examples of it elsewhere. It's just there

Now listen to this in view of that it says

It is a sin and a shame especially in these days when God is offering and giving us men and books and every facility and Inducement to this study and desires his

Bible to be an open book Oh how happy the dear fathers would have been if they had our opportunity to study the languages and come

Thus prepared to the Holy Scriptures. Oh how their effort puts our indolence to shame