The Freedom of Christian

The Freedom of Christian: Book Review
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The Freedom of Christian: Book Review
“A Christian man is the freest lord of all, and subject to none; A Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to everyone” (Luther, 1520, p. 50). The contradictory nature underlines Luther's perception of the freedom of a Christian as the central theme of his work The Freedom of a Christian, written in 1520. In other words, a Christian is not controlled by any other external force and, therefore, is free of worldly baggage. While the same time, their freedom should be utilized as a tool and opportunity to serve others, particularly the needy in society. Therefore, the purpose of the current paper is to examine this contradictory yet important statement for Christians, place Luther's work in its historical context, and establish how this work - through these words - remains relevant today as it was in the 16th century.
Book Summary
On the Freedom of the Christian was published in Wittenberg, the third of the three evangelical theology of the Reformation writings. In the third work, Martin Luther aimed to dissuade the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church that Reformation theology was a pure confession of the Word of God and not a novelty in the Faith. Further, this work was also a reaction to the bull Exsurge Domine issued by the Roman Curia which Luther faced a threat of arrest and punishment for heresy. Aside from these objectives, the work also expands on the freedom of a Christian, what it means, and how it should be used since, as Luther implies, it is a privilege, and a privilege should be used to uplift others and not to oppress them.
This work can be divided into two core parts, each having one or more items. The first part of the work is a letter to Pope Leo X and can be divided into four sections. In the first section, Luther addressed the Pope, calling him the "most blessed father" as a sign of reconciliation to a perceived divide between the Catholic Church and Luther’s theological point of view. This section highlights that Luther is not seeking to divide Christianity. Instead, he aims to continue in the Faith by not being confined by the laws and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. The section also makes it clear that Luther’s opponents twisted his words to appear as though he was attacking Leo X (the person). The second sections focus on Luther's defense of his accusations, while the last two address Luther's case and advice for the Pope, respectively.
The second section is the core part of Luther’s work in which he addresses the tenets of freedom and what they imply for a Christian. Two core themes underpin this part. Firstly, Luther addressed the first view of his seemingly contradictory statement: that the Christian individual is the freest lord of all and a subject to none. This is because such a person has Faith in God and relies on Him for guidance. As a result, such a person is not bound by any other kind of law since they act automatically in the ways of God. The second theme maintains that a Christian individual is the most dutiful serv...