"Living by faith" is much more than a general Christian precept; it is the fundamental posture of believers in a world rife with suffering and injustice. In this penetrating reflection on the meaning of "justification," Oswald Bayer shows how this key religious term provides a comprehensive horizon for discussing every aspect of Christian theology, from creation to the end times.Inspired by and interacting with Martin Luther, the great Christian thinker who grappled most intensely ...

Forty years of in-depth research on Martin Luther's theology uniquely qualifies Oswald Bayer to present this comprehensive introduction to Luther's thought, written for those lacking an academic background in theology.Bayer's noteworthy study explores the basics of Luther's understanding of theology, discussing his response to the "philosophy of science" tradition, the formula by which he studied theology, and the basic philosophy that informed him. Bayer then takes Luther's stance ...

Promissio is a methodologically rigorous study of all the pertinent Luther texts prior to 1520, thus enabling Bayer to trace Luther's reformational turn, culminating in his clear understanding of the gospel promise as God's gift, crystallized in the forgiveness of sins and enacted by the word of absolution. The author emphasizes that at the heart of Luther's understanding of the gospel is the insight that God justifies us freely through faith in the word of promise (promissio

Combining his deep knowledge of Luther with a passion to speak the promising word of the gospel with clarity and integrity in our age, Oswald Bayer has emerged as a leading Lutheran theologian. The chapters in this Festschrift demonstrate the wide scope of Bayer's interest: Martin Luther, Johann Georg Hamann, the doctrine of justification, ethics, hermeneutics, theological method, sacraments, and the theology of lament. These essays, written by scholars from North America and Australia who...

Although preachers often question their effectiveness, no task of the church is more important than proclamation. Only the gospel liberates sinners from guilt, despair, and death and grants them freedom, hope, and new life. Few have grasped this truth better than Martin Luther. This volume features contributions by contemporary theologians whose work is shaped by Luther's conviction that God's justification of the ungodly comes through preaching: Gerhard Forde, Oswald Bayer, and their stud...

Oswald Bayer is one of the most important contemporary interpreters of Martin Luther and confessional Lutheran theologians. As a Luther scholar, Bayer has identified the precise reformational turning point in Luther's life and theology, which is also the central point for a truly Lutheran theology: the promise of a forgiving and justifying God preached in Jesus Christ. As a Lutheran theologian, Bayer stresses that this promise of God is the ultimate subject matter of all theology, and that...