Scholars routinely describe how Martin Luther prioritized the books of the New Testament that he believed most truly represented the gospel, the Living Word of Jesus Christ. Luther adored the Gospel of John and the Pauline epistles. Less well known is the admiration he had for the pastoral epistle of 1 Peter. Dennis Ngien's careful explication brings 1 Peter into the light of Lutheran biblical scholarship, demonstrating its standing for Luther alongside the Gospel of John and the Pauline epistles as the "true kernel and marrow of all books." Ngien rejects caricatured portrayals of Peter disappearing halfway through the book of Acts. Instead, Ngien demonstrates that, for Luther, Peter stands alongside John and Paul as a master of the majestic doctrine of justification. Luther variously describes 1 Peter as "the paragon of excellence" and "the genuine and pure gospel." Ngien uses the epistle's five chapters as thematic frames for describing the depth and breadth of regard Luther had for Peter. Indeed, for Ngien the sermons on 1 Peter present the most comprehensive early expression of Luther's mature thought and reflect the reformer's vocational maturation as "care-taker of the soul." Proclaiming Christ as gift and example, 1 Peter preached "genuinely evangelical words" that helped Luther understand his call as a theologian and, more importantly, as a minister.
Dennis Ngien is Research Professor of Theology at Tyndale University. Formerly the Alister E. McGrath Chair of Christian Thought and Spirituality, he is the author of several books, including Fruit for the Soul: Luther on the Lament Psalms (Fortress, 2015) and Grace and Law in Galatians: Justification in Luther and Calvin (Cascade, 2023). Robert Kolb is International Research Emeritus Professor for the Institute of Mission Studies at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. Among his many publications, he is the author of Martin Luther: Confessor of the Faith (2009) and coeditor of The Book of Concord (2001).
Acknowledgments Foreword by Robert Kolb Introduction Chapter 1 God's Word as Performative: Christian Obedience and Holiness as Passive Chapter 2 Christ, the Chief Cornerstone: Justifying Faith and Works of Love Chapter 3 Christ as Gift and Christ as Example: Expiatory and Exemplary Suffering Chapter 4 The Word of Bestowal in Marriage: True Adornment and Household Holiness Chapter 5 The Word and the Spiritual Kingdom: Priestly Ministry and the Cross-shaped life Chapter 6 God's Command and Secular Government: Civil Obedience and External Righteousness Conclusion Index
