Concerning Christian Liberty by Martin Luther

In this fierce appeal to Pope Leo X, Martin Luther defends his conduct while insisting that his battle is not against the pope's person but against false doctrine, corruption, and the tyranny of human authority. He recounts failed attempts at peace, the meddling of John Eccius, the mishandling of Cardinal Cajetan, and the interventions of Charles Miltitz, all of which deepened a controversy Luther says he never sought. Yet beneath the polemic lies a sweeping theological argument: Christian liberty belongs to those who trust God's word above all outward power. The work then unfolds into Luther's landmark treatise on the Christian life. A Christian is at once "the most free lord of all" and "the most dutiful servant of all," because the inward soul is justified not by vestments, fasting, holy places, or works, but by faith in the Gospel of Christ. That faith alone honors God, exposes sin, unites the believer to Christ in a mystical marriage, and makes Christ's righteousness, life, and victory over sin, death, and hell the believer's own. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.