Preface to Acts

[GHansen]

"Contrary to what has sometimes been the practice, this book should not be read or regarded as though St. Luke had written about the personal work or history of the apostles simply as an example of good works or good life. Even St. Augustine and many others have looked upon the fact that the apostles had all things in common with Christians [Acts 2:44–45; 4:32–37] as the best example which the book contains. Yet this practice did not last long and in time had to stop. Rather it should be noted that by this book St. Luke teaches the whole of Christendom, even to the end of the world, that the true and chief article of Christian doctrine is this: We must all be justified alone by faith in Jesus Christ, without any contribution from the law or help from our works.

This doctrine is the chief intention of the book and the author’s principal reason for writing it. Therefore he emphasizes so powerfully not only the preaching of the apostles about faith in Christ, how both Gentiles and Jews must thereby be justified without any merits or works, but also the examples and the instances of this teaching, how the Gentiles as well as Jews were justified through the gospel alone, without the law.

As St. Peter testifies in chapters 10[:34–47] and 15[:7–11], in this matter God made no distinction between Jews and Gentiles; just as he gave the Holy Spirit through the gospel to the Gentiles who were living without the law, so he gave him to the Jews through the gospel, and not through the law or because of their own works and merits. Thus in this book St. Luke puts side by side both the doctrine about faith and the examples of faith.

Therefore this book might well be called a commentary on the epistles of St. Paul. For what Paul teaches and insists upon with words and passages of Scripture, St. Luke here points out and proves with examples and instances to show that it has happened and must happen in the way St. Paul teaches, namely, that no law, no work justifies men, but only faith in Christ. Here, then, in this book you find a beautiful mirror in which you can see that this is true: Sola14 fides justificat, “faith alone justifies.” For all the examples and incidents contained in this book are sure and comforting testimonies to this doctrine; they neither deceive nor lie to you."

Luther, M. (1999). Luther’s works, vol. 35: Word and Sacrament I. (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald, & H. T. Lehmann, Eds.) (Vol. 35, pp. 363–364). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.