About this Volume

This volume contains a selection of Luther's preaching from between January 1539 and his death in 1546. Luther preached during these years with a special sense of urgency, seeking to make a final confession and testament of his teaching and to issue a public rejection of its opponents. He returned frequently to theological themes from the early years of his public career and to autobiographical reflection, working to convey the significance of the Reformation to a new generation ignorant of the circumstances that had called for reform.

In these sermons, Luther emphasized catechesis in the heart of the Gospel as he understood it. Each selection bears witness to Luther's understanding that the Reformation is neither an accomplished, once-for-all event nor a step along the progressive way to the full purification of the Church. Instead, it is a continual struggle that is carried out through the preaching of the Law and the Gospel, to be renewed from generation to generation until the Last Day.