ABSTRACT
When the Holy Roman Emperor ruled against the Augsburg Confession and demanded the German princes and their people return to the Roman Church by the spring of 1531, Martin Luther became angry. The urgency of the situation produced some of Luther’s most remarkable classroom lectures and sermons. He restated with vigour and resolve the truths of the Reformation to the students and people of Wittenberg. He emphasised above all that the Gospel informs every aspect of the believer’s life and especially provides comfort and consolation to the believer living amidst the disappointments and uncertainties of life. The following essay presents Luther’s understanding of the certainty of the Gospel, how God bestows the promises of the Gospel through Word and sacrament, and the pastoral use of the Gospel for believers.
