A large part of Luther's argument for how to be a true Christian is centered on the idea of having faith before one can do good works. Luther views the Bible as the starting point in every Christian's life, and he believes it to be the source of all "true" Christian works. He consistently links the knowledge of the word of God with faith. Inherent in the word "faith" is the idea of "trust in" or "belief in" some idea or value system. Luther clearly believes that one must trust in God and his commandments before works can be considered "Christian."
My question for Luther would be: while it may be possible that having faith leads to good works, can not good works lead one to have faith? These situations have arisen for hundreds of years, and we know them as "conversion experiences." Through actions, either good or bad, one may find that their morals align with a certain religious order. This often leads to a conversion to a certain religion. So, my argument would be that while faith in God can lead one to good works, good works are just as important in finding God.
Consequently, good works that lead one to the Christian faith must, in turn, have been characteristically Christian. However, Luther believes that, although good works may be characteristically Christian, without the knowledge of God they cannot be. This supports his equally exclusive belief that until one is baptized as a Christian, his works are useless concerning his salvation. This, I believe, is a flawed ideology. Imagine a man who, without ever knowing of the Word of God, lives a life that miraculously is in exact accordance with the morals laid down by the Bible. According to the definitions of Christianity, the man could be described as "Christian." However, Luther would say that his works are not Christian because he himself is not officially a Christian. Also imagine a homemade chair with four legs, a platform to sit on, and a back rest. While indeed a chair by anyone's standards, Luther would require it to have been constructed from a uniform, strict set of rules that "define" all chairs for it to be a TRUE chair, just as he believes one must construct themselves from the Word of God to be considered a TRUE "Christian." It is nonsensical.
Luther most likely never intended for his definition of a true Christian to be read as exclusionary or cruel. However, I have simply tried to high-lite what I believe to be the inherent implications and consequences of his argument that I disagree with. Must one start with the Bible and work their way outwards? Why can't good works bring one to salvation without the official label of "Christian" on them?
This is a very interesting piece which challenges Luther with his own ideas. I'm not going to address the entire piece but I will answer the question you asked which questions whether one must start with the Bible and then work their way outwards. I believe that Luther would say that you start with the Bible and then work inwards instead. To Luther, faith outweighs all other things and so to him, refining ones own faith is far more important of a religious step than doing good works is. The Bible is certainly the first step to learning more about your faith and while I agree that good works are incredibly important, I think that Luther would argue that the worth of extreme faith outweighs the worth of extraordinary good works.
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