Book excerpt: This classic work by one of Europe s most respected twentieth-century legal minds tackles law through the eyes of Martin Luther. Johannes Heckel first reveals the basic features of Luther s doctrine of law in its totality, drawing from an overwhelming amount of material from all genres of Luther s writing. Heckel then considers how Luther viewed law as the framework for the existence of a Christian in this world. He develops a picture of Luther s position on law by grounding it in Luther s theology, arguing that his concept of natural law has to be understood in terms of the divine and the secular. Finally, Heckel shows the practicality of Luther s position by focusing on the places in which a Christian interacts with legality in this world church, marriage and family, and politics. / When Johannes Heckel s Lex Charitatis appeared more than half a century ago it brought new clarity to the much disputed issue of Luther s understanding of the law and of God s governance of his created order. . . . Having Heckel s work in English will assist scholars and students alike in putting Luther s insights to use in the context of twenty-first-century problems. / Robert Kolb, Concordia Seminary