In 1920 an English preacher named Frank W. Boreham published a book of sermons on great Bible texts. In each case, he linked a Bible text to the history of a great Christian man or woman. He called his book Texts That Made History.
An example of a text that made history is David Livingstone’s text—Matthew 28:20, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This text was a great encouragement to David Livingstone as he preached the gospel in the heart of Africa where no European had ever been before.
John Wesley’s text was Zechariah 3:2, “Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” The reason this text was so significant for John Wesley is because as a young child he was dramatically rescued from his home, which was on fire.
There are twenty-three sermons in this book, and Boreham published four more similar books in his lifetime.
Of all the texts that are associated with the lives of great Christians, none is as clearly associated with one man as Romans 1:17. And, of course, the man whose text it was is Martin Luther. Romans 1:17 says:
"For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ’The righteous will live by faith’" (Romans 1:17).