John Bunyan knew exactly what he was talking about.

According to the Preface of the English translation of the Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (1535) by Martin Luther, Translated by Theordore Graebner (Kindle edition, Amazon):

“The Reformer had lectured on this epistle of St. Paul’s in 1519 and again in 1523. It was his favorite among all the Biblical books.”

Also:
“Much later when a friend of his was preparing an edition of all his Latin works, he remarked to his home circle: ‘If I had my way about it they would republish only those of my books which have doctrine. My Galatians, for instance.”

Lastly, The Preface by Theodore Graebner said:

“The importance of this Commentary on Galatians for the history of Protestantism is very great. It presents like no other of Luther’s writings the central thought of Christianity, the justification of the sinner for the sake of Christ’s merits alone.”

Luther had a very profound influence on Bunyan, and can be said to be something of a significant inspiration for the work. From the Introduction in the Barnes & Noble edition of The Pilgrims Progress:

“Bunyan achieved this revelation (regarding the relationship of Law & Gospel) after careful study of Luther’s ‘Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians’ (1535) and it is no exaggeration to say that his entire subsequent life, and especially the doctrines and aesthetic mode of ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’, were determined by his interpretation of this book.

‘Grace Abounding’ (Bunyan’s autobiography) depicts Bunyan’s discover of Luther’s work as an act of divine Providence. In the midst of his tribulation, ‘the God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand, one day, a book of Martin Luther, his comment on the Galatians’ (pp. 34-35). Despite the text’s antiquity, Bunyan was amazed to find ‘my condition in his experience, so largely and profoundly handled, as if his book had been written out of my heart’ (p. 35).”

Paul

Would it be possible to produce a reader’s edition, Bible study, or study edition of this for wider use in our congregations?

I second Jack’s suggestion, and raise you a “Bondage of the Will” as well!

Pastor Jerry Gernander

We have a Thursday night men’s Bible study which we’ve dedicated (loosely) to studying Luther. We’ve so far, in the last three and a half years or so, gone through Bondage of the Will, the Large Catechism, the 1525 Galatians Commentary, and now Gustaf Wingren’s Luther on Vocation. If someone would have told me before we started that a group of middle age men would be willing to give up one night a week (year around) for something like this, I wouldn’t have believed it.

It’s been a great experience both for them and for me!

R. Lawson