The Development of Christian Doctrine Due to the Reformation
In 1517, regarded as the beginning of the Reformation, Luther post his famous “Ninety-five Theses,” which broke the “Dark Ages.” Although the Reformation had been going on for a long time before that, it gained unstoppable momentum driven by Luther and the followers. Starting as a religious event the impact of Reformation affected social and political structures, ethical frameworks, and economies, but also made a change to Christian doctrine itself. So in an essay on the development of Christian Doctrine, which can be found in pdf format via Internet, we will examine how this religious event affected the Doctrine. As the essence of the Reformation is to break the old pattern and seek balance in the tension.
The Reformation led to a renewal of the Christian tradition and important Christian doctrines. Confronted with the internal corruption of the Catholic Church and the power of the church on salvation, Luther put forward the thought of justice by faith. Then Calvin proposed the thoughts of grace and predestination, which also had a great impact. Maybe they just wanted to restore the original beauty, however, these ideas fueled the creation of Protestant denomination. As a result, the original Catholic ideological system was subjected to unprecedented impact. The Christian pattern was broken, and the impact continues to this day.
Martin Luther articulated the core idea of the Reformation, “faith alone justifies.” He believed that the Word of God came not by works, nor by glory, but by faith. In addition, he developed the theology of the cross, in which only the death of Jesus on the cross represented the sin of the people and was a bridge to God. He argued that believers are priests, and the Bible is the only criterion. These views not only formed the sharp contrast with the Catholic Church at that time. but also have an important impact on the Christian faith of people today. Luther elevated the relationship between humans and God to a new level where one could speak directly to God.
Luther’s point broke down the power and hierarchy of the church, which meant that salvation no longer required the mediation of the church, priest, or saint, nor did he believe the Pope was above the Bible. He overturned the entire moral and ethical system of the Middle Ages. He felt that he had been born again, that the gates of heaven had been opened, and God’s justice had filled his heart with great love. It can be seen that Luther's view caused great tension between Protestantism and Catholicism. His ideas had a huge impact and gave rise to the more radical Protestantism.
If we say Luther was a bold pioneer, Calvin was a careful thinker who integrated Protestant doctrine into a whole. In contrast to Luther's doctrine of justification by faith, Calvin emphasized the doctrine of sanctification. Influenced by Augustine, he emphasized predestination and grace, which became the focus of theological debates in the 16th century and the peak of Protestant systematic theology during the Reformation. In addition, Calvin had a different view on the issue of Holy Communion that he did not recognize transubstantiation, but emphasized sanctity. Although Calvin and Luther had different views on this, it did not affect their consensus on the Bible and other doctrines and they reached a reconciliation.
In addition, Luther's “faith by justifies” laid the foundation for the freedom of thought. Luther believed that freedom is first related to the human heart, and the inner of the human becomes upright, free, and devout Christians in Christ. The Word can accomplish all things. Therefore, salvation is not justified by good works, but by faith. He believed that everyone is a priest and can be directly connected to God; only faith could lead to freedom and salvation, and the Bible was the only authority of the Christian faith. He despised the external formalized expression of faith, and paid attention to the inner piety of faith. He emphasized the transformation of the external form of faith into the inner spiritual freedom, and the freedom of individual spirit. Therefore, Luther became a great German national hero and the founder of modernity.
In addition, the Reformation left many legacies of social ethics. Luther's justification by faith led him to believe that morality derives from obedience and response to God, and Calvinist predestination regards glorifying God as the purpose of life. Calvin believed the salvation of mankind depends on grace and good works, and “It seems, injury is done to Christ, if under the pretence of His grace, good works are repudiated.”
For Calvin, he believed in God’s unconditional election and irresistible grace for human beings. The condition of sin makes human beings so helpless that no one can achieve redemption through individual efforts. But through the grace of God, the patience, and good works of the saints, there is a chance of sanctification. Therefore, righteousness, which comes from good works, must be the result and response of God's grace. Those chosen by God must have faith in God and exhibit virtues in their moral conduct, religious activities, family life, and daily work. All these things were done not for personal gain, but for the glory of God.
Max Weber coined the term of “Protestant work ethic,” and combined it with the spirit of capitalism to write this book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. In this way, Weber affirmed the legacy of Calvin that perpetual labor is the mark of one’s being the election one. He believed that the spirit of modern capitalism, all the basic elements of modern culture, and rational behavior based on the idea of responsibility. As Galileo said, social and political upheavals were frequent, and the old feudal system was giving way to the early stages of capitalism.
Further, if we say that Martin Luther's Reformation broke the ideology of the Roman Catholic Church and created an atmosphere of spiritual freedom, then the English Reformation ushered in the separation of church and state. In the era of Elizabeth I, the “Thirty-nine Articles” set out the principle of the supremacy of the state over the church, meaning that Parliament had the right to interfere in the affairs of the church. That is to say, the Reformation changed the traditional political model of religious power over royal power and created conditions for the rise of capitalism and modern nation-state.
The Reformation broke the dominance of the Roman church and, along with the temporary cessation of Islam as a threat to Christianity, encouraged the rise of the missionary movement and the expansion of capitalism. The spread of Christianity around the world had a great impact. Wherever it goes, it is closely related to economy, culture, politics and society and affects the whole world. It goes deep into history, culture and people's lives, and constantly transcends national boundaries. The expansion of western missionaries from the 16th century to the middle of the 20th century has formed the current situation and situation of world Christianity today.
The Age of Discovery marked the beginning of Europe’s encounter with the rest of the world and the rise of European imperial power. It also opened the missionary expansion of Christianity into Asian, African, and Latin American. However, there was a tension between missionary work and colonization that still exists today. Without this massive missionary expansion, there would be no world Christianity as we know it. At the same time, there is the challenge of religious pluralism.
Perhaps the original intention of the Reformation was to restore the beauty of religion. However, due to the differences in basic doctrines, several new denominations arose and led to the great schism of the Christian church, which had ruled Europe for a thousand years. The Reformation introduced a new interpretation of Christian doctrine and brought people into direct contact with God. Religious belief thus became personal, internal, and promoted spiritual freedom, thus revolutionizing the face of Christendom.
In addition, the Reformation overthrew people’s original ideas and social patterns. The protestant ethic became the important spiritual premise of the primitive accumulation of capitalism, and promoted the development of scientific rationality and democratic politics. I think it also poses a challenge to the preservation of democracy and freedom in the context of faith. The Reformation changed the history of Christianity and the history of mankind, becoming an important turning point in history. History will always seek to balance tensions and will continue to do so.
