The Theology of Martin Luther and the Beginning of the Protestant Revolution
The German theologian, Martin Luther, who is also hailed to be a radical religious reformer was the main catalyst for the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century. The reformation began with Luther’s publication of his Ninety-Five Theses which contained his thoughts on the practice of the Church selling indulgences, as a means of releasing them from having to repent for their sins. Luther believed that the Church didn’t have the power to forgive people’s sins, only God had the power to do that. In my view, Luther’s personality and upbringing has shaped his theology and this essay will support my argument.
Martin Luther had a Catholic upbringing and attended Church every Sunday with family. His father was a copper miner and aspired for him to become a Lawyer. He wanted Luther to make a good life for himself and had him attend a prestigious university in Germany, namely “University of Erfurt”, to make that dream possible. But in 1505, Luther decided to join a monastic order instead and become an Augustinian Friar. It is said that it this was an abrupt decision as Luther was caught in a horrific thunderstorm and cried out to St. Anne, the patron saint of miners, “Save me, St. Anne, and I’ll become a monk!” The storm subsided and he was saved. But Luther had been thinking about this previously. He was haunted by insecurity about his salvation. He believed a monastery was the perfect place to find assurance but even them assurance evaded him.
He was increasingly terrified of the wrath of God: 'When it is touched by this passing inundation of the eternal, the soul feels and drinks nothing but eternal punishment.' During his early years, whenever Luther read Romans 1:17 - “The righteous will live by faith.” – his eyes were drawn not to the word faith, but to the word righteous. Who, after all, could 'live by faith' but those who were already righteous? The young Luther could not live by faith because he was not righteous—and he knew it. At this point Luther thought his faith in God wasn’t enough and that his good deeds aren’t enough to earn God’s graces. Meanwhile in 1512, Luther was made a Doctor of Theology at the University of Wittenberg. In 1513, he began his first lectures on the Psalms. In these lectures, Luther’s critique of the theological world around him begins to take shape. It was during these lectures that Luther finally found the assurance that had evaded him for years. In Romans, Paul writes of the “righteousness of God.” Luther had always understood that term to mean that God was a righteous judge that demanded human righteousness. Now, Luther understood righteousness as a gift of God’s grace. He realised that salvation came not by the sacraments but by faith. So, he believed that salvation can only be achieved by faith and not your deeds. For him this verse was a powerful reminder that it is through faith in God’s grace, and not through good works, that humans are justified before God. Faith, for Luther, was a gift from God. His entry into Paradise, no less, was a discovery about 'the righteousness of God'—a discovery that 'the just person' of whom the Bible speaks lives by faith.
It made sense that Luther would choice join an Augustinian monastery. Augustine is also considered by evangelical Protestants to have correctly understood and taught the biblical doctrines of the depravity of man and the sovereignty of God’s grace in salvation. Protestant Reformers such as Martin Luther found much to their liking in Augustinianism, because they found it to be biblical. Augustinianism holds that, due to the Fall, mankind is unable to avoid sinning. His nature has been overrun by sin to the extent that man does not truly have freedom of the will; rather, he is in bondage to sin. Only an act of God can release him: John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” Augustinianism also teaches that no one can be saved apart from God’s grace. In fact, grace is necessary for the performance of any righteous act, including the exercise of faith. Without that saving grace, no sinner can ever make a decision for Christ.
In 1510 he visited Rome on behalf of several Augustinian monasteries and was appalled by the corruption he found there. Luther became increasingly angry about the Church selling 'indulgences' - promised remission from punishments for sin. Indulgences were donations that ‘the Catholic Church sought out from everyday citizens that would supposedly cleanse them of their sins and restore them in the eyes of God. Luther was highly assured that only God could provide divinity and freedom to sinners, and that salvation could not be earned, no matter how well-behaved anyone might be. So, on 31 October 1517, he published his '95 Theses', attacking the sale of indulgences. This turned him against many of the major teachings of the Catholic Church. His Theses called for a full reform of the Catholic Church and challenged other scholars to debate with him on matters of church policy. His “95 Theses,” which propounded two central beliefs—that the Bible is the central religious authority and that humans may reach salvation only by their faith and not by their deeds—was to spark the Protestant Reformation. The first two of the theses contained Luther’s central idea, that God intended believers to seek repentance and that faith alone, and not deeds, would lead to salvation:
1. When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, 'Repent'', he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.
2.This word cannot be understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, that is, confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy.
The other 93 theses, several them directly criticizing the practice of indulgences, supported these first two. In 1521, the Pope Leo X excommunicated Luther – excluded from participation in the Catholic Church. And when he refused to recant (admit publicly that his past opinions are wrong), Emperor Charles V declared him an outlaw and a heretic.
Then, in 1534, Luther published a complete translation of the bible into German, underlining his belief that people should be able to read it in their own language. Luther’s desire for people to feel closer to God led him to translate the Bible into the language of the people, radically changing the relationship between church leaders and their followers. In my view, Luther didn’t want anyone to feel like they weren’t deserving of God’s grace since they couldn’t read the bible. As he had been through this experience, he did not want anyone else to be in that position. This is where his determination and insistence came from to translate the whole bible.
In my view, Luther’s personality shaped his theology. He had a Catholic upbringing so his faith in God was always there. But even though his family being devout Christians, Luther thought he was not worthy of God’s forgiveness and would definitely be punished upon death. I believe his thoughts stem from him not obeying his father’s words and not realising his fathers dream from him which made him deem himself as not worthy of salvation. Luther believed he needed to be righteous which he was sure he wasn’t. He believed becoming a monk will help him find assurance. But he didn’t, instead he found it through scripture. He had faith and believed that to be enough.
In conclusion, Martin Luther’s personality and his place in society shaped his theology and his beliefs. His issues with his father and inner turmoil made him feel unworthy of salvation. But having his rediscovery, he concluded that faith is all that is required to enter paradise. His decision to become a monk, his rediscovery and his visit to Rome where he saw the corrupt practice of indulgences taking place were major events that lead Luther to write his 95 Theses which started the Protestant Reformation. Luther’s theology not just changed history but also affected his personal life – he got excommunicated and banished. The monastery he chose also shaped him and his theology as Augustin’s view of God’s grace is one of the core beliefs of Luther. I believe many factors have influenced and contributed to shape Luther’s personality but his personality in turn shapes his theology.
