Two interesting figures that I have come across during my readings were the reformer Luther and the monk Pelagius. Each one held their own opinion in regard to the Christian faith, and they would not yield easily to the beliefs of others. What struck me most about Luther was his extreme focus on having faith in God, and his lack of concern for people performing good deeds. As for Pelagius, he has an intriguing take on original sin and on the choices that humans make through the power of free will. What draws me to these two theologians and their beliefs is that they take a different stance on traditional Christian faith, and they are not afraid to tell people about their ideas because they truly believe them. Pelagius believed in a morally
…show more content…
Throughout his dialogue with Eck, Luther references the Book of Romans multiple times but lacks references to other parts of the Bible. It is difficult to base your beliefs off of a single book in the Bible when there is so many other parts to it. Also, Luther states, “The Bible says that no one does good, not even one” (Olson, 136). I am unaware of the part of the Bible that says no one does good, in fact I feel like the Bible is filled with people who do good by following the commands of God. Luther believes that good works makes faith unnecessary, but I feel that his belief that only faith matter makes living life unnecessary. If all we have to do is have faith in God in order to reach salvation, then what is the point in living? If God’s only pleasure is in Christ’s death then why are we here and why did God create us? Luther claims that we only need faith, but he does not provide us with a purpose or higher calling during our life. I sympathize with Eck’s argument that Luther makes “God’s great salvation cheap by saying that people can just wave a magic wand of so-called faith and avoid suffering for their sins” (Olson, 134). Life according to Luther appears incredibly easy if all it takes is having faith to reach salvation. Faith certainly plays a major role in salvation, but it is not the only aspect of salvation that Luther makes it out to
Throughout his dialogue with Eck, Luther references the Book of Romans multiple times but lacks references to other parts of the Bible. It is difficult to base your beliefs off of a single book in the Bible when there is so many other parts to it. Also, Luther states, “The Bible says that no one does good, not even one” (Olson, 136). I am unaware of the part of the Bible that says no one does good, in fact I feel like the Bible is filled with people who do good by following the commands of God. Luther believes that good works makes faith unnecessary, but I feel that his belief that only faith matter makes living life unnecessary. If all we have to do is have faith in God in order to reach salvation, then what is the point in living? If God’s only pleasure is in Christ’s death then why are we here and why did God create us? Luther claims that we only need faith, but he does not provide us with a purpose or higher calling during our life. I sympathize with Eck’s argument that Luther makes “God’s great salvation cheap by saying that people can just wave a magic wand of so-called faith and avoid suffering for their sins” (Olson, 134). Life according to Luther appears incredibly easy if all it takes is having faith to reach salvation. Faith certainly plays a major role in salvation, but it is not the only aspect of salvation that Luther makes it out to