Martin Luther was born 1483 in Saxony, during the Middle Ages, a period when the general population was mostly illiterate. Only those who were wealthy enough to have tutors or those who were clergy where able to read Latin and Greek. Luther was a professor as well as a monk and priest. Because of his knowledge of the scriptures, he recognized the way the church misled the people. Typical of the Middle Ages, the church often used their knowledge to misrepresent scripture. They collected money for both the church and their own pockets. They interpreted scripture to best support their own causes. Because common people didn’t read, they had no way to verify what scripture said. These were men of the church; they should have integrity. Luther recognized
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Shared by all of them was the impression that salvation is mutually effected by humans through their ability to please God by doing righteous acts or good works, and by God through his offer of forgiving grace. However, the Catholic Church taught during the Middle Ages that through righteous acts and good works, salvation was possible. Luther broke this tradition dramatically by stating that humans contribute nothing to their salvation: salvation is entirely an act of divine grace.
Strongly committed to the ideology that salvation could be achieved through faith and by divine grace only, Luther adamantly protested to the practice of selling indulgences, which were extended by the Pope to souls in purgatory or that the said indulgences helped pay for the rebuilding of St. Peter’s. Johann Tetzel, was credited with peddling these indulgences and finally pushing Luther over the edge.
Luther was not the only one to amass literary pieces about clerical corruption in this period. Luther’s fears regarding the dishonesty within the church seemed well validated. Finally acting, whether to review the system or to relieve his own spiritual suffering, Luther wrote the “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,” also known as “Ninety-Five Theses,” a list of questions and propositions for discussion and …show more content…
Luther came to an understanding after a long internal conflict that caused him great despair, even suffering, over his failure to sufficiently do good works. While meditating on The Letter of Paul to the Romans in which the Apostle declares, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.” Luther experienced what he later said was a conversion of some kind. The dramatic and powerfully personal nature of this experience helps to explain Luther’s resolute refusal, during the controversy, to recant his theological
Shared by all of them was the impression that salvation is mutually effected by humans through their ability to please God by doing righteous acts or good works, and by God through his offer of forgiving grace. However, the Catholic Church taught during the Middle Ages that through righteous acts and good works, salvation was possible. Luther broke this tradition dramatically by stating that humans contribute nothing to their salvation: salvation is entirely an act of divine grace.
Strongly committed to the ideology that salvation could be achieved through faith and by divine grace only, Luther adamantly protested to the practice of selling indulgences, which were extended by the Pope to souls in purgatory or that the said indulgences helped pay for the rebuilding of St. Peter’s. Johann Tetzel, was credited with peddling these indulgences and finally pushing Luther over the edge.
Luther was not the only one to amass literary pieces about clerical corruption in this period. Luther’s fears regarding the dishonesty within the church seemed well validated. Finally acting, whether to review the system or to relieve his own spiritual suffering, Luther wrote the “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,” also known as “Ninety-Five Theses,” a list of questions and propositions for discussion and …show more content…
Luther came to an understanding after a long internal conflict that caused him great despair, even suffering, over his failure to sufficiently do good works. While meditating on The Letter of Paul to the Romans in which the Apostle declares, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.” Luther experienced what he later said was a conversion of some kind. The dramatic and powerfully personal nature of this experience helps to explain Luther’s resolute refusal, during the controversy, to recant his theological