Historically, the Protestant Reformation was considered as a major 16th century European movement which targeted the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. In fact, when the reformation occurred during the Renaissance, it caused a split in the Roman Catholic Church in which Protestantism was formed. There were many “…ambitious political rulers who wanted to extend their power and control at the expense of the Church” (“The Protestant Reformation”). To demonstrate, Martin Luther, a German theologian, came through with his powerful Ninety-Five Theses to help shape the teachings and practices the Roman Catholic Church possessed.
Martin Luther was one of the greatest reformers in modern European history who influenced many of the …show more content…
These theses were also known as the “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” (“The Protestant Reformation”). The Ninety-Five Theses was a document that consisted criticisms towards indulgences and the church in form of questions and propositions for debate. As a matter of fact, many of those theses were directly aimed at the indulgences the church practiced. Luther used ideas developed by Augustine to help him develop his own ideas to help form how he thought Christianity should be practiced. Some of the works of Augustine included beliefs such as “…humans could not reach salvation by their own acts, but that only God could bestow salvation by his divine grace” (“Martin Luther and the 95 Theses”). During Augustine’s time, he considered the Bible more important than the church officials because the Bible contains only the truth from our Heavenly Father. He also noted that salvation comes from one who is good at heart and who does good deeds or works on earth. Furthermore, within Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, the first two talked about Luther’s central idea. His central idea was “…that God intended believers to seek repentance and that faith alone, and not deeds, would lead to salvation” (“Martin Luther and the 95 Theses”). In other words, salvation is obtained through one’s faith and divine grace to God. In fact, God only asked us to believe in him and love him, in return, he promised to shower us with his love and miracles. We are God’s children and he is our father who would never let us down; he will always love us until eternity. These key ideas became the overall moral of Luther’s Theses as well as “…a call to purify the church and a belief that the Bible…should be the sole source of spiritual authority” (“The Reformation”). As a result, many of Luther’s effort to change the church’s beliefs about their practices made him see as a heretic to some while others saw him as
Martin Luther was one of the greatest reformers in modern European history who influenced many of the …show more content…
These theses were also known as the “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” (“The Protestant Reformation”). The Ninety-Five Theses was a document that consisted criticisms towards indulgences and the church in form of questions and propositions for debate. As a matter of fact, many of those theses were directly aimed at the indulgences the church practiced. Luther used ideas developed by Augustine to help him develop his own ideas to help form how he thought Christianity should be practiced. Some of the works of Augustine included beliefs such as “…humans could not reach salvation by their own acts, but that only God could bestow salvation by his divine grace” (“Martin Luther and the 95 Theses”). During Augustine’s time, he considered the Bible more important than the church officials because the Bible contains only the truth from our Heavenly Father. He also noted that salvation comes from one who is good at heart and who does good deeds or works on earth. Furthermore, within Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, the first two talked about Luther’s central idea. His central idea was “…that God intended believers to seek repentance and that faith alone, and not deeds, would lead to salvation” (“Martin Luther and the 95 Theses”). In other words, salvation is obtained through one’s faith and divine grace to God. In fact, God only asked us to believe in him and love him, in return, he promised to shower us with his love and miracles. We are God’s children and he is our father who would never let us down; he will always love us until eternity. These key ideas became the overall moral of Luther’s Theses as well as “…a call to purify the church and a belief that the Bible…should be the sole source of spiritual authority” (“The Reformation”). As a result, many of Luther’s effort to change the church’s beliefs about their practices made him see as a heretic to some while others saw him as