Faith Alone – Martin Luther (1483-1546)
Guest Blogger: Rowena Miers
The word faith is often used in a vague and uncertain fashion. Despite its vague usage the word ‘faith’ is key to Christian belief as shown in the life and work of Martin Luther a 16th century German theologian and preacher.
Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483 in Eisleben, Germany as the son of a copper miner. His father had wanted him to enter the legal profession however on July 2 1505, on the way home from law school upon being caught in a thunderstorm and hurled to the ground by lightening he cried out, “Help me, St. Anne; I will become a monk”. Fifteen days later he kept his vow and became an Augustinian Monk.
Despite devoting his days to praying and thinking about God, as a monk Luther left no assurance of his salvation where he later said “my heart trembled and fidgeted about whether God would bestow His grace on me … I could not but imagine that I had angered God, whom I in turn had to appease by doing good works”. However no amount observance of the monastic lifestyle or doing of good works released Luther from this dread with his plaguing doubts about the church were further battered by a visit to Rome in 1510 where his eyes were opened to the corruption of the church and its moral failure.
After receiving his Doctor’s degree in Theology in 1512, Luther became the chair in Biblical Theology at the University of Wittenberg. Through his teaching at the University on the New Testament letters of the Apostle Paul, Luther grew in his conviction that through faith in Jesus Christ – a faith that is a gift from God himself, a sinner is justified by faith in Christ and not by his own achievements. Luther taught that the doctrine (belief) of salvation in Christ alone meant justification was by faith alone through the grace of Christ alone.
While many of Luther books developed and affirmed these beliefs, Luther’s Ninety Five Theses (theses means arguments) which he famously nailed to the door of the Cathedral in Wittenberg Germany on the 31st October 1517 led to the discussion of his ideas not only by his superiors in Catholic Church but also by the common people. As Luther’s beliefs about the authority of scripture contradicted the tradition of the Catholic Church as having the authority over all matters of belief, Luther’s teachings were unacceptable to the Catholic Church. Upon being summoned before the German Emperor and authorities of the Catholic Church at the Diet of Worms (an assembly to in the German city of Worms) in 1521, Luther refused to withdraw his beliefs arguing that they were sound and scriptural.
Following the Diet of Worms Luther was whisked off to Wattenberg where he was kept in safety whilst he translated the entire New Testament into German for the first time. Back under the protection of his patron Prince Frederick in Wittenberg, Luther went about reforming the German church writing numerous theological and pastoral works including an order of service to allow church to be conducted in German the native language of the people rather then in Latin as had formerly occurred. Luther also reformed the clergy of the new German church resulting in the monasteries and convents being disbanded. At the age of 42 on June 13 1525 Luther eventually married Katharina von Bora a former nun with whom he had six children.
How did Luther achieve so much? As put in his own words: I simply taught, preached, wrote God’s word; I did nothing… the Word did it all”.