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How Well Do You Know Martin Luther?

Information for these articles comes from multiple sources, and in particular, from public television host, author and ELCA member Rick Steves’ transcript called "Opening the Door to Luther." You can follow this journey in its entirety by going to the ELCA website (http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/History/Opening-the-Door-to-Luther.aspx).

In Part 2 (September newsletter), we learned that Luther was enlightened, in fact set afire, from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. Paul explains that salvation is a gift of God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ rather than a human righteousness justified by good works. No longer terrified of God or enslaved by a system of religious merits, Luther was finally able to rest in the knowledge that faith was all that was necessary to save him. The new perspective became evident in his lectures and conversations with other faculty, and before long his ideas became prominent at the University of Wittenberg.

Meanwhile, in Rome, Pope Leo X needed funds to build St. Peter's Basilica. Fortunately for him, the Church had a major source of income at its disposal: the sale of indulgences. So, in 1517, Leo announced the availability of new indulgences. Those who purchased them, he announced, would not only help protect the precious relics of St. Paul and St. Peter from the ravages of rain and hail, but would alleviate the penalty of sin in this life and the next.
A Dominican monk named John Tetzel was assigned to the sale of indulgences in Saxony. A talented and unscrupulous salesman, Tetzel was willing to make any claim that improved sales. He thus promised not only a reduction in punishment for sin, but complete forgiveness of all sin and a return to the state of perfection enjoyed just after baptism. Marketing genius that he was, Tetzel employed a memorable jingle to make his offer clear and simple: "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, a soul from Purgatory springs."

Martin Luther was appalled and outraged that the Roman Catholic Church paid its bills by selling “spiritual coupons” that could be redeemed for forgiveness. Luther has been quoted as saying, "God's forgiveness cannot be purchased like a sack of potatoes. The pope needs more prayer than money." Hoping a scholarly debate would lead to reform, Luther posted his famous 95 Thesis on the door of the castle chapel in Wittenberg, Germany. That date--Oct 31, 1517--marks the most important religious event of the last 1000 years. It kicked off the Reformation and October 31 is still celebrated as Reformation day.

Luther, who had no thought of rebellion, began with a conciliatory tone, but he became the center of an apocalyptic struggle for reform. He paid a great price for his beliefs. The pope excommunicated him in 1521. Shortly after, Luther was summoned to defend himself during the Diet of Worms, but he refused to recant saying, “Unless you can convince me by scripture or by clear reasoning, I am bound by my beliefs. I cannot and I will not recant. God help me. Amen.”

Luther, with great courage and without apology heeded the call to herald and to defend the gospel before a watching world. He is known as the father of Protestantism and is counted right up there with Gutenberg and Newton--as one of the most influential people of the past millennium.

In Part 1, we learned that Martin Luther’s father wanted his eldest son to become a lawyer. But Martin, having called upon St. Anne to save him in the horrible storm, knew that one must keep a promise made to God. That promise was to become a monk and, ultimately, was a decision that greatly disappointed Luther’s parents. Beyond the promise, however, Luther also had strong internal reasons to join the monastery. He was haunted by insecurities about his salvation, calling them afflictions. He had an obsession to find deliverance from an angry God and felt a monastery was the perfect place to find assurance.

He threw himself into the life of a monk with vigor. He confessed sin as often as 20 times a day and punished his body by sleeping on a cold concrete floor. It did not seem to help. He learned Greek and Hebrew in order to read the most ancient manuscripts of the Bible. By age 23 he was ordained a priest and performed his first Mass with a trembling hand. Still, assurance evaded him. Finally, his mentor told him to focus on Christ and him alone in his quest for assurance. Though his anxieties would plague him for still years to come, the seeds for his later assurance were laid in that conversation.

In 1510, Luther traveled as part of delegation from his monastery to Rome (he was not very impressed with what he saw.) In 1511, he transferred to a monastery in Wittenberg where, after receiving his doctor of theology degree, became a professor of biblical theology at the newly founded 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. Later, while preparing for a lecture on Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, he was profoundly struck by the powerful, yet simple verse 1:17, "The just will live by faith." It was during these lectures that Luther finally found the assurance that had evaded him for years. The discovery that changed Luther’s life ultimately changed the course of church history and the history of Europe. 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. Indeed, this was his spiritual “a-ha” moment! He had discovered (or recovered) the doctrine of justification by grace alone. This discovery set him afire.

In Part 3, learn about Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses and his courageous stand against the powerful Roman Catholic Church.