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Who is Martin Luther? |
| Martin Luther
(1483-1546) dealt the symbolic blow that began the Reformation when, on October 31, 1517, he
nailed his Ninety-Five Theses, or points of
debate, to the door of the Castle Church at the University in Wittenberg, Germany.
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| The church door
functioned as a kind of bulletin board, and Luther's intent was to spur debate among the
academic community. That document contained an attack on abuses by the Pope, particularly the
sale of indulgences by church officials to finance, among other things, the construction of a
new St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Anyone who purchased an indulgence behalf of themselves or a
deceased relative was promised a lessoning of time their souls spent in purgatory. The
practice greatly enriched the church, but created great hardship among the poor. |
| It wasn't his
intention, but Luther's academic challenge to the sale of indulgences on October 31, 1517, is
what started the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. For all their notoriety, they are not
among the confessional documents of the Lutheran churches. |
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Luther himself saw the Reformation as
something more important than a revolt against church abuses. He believed it was a fight
for the gospel. Luther even stated that he would happily have yielded every point to the
pope had affirmed the gospel.
His teachings formed the foundation of
Protestantism.
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- Born November 10, 1483 in Eisleben, Germany
- Studied law at age 18
- Became a Catholic Priest at age 23
- Received his Doctor of Theology at age 28
- Became a Reform at age 33 and was later excommunicated
- Was a fugitive at 38, hiding from the authorities of
the church
- At the age of 40, Luther to translate the Bible into
German for the common people
- Died of a stroke in the town of his birth at age 63
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| And at the heart of the
gospel, in Luther's estimation, was the doctrine of justification by faith, the teaching that
Christ's own righteousness brought forgiveness to the those who believe, and on that ground
alone, they are accepted by God. |
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Fearing for his life, Martin Luther
Promised to become a Monk |
| Luther came from a
poor peasant family and was reared in a strict home by parents who taught him to pray to the
Saints, do good works, and revere the Pope and the church. He studied Latin in a local
school at age 5. By the time he was 13, he attended the school of a religious
brotherhood in Magdeburg, Germany. He received his Master of Arts degree from the
University of Erfurt in 1505 and began to study law. This was the time that his life
changed abruptly. |
| Luther was caught
in a violent storm and was knocked down to the ground by a lightening bolt. He cried
out, "Help me, St. Anne, and I'll become a monk." Shortly after that, he joined the
Augustinian Cloister in Erfurt. He was ordained in 1507 and left Erfurt to teach moral
philosophy at the University of Wittenberg. Luther soon earned his Doctorate of Theology. From
1513 to 1518, he lectured on Biblical Theology at the University of Wittenberg. He became
widely known. In 1515 Doctor Luther was appointed District Vicar for the Augustinian Order.
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Faith, Not Good Work |
| During this entire
time, Luther was torn by inner turmoil. He could not see how man, being ruled by sin, could
ever hope to gain redemption in the eyes of God. Martin Luther continually sought peace
through "good works" -- including fasting and punishing his flesh. His failure to reconcile
himself to God drove him to the edge of despair. God reached out to him through His
Word. Luther loved to read and study God's Word. In reading the book of Ephesians, he saw that
there is no way in which man can "gain credit" with God and "merit" God's favor, but man can
receive through faith God's divine gift of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Then his sins are forgiven by God's mercy. |
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He Married a Former Nun |
| Luther married
Katherine von Bora, a former nun whom he had
sheltered at Wittenberg, in June 1525. She brought much needed order and cleanliness to his
home life. Housekeeping was not one of Luther's priorities. They had a happy marriage
with six children of biological birth and gave a home to eleven orphans. Katherine was a
thrifty manager, who was loving and supportive of Luther. |
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Martin Luther did not set out to organize a
church under his name |
| Martin Luther did
not set out to organize a church under his name.
Luther published almost 400 works during his lifetime.
His output included Biblical commentaries, catechisms, sermons and tracts. He also worked on
revisions of his translation of the Bible. He helped people take part in church services by
writing hymns, both words and music. He loved to sing his own hymns and was said to have an
excellent singing voice. His famous hymn, A Mighty
Fortress (Ein' Feste Burg), is usually sung at Reformation services and other times
throughout the church year and throughout the Christian community. |
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