Martin Luther and the Lutheran Reformation God restored and kept the Word of truth The Christian Church at the time of Luther The rise of the papacy. With the lack of stable civil government, the church became the political leader of the land. Over the centuries bishops increased their power and authority. Eventually, secular authority viewed its power as coming from the bishop/bishop of Rome, the pope. The Dictate of the Pope, written in 1075 AD, laid out a program to win supreme power for the bishop of Rome. (Below are 17 of the 27 statements) 1. That the Roman church was founded by God alone. 2. That the Roman pontiff alone can with right be called universal. 3. That he alone can depose or reinstate bishops. 4. That, among other things, we ought not to remain in the same house with those excommunicated by him. 5. That for him alone is it lawful, according to the needs of the time, to make new laws, to assemble together new congregations, to make an abbey of a canonry; and, on the other hand, to divide a rich bishopric and unite the poor ones. 6. That he alone may use the imperial insignia. 7. That of the pope alone all princes shall kiss the feet. 8. That his name alone shall be spoken in the churches. 9. That this is the only name in the world. 10. That it may be permitted to him to depose emperors. 11. That no synod shall be called a general one without his order. 12. That no chapter and no book shall be considered canonical without his authority. 13. That a sentence passed by him may be retracted by no one; and that he himself, alone of all, may retract it. 14. That he himself may be judged by no one. 15. That the Roman church has never erred; nor will it err to all eternity, the Scripture bearing witness. 16. That the Roman pontiff, if he have been canonically ordained, is undoubtedly made a saint by the merits of St. Peter. 17. That he who is not at peace with the Roman church shall not be considered catholic. Agree or Disagree. There is a danger in looking to a central figure of authority for leadership in the church. Life of the clergy. There were various reform movements throughout this period that intended to bring a correction to problems in the church, but they accomplished only short-lived changes. The clergy lived comfortable lives in relative wealth. Moral decay was a constant problem among the clergy of the monasteries and the local churches. Few priests had any understanding about God's Word and a truly Christian life. Influential positions were bought and sold to the highest bidder. The clergy were feared by the people as those who held the power of life and death. Are the problems that affected the clergy in Christian churches during the time of Luther still around today? 1
Worship life in the church. The worship of the Virgin Mary became prominent both in prayer and special festivals. Saints were elevated to special positions of honor. Mary and the other saints were viewed as being more understanding and able to be approached than God himself. Relics were viewed as holy objects holding special power and merit (examples: pieces of the cross, the nails of the cross, bones of the apostles, Peter's chains, tears of Mary, thorns from Jesus' crown straw from the manger). Pilgrimages to shrines were greatly encouraged and were believed to bring special merit in God's sight. The service of the mass was more and more viewed as a repeat of Christ's sacrifice with the priest having the power to transform the bread and wine into Christ's body and blood. Penance to atone for sins, indulgences to buy temporal forgiveness, and trust in the merits of the saints became common beliefs. Match each of the following Bible passages with errors of the church from above. Hebrews 9:26-28 Psalm 115 Ephesians 2:8-9 Romans 9:15-16 1 Timothy 2:5 Acts 8:20 1 Peter 1:18-19 Luther s early life Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483, at Eisleben, Saxony, Germany, to his parents Hans and Margaretta. Luther's parents raised him in the strict home life of the day ("One must punish in such a way that rod is accompanied by the apple"). His parents were very pious Roman Catholics who valued the will of God and a religious life, but who had less regard for the church and clergy. Luther s educational path led him to pursue a law degree. However Luther's religious education left him with the commonly held belief that Christ was only an angry judge. At the university in Erfurt, Luther saw and read his first Bible. How do you think Luther's early life and the times he lived in shaped his beliefs? In what ways does the world today shape the beliefs of people? Read Colossians 2:8. For a long time Luther was plagued by the question, "How can I become truly acceptable to God? He lived in constant fear that he must face the terrible punishment from God for his sins. While at the university, Luther began to believe that the only God-pleasing life was that of a monk. Perhaps he would find some the peace he was searching for. Nearly struck by lightning while returning to Erfurt from home, Luther called on St. Anne for protection and vowed to become a monk. 2
Although he regretted his vow, Luther entered the strict Augustinian monastery in Erfurt. He entered the monastery expecting to be able to gain perfection, be secure against temptation, and live a truly God-pleasing life. Daily life for the monks consisted of prayer (seven chapel services daily), study, and manual labor. Luther's devotion led him to fast for days, beat his body, and sleep on the stone floor of his unheated cell with no covers ("I was a devout monk and observed the rules of my order so rigidly that I can say: If a monk ever got to heaven through monkery, then I too should have made it."). He was ordained a priest in 1507. At his first mass he was filled with terror, troubled that he, a sinner, was standing before a holy God. Through all his attempts to find peace for his souls in his works, good deeds, and even in the priesthood, Luther remained a man with a troubled conscience. Agree or Disagree. Christians can be too idealistic. Agree or Disagree. It is bad for Christians to be so sensitive about their sins as was Luther. Through these experiences, how was God preparing Luther to be a reformer in the church? Luther s service in the church Continuing to be plagued by his lack of holiness, Luther was told by John Staupitz, vicar general of the Augustinians in Germany, "Trust in Christ and in the salvation he has earned for you. Study the Bible." Luther began teaching in the university at Erfurt. There he was encouraged to study for a doctor of theology degree which he received in 1512. With the degree came a promise to defend Holy Scriptures. Luther then began lecturing on Genesis, Psalms, Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews at the university in Wittenberg. The prominent theology of the time, scholasticism which relied on human philosophy, had shaped church doctrine to teach that man by his own natural powers could merit the grace of God. Luther, in this system, found the terms "righteous" and "righteousness of God" to be condemning. In the course of his lectures on Psalms and Romans Luther discovered that God credits His righteousness to the believer by faith (Romans 1:17). Explain how Romans 1:17 helped to turn the light of saving faith on in Luther s heart. What does that verse say to you and your faith? Indulgences Indulgences resulted from the view of the sacrament of penance requiring of a sinner: 1) his heart must feel sorrow over his sin; 2) he must confess his sin to a priest who absolves him of eternal punishment; 3) he must perform necessary works of satisfaction as temporal punishment. Indulgences were viewed 3
as temporal payment and complete forgiveness for sin drawing on the treasury of merits of the saints for forgiveness. John Tetzel sold indulgences in the area of Wittenberg for the Archbishop of Mainz to raise money for himself and the pope (to rebuild St. Peter s Church in Rome). "Once the coin in the coffer clings, the soul from purgatory heavenward springs Tetzel. The unscriptural sale of indulgences is what moved Luther to take action. Luther had previously warned about the danger of trust in indulgences for forgiveness in several sermons. On October 31, 1517, Luther posted the Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Castle Church. The theses served as the basis for a debate on the topic of indulgences. They stressed repentance and faith for God s forgiveness. Copies of the theses were quickly distributed throughout Europe (Gutenberg s printing press aided in the widespread distribution). The theses originally written in Latin were translated into German. The common people became greatly interested in the content of these theses and their implications. Rome ordered the Augustinians and John Staupitz to silence Luther and his attacks against the sale of indulgences. The debate on the theses that Luther hoped for never took place at Wittenberg. A number of church leaders and teachers in Germany began to accept Luther's views as defended and supported by the Bible. Agree or Disagree. Since we do not sell indulgences today no one could ever get the wrong idea that they can buy their way to heaven. How was God's hand at work to spread Luther's ideas? Though his teachings were going against accepted church doctrine, why did Luther gain supporters? Agree or Disagree. Our doctrine and beliefs cannot be misled by worldly philosophy today because we now have the truth of God's Word. Opposition At first unconcerned, Pope Leo X was later convinced (because of the loss of income) to summon Luther to Rome to answer charges of heresy. Luther now began to fear for his life. Rome was convinced to give Luther a "fatherly" hearing in Germany at the city of Augsburg in October of 1518. At Augsburg Luther met with Cardinal Cajetan, the papal legate, who demanded of Luther that he retract his errors and abstain from them in the future. Luther would not do this unless shown from the Bible that he was wrong. In July of 1519, Luther debated John Eck, a Dominican from the University of Ingolstadt, at Leipzig on the subjects of indulgences, and papal authority and power. Luther stated that it was not necessary to obey the pope in order to be saved. He appealed to the Bible for his position. Elector Frederick of Saxony defended Luther as his subject and also on the basis of Luther's theological position. 4
In June of 1520, the pope signed a papal bull condemning Luther as a heretic and demanding him to recant or be excommunicated. Luther received the bull in October, and on December 10, 1520, joined other Wittenberg professors and students as papal writings were burned and finally a copy of the bull. Luther had broken with Rome. Elector Frederick convinced the new emperor, Charles V, to allow Luther to appear before the imperial diet to defend himself and the charges made against him. Luther was invited to appear at the diet meeting in Worms in April of 1521. He expected to be able to defend his views before the emperor and the assembly. Luther's friends and even the elector tried to convince him to not go to Worms. Luther was called upon not to defend his work and to explain his views but only to acknowledge it as his or to retract it. After a day of deliberation, Luther took his stand on what he had written on the basis of the Bible. April 18, 1521: "Unless I can be instructed and convinced with evidence from the Holy Scriptures or with open, clear, and distinct grounds and reasoning and my conscience is captive to the Word of God then I cannot and I will not recant, because it is neither safe nor wise to act against conscience. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen. The next day, Charles V sent a message to the diet that he was determined to proceed against Luther as to heretic. In May, Luther was condemned by the emperor as a heretic. Luther was certainly in a minority position in the church. What prompted him to take such a stand? Do you as a Christian find yourself in the minority position? What do you do and what should you do when in that situation? Luther s call for reformation Following the Diet of Worms in 1521, Luther was secretly taken to the Wartburg Castle where he stayed for a year. He had long believed that if the church was to experience a true reformation that the Bible had to be given to the common man. While there he translated the New Testament into German. This was published in 1522. Luther continued work to complete the Old Testament. It was published in German in 1534. Luther returned to Wittenberg to correct problems and to guide the church in its reform. Luther brought about changes only after careful instruction in the Word of God. He did not make changes simply for the sake of change. He did retain what was good. New forms of worship were introduced in 1523 and 1526. The service was held in the German (native) language. The use of Scriptures and properly interpreting it was a key feature and stress of Luther's work. Also being aware of the spiritual ignorance of the common people, Luther prepared the Small and Large Catechism to aid in the teaching of Christian doctrine (1529). 5
Luther's many writings stated his position on doctrine. At the Diet of Augsburg in 1530, the Augsburg Confession was presented to the emperor as the confession of the new church. The Lutheran Church was born. In 1537, Luther prepared the Smalcald Articles as his own confession for a church council which was never held. Luther's confessions and others were gathered in the Book of Concord in 1580. How is Luther's insistence upon Word and Sacrament a valid concern yet today? Why are the confessions of a church important? In what ways was Luther particularly valuable to God's work? THE BIG QUESTION. Why is the reformation of the Christian church that was led by Martin Luther so important for us today? 6