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Introduction

Introduction
Awhile ago, I asked if I could be the church’s official Luther apologist
because I believe that many times, when people say “Luther got this wrong,”
whatever ‘this’ might be, I think, “How do you know, Luther got it wrong?”

And the reason I think that is because Luther got the most important
thing in the world right, and viewed the entire world through the lenses of
that thing.

I’m talking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Luther understood, better than anyone, since possibly Paul, that Jesus
Christ came and lived a perfect life, never sinning, perfectly righteous, and
then he received the full wrath of God in place of us all, and because of that,
we are reconciled to our Creator, the Heavenly Father.

Luther called it “The Great Exchange” our sins were placed on Christ,
and his righteousness was placed on those who are children of God so that
when God, the Holy Heavenly Father looks at us, he doesn’t see me the
sinful Paul Hambrick, he sees His perfect son, His true child, His true Israel,
Jesus Christ.

And the reason why Luther understood this so completely was because of
his life experiences leading up to the moment when he read Romans 1:17
“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is
written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

The way Luther probably would have read that last part, is: “The one
who is righteous by faith, shall live.”

It really sunk in for the first time that there was not anything that Luther
could do that would make him acceptable before God.

Christ did all the work in his life, and on the cross, and it was that event
in history 1500 years previously that made the children of God acceptable to
God. The child of God was righteous by faith alone.
Luther describes that moment as if the gates of paradise were finally
opened to him and he happily walked through them.

But it was all of his experiences before this moment that prepared him to
be open to receive this truth from God.

Luther was a “True Believer” if there ever was one. He didn’t just give
his beliefs lip service, he truly believed what he thought, wrote and said,
which is why, when he says things like, “Pray and let God worry,” we laugh
because it’s a witty statement, but Luther, while being slightly facetious,
would have meant it. You didn’t get “half-pints” with Luther, as I heard a
historian put it this week. When he was warm, he was very warm, and when
he was cruel, he was very cruel, you got the whole full measure of Luther
when Luther believed something.

But two things that Luther seemed to believe above all others - 1) It was
only by God’s grace that he had hope for salvation, and 2) Scripture was the
final authority on everything.

So, when I hear someone say, “Luther got this wrong,” or “Luther wasn’t
quite right here, or there,” I wonder if maybe Luther is just misunderstood.

It’s not that I think he couldn’t have possibly been wrong about things,
he was a man after all, it’s just that I wonder if maybe he saw things that we
don’t see.

I once heard that Luther said, after reading John Calvin’s views on the
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, “Give me half an hour with this young man,
and we’ll hammer out our differences on the Lord’s Supper.” Which is
interesting because that was the one point that they supposedly disagreed on.

This week, I’m going to give an historical overview of the Life of Luther
leading up to the Diet of Worms and through Wartborg Castle, and next
week, I want to go over his organization of the Protestant Church and through
that talk about his doctrines which will include many of his wonderful quotes
about various topics.

But, let me read one quote here, this is Martin Luther on quoting Martin
Luther, and I want you to keep this in mind whenever you hear someone
quote, or talk about Luther, and whether or not Luther may have been wrong
about a point:

Because I see that the mobs are always growing, the


number of
errors are always increasing and Satan's rage and ruin
have no
end, I wish to confess with this work my faith before God
and the
whole world, point by point. I am doing this, lest
certain people
cite me or my writings, while I am alive or after I am
dead, to
support their errors, as those fanatics, the
Sacramentarians and
the Anabaptists, have begun to do. I will remain in this
confession until my death (God help me!), will depart
from this
world in it, and appear before the Judgment Seat of our
Lord Jesus
Christ.

So that no one will say after my death, ``If Luther was


alive, he
would teach and believe this article differently, because
he did
not think it through sufficiently,'' I state the
following, once
and for all: I, by God's grace, I have diligently
examined these
articles in the light of passages throughout the
Scriptures. I
have worked on them repeatedly and you can be sure that I
want to
defend them, in the same way that I have just defended
the
Sacrament of the Altar.

No, I'm not drunk or impulsive. I know what I am saying


and
understand fully what this will mean for me as I stand
before the
Lord Jesus Christ on the Last Day. No one should think
that I am
joking or rambling. I'm serious! By God's grace, I know
Satan
very well. If Satan can turn God's Word upside down and
pervert
the Scriptures, what will he do with my words -- or the
words of
others?

Early Life

Early Life
Luther was born in Eiselben, Germany on 10 November 1483 to Hans
and Margaret Luther. In 1484 they moved to Mansfield (Does anyone know
the significance of that?).

His father was a copper smelter, served as a citizen representative on


the local council, and had worked his way up to that point out of indentured
servitude, and he was determined that his children work their way up even
farther. He was determined for Luther, his eldest son, to be educated and
become a Lawyer.

He sent Luther to schools in Mansfield, Magdeburg and Eisenach where


the schools focused on the trivium: grammar, rhetoric and logic - basically a
“classical education.” Typically, in modern times, a classical education
involves a lot of reading, and I’m not sure that is the case with classical
education in Luther’s time (surely it wasn’t referred to as classical back then),
but it probably was, since Luther was known as an excellent writer, and
excellent writers usually get that way by extensive reading, and that habit is
usually formed early in life.

Luther would later compare his early education to purgatory and hell,
however.

In 1501, at 19 years old, he entered the University of Erfurt… which he


later described as a beerhouse and whorehouse. He received a master’s
degree in 1505, and in accordance with his father’s wishes, He enrolled in
Law school and Erfurt, but dropped out almost immediately.

He was drawn to theology and philosophy, and was particularly


influenced by tutors who taught him to be suspicious of even the greatest
thinkers, and to test everything himself by experience.
He was unsatisfied with philosophy because even though it taught him to
reason, it taught him nothing about loving God, something which Luther
thought was most important. He, now listen to this especially in light of what
we learned about Thomas Aquinas, believed that reason could not lead mean
to God, and so he developed a love-hate relationship with Aristotle. He
believed that reason could be used to question men and institutions, but not
God. Human beings could learn about God only through divine revelation,
and Scripture became more important to him.

Later, Luther would attribute the decision on an event that happened on


2 July 1505. He was returning to Erfurt after a trip home. He had just lost two
friends to the plague, and was apparently questioning his direction in life, he
saw law as an uncertain profession. He was suddenly caught in a violent
thunderstorm, and thought his life as in danger so he prayed, “Help! Saint
Anne, I will become a monk!”

He believed that he could not break this vow, sold his books, left law
school and entered an Augustinian friary in Erfurt on 17 July 1505. Luther’s
friends gave him a farewell supper, and then walked him to the friary. Luther
wasn’t really happy about his decision, at the door, he said to his friends,
“This day you see me, and then, not ever again.”

Of course his father was furious about his decision.

It may be slightly surprising to you that Luther would be able to join a


monastery without leaving his University home of Erfurt, but in it’s heyday,
Erfurt had some 90 churches, chapels, monasteries and convents. I don’t know
if Erfurt could have been considered the buckle of the Bible belt, but it sounds
like it.

Monastic & Academic Life

Monastic & Academic Life


As I’ve said before, Luther never gave you a half-pint, he gave
everything his all, and he certainly did this in the monastery.

He dedicated himself to the monastic life, the effort to do good works to


please God and to serve others through prayer for their souls.
It never seemed to do him any good though, he could never have peace
with God.

He was always in confession.

“Forgive me father for last night, I coveted brother Hans’ bread.”

Then he would be declared absolved, and as he was walking away, he


would realize, “I wasn’t sincere in my confession,” and he’d go back and say,
“Father forgive me for I was not sincere in my last confession,” and on and on
it would go.

He even wore out his confessor who told him, “Look would you stop
bothering me.”

His superiors thought that maybe he was lazy because he would literally
spend all day long in confessional while everyone else was performing the
work in the monastery.

The monastery was as much a thriving business as it was a place to be


penitent.

It dyed and sold dyed cloth, and brewed an apparently popular beer at
the time, so there was plenty of work to do, but Martin spent all of his days in
the confessional booth confessing the tiniest sins.

He wasn’t lazy, and he wasn’t trying to get out of work, he was trying to
find peace for his tortured soul.

He really felt his own sin and the Holiness of God, and he couldn’t come
to terms with it.

The more he tried to do for God, the more aware he became of his
sinfulness.

He would try everything to prove that he was penitent from long periods
of fasting, to sleeping out in the snow without blankets, to self-flagellation.
He would attribute his ill health in later life to his years of self-abuse in the
monastery.

But none of it brought him any closure.


His superior, Johann von Staupitz conclueded that Luther needed more to
distract him from excessive introspection and ordered him to pursue
academics, and train to teach Biblical studies at the University of
Wittenberg. This was the best thing that could have happened to Luther
because, like everything else he did, he took it very seriously. He studied,
and received a Bachelor’s degree in Biblical studies in 1508, and a Doctor of
Theology degree in 1512. He was received into the senate of the theological
faculty of the University of Wittenberg that same year.

The demanding discipline of earning academic degrees and preparing


lectures drove Martin Luther to study the Scriptures in depth. Influenced by
the call of humanism ad fontes "to the sources" he immersed himself in the
study of the Bible and the early Church. Soon terms like penance and
righteousness took on new meaning for Luther, and he became convinced
that the Church had lost sight of several of the central truths of Christianity
taught in Scripture the most important of which being the doctrine of
justification by faith alone. Luther began to teach that salvation is completely
a gift of God's grace through Jesus received by faith.

In 1511, Luther had to make a business trip to Rome, and he was excited
to go because… it was Rome, the holy city.

When he got there, he was shocked at the unholiness of the city and
flippancy of the local priests.

They could get through 5 or 6 Mass’ in the time it took him to get
through one.

This is from Wylies’s History of Protestantism:

The enchantment continued for some little while. Luther tried hard to
realise the dreams which had lightened his toilsome journey. Here, thought
Luther, the martyrs had died; on the floor of this stupendous ruin, the
Coliseum, had they contended with the lions; on this spot, where now stands
the sumptuous temple of St. Peter, and where the Vicar of Christ has erected
his throne, were they used "as torches to illumine the darkness of the night".
Over this city, too, Paul's feet had walked, and to this city had that letter
been sent, and here had it first been opened and read, in which occur the
words that had been the means of imparting to him a new life - "The just shall
live by faith."

The first weeks which Luther passed in Rome were occupied in visiting
the holy places and saying mass at the altars of the more holy of its churches.
But it was not long till he began to see that these outward blemishes were as
nothing to the hideous moral and spiritual corruptions that existed beneath the
surface. The luxury, lewdness, and impiety that shocked him in the first
Italian towns he had entered, and which had attended him in every step of his
journey since crossing the Alps, were all repeated in Rome on a scale of
seven-fold magnitude. His practice of saying mass at all the more favoured
churches brought him into daily contact with the priests; he saw them behind
the scenes; he heard their talk, and he could not conceal from himself -
though the discovery unspeakably shocked and pained him - that these men
were simply playing a part, and that in private they held in contempt and
treated with mockery the very rites which in public they celebrated with so
great a show of devotion. If he was shocked at their profane levity, they on
their part were no less astonished at his solemn credulity, and jeered him as a
dull German.

One day Luther was saying mass in one of the churches of Rome with his
accustomed solemnity. While he had been saying one mass, the priests at the
neighbouring altars had sung seven. "Make haste, and send Our Lady back
her Son" was the horrible scoff with which they reproved his delay, as they
accounted it. To them "Lady and Son" were worth only the money they
brought. But these were the common priests. Surely, thought he, faith and
piety still linger among the dignitaries of the Church! How mistaken was
even this belief, Luther was soon to discover.

One day he chanced to find himself at table with some prelates. Taking
the German to be a man of the same easy faith with themselves, they lifted
the veil a little too freely. They openly expressed their disbelief in the
mysteries of their Church, and shamelessly boasted of their cleverness in
deceiving and befooling the people. Instead of the words, "Hoc est meum
corpus" - This is my body etc. - the words at the utterance of which the bread
is changed, as the Church of Rome teaches, into the flesh and blood of Christ
- these prelates, as they themselves told him, were accustomed to say, "Panis
es, et panis manebis," etc. - Bread thou art, and bread thou wilt remain - and
then, said they, we elevate the Host, and the people bow down and worship.

Luther was literally horrified: it was as if an abyss had suddenly yawned


beneath him. But the horror was salutary; it opened his eyes. Instead of a city
of prayers and alms, of contrite hearts and holy lives, Rome was full of
mocking hypocrisy, defiant skepticism, jeering impiety, and shameless
revelry. (Dr Gillis - Amongst the 100.000 population of Rome at this time
there is documentary evidence there were 6,800 prostitutes walking the
streets in their nun - like apparel).

Borgia had lately closed his infamous Pontificate, and the warlike Julius
II. was now reigning. A powerful police patrolled the city every night. They
were empowered to deal summary justice on offenders, and those whom they
caught were hanged at the next post or thrown into the Tiber. But all the
vigilance of the patrol could not secure the peace and safety of the streets.
Robberies and murders were of nightly occurrence. "If there be a hell," said
Luther, "Rome is built over it."

"I would not have missed my journey to Rome," said Luther afterwards,
"for a hundred thousand florins."

In addition to his duties as a professor, Luther served as a preacher and


confessor at the Castle Church, a foundation of Frederick the Wise, Elector of
Saxony and the owner of the University of Wittenberg.

Germany was divided up into several states that were all part of the
much larger Holy Roman Empire. It was a type of feudalism, and Frederick
the Wise was the feudal Lord of that area.

The church where Luther pastored was named "All Saints" because it was
the repository of Frederick’s collection of holy relics. This parish served both
the Augustinian monastary and the university. It was in the performance of
these duties that the Luther was confronted with the effects of obtaining
indulgences on the lives of everyday people. An indulgence is a certificate
that absolved individuals of the temporal penalties of the sins they had
confessed. A buyer could purchase one, either for himself or for one of his
deceased relatives in purgatory.
The Pope had cleared out the Vatican’s coffers on both his building
campaign for St. Peter’s Basilica, and his lavish lifestyle which included huge
parties and massive boar hunts.

So, as part of the building campaign, indulgence selling was increased


because this was the number one profit center the church had.

The Dominican friar Johann Tetzel was enlisted to travel throughout


Archbishop Albert of Mainz's episcopal territories promoting and selling
indulgences and he was very successful at it. He urged: "as soon as the coin
in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs" [Brecht, vol. 1, p. 182].

As a priest concerned about the spiritual welfare of his parishioners,


Luther saw this traffic in indulgences as an abuse that could mislead them
into relying simply on the indulgences themselves to the neglect of the
confession, true repentance, and satisfactions. Luther preached three sermons
against indulgences in 1516 and 1517.

On October 31, 1517, according to traditional accounts, Luther's 95


Theses were nailed to the door of the Castle Church as an open invitation to
debate them [Brecht, vol. 1, p. 200].

The Theses condemned greed and worldliness in the Church as an abuse


and asked for a theological disputation on what indulgences could grant.
Luther did not challenge the authority of the pope to grant indulgences in
these theses.

The 95 Theses were quickly translated into German, widely copied and
printed. Within two weeks they had spread throughout Germany, and within
two months throughout Europe.

This was one of the first events in history that was profoundly affected by
the printing press, which made the distribution of documents easier and more
wide-spread.

The 95 Theses:

1. The whole life of believers should be repentance.


2. There is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers mortifications of
the flesh.
3. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long as hatred of self continues; for this is
the true inward repentance, and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of
heaven.
4. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it has been remitted by God
and by assenting to God's remission; though, to be sure, he may grant remission in
cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in such cases were
despised, the guilt would remain entirely unforgiven.
5. God remits guilt to no one whom He does not, at the same time, humble in all things
and bring into subjection to His vicar, the priest.
6. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and, according to them, nothing
should be imposed on the dying.
7. The dying are freed by death from all penalties; they are already dead to canonical
rules, and have a right to be released from them.
8. Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ as do despair, almost-despair, and the
assurance of safety.
9. It seems unproved, either by reason or Scripture, that they (those in purgatory) are
outside the state of merit, that is to say, of increasing love.
10. Again, it seems unproved that they, or at least that all of them, are certain or assured
of their own blessedness, though we may be quite certain of it.
11. They preach man who say that so soon as the penny jingles into the money-box, the
soul flies out [of purgatory].
12. It is certain that when the penny jingles into the money-box, gain and avarice can be
increased, but the result of the intercession of the Church is in the power of God
alone.
13. Who knows whether all the souls in purgatory wish to be bought out of it?
14. Every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even
without letters of pardon.
15. Every true Christian, whether living or dead, has part in all the blessings of Christ and
the Church; and this is granted him by God, even without letters of pardon.
16. True contrition seeks and loves penalties, but liberal pardons only relax penalties and
cause them to be hated, or at least, furnish an occasion [for hating them].
17. Christians are to be taught that the pope does not intend the buying of pardons to be
compared in any way to works of mercy.
18. Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a
better work than buying pardons;
19. Because love grows by works of love, and man becomes better; but by pardons man
does not grow better, only more free from penalty.
20. Christians are to be taught that he who sees a man in need, and passes him by, and
gives [his money] for pardons, purchases not the indulgences of the pope, but the
indignation of God.
21. Christians are to be taught that unless they have more than they need, they are
bound to keep back what is necessary for their own families, and by no means to
squander it on pardons.
22. Christians are to be taught that the buying of pardons is a matter of free will, and not
of commandment.
23. Christians are to be taught that the pope, in granting pardons, needs, and therefore
desires, their devout prayer for him more than the money they bring.
24. Christians are to be taught that the pope's pardons are useful, if they do not put their
trust in them; but altogether harmful, if through them they lose their fear of God.
25. Christians are to be taught that if the pope knew the exactions of the pardon-
preachers, he would rather that St. Peter's church should go to ashes, than that it
should be built up with the skin, flesh and bones of his sheep.
26. Christians are to be taught that it would be the pope's wish, as it is his duty, to give of
his own money to very many of those from whom certain hawkers of pardons cajole
money, even though the church of St. Peter might have to be sold.
27. They are enemies of Christ and of the pope, who bid the Word of God be altogether
silent in some Churches, in order that pardons may be preached in others.
28. Injury is done the Word of God when, in the same sermon, an equal or a longer time
is spent on pardons than on this Word.
29. It must be the intention of the pope that if pardons, which are a very small thing, are
celebrated with one bell, with single processions and ceremonies, then the Gospel,
which is the very greatest thing, should be preached with a hundred bells, a hundred
processions, a hundred ceremonies.
30. The true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel of the glory and the grace of
God.
31. But this treasure is naturally most odious, for it makes the first to be last.
32. On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is naturally most acceptable, for it
makes the last to be first.
33. Therefore the treasures of the Gospel are nets with which they formerly were wont to
fish for men of riches.
34. To say that the cross, emblazoned with the papal arms, which is set up [by the
preachers of indulgences], is of equal worth with the Cross of Christ, is blasphemy.
35. To wit: -- "Why does not the pope empty purgatory, for the sake of holy love and of
the dire need of the souls that are there, if he redeems an infinite number of souls for
the sake of miserable money with which to build a Church? The former reasons
would be most just; the latter is most trivial."
36. Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent in following Christ, their Head,
through penalties, deaths, and hell;
37. And thus be confident of entering into heaven rather through many tribulations, than
through the assurance of peace.
Aftermath to Worms

Aftermath to Worms
As I said last week, Luther nailing the 95 Theses to the church door at
Wittenburg was merely an attempt to start a debate.

The 95 Theses were quickly translated from Latin into German, printed,
and widely copied, making the controversy one of the first in history to be
aided by the printing press.[35] Within two weeks, copies of the theses had
spread throughout Germany; within two months throughout Europe.

Luther's writings circulated widely, reaching France, England, and Italy


as early as 1519.

So, what do you think this resulted in?

Luther became a celebrity, and students flocked to Wittenberg to hear


him speak.

This was a particularly creative time for Luther. It was during this time
that he published his commentary on Galatians, his Work on the Psalms, and
three of his best-known works were published in 1520, these were: To the
Christian Nobility of the German Nation, On the Babylonian Captivity of the
Church, and On the Freedom of a Christian. We’ll look at these works in
depth a little later.
Now, in addition to nailing the Theses to the church door, Luther also
mailed a copy to Archbishop Albrecht of Mainz and Magdeburg.

This was the official act of Luther expressing his grievance with the
Church, the nailing of the letter to the door was just traditional.
You might be asking, why he would do this, but keep in mind, Luther’s
problem was primarily Tetzel’s tactics of selling indulgences for profit - not
that the Church had no right to proclaim someone as absolved of their sins.

It’s almost as if Luther was trying to tell the Pope, “Hey, you’ve got this
crazy monk up here that’s tarnishing your good name by selling indulgences
for profit, and using sleazy slogans to do it.”

The Archbishop Albrecht did not respond to Luther’s letter, but had it
checked for heresy, and in December of 1517 forwarded the letter to Rome.

Pope Leo X, as I said last week, needed the money from indulgences, so
he responded, to Luther, but slowly.

Over the next three years, he sent several papal theologians and envoys
against Luther.

Basically these were official statements attempting to demonstrate how


wrong Luther was.

This just made Luther angry, and gave him more resolve to stand his
ground.

Remember, last week I said that Luther was a “True Believer” and once
he was convinced of something, he went all out in favor of whatever that
might be.

Luther’s job was to study the Scriptures, he was the Biblical Studies
professor of Wittenburg. He knew his Bible. He believed it was the very
inspired words of the Creator of the entire universe, and if you disagreed with
him, you were wrong.

The church’s argument was contrary to Scripture, and Luther basically


told them, “I’m right, you’re wrong, now come and hit me with your best
shot.”

First, Sylvester Mazzollini, the Dominican theologian, drafted a heresy


case against Luther, and the Pope summoned Luther to Rome to have him
examined.

Well, often when people are summoned to Rome, they don’t leave Rome
alive, so Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony, whom we were introduced to
last week persuaded the Pope to hold the examination in Augsburg where the
Imperial Diet was held.

Without getting into great detail about Church politics at this time,
Germany was part of the Holy Roman Empire, along with several other
countries, and the countries were further divided up into territories that were
ruled by electors. The Holy Roman Empire had as much authority over things
as the Vatican did, and so Charles V the Holy Roman Emperor had as much
authority as the Pope did.

Frederick as one of the electors within Charles V empire had some pull
with the Pope, and this is why the Pope would have agreed to have Luther
examined outside of territory that he controlled.

Frederick’s desire was to protect Luther.

Many historians say that it’s a mystery why Frederick wanted to protect
Luther. Maybe he agreed with Luther’s theology, maybe he just liked Luther.

But let’s think about this for a second. Frederick is Luther’s employer and
owns the University at Wittenburg that he teaches in, and whose enrollment
has increased significantly since Luther became famous, and he owns the
church where Luther pastors, and contains his vast collection of relics that
people pay good money to see.

Do you understand what I’m getting at?

Luther’s protection is as much political and monetary as it is religious.

Luther realizes this and savvily uses his political connections to his
advantage.

In October 1518, at the Imperial Diet, the papal legate Cardinal Cajetan
began his examination of Luther, and told him to recant his statements in the
95 Theses. His instructions were, if Luther did not recant, he was to be
arrested.

Luther informed the Cardinal that he did not consider the papacy part of
the biblical Church, and so he wasn’t going to answer to him any longer.

The hearings degenerated into a shouting match.


More than his writing the 95 Theses, this confrontation of the church cast
him as an enemy of the pope.

Cajetan had no way of arresting Luther in Augsburg, where the Frederick


the Wise guaranteed his security. Luther slipped out of the city at night.

In January of the following year, 1519, Luther was drug into a debate
when he was challenged by theologian Johann Maier von Eck. When he
invited Luther to speak, Luther said, among other things, that Matthew 16:18
(Where Jesus says Peter is the rock on which the church will be built), does
not confer on popes the exclusive right to interpret scripture, and that
therefore neither popes nor church councils were infallible.

Eck then branded Luther a new John Huss, who had been deemed a
heretic and burned at the stake in 1415. Eck then devoted himself to Luther’s
defeat.

When it became evident that he would be excommunicated and


possibly labeled a heretic, Luther began to take action to protect himself.

In 1520 he wrote three important pamphlets. First, To the Christian


Nobility of the German Nation which attacked three walls that the Roman
church had protected itself with.

The First Wall: Spiritual Power over Temporal


The first wall of the "Romanists" that Luther criticized was that of the division
of the spiritual and temporal state. Through this criticism Luther states how
there is no difference among these states beyond that of office. He
elaborates further by quoting St. Peter and the Book of Revelation stating
that through baptism we were consecrated as priests. Through this statement
he diminishes the Church's authority significantly and describes priests as
nothing more than "functionaries". Luther provides the example of "if ten
brothers, co-heirs as king's sons, were to choose one from among them to
rule over their inheritance, they would all of them still remain kings and have
equal power, although one is ordered to govern."[6]From this statement Luther
calls for religious office to be held by elected officials, stating that "if a thing
is common to all, no man may take it to himself without the wish and
command of the community." Therefore through this criticism of the first wall
one can see Luther taking authority from the Church by saying that everyone
is a priest and giving more authority to govern to the temporal sphere. The
problem that arises out of this can be found in a letter written by an
anonymous Nürnberger, “Whether Secular Government has the Right to Wield
the Sword in Matters of Faith.” This article raises the question of how much
governing control was acceptable for the temporal authorities to have over the
spiritual sphere. From Lutherʼs letter temporal authorities took too much
control and were executing and banishing for reasons of faith, but at the
same time the papists were burning and hanging “everyone who is not of their
faith.” [7] Thus, the question of who was to have authority to govern the
spiritual sphere.

The Second Wall: Authority to Interpret Scripture


In the second part of the letter to the Christian nobility of the German nation,
Luther debates the point that it is the Pope's sole authority to interpret, or
confirm interpretation of, scriptures. The large problem being that there is no
proof announcing this authority is the Pope's alone thus they have assumed
this authority for themselves.[8] Through this criticism, Luther allows the laity
to have a standard to base their faith on and not an official's interpretation,
thus detracting more from the Church's control over the sphere. This
criticism, unlike in the first wall, supported a strong base of the reformation,
the break away from the rules and traditions of the Catholic Church. The
Reformation was based on setting the standard on the Scriptures, not on the
Gospel, through this reformers were able to have a standard to look to for
laws and regulations concerning their faith. [9]

The Third Wall: Authority to Call a Council


This final part to Luther's letter is the largest demonstration of his desire to
see authority in control over the spiritual sphere shift to the temporal sphere.
The Church was able to protect itself by preventing anyone other than the
Pope from calling a council to discuss spiritual affairs. To this, Luther states
that anyone should have the ability to call a council if they find a problem or
issue of the spiritual sphere. Further, Luther delegates the "temporal
authorities" to be best suited for calling a council as not only are they "fellow-
Christians, fellow-priests, sharing one spirit and one power in all things, and
[thus] they should exercise the office that they received from God." [10] This
shift in power to the temporal authorities in faith matters became a larger
problem later in the Reformation. Confrontations arose as to who had the right
to interfere in matters of faith, such as at what point is it acceptable for the
government to stop a new religion from forming. An example of this
confrontation can be found in a document by an unknown Nürnberger entitled
"Whether Secular Government has the Right to Wield the Sword in Matters of
Faith." [1] This document asked if military force employed to stop uprising
violence, whether applied by the government or the church, is the Christian
thing to do. Some believed that violence begot more violence, that “those that
lived by the sword would die by the sword;” [11] others believed it was the
secular sphereʼs duty to protect its people and stop new faiths from forming.
They made use of the Old Testament as proof for their statements, thus
relying on old tradition and papal interpretation. [12]

In this writing, Luther is not only calling into question the authority of
the Roman church, but he’s calling into question the authority of the Roman
church in Germany.

Who are these crazy Italians who demand money from the proud
German people - their not part of the Biblical church and here they are
extorting German money from honest German people. What are we going to
do about this German people?

This endears him to the German nobility and the German people who get
wind of all this from the copies being printed all over Europe.

The second pamphlet Luther wrote was The Babylonian Captivity of the
Church in which he denies that their are 7 sacraments according to the
Scriptures - there are only two: Baptism and Communion, with declaration of
Absolution being a possible third, and let me just say that in the mind of
Luther, it is not so much the act of stating absolution through the words of the
priest that Luther is referring to here, but the absolution that comes from the
individual being declared righteous because of the Grace of God. This
Justification comes through Faith, and Faith through hearing the word, so
essentially, what Luther is saying is the Word being preached is a possible
third sacrament.

The third treatise he wrote was On the Freedom of the Christian. This
work developed the concept that as fully forgiven children of God, Christians
are no longer compelled to keep God's law; however, they freely and
willingly serve God and their neighbors.

It was from this that you will here, “Lutherans have no category for
ethics.” And it is also from this treatise that Luther was challenged by
someone who said, “Dr. Luther, you are basically telling people that they can
be Christians and sin all they want.” And Luther said, “Of course. You can do
whatever you want and behave however you want, and still be a Christian…
but why would you?”

Luther sent a copy of this particular treatise right to the Pope.

On 15 June 1520, Luther was sent a papal bull stating that unless he
recanted certain statements taken from his writings, including the 95 Theses,
within 60 days, he would be excommunicated. Luther responded by setting
the bull on fire publicly, and on 3 January 1521 Pope Leo X excommunicated
Luther.

Now, again, power was shared by both the Vatican and the Holy Roman
Empire, so now the responsibility of enforcing Luther to recant his statements
fell to the HRE.

Frederick the Wise had convinced Charles V that he should hear Luther’s
case himself, not put it off on anyone lower than himself.

The Diet of Worms, basically a General Assembly with Charles V


presiding was conducted from 28 January to 25 May 1521. On 28 January,
Charles V summoned Luther to appear to renounce or reaffirm his views.

Luther was convinced that he was going to his death, and he was
worried as any man would be.
But as he made the trip from Wittenburg to Worms, he was treated like a
celebrity. Whole towns would rush out and wish him well, they would throw
parties in his honor as he passed through.

He was Germany’s most famous and best selling author, and the people
of Germany were behind him all the way.

When he arrived in Worms on 16 April, a papal emissary reported to the


Vatican, “9 out of 10 people are shouting ‘Long live Luther,’ and the 10th
person is shouting, ‘Death to the Pope.’”

Luther was told to appear the following day before the Diet at 4 p.m. Dr.
Jerome Schurff was to act as Luther’s advocate, and Eck was the Vatican’s
advocate.

On April 17: The Imperial Herald Sturm and Pappenheim came for
Luther. Pappenheim reminded Luther that he should speak only in answer to
direct questions from the presiding officer, Johann von Eck (not the professor
from Ingolstadt). Eck asked if a collection of books was Luther’s and if he was
ready to revoke their heresies. Dr. Schurff said, “Please have the titles read.”
There were 25 of them, probably including The 95 Theses, Resolutions
Concerning the 95 Theses, On the Papacy at Rome, Address to the Christian
Nobility, The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, and On the Freedom of a
Christian, all of which had been written prior to the Diet of Worms. Luther
requested more time for a proper answer, so he was given until the next day
at 4 p.m.

April 18: Luther prayed for long hours, consulted with friends and
mediators, and presented himself before the Diet the next day. A larger crowd
assembled than the previous day. Luther was a changed man, no longer in
awe or feeling timid. He had probably memorized his speech. When the
counselor put the same questions to him, Luther began, “The Most Serene
Lord Emperor, Illustrious Princes, most clement Lords, etc.” He stated that he
lacked the etiquette of the court. "They are all mine, but as for the second
question, they are not all of one sort." Luther went on to place the writings
into three categories: (1) Works which were well received by even his
enemies: those he would not reject. These affected the Protestant
Reformation. (2) Books which attacked the abuses, lies and desolation of the
Christian world and the papacy: those, Luther believed, could not safely be
rejected without encouraging abuses to continue. To retract them would be to
open the door to further oppression. (Oberman, 39) “If I now recant these,
then, I would be doing nothing but strengthening tyranny” (Oberman). (3)
Attacks on individuals: he apologized for the harsh tone of these writings but
did not reject the substance of what he taught in them; if he could be shown
from the Scriptures that he was in error, Luther continued, he would reject
them.

According to tradition, Luther is said to have spoken these words: "Here I


stand; I can do no other. God help me. Amen." However, there is no
indication in the transcripts of the Diet that he ever said this, and most
scholars now doubt these words were spoken. Indeed, the full sentence first
appears years later in an account by Philipp Melanchthon, one of Luther's
most ardent supporters, but only the last four words are recorded in the first
hand account by Johannes Cochlaeus.

According to the Weimar Edition of Luther's works, here is the full text
of Luther's final speech: "Unless I am convinced by the testimonies of the
Holy Scriptures or evident reason (for I believe neither in the Pope nor
councils alone, since it has been established that they have often erred and
contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures adduced by me, and
my conscience has been taken captive by the Word of God, and I am neither
able nor willing to recant, since it is neither safe nor right to act against
conscience. God help me. Amen" (E. G. Schwiebert, Luther and His Times,
504f.).

Private conferences were held to determine Luther's fate. But Before a


decision was reached, Luther fled. During his return to Wittenberg, he
disappeared.

On 25 May 1521, the Edict of Worms declared: "For this reason we


forbid anyone from this time forward to dare, either by words or by deeds, to
receive, defend, sustain, or favor the said Martin Luther. On the contrary, we
want him to be apprehended and punished as a notorious heretic, as he
deserves, to be brought personally before us, or to be securely guarded until
those who have captured him inform us, whereupon we will order the
appropriate manner of proceeding against the said Luther. Those who will
help in his capture will be rewarded generously for their good work."

So where was Luther?

Frederick the Wise had arranged for masked men to kidnap him and
whisk him away to the Castle at Wartburg where he would be safe.

It was during this time that he translated the Bible into German, from
Latin, and wrote other papers, including one that told Nuns and Monks they
could break their monastic vows and live freely in Christ.

In 1522, Luther returned to Wittenburg, but the Emperor was distracted


with other matters, and public sentiment for Luther was so great that he was
never arrested, and the edict of Worms was never enforced in Germany.

Next week, Luther’s doctrinal distinctives.

Doctrinal Distinctives

Doctrinal Distinctives
First some great quotes from Luther which certainly demonstrate his
beliefs:

By God's grace, I know Satan very well. If Satan can turn God's Word
upside down and pervert the Scriptures, what will he do with my words -- or
the words of others?

Faith is a living, bold trust in God's grace, so certain of God's favor that it
would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and
knowledge of God's grace makes you happy, joyful and bold in your
relationship to God and all creatures. The Holy Spirit makes this happen
through faith. Because of it, you freely, willingly and joyfully do good to
everyone, serve everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God
who has shown you such grace.

If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary but the true
mercy. If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an
imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a
sinner, and let your sins be strong (sin boldly), but let your trust in Christ be
stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the
world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place
where justice resides. We, however, says Peter (2. Peter 3:13) are looking
forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign.

For the history of the centuries that have passed since the birth of Christ
nowhere reveals conditions like those of the present. There has never been
such building and planting in the world. There has never been such gluttonous
and varied eating and drinking as now. Wearing apparel has reached its limit in
costliness. Who has ever heard of such commerce as now encircles the earth?
There have arisen all kinds of art and sculpture, embroidery and engraving, the
like of which has not been seen during the whole Christian era. In addition
men are so delving into the mysteries of things that today a boy of twenty
knows more than twenty doctors formerly knew.

Table Talk (1569)

... a penny saved is better than a penny earned.

Superstition, idolatry, and hypocrisy have ample wages, but truth goes a-
begging.

For where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a
chapel...Thus is the Devil ever God's ape.

There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion


or company than a good marriage.

Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has: it never comes to the aid of
spiritual things, but--more frequently than not --struggles against the divine
Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God.

But the Jews are so hardened that they listen to nothing; though
overcome by testimonies they yield not an inch. It is a pernicious race,
oppressing all men by their usury and rapine. If they give a prince or
magistrate a thousand florins, they extort twenty thousand from the subjects in
payment. We must ever keep on guard against them.

I think these things ( firearms ) were invented by Satan himself, for they
can’t be defended against with (ordinary) weapons and fists. All human
strength vanishes when confronted with firearms. A man is dead before he
sees what’s coming.

We believe that the very beginning and end of salvation, and the sum of
Christianity, consists of faith in Christ, who by His blood alone, and not by any
works of ours, has put away sin, and destroyed the power of death.

Faith ever says, "If Thou wilt," not "If Thou canst."

What can only be taught by the rod and with blows will not lead to much
good; they will not remain pious any longer than the rod is behind them.

Sin cannot tear you away from him [Christ], even though you commit
adultery a hundred times a day and commit as many murders.

We are all ministers of the Gospel. Some of us just happen to be


clergymen.

To sum the matter up: whoever finds himself unsuited to the celibate life
should see to it right away that he has something to do and to work at; then
let him strike out in God's name and get married…. Let God worry about
how they and their children are to be fed. God makes children; he will surely
also feed them.

In short, I will preach it [the Word of God], teach it, write it, but I will
constrain no man by force, for faith must come freely without compulsion.
Take myself as an example. I opposed indulgences and all the papists, but
never with force. I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise
I did nothing. And while I slept or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philip
and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or
emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did
everything. Had I desired to foment trouble, I could have brought great
bloodshed upon Germany; indeed, I could have started such a game that even
the emperor would not have been safe. But what would it have been? Mere
fool’s play. I did nothing; I let the Word do its work.

All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly
be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired.

Anyone who is to find Christ must first find the church. How could anyone
know where Christ is and what faith is in him unless he knew where his
believers are?
Be thou comforted, little dog, Thou too in Resurrection shall have a little
golden tail.

Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of
the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has
given us.

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still
plant my apple tree.

Every man must do two things alone; he must do his own believing and
his own dying.

God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in
the flowers and clouds and stars.

I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they
diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the
heart of the youth.

I am more afraid of my own heart than of the pope and all his cardinals.
I have within me the great pope, Self.

I feel much freer now that I am certain the pope is the Antichrist.

I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but
whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess.

Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her
sorry to see him leave.

Pray, and let God worry.

The fewer the words, the better the prayer.

The reproduction of mankind is a great marvel and mystery. Had God


consulted me in the matter, I should have advised him to continue the
generation of the species by fashioning them out of clay.

The will is a beast of burden. If God mounts it, it wishes and goes as God
wills; if Satan mounts it, it wishes and goes as Satan wills; Nor can it choose its
rider... the riders contend for its possession.
To gather with God's people in united adoration of the Father is as
necessary to the Christian life as prayer.

When I am angry I can pray well and preach well.

You should not believe your conscience and your feelings more than the
word which the Lord who receives sinners preaches to you.

Luther’s doctrine can be summed up thusly:

We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ


alone, according to the Scriptures alone.

But focusing on a few key points of doctrine, we can look at 6 main


doctrinal distinctives as taught by Luther.

• Justification by Faith

• The difference between Law and Gospel

• Priesthood of all believers

• The righteous sinner

• Two Sacraments

• The two kingdoms

Justification by Faith

"This one and firm rock, which we call the doctrine of justification, is the
chief article of the whole Christian doctrine, which comprehends the
understanding of all godliness."

This and the solas are the material principle upon which all other
teachings of Luther rest.

Luther understood that justification - being declared righteous - is entirely


the work of God. It is not done by the acts of believers cooperating with God,
but completely and totally outside the believer.

This righteousness is not just from Christ, but is the very righteousness of
Christ imputed to the believer through faith.

"That is why faith alone makes someone just and fulfills the law," said
Luther. "Faith is that which brings the Holy Spirit through the merits of
Christ"[3]. Thus faith, for Luther, is a gift from God, and ". . .a living, bold trust
in God's grace, so certain of God's favor that it would risk death a thousand
times trusting in it."

As we’ve already said, Luther’s epiphany came mainly through his eyes
being opened to Romans 1:17 "For therein is the righteousness of God is
revealed from faith, to faith: as it is written: 'The just shall live by faith.'"

God’s righteousness is not his active, harsh punishing wrath demanding


that a person keep God’s law perfectly in order to be saved, but rather His
righteousness is something that God gives to a person as a gift, freely, through
Christ.

Luther explained it this way in the Smalcald Articles:

The first and chief article is this: Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, died for
our sins and was raised again for our justification (Romans 3:24-25). He alone
is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), and God
has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6). All have sinned and are
justified freely, without their own works and merits, by His grace, through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus, in His blood (Romans 3:23-25). This is
necessary to believe. This cannot be otherwise acquired or grasped by any
work, law, or merit. Therefore, it is clear and certain that this faith alone
justifies us...Nothing of this article can be yielded or surrendered, even though
heaven and earth and everything else falls (Mark 13:31).

Anyone know how much faith it takes to be declared righteous by God?

ANY!

Law and Gospel

Smallcald Articles on Law:

But the chief office or force of the Law is that it reveal original sin with all
its fruits, and show man how very low his nature has fallen, and has become
[fundamentally and] utterly corrupted; as the Law must tell man that he has no
God nor regards [cares for] God, and worships other gods, a matter which
before and without the Law he would not have believed. In this way he
becomes terrified, is humbled, desponds, despairs, and anxiously desires aid,
but sees no escape; he begins to be an enemy of [enraged at] God, and to
murmur, etc. 5] This is what Paul says, Rom. 4:15: The Law worketh wrath.
And Rom. 5:20: Sin is increased by the Law. [The Law entered that the offense
might abound.]

On Gospel:

We will now return to the Gospel, which not merely in one way gives us
counsel and aid against sin; for God is superabundantly rich [and liberal] in His
grace [and goodness]. First, through the spoken Word by which the forgiveness
of sins is preached [He commands to be preached] in the whole world; which
is the peculiar office of the Gospel. Secondly, through Baptism. Thirdly,
through the holy Sacrament of the Altar. Fourthly, through the power of the
keys, and also through the mutual conversation and consolation of brethren,
Matt. 18:20: Where two or three are gathered together, etc.

The Gospel is not just that Christ died for your sins - that’s the most
important message of the Gospel - but it’s everything we do on Sunday -
Word and Sacrament combined into the entire order of worship - The Law
reminding us of our separation from God and need for redemption; Our
confession of sins; The Word preached to us proclaiming the Grace of God,
the death and resurrection of Christ and the forgiveness of our sins; baptism
and communion as physical reminders of God’s covenant with us in Christ.

As creatures of God, we need this every single Sunday… whether we


feel like we need it or not.

Priesthood of Believers

Luther believed that all believers are members of the one body of Christ.

This was spoken in contrast to the medieval belief that Christians are
divided into “spiritual” (clergy) and “temporal” (laity) Christians.

All Christians are “priests” in the eyes of God, and this is exclusive to
protestants.

Righteous Sinner

Known in the Latin as ‘Simul justus et peccator.’ It means we are


simultaneously righteous and a sinner.
This is merely the doctrine of sanctification, or the process of being
made holy, and is a process that takes the entire life of the Christian to be
completed.

Romans 7 is the basis for this doctrine - where Paul says he does what he
doesn’t want to do because the old man is still with him.

This doctrine of Luther’s was in contrast to Roman Catholic doctrine


which taught that baptism washes away original sin, and “concupiscence”
remains as an inclination to sin, but is not sin unless actualized.

Following Augustine, Luther and the reformers called concupiscence sin.

We are born sinners, but made righteous by the sinlessness of Christ,


through Grace, by faith.

Sacraments

Luther taught that there were only 2 sacraments as taught by Christ -


Baptism and Communion - as means of grace, and these are made effectual
in combination with the Gospel being preached.

Communion was the main reason that Calvin and Luther disagreed.

Luther stated that Christ said, “This IS my body.” And he really stated
that the argument rests on what the meaning of “is” is.

Luther believed that Christ was truly present in the bread and wine, and
Calvin said that Christ is represented by the Holy Spirit.

Some of the old arguments say, “How can Christ be there if he’s at the
right hand of the Father.” But I see these arguments as not being very strong
because how do you reconcile that the church is the body of Christ.

The Two Kingdoms

Martin Luther's doctrine of the two kingdoms (or two reigns) of God
teaches that God is the ruler of the whole world and that he rules in two
ways.

He rules the earthly or left-hand kingdom through secular (and, though


this point is often misunderstood, also churchly) government, by means of law
(i.e., the sword or compulsion) and in the heavenly or righthand kingdom (his
spiritual kingdom, that is, Christians insofar as they are a new creation who
spontaneously and voluntarily obey) through the gospel or grace.

Here is what is said about Luther, and his book On Secular Authority
from wikipedia:

Martin Luther's book, On Secular Authority, was an ardent expression of the principle of
Liberty of Conscience. “Liberty of conscience” is the principle that forbids human authorities
from coercing people’s spiritual beliefs. In this book, Luther insisted that God requires
voluntary religious beliefs. Compelled or coerced faith is insincere and must never be allowed.
Luther insisted that “liberty of conscience” was one of Jesus Christ’s principles. According to
Luther, the civil government’s role is simply to keep outward peace in society. The civil
government has no business enforcing spiritual laws. “The laws of worldly government extend
no farther than to life and property and what is external upon earth,” Luther insisted. Echoing
Luther, writing on religious liberty, Thomas Jefferson stated “The legitimate powers of
government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others.” Jefferson may not have had
Luther specifically in mind, but was perhaps an heir to the Protestant tradition which gave birth
to this sentiment. Addressing the question of whether the state should permit its citizens to
believe religious views which are heterodox, Luther said, “heresy can never be prevented by
force... heresy is a spiritual matter which no iron can strike, no fire burn, no water drown.” In
other words, it is folly to legislate and enforce religious beliefs.

Luther’s articulation of the parameters of civil government was a monumental step in the
development of the separation of church and state. He argued for a clear distinction between
two separate spheres: civil and spiritual. This is known as the Doctrine of the two kingdoms.
The civil sphere deals with man’s physical life in society as he interacts with other human
beings; in this, man is subject to human governments. The spiritual sphere deals with man’s
soul, which is eternal, and which is subject only to God. The Doctrine of the two kingdoms is
articulated by Luther in these terms:

God has ordained the two governments: the spiritual, which by the Holy Spirit under
Christ makes Christians and pious people; and the secular, which restrains the unchristian
and wicked so that they are obliged to keep the peace outwardly... The laws of worldly
government extend no farther than to life and property and what is external upon earth. For
over the soul God can and will let no one rule but himself. Therefore, where temporal power
presumes to prescribe laws for the soul, it encroaches upon God’s government and only
misleads and destroys souls. We desire to make this so clear that every one shall grasp it, and
that the princes and bishops may see what fools they are when they seek to coerce the people
with their laws and commandments into believing one thing or another.

Luther encouraged civil disobedience toward any government which would encroach the line of
separation between the civil and the sacred:

We are to be subject to governmental power and do what it bids, as long as it does not
bind our conscience but legislates only concerning outward matters.... But if it invades the
spiritual domain and constrains the conscience, over which God only must preside and rule,
we should not obey it at all but rather lose our necks. Temporal authority and government
extend no further than to matters which are external and corporeal.

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