How Did Martin Luther's Religious Influence

Because of his monastic roots, God prepared Martin Luther to stand against what the Roman Catholic Church was doing to the common people. Martin Luther, through scripture study and prayer, stood for what he believed, even in the face of certain death. He was predestined to bring the Protestant faith to the masses, thereby fulfilling God’s will for him in his life. Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, Germany in 1483. At age 22, against the will of his father, he joined a monastery and remained there for the next twenty years. Those years would prove to be critical in the life of Martin Luther. He spent his time there studying scripture and praying. (Noll, 150) There is nothing in his past that would indicate he would go on to confront

The Catholic Church’s practice of selling indulgences set off a chain of events that would change the course of European history. When Martin Luther learned of this practice, he could no longer remain silent. Indulgences were graces and mercies sold to the common people by the leaders in the Catholic Church. The Church had the common people believe they could never do enough good works to be forgiven for their sins. The Church sold people these indulgences so they could experience God’s grace and mercy in their lives. In response to this action, Luther wrote what was called the 95 Theses or 95 things that were wrong with the Catholic Church. Naturally, church officials were outraged and called the Diet of Worms in 1521 to give Martin Luther a chance to recant. Charles V, who was serving as the king of Spain, and Germany’s Holy Roman Emperor headed the Diet of Worms. (Noll, 144) Luther would not recant any of his writings because the Word of God bound his conscience. Luther stood his ground that grace and mercy was a gift from God and could not be purchased with money. He also maintained that common people should be free to read the scriptures for themselves in their own language. Luther maintained that Church officials, who should

Even in the face of heavy adversity and certain, painful death, his stance never wavered. I believe Martin Luther was prepared to do this by God during his time in the monastery. He used that time to ponder the Scriptures and pray about them. This was God’s way to set things right here on earth. Martin Luther was truly an instrument in the hands of God. I often wonder had Martin Luther not been prepared by God to stand up to the corrupt Catholic Church, would I be paying indulgences to church officials, trying to obtain God’s grace and mercy? I am grateful Martin Luther showed the world that God’s grace is free and can be had by all. Had he not been strong in his convictions and a loyal and faithful servant of the Lord, I would not be enjoying the church service I have come to know and love today. Martin Luther’s work is the most critical turning point in Christendom we have learned about so far during this course. His work had deep and far-reaching effects on the history of the world, effects we still benefit from