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The impact of Martin Luther on the reformation of the church
Thesis of church reformation
Martin Luther's Chapel of the Catholic Church
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Learning about Martine Luther’s ecclesiology was interesting. Martine Luther believed that church was the people of God, the fellowship of believers, or the communion of saints. Triglot Concordia was very confusing and hard to read, so I also read other papers about Martin Luther to help me understand Martin Luther’s ecclesiology. Because Marin Luther is an important figure in the Protestant Reformation when the church was reformed, I was very curious what his theory and doctrine of church. Even Martin Luther never wrote a paper about his ecclesiology or his theory/doctrine of church, it was interesting to see how he emphasize nature of church in different ways.
Martin Luther said that church is a spiritual community and I agree with him. I believe that Church is a place where Christians bound to each other through the common sharing in Christ and in the Holy Spirit. Luther believed in spiritual unity, and I also believe that Church bond us together with a common ground in Him. In the Augsburg Confession, it is written “that Church is a spiritual people, that it has been distinguished from the heathen not by civil rites, but that it is the true people of God, regenerated by the Holy Ghost” (Articles VII and VIII, 14). Luther did not want to separation of the Church, or injure the unity of the Church.
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He stated that true unity of the Church is not injured by dissimilar rites instituted by men. I agree that church can be “invisible” (hidden nature of the church as an assembly of hearts in faith) or spiritual church (he communion of believers). Church should not be restricted in building or congregation. Coming to Luther’s idea of the sacrament of the Church, I don’t have an idea. I grow up with Protestant background and followed the Protestant sacrament that have limited sacrament compared to Roman Catholic tradition. So, I can’t agree or relate to any of Luther’s argument against Roman Church. However, knowing some of the background information of indulgence and other sacraments, I think I will agree with Martin Luther on his idea. In the Augsburg Confession, it is stated that: to the unity of the Church it is sufficient to agree concerning the doctrine of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments; nor is it necessary that human traditions, rites, or ceremonies instituted by men should be alike everywhere … We are speaking of true of spiritual unity (we say that those are one harmonious Church who believe in one Christ; who have on Gospel, one Spirit, one faith, the same Sacraments; and we are speaking, therefore, of spiritual unity), without which faith in the heart, or righteousness of heart before God, cannot exist. (Articles VII and VIII, 30-31) Like Luther, I believe that sacrament is aided by faith and evidence of faith, but it is not substitutes of faith.
It is important to base our sacrament in His Word, but that its. I believe that we should not restrict on sacrament and be too strict on sacrament rules. I grow up in mission field in China, and I’ve seen many missionaries, who are not pastors, giving baptism or doing Eucharist. Some people or denominations, especially Roman Church people, will say that is wrong and people should not do that. But there can be Church without pastor or priest. I know it is important to have “educated” leaders in Church, but sacraments should not be limited to “real
Church”. Lastly, I agree with Martin Luther about his idea of putting Church’s foundational importance on the Word of God. Church should be based on Word of God. I’m not saying that scripture is the only base, but it is a key factor of Church. Luther said Church is the creature of the Word. He believes true church is identified by the gospel. Luther states, “since the Church owes its birth to the Word, is nourished, aided and strengthened by it, it is obvious that it cannot be without the Word. If it is without the Word it ceases to be a Church” (Schwobel, 1989). I agree that the Word nourish, aid, and strengthen the Church. It gives Church what and how should they do things. In addition, I believe listening, reading or preaching the Word of God is one of the primary way God communicate with us. Reading about Martin Luther, I couldn’t find major theory or idea that I don’t agree with him. Maybe because I am not familiar with Roman church or it could be because I don’t have enough information about Luther. If I read other writings of Martin Luther, I may have things I don’t agree with him. However, from the Augsburg Confession Article VII and VIII I focused on, I think Martin Luther is amazing. I’ve never read or thought about Martin Luther’s theory (of any kind), but I learned many thing while reading for this research paper.
Martin Luther is known to be a key initiator to the Protestant Reformation, although he had no intention of doing so. He was going to become a monk, so he read deeply into scriptures, but this only led him to discover inconsistencies between traditions and the Bible. These inconsistencies lead him to demand changes in the Catholic Church; however that did not include
Martin Luther desired to reform the Church because he believed that it was corrupt and wanted to be seen as the gateway to Heaven. In Luther’s eyes, the Roman Catholic Church was teaching the wrong things and showing bad behavior. Because of this, Martin Luther, being a conscientious friar and professor of theology, did not feel secure in the idea of salvation. The Church was teaching that salvation came through faith AND good works while Luther concluded
James Kittelson’s biography on the life of Luther is thought provoking and informative. Kittelson does not have a concise thesis, but as it is a biography the central theme of Luther the Reformer is an insightful narrative of Martin Luther’s life from his birth in Eisleben until his death on February 18, 1546 in Eisleben. Kittelson thoroughly and with great detail and sources explains Luther’s mission to reform the catholic church. Luther the Reformer seeks to condense Luther’s life in a manner which is more easily read for those who do not know the reformer’s story well. Luther is portrayed not only as a theologian throughout the book, but as a person with struggles and connections throughout the Germanic region in which he lived. Luther’s theology is portrayed throughout the entirety of the book, and Kittelson approaches Luther’s theology by explaining Luther’s past. The inclusion of
Martin Luther was a former Priest/Monk and that saw some corruption in the Roman Catholic Church. Luther tried to bring his concerns to the Church in his writing of the “Ninety-five Theses on the Power of Indulgences.” When these question that Luther proposed to the Archbishop of Mainz went unsatisfactorily unanswered in 1517, Luther started defaming the Roman Church and pushed for the utter destruction of the Roman Church. What started out as an internal reform of Church’s discipline, turned into a war against the Roman Church for their total destruction. This was the intent of Luther’s sermon of 1521.
Luther’s concept challenges all who followed to seek awareness of God’s relation between the Law and the Gospel. According to Luther’s doctrine of vocation each person lives life in two realms, the secular and the spiritual. Luther was one of the first theologians to inspire renewed interest in reconnecting faith and everyday life. He associated the greatest commandment “Love your neighbor as yourself” to our service and work carrying out Jesus’ example. Luther reminded us, we are working side by side with God, in all areas of our life; church, household, social, and common order of Christian love and in each area we are responsible to glorify God. Luther insisted Christianity is not a withdrawal from the world, but engaging in the world. Luther’s transition from vocation of the priesthood to including secular occupation brings all people to new accountabilities. In Luther 's doctrine of vocation in includes the concept of two kingdoms. In his words, “each person lives his life in two realms, the secular and the spiritual. The spiritual kingdom is ruled by God 's grace and His forgiveness of sins, while the secular realm is ruled by the sword.” In Luther’s teachings, the secular realm was divided into many offices, stations, and callings, each having significance towards serving your neighbor. Luther gives the example of a literal interpretation of the
At the beginning of the sixteenth century church theologian, Martin Luther, wrote the 95 Theses questioning the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. In this essay I will discuss: the practices of the Roman Catholic Church Martin Luther wanted to reform, what Martin’s specific criticism of the pope was, and the current practices Pope Francis I is interested in refining in the Roman Catholic Church today.
The political organization and religion aspects during the 16th century influenced Protestant Reformation to occur in Germany. Martin Luther’s writings reflect on his views and perspectives of German politics and religion at the time. Martin Luther’s ideas in the Letter to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation and The Statement of Grievances mentions Martin Luther’s thoughts about how corrupt the church is, why the corruption in the church needs to end, and what Martin Luther’s ideas are to change the way of the church.
Thesis statement: Martin Luther was responsible for the break-up of the Catholic Church Martin Luther was a representative during the 16th century of a desire widespread of the renewal and reform of the Catholic Church. He launched the Protestant reform a continuation of the medieval religious search. From the Middle ages, the church faced many problems such as the Babylonian Captivity and the Great Schism that hurt the prestige of the church. Most of the clergy lived in great luxury while most people were poor and they set an immoral example. The clergy had low education and many of them didn’t attend their offices.
Through these essays, he showed the church for what they really had become, which was money hungry and more political than religious. Luther also pointed out the fact that high officials were able to hold more than one position. If they had that many responsibilities, they wouldn’t be doing their jobs as effectively as they should have been. If Martin Luther hadn’t been brave enough to publish and spread his ideas through these essays, many people wouldn’t have realized what was wrong with the church during that
All of Europe used to be united under one religion, Catholicism. Europe started inching away from Catholicism during the 13th - 15th centuries. The church leaders started to only think about money and the power they held, instead of the real reason they were supposed to be there, God. This caused an uprising of people who no longer wanted to be a part of the Catholic church, nicknamed Protestants because they protested the ways of the catholic church. The Protestant Reformation was caused by corruption in the church, Martin Luther and John Calvin’s ideas, and the clergy and their preachings.
with his 95 Theses. A strict father who most likely did not accept “no” as an
Jefferson Bethke’s video went viral after it was posted. He makes multiples assertions about religion/institutionalized church. When he said “Religion put you in shackles but Jesus sets you free”, it made me pause. In my journal, I said I don’t agree with this quote, church/religion did not put us in shackles, but it bonded us together with a common ground. I think Martin Luther will agree with the last part of the quote and disagree with first part of the quote. Martin Luther puts emphasis on the invisible church that does not focus on physical building or ceremony of the Roman church. However, he does not deny the visible church, and he does talk about the Gospel and the sacraments. So, Martin Luther will say religion/church may put you in
It is hard for me to understand Martin Luther and his circumstances, but he convinced me enough to become a Lutheran after reading many of his writings. His love for scripture is so fascinating. He wrote so many hymns to praise God. “A might fortress is our God” one of his hymns I hear it everyday and it gives me goose bumps. I am a big fan of Luther’s
Martin Luther a German theologian and religious reformer was the founding figure of the protestant reformation, the break from the Catholic Church, which in many ways marks the beginning of modern Europe. A well-expressed preacher and huge writer, Luther attacked many abuses of the Catholic Church, especially the papacy. The source of his spiritual revelation was not political or institutional but came from his inner fight of conscience. Like other people of his day, Luther was horrified that god would in the end reject him for his sins. He found a word in the bible called “Law” which increased his terror, but he also discovered a word god called “Gospel,” the good news and promise of mercy in Christ, which shed all of his worries. By his words and actions, Luther caused an action that reformulated certain rudimentary Christian belief and the division of Western Church between Roman Catholics and the Protestant traditions. He is one of the most influential person in the history of Christianity.
In Martin Luther’s Treatise on Christian Liberty, the idea of sola fide, or faith alone, is introduced and expanded upon. Luther writes that for Christians, their salvation is based on their belief in Jesus as the son of God, who came to Earth, died for our sins, and rose from the dead three days later. Having faith in Christ is what enables a person to be saved or go to heaven, according to Luther’s beliefs. A man’s works are not what earns him a ticket into heaven, rather, it is by his faith in the son of God. Does that mean that works are then not needed? In my perspective, after one professes faith in Jesus on their lips and in their heart, or as Romans 10:9 puts it, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (ESV), then the good works will start to manifest in the new believer’s life due to the changing work of the Holy Spirit inside of him, thus demonstrating that one is saved by faith, but that works should still appear in a Christian’s life.