Martin Luther Introduction

Martin Luther is important to the protestant reformation because he was a driving force in calling out the corruptness of the church, and breaking off from the Catholic Church. After being in a bad lightning storm, Luther promised that he would become a monk. He joined the Augustan Order. Through searching for assurance of salvation, Luther turned to the Bible. He found his answer that justification is not through good works, rather through faith alone in Christ as the son of God who came down from heaven and died on the cross as a perfect sacrifice to cleanse us all from our sins, and that he rose again. Luther had an issue with indulgences. He believed that relying on a piece of paper for salvation would instead assure eternal damnation. The pope was selling them to finance the building of Saint Peter’s Basilica. The pope did not take Luther seriously, saying he was just some German drunk who would amend his ways once sober. At the Leipzig debate, Luther was compared to Hus as a heretic. Luther felt he was doing God’s work and continued regardless of his consequences. He published 3 pamphlets that spoke of the bible as a Christian’s sole authority, unlike the Catholic belief that a pope is needed. He also called for nobles to overthrow the church and establish a new reformed church. Among other things Luther believed that a church leader should be free to marry. He also cut back on and redefined sacraments. One includes a different view on communion. Catholics believe in transubstantiation, but Luther did not. Instead he believed that the wine and bread are the real presence of the body and blood of Christ, no magical transformation.