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Martin Luther, Reformer and Renewer of the Church
Martin Luther (b. November 10, 1483, in
Eisleben, Germany, d. February 18, 1546 in
Eisleben) is known as the Father of
Protestantism. He had studied to become a
lawyer before becoming an Augustinian monk
in 1505, and he was ordained a priest in
1507. While continuing his studies in
pursuit of a Doctor of Theology degree, he
discovered significant differences between
what he read in the Bible and the theology
 and
practices of the church. On October 31,
1517, he posted a challenge on the church
door at Wittenberg University to debate 95
theological issues. Luther’s hope was that
the church would reform its practices and
preaching to be more consistent with the
Word of God as contained in the Bible.
What started as an academic debate escalated
to a religious war, fueled by fiery
temperaments and violent language on both
sides. As a result, there was not a
reformation of the church but a separation.
"Lutheran" was a name applied to Luther and
his followers as an insult, but the name was
adopted as a badge of honor instead.
Lutherans still celebrate the Reformation
on October 31 and hold to the basic
principles of theology and practice espoused
by Luther, such as
Sola Gratia, Sola
Fide, Sola Scriptura:
- We are saved by the
grace of God
alone -- not by anything we do;
- Our salvation is through
faith alone
-- we only need to believe that our sins
are forgiven for Christ’s sake, and that
he died to redeem us;
- The Bible
is the only norm of doctrine and
life -- the only true standard by which
teachings and doctrines are to be judged.
Another of Luther’s principles was that
Scriptures and worship need to be in the
language of the people.
Many Lutherans still consider themselves
as a reforming movement within the Church
catholic rather than a separatist movement,
and Lutherans have engaged in ecumenical
dialogue with other church bodies for
decades. In fact, the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America has entered into
cooperative "full communion" agreements with
several other Protestant denominations.
Luther’s Small Catechism, which contains
teachings on the Ten Commandments, the
Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Holy
Baptism, Confession and Absolution, Holy
Communion, and Morning and Evening Prayers,
is still used to introduce people to the
Lutheran faith, as is the Augsburg
Confession. These and other Lutheran
confessional documents included in the Book
of Concord may be ordered from the ELCA
Publishing House at 800-328-4648 or
www.augsburgfortress.org.
Essential Questions - Christianity &
Lutheranism
Answer some of the most critical questions
regarding Christianity & Lutheranism.
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