What is Lutheranism? What Lutherans Believe History of Lutheranism Martin Luther Augsburg Confession The Book of Concord

Martin Luther is ranked number three on Life Magazine's "Top 100 People of the Millenium" of people who lived between the years 1000-2000 A.D., behind Thomas Edison and Christopher Columbus, and ahead of Galileo Galilei and Leonardo. What drove Luther was his primary question, "How can I find a gracious God?"


Early Life:

Martin grew up in a time when most people in Europe were illiterate, the church held tremendous power influence, and the prevailing theology was that God was seen as a righteous judge. Life was hard, cruel and short, and preparation for death was a primary concern of most people. Since his father Hans was in the copper trade, he could afford to send Martin to school which he excelled as a student. His father wanted him to study to be a lawyer. In 1505 he was caught in a horrible thunderstorm, and out of his fear of a wrathful and judging God, Luther prayed that if he were spared in the storm, he would become a monk. He did survive, and he entered the Augustinian cloister in Erfurt.

Luther was a pious monk, and he was ordained to the priesthood in 1507. Yet his quest for a gracious God led him to great doubts and a troubled conscious. It is said that he spent hours in the confessional, and still had trouble believing that God could forgive him. His superior, Jon Stauptiz, sent him to teach at the new University in Wittenberg. Luther earned his doctorate and became a regular professor of Bible in 1512. The following four years, he lectured on the Psalms, Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews. During this time, Luther had a breakthrough, as he came to believe that people were saved not by their merits and good works, but on account of Christ, who died to save sinners.


Changing History:

During this time, the church was raising funds for a new cathedral dedicated to St. Peter in the Vatican. Part of those fundraising efforts was the sale of letters of indulgence. After preachers came to preach repentance and a call to do acts of charity, these letters could be purchased, assuring the owner of forgiveness and reduced time in purgatory. In practice these sale of indulgence came to be understood by some, Luther included, that the church was selling forgiveness. Being on a university campus, Luther wrote a document to stir academic debate, defend the church, and proclaim the forgiveness he discovered in scripture as a free gift of God given through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Luther posted his famous 95 Theses on October 31, 1517 on the eve of All Saints Day. All Saints was a poplar church festival, and many people visited churches to view relics and attend mass. Wittenberg would have been a busy place, as Prince Frederich "the Wise" had an extensive relic collection in the Castle Church, where Luther posted his 95 Theses. Whether or not Luther knew what he was getting himself into, or what the consequences of his actions might be is debatable, but it is the reason Luther is listed so high on the Millennium list, because such action changed the course of history in Western Europe.

The advent of the printing press and a growing middle class (that could read) made Luther an instant sensation throughout the German lands and eventually much of Europe. Over the next few years, Luther continued to write. His three notable tracks from 1520 include, "An Appeal to the Christian Nobility," "The Freedom of a Christian," and "The Babylonian Captivity of the Church." His primary concern was that the church had lost its central message and how to restore its proclamation.

In 1521, Luther was called to stand trial for heresy at the Imperial Diet of Worms. Luther was judged guilty and called upon to recant his writings, since they challenged church authority, in particular the authority of the pope. He stood condemned and would likely be executed. It is here Luther made his famous, "Here I stand" speech. Whether or not he actually said those words or not is debated, but the implications were clear. Luther stood up to the church, and popular opinion was with him (even if the church was not).

Fearing for his life, Luther's friends hid him in the Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, overlooking the same town where years before he was a student. He spent almost a year studying and writing. His most important project at the time was translating the New Testament into German, and with the printing press it became widely available. After reforms continued without him that were leading to violence, Luther came out of hiding and returned to Wittenberg where he called home the rest of his life.

Luther continued to write, teach, preach and settle disputes over the course of the next twenty- five years as he continued to develop "justification by faith" as central to his understanding of Christ's death and resurrection for sinners. He married a former nun named Katarina Von Bora on June 13, 1525. (The "Luther Wedding" is a primary festival in current day Lutherstadt- Wittenberg, held every June, where locals dress as Martin and Kaite and the entire town celebrates, drawing visitors from around the world). The Luthers had six children. They received the former cloister as a gift for their home, where they raised their family, hosted many guests, and boarded students. Many "table talks" of informal theology took place accompanied by good food and drink around the Luthers' table.


Luther's Legacy:

The rest of Luther's life has a lasting legacy beyond the 95 Theses. In 1529, Luther wrote both a Large and Small Catechism to teach the basics (10 Commandments, Apostles Creed, Lord's Prayer, Baptism, Confession, Holy Communion, and Bible passages for everyday life. Many Lutherans still use them for preaching and teaching today. In 1530, Luther's good friend and colleague presented the Augsburg Confession at an imperial diet in Augsburg which is still a foundational document for most Lutherans. Luther was unable to attend the diet since he was condemned at the Diet of Worms nine years earlier. In his later years as his health declined, and to his discredit, his irritability got the better of him. Luther used his voice and his pen to condemn his enemies and those who disagreed with him. Several centuries later, the Nazi regime would use Luther's writings to condemn the Jews and attempt to legitimize the holocaust.

Whether intentional or not, Luther sparked the Protestant Reformation of the Western Church. In response to the growing influence of the Protestants, the Roman Catholic Church redefined its theology and practice at the Council of Trent. Wars were fought across Europe for religious control, changing the nature of church and state relationships. Northern Germany, and most countries in Scandanvia became "Lutheran" a term originally meant as a slur, but adopted as badge of honor, associating with the man who stood up for the truth of the gospel. Switzerland and parts of France came under the influence of John Calvin and the Reformed movement. England broke away from Rome under Henry VIII to for the Church of England. Much of Southern Europe remained Roman Catholic. As Western Europe spread its economic and political power abroad, it brought its religion with them. At the time of the Middle Ages Christianity was largely confined to Europe, but is now a global faith with over one billion participants. In the last century, new peaceful relationships between Christians spurned by Vatican II to open new possibilities for the future. In the meantime, Lutherans confess the truth of the scriptures that Christ died for the ungodly.

Luther was not a saint. However, Luther's lasting legacy is a return to the scripture to proclaim Christ crucified and risen to those burdened by sin, guilt, shame and death. He was in a sense of a product of his own theology - sinner and saint at the same time. Luther also redefined the very nature of the church. It was formerly understood that because the church had authority it could proclaim the truth of Christ from the scriptures. Since Luther's influence, the church has continued to explore its rightful place, having authority because of the truth of Christ proclaimed in the scriptures.

1.	"Life's Top 100 People of the Millenium" online available here.
2.	James M. Kittleson. Luther the Reformer: The Story of the Man and His Career. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1986.
3.	Martin Luther. Martin Luther's Basic Theological Writings. ed. Timothy F. Lull. Minnepolis: Fortress Press, 1989.
4.	Frederick Nohl. Luther: A Biography of a Reformer. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2003.
5.	Steven Ozment. A Mighty Fortress: A New History of the German People. New York: Perennial, 2004.
6.	E.G. Schwiebert. Luther and His Times. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1950.
7.	Susan K, Leigh. Luther the Graphic Novel: Echoes of the Hammer. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2011.